Kushiro Wetland is a national park in Japan, where the JR Kushiro Main Line runs and stops at Kushiro Wetland, Hosokawa, and Tanglu stations. Among them, there is a special small train called “Kushiro Wetland Express”, which operates very interestingly and increases its frequency during the summer, allowing it to travel back and forth from the wetlands in Kushiro.
Get off at Kushiro Suwon Station and you can go to the observation deck; Getting off at Xigang Station, you can take a walk around Lake Takabu; Get off at Tanglu Station for more fun.
Tanglu should be considered the core of this park. Cycling on the dirt road allows you to feel the fragrance of the soil, and you can also climb onto the observation deck to enjoy the scenery of the wetland. It’s still very beautiful to go there in summer.
Many people online say that Kushiro Wetland is not very interesting, but I feel that this conclusion can be drawn: one is that the season of going is not right; One reason is that I couldn’t find a fun place. The wet area is very large, and I can’t feel much when wandering around the entrance or looking at the observation deck. I have to go deep inside to play.
From Kushiro to the areas of Lake Mochizuki and Lake Kushiro, you also have to rely on JR to reach Lake Mochizuki Station. We live next to Quxie Road Lake, and the hotel is responsible for transportation. Afterwards, I rode my hotel bike to Qu Xie Lu Lake and was immediately shocked. It was particularly beautiful, and for the first time, it changed my inherent impression that Japan has no natural beauty.
The Kushiro Wetland corresponds to the Heilongjiang River in China, which is a wetland. And Quxie Road Lake, Mozhou Lake, and Ahan Lake (because “If You Are the One” is very famous in China) correspond to volcanic lakes, which are also many in Heilongjiang, China.
I have never been to Heilongjiang, but I believe that due to the same latitude, the landforms of Heilongjiang and Hokkaido should be very similar. But because the estuary of Heilongjiang was occupied by the Russians. In Heilongjiang, Northeast China, there is no corresponding landform to the Zhijian Peninsula.
Zhijian Peninsula is mainly for playing in the sea, and also for finding ways to see wild brown bears.
On one side of the Zhike Peninsula, Yudenglu, facing the Sea of Okhotsk, there is the Zhike Five Lakes National Park in Japan, where you can hike through the forest; There is also a dedicated boat on this side to watch the brown bears living in the Zhijia Five Lakes Park at sea, and basically 100% of them can be seen.
On the other side of the Zhibed Peninsula, Luo Jiu, facing the Pacific Ocean, the main project is whale watching. In summer, you can see groups of killer whales up close, and there are also sperm whales, but you need to observe from a distance, otherwise the ship will capsize. We have also seen it this time.
In addition, for us, the beach on the Utsunomiya side of the Chikuma Peninsula is a particularly unforgettable paradise. At low tide, the tide pool is exposed and you can see many starfish, sea anemones, mudskippers, crabs, as well as sea urchins and jellyfish.
This bay is calm and calm. Although the seafood is worse than that on the Pacific side, it is very suitable for playing on the mudflat. Before playing, you need to check the tide gauge. You can only play during low tide, and also pay attention to the high tide time to ensure safety.
Traveling north from Kushiro Wetland, Ahanmo Zhou and Quxie Lu Lake are both volcanic lakes with abundant hot springs. We saw natural hot springs (open-air wind turbines) at Quxie Road Lake, and indeed there were Japanese people soaking in the hot springs naked, mostly elderly people.
There are also many hot springs in the Zhichen area, and I have tasted the hot spring water, which surprisingly has a slightly salty taste. I don’t know what the reason is. In these places, it is recommended to book homestays and look for those with public hot springs. It’s unlikely to have private soup, it’s too expensive and unnecessary.
Each of the places mentioned above that can be played takes about half a day, and then transferring to JR to the next place can still be a bit tiring. After arriving at the hotel and having a satisfying meal, soaking in a real hot spring with some outdoor views is indeed a wonderful life experience.
We have been to the east of Beihai Road twice, both in summer. It is said that winter is also very fun. Walking at the end of the JR Kushiro Main Line, there are beautiful flowing ice in winter. In winter, there are also outdoor skiing events in Kushiro Wetland, which are desirable.
To sum up, in the three national parks on the east side of Beihai Road, the main gameplay is outdoor sports+observing wildlife.
Outdoor sports include hiking, cycling, kayaking, fishing when available, as well as going out to sea and fishing; Observing wild animals, one can definitely see wild sika deer, foxes, and eagles everywhere; We need to take a boat to see bears and whales; From September to November, you should go to the small river at the mouth of the sea, where you can see the magnificent scenery of migrating salmon, and in winter, you can see red crowned cranes and large eagles.
Along the way, we have tasted top-notch fresh seafood in Kushiro, Hou’an, Udanru, and Luoju, including super delicious sea urchin rice, which is cheaper than Tokyo. Moreover, almost all of these seafood are sweet, which is our highest evaluation of seafood. But the salmon (salmon) produced on the coast of Japan has average quality and lacks oil. It is much smaller in size than the Norwegian imported salmon (salmon) commonly seen in China, and also has a slight difference in taste. Having eaten seafood in Hokkaido and then returning to Tokyo and Osaka, one will feel that the freshness of Tokyo and Osaka is lower.
As mentioned before, going out to play can be divided into several levels: ▼
The first is to browse, see things you haven’t seen before, visit scenic spots, museums, and even go shopping. Taking Japan as an example, playing in Tokyo and Osaka is mainly at this level.
Second pure vacation, find a high-end five-star hotel and stay indoors. After eating and drinking every day, swim and soak up the sun to daydream. There are not many hotels like this in Japan because the country is too small and the latitude is not enough. Generally, this type of vacation is on islands, but occasionally in the mountains.
The third type is travel that focuses on outdoor activities. North Sea Road East can be considered in this category. When you have seen everything the world should see and have had enough island vacations, outdoor activities will definitely become the main area for upgrading your travel. On the east side of Hokkaido, there are beautiful scenery, complete outdoor sports facilities, clean and hygienic homestays, hot springs, and interesting JR trains. All of this ensures that you can play comfortably for seven or eight days on the basis of comfort and convenience.
Finally, a few points to note: ▼
JR and buses in Hokkaido are smooth in summer, but some may be closed in winter due to snowfall. So, when going to Hokkaido without driving or chartering a car, one must have the ability to research and understand the JR and bus schedules on their own. If none of my peers have this ability, I even suggest not to go, otherwise there may be a tragic situation where after playing enough, I find that there is no car left. That place is vast and sparsely populated, with only one old man driving a taxi in the entire town. If you don’t call a hotel, you don’t know how to find him to take a taxi.
Where to study?
Not many mainland Chinese travel to Hokkaido, especially due to the three-year delay caused by the pandemic. As a result, there are relatively few travel guides available, and the explanation is not very thorough. The most reliable way is to go to the official Japanese website of the place you want to go, such as the official app of the Japan Tourism Board. The Japanese government basically thinks of everything they can think of.
Another important place to obtain local information is the station. There are many official brochures at the station, including train and bus schedules, sightseeing information, and more. Even if you are driving, I recommend that you go to the local JR station to collect this information after arriving. It is an important supplement to the previously researched travel guide and is the latest.
In the future, as long as travel continues, we will continue to share.
