Kushiro is a city located in eastern Hokkaido. The area is brimming with unforgettable natural sights, including Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, the famous Lake Akan in Marimo, Japan's clearest lake, and is home to the majestic red-crowned crane, just to name a few.
Here, we've carefully selected ten amazing things to do in Kushiro, a place with so many of Japan's best scenic spots.
1. Kushiro Washoku Market: Make your own seafood rice bowls
The "Katte don" is a specialty of Kushiro Washou Market (Photo: Yoshida Kushokuwa)
Alongside the Hakodate Morning Market and Sapporo Nijo Market, Kushiro Washou Market is one of the top three markets in Hokkaido, and is just a minute's walk from Kushiro Station.
In the market housing around 60 stores, you can find fresh seafood, marine products, and various dried food. But what made this market so famous is its "Katte Don" (lit. rice bowl as you please).
The Katte Don is said to have originated in the 1980s when the owner of a fresh fish shop had young people who visited the market on a trip. They bought a bowl of white rice and put on different fresh fish one by one.
Add as much as you want (Photo: Yoshida Kajiwa)
To have a go for yourself, you buy white rice at a souzai shop (side dish shop) within the market, go around the fishmongers, and add your favorite sashimi to the rice to create your own original seafood bowl.
You can have as much rice as you please, and as much fish as you please, so you are doing it in a "katte" manner, making a "katte don"! You might even inadvertently come across your new favorite sashimi.
Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken – Sanitizer installed – Ventilation measures in place – Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature – Guests are required to wear masks
Multilingual support
No special language support available.
kushiro WASHOU market
13-25, Kuroganecho, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido
Kushiro
0154-22-3226
2. Kushiro Shitsugen National Park: Ride a canoe through the green and the blue
Embraced by nature on all sides (Photo: Kushiro Marsh & River)
Kushiro Shitsugen National Park is a wetland through which the Kushiro River and its tributaries run. It's so big that it could hold the entirety of Tokyo's 23 wards (which total 627.6 km²).
Around 6,000 years ago, this area was part of the ocean, but over the years, the area has transformed into a marsh or wetland.
The wetlands create a difficult environment for construction, so the area has thankfully escaped over-development. The area is now a magical sanctuary home to around 2,000 precious species of flora and fauna, including the red-crowned crane, a species designated as a Special Natural Monument.
Each season has its charm (Photo: Kushiro Marsh & River)
The Kushiro Marsh and River are based about a 20-minute drive from Kushiro Station and offer year-round private canoe to…
