2025 Shari District Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in March)

The road to heaven in Shari-cho, Hokkaido, became popular nationwide after a social media post said that the straight road seemed to continue to the heavens. This road is National Route 334 and Route 244, and the road continues straight for about 18km. Nearby is a wooden observation deck called "Nameless Observatory", from which you can see not only the road to heaven, but also the vast fields typical of Hokkaido and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk beyond. 📌The road to heaven 📌Minehama, Shari-cho, Shari-gun, Hokkaido (National Route 334 and Route 244 / Shari National Route 📌About 15 minutes by car from JR Shiretoko Shari Station 📌Famousness ★★★☆☆ #Hokkaido Tourism #Road to heaven #Scenic spot #Hokkaido #Touring #Drive #Straight #Shari Town #Shiretoko Shari Station

📍8:30 AM: Woke up for breakfast. The buffet offered a wide variety of dishes, some of which were freshly prepared by the chef. The presentation was nice, and the food tasted good. The window seats offered a sea view. 📍This afternoon, I had a reservation for an ARPA Shiretoko Five Lakes hike. After checking out at 11:00 AM, I tried calling ARPA, but no one answered. As per the email instructions, I walked to the Shiretoko Monsoon Club Hotel, where I would be staying tonight, to meet them. Although it was only a ten-minute walk, dragging my suitcase through the snow was quite difficult. Thankfully, a kind stranger offered me a ride. 📍12:40 PM: The ARPA guide picked us up from the hotel lobby and drove us to the Five Lakes. It turned out that they waited for all the cars to arrive before opening the gate. At 1:30 PM, after putting on our snowshoes, we set off. Each guide was followed by a line of "ducklings," and we entered the area in separate groups. On the way from the fifth lake to the first lake, we saw bear footprints and the entire lake surface covered in snow. We slid down a snowy slope and drank the tea the guide brought. It was my first time seeing such thick snow in a forest. If I wasn't careful, my legs would sink in. As we progressed, the wind and snow intensified, and the guide quickly changed our route. It's a little disappointing that we didn't see any animals. Although the entire hike only lasted 2 hours, my legs felt heavy. 📍After returning to the hotel and resting, we had dinner at 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, we didn't see the sunset due to the weather. We booked a two-night stay with two meals included. We went to the restaurant for breakfast and dinner at pre-selected times. Each meal was different. The first night was tempura. The ingredients were fresh, the tableware was cute, and the ice cream after dinner was delicious! We had reserved the outdoor bath in the small courtyard for 50 minutes after dinner. I loved it! There was a small hiccup during check-in. Because I didn't pay attention when booking, I chose two different room types for the two nights. The young lady at the front desk and her grandmother very enthusiastically tried to communicate with me. Due to my lack of Japanese and not wanting to trouble them, I had already given up. After dinner, the person in charge called us over and told us that they had changed our booking to the same room for both nights. I was so grateful. The grandparents and young ladies greeted us every day. On the second night, the air conditioner in our room broke down. The owners tried to fix it for a long time, but when they couldn't, they quickly brought us a heater. It was so warm. There was a homemade hotel guide and several magazines about Shiretoko in the room. One of them featured photos of local shop owners in Utoro with their storefronts. It was a meaningful local publication.

I went for a walk around the Shiretoko Five Lakes, the tip of Hokkaido 🌿 The weather was great and the scenery was amazing!! A place rich in nature where many wild animals, including bears, live. There are "two ways to walk" around the Shiretoko Five Lakes! Please use this as a reference and enjoy the great nature of Shiretoko on a course that suits you ✍️ 1. Elevated boardwalk A course that can be safely walked throughout the season! There were electric wires on the side of the boardwalk to keep out brown bears. This time, I walked on a safe promenade 🚶♀️ Luckily, I encountered a wild deer 🦌 2. Ground promenade A course that can only be walked by those who have received a lecture from a guide! The brown bears are a little scary, but it's attractive to be able to walk through nature 👀I'd definitely like to participate next time! ※The ground promenade will be closed when brown bears are in sight. 📍Shiretoko Five Lakes, Hokkaido 📮 549 Iwaubetsu, Onnebetsu Village, Shari-cho, Shari-gun, Hokkaido 099-4356 #Domestic Travel Strategy

We completed the beautiful Shiretoko Five Lakes morning hike with a guide and was blessed with great weather and sceneries. We did not spot any bear 🐻 but saw 2 wild swans 🦢 🦢 and some deers 🦌. The hike is about 3km, and it’s a fairly easy hike. However, the park conditions changes according to weather and seasons and it is safer to go with a guide as there are chances to meet brown bears who call the National park their home. The guide also provide educational info about the flora and fauna in the park in addition to the geology of the park. #travel #hokkaido #Shiretoko

The small clear water garden is part of the Abashiri National Park and is located in the grassy area on the sand dunes of Kosumi-cho, Kori-ri, Hokkaido. The native garden refers to the wetland and grass covered by flowers with no vivid colors and natural colors. Due to its unique vegetation features, it is also known as the natural flowerbed. The garden is in the slender area between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bohai Lake. There are often wild birds flying on the lake. 40 kinds of wildflowers are open here, and June-August is a particularly beautiful season. When roses, shrimps, lily, and small apples are open, pink, red, and white reflect each other, and the grass will be plain. Dressed up very beautifully.

One of the reasons why Shiretoko was landed as a World Heritage Site is that it has a biological network that allows rare animals to survive, covering the sea, rivers and land. If you want to see wild animals, but because it is inconvenient to bring the baby or do not want to walk in the snow for a long time, you can participate in the Winter Wildlife Observatory, sit in the car and explore the outside world through the window. The whole journey takes about one and a half hours. The guide will send a telescope to everyone for easy observation and a brief introduction while driving. The windows are generally open, but still warmer than outdoors. Can you see the animal depends on your eyes and luck? The squid is more common, and you can see the footprint of the fox. As for the brown bear, can you see it? The guide said that there are two hundred bears here, 90% of them are hibernating, but some are active. Return time is still relatively early, the guide special zone to see the waterfall (also known as Shuangmei Waterfall). Along the way, the clouds on the sea surface are quite low, as if the world is coming, the momentum is amazing.