ARTICLES
Recommended 10 Driving Spots near Yoichi and Shakotan, Hokkaido, Japan! Places with a view of the clear blue coastline
The Yoichi/Shakotan area is an area full of attractions where you can enjoy marine products such as sea urchins, fruits such as apples and cherries, Hokkaido wine wineries and whiskey distilleries, while looking out at the crystal clear sea known as "Shakotan blue". Here are some spots in the Yoichi/Shakotan area that you may want to stop by along with a drive along the coastline.
- Cape Kogane Cape (Shakotan Town), a spectacular view of Shakotan blue seen from the observatory.
- Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery (Yoichi Town), where you can enjoy free whiskey tasting after the tour
- Cape Kamui and Kamui Iwa (Shakotan Town), which juts out dynamically into the ocean
- Rural Park Fruit Park Niki (Niki Town), a rural park themed on Niki Town's famous fruits
- Herring Banya, a time-traveling herring storehouse, "Herring Training Center, Yamashime Banya" (Shakotan Town)
- Cape Ryujin (Kamieuchi Village), where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the setting sun.
- Fugoppe Cave (Yoichi Town), a cave with rock carvings dating back to the Jomon Period
- Yoichi Space Memorial Museum - Space Dome (Yoichi Town)" full of space-related exhibits for parents and children to enjoy
- The old Shimoyichi Unue Family (Yoichi Town), where you can learn about the trading activities of the Matsumae Clan.
- Former Yoichi Fukuhara Fishing Ground (Yoichi Town), where you can see the prosperity of herring fishing at its peak.
1. "Cape Kogane Cape (Shakotan Town)" with a spectacular view of Shakotan blue seen from the observatory
Cape Kogane Cape, located in the Bikuni area of Shakotan Town, is an ocean view spot on the Sea of Japan where, as its name suggests, you can enjoy a spectacular golden view. The dazzlingly clear cobalt blue sea, known as "Shakotan blue," attracts visitors. A 410-meter promenade from Bikuni Port leads to an observatory jutting out into the sea. From the observatory, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the clear blue sea, steep cliffs, and the town of Bikuni, making it an unmissable spot in the Yoichi/Shakotan area.
Location: Bikuni-cho, Shakotan-cho, Shakotan-gun
Click here for details and map information of "Cape Gold
2. "Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery (Yoichi Town)" where you can enjoy free whiskey tasting after the tour
The distillery was established in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, known as the father of Japanese whiskey, and in January 2023, the former Whiskey Museum was completely reopened as the Nikka Museum. Visitors can learn about the whisky production method and process in a building reminiscent of Scotland and in the blessed natural environment. Inside the museum, there are exhibits on the history of whiskey and Nikka's origins, and you can also see a part of the private residence where Taketsuru and his wife Rita, the model for the main character in NHK's morning TV series "Massan," lived.
Open hours: 9:00-16:15
Guided distillery tours 9:00-12:00 / 13:00-15:00 *Offered at 00:00 and 30 minutes every hour (closed at 12:30)
Reservations are required.
Nikka Museum 9:15-15:30 (Tasting Bar L.O. 16:00)
Distillery Shop 9:15-15:30
Restaurant: 10:00 - L.O. 15:20
Closed: December 23 - January 7 of the following year
*Closed on Wednesday, June 12 for full maintenance of tour facilities
■Fee: Free of charge *Some events such as tours and seminars are available for a fee
Location: 7-6 Kurokawa-cho, Yoichi-cho
For more information about Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery and map information, click here.
3. "Cape Kamui, Kamui Iwa (Shakotan Town)" juts out dynamically into the ocean
Visitors can walk to the tip of Cape Kamui, which juts out into the ocean, and follow the "Chalenka Trail" to a spectacular view of the Japan Sea and the 300-degree rounded horizon. In early summer, Ezo kanzo flowers bloom beautifully and soothe visitors.
Opening hours
April 8:00-17:30 / May 8:00-18:00 / June 8:00-18:30 / July 8:00-18:00 / August - October 8:00-17:30 / November :00-16:30 / December - March 10:00-15:00
Last admission is 1 hour before closing time.
Location: Cape Kamui, Shakotan-cho, Shakotan-gun
Click here for details and map information of "Cape Kamui and Kamui Iwa
4. Rural Park Fruit Park Niki (Niki Town), a rural park featuring Niki Town's famous fruits
Fruits such as cherries and apples, Niki Town's specialty, and flowers such as lavender are grown in the spacious park, and visitors can enjoy picking fruits and flowers from early summer to autumn. The park also has a jumbo slide for children and adults alike, a café-restaurant, a shop selling local products, and lodging facilities. Visitors can enjoy the great nature of Niki Town to their heart's content.
Open: April 20 to the end of October 9:00-18:00
Admission fee: Free *Fruit picking, equipment, etc. are available for a fee.)
Location: 16-121, Higashimachi, Niki-machi, Yoichi-gun
Click here for details and map information of Rural Park Fruit Park Niki
5. Slip back in time in a former herring storehouse "Herring Storehouse Yamashime Banya (Shakotan Town)
The herring farm Yamashime Banya is a facility for passing down herring culture that preserves and utilizes the Yamashime Fukui residence, which once prospered as a herring farm. The history of Shakotan, which prospered as one of the leading herring farms from the Meiji period to the Showa period, is told to the present. There is also a café where you can relax and enjoy the feeling of going back in time.
Open: May to late October 9:00-16:00
Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Location: 39 Funama, Aza Funakuni-cho, Oaza Bikuni-cho, Shakotan-cho
Click here for details and map information of "Kipperu Denshukan Yamashime Banya
6.Cape Ryujin (Kamieuchi Village), where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the setting sun
This cape is steeped in the village's dragon god legend, which tells of a dragon god living in Marunuma who ascended to heaven from Cape Ryujin. The cape has always been a target for sailors, saving their lives along the way. At sunset when the weather is fine, visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of the sun setting over the horizon.
Location: Torase, Kamieuchi Village, Kou-gun
For more information about Cape Ryujin and map information, click here.
7. Fugoppe Cave (Yoichi Town), a cave with rock carvings from the Sequential Jomon Period
This cave has more than 800 rock carvings that are believed to have been dug by ancient people during the late Sequential Jomon Period, approximately 1,600 to 1,300 years ago. The carvings range from human costumes to boats, fish, sea beasts, and four-legged animals on the rock walls. The cave is also home to earthenware, bone horns, and furnace ruins found in the sedimentary soil layers, and is a designated national historic site that is considered to be of global significance.
Open: April 13 (Sat) - December 15 (Sun), 9:00 - 16:30
Closed: Mondays, the day after national holidays, mid-February to early April
Admission: Adults 300 yen / Elementary, junior high and high school students 100 yen
Location: 87 Sakae-cho, Yoichi-machi
Click here for details and map information of "Hugoppe Cave
8. "Yoichi Uchu Kinenkan-Space Dome- (Yoichi Town)" is full of space-related exhibits for parents and children to enjoy together.
The museum was built in 1992 to commemorate the achievements of Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese scientist in space, who was born in Yoichi Town. Inside the museum is a "space station" where visitors can learn about the mysteries of space and the latest information on space development. This is a particularly good spot for children and other space enthusiasts.
Open: April 20 (Sat) - November 30 (Sat), 9:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:00)
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), Tuesday, April 30, Tuesday, August 13, Wednesday, May 8, and Tuesday, August 27
Admission: Adults 500 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 300 yen / Free for infants
Location: 6-4, Kurokawa-cho, Yoichi-cho, Hokkaido
Click here for details and map information of "Yoichi Space Memorial Museum-Space Dome
9. "Former Shimo-Yoichi Unoue Family (Yoichi Town)" where you can learn about the trading activities of the Matsumae Clan.
This building was used as a base of operations in Ezo by merchants who were contracted to trade with the Ainu people by the Matsumae Clan during the Edo period. The Unjyoe Family was built in various places in Ezo at that time, but only this former Shimoyochi Unjyoe Family still exists in Hokkaido today. The interior space is spacious, the pillars and beams looking up from between the boards are thick, and many of the components remain as they were in those days.
Open: April 13 (Sat) - December 15 (Sun), 2024, 9:00 - 16:30
Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday) and the day following a national holiday
■Fees: Every Monday (If Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be open.) / The day following a national holiday
Location: 10 Irifune-cho, Yoichi-cho
Click here for details and a map of the old Shimo-Yoichi Unukami House.
10. "Former Yoichi Fukuhara Fishing Ground (Yoichi Town)" that tells of the prosperity of herring fishing in its heyday
This nationally designated cultural property, which preserves the prosperity of the heyday of herring fishing, was also the model for the interior of the herring palace that appeared in the NHK morning television series "Massan". Visitors can learn about the layout and roles of each building in the spacious grounds, and get a sense of how the area was active in those days. It is also famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot in spring.
Open: April 13 (Sat) - December 15 (Sun), 9:00 - 16:30
Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday) and the day following a national holiday
Admission: Adults 300 yen / Elementary, junior high, and high school students 100 yen
Location: 150 Hamanaka-cho, Yoichi-cho
Click here for details and map information of the "Old Yoichi Fukuhara Fishing Ground".
All information is current as of April 2024.
All information is subject to change. Please check the official website for details.
