Notsuke Peninsula [野付半島]
Notsuke Peninsula beyond Odaitou
Kunashiri Island from Notsuke Peninsula
Map of Notsuke Peninsula
1) Todowara, 2) Narawara, 3) Flower-road,
4) Odaitou
Notsuke Peninsula is a unique peninsula extending from the eastern coast of Hokkaido.
It is the biggest sand spit in Japan, and it is 28 km long.
Therefore the highest point is only a few meters high.
The peninsula is curved like a shrimp.
And, there is a shallow Notsuke Bay which is often called Odaitou.
There are a lot of tidelands in the bay, so many migrating birds come here.
It is inscribed as a registered wetlands under the Ramsar Convention in 2005.
The main attractions of this peninsula are the fields of blighted primeval forest.
The unique sceneries have been created by nature.
There is Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center at the center of the peninsula, and there are the museum about the peninsula, a restaurant and a souvenir shop.
To the Nature Center, a route bus is operated from Shibetsu town at the northwest of the peninsula.
And a cruise boat is operated between Todowara field and Odaitou Port at the west side of Notsuke Bay.
Todowara
Narawara
Todowara (トドワラ)
Todowara is a field of many dead fir trees.
Until about 300 years ago, there was a forest of fir.
But the trees had been dead by land sinking and penetration of seawater.
They are decaying now, so will vanish at some future time.
There is a wooden boardwalk in the field.
The cruise boat arrives here.
And there is a path to Nature Center located about 1.3 km northeast from here.
Narawara (ナラワラ)
Narawara is a field of dead oak trees.
It is located about 5 km west of the Nature Center.
These were also dead by penetration of seawater as same as Todowara.
These are at some distance from a road, but there is no boardwalk.
So we can only see from the road or parking.
Wild flowers by Flower-road
Utasebune in Odaitou
Flower-road (フラワーロード)
It is an only road running through the peninsula.
We can see the seas on both sides, and can get a close look at Kunashiri island.
We can get to Todowara and Narawara through this road.
This road leads to the south part of the peninsula, and the fields of wild flowers are spread about 3 to 4 km from the Nature Center.
Odaitou (尾岱沼)
Odaitou is the name of the bay, and there is a small town named Odaitou which is the main town in this area.
A cruise boat leaves to Todowara across Odaitou.
We may be able to find some harbor seals from the boat in summer.
(It is operated from early May to late October.
It tours Todowara from Odaitou town and returns back.)
And we can see many small sail shrimp-fishing boats ("Utasebune" in Japanese) on the bay in June, July and October.
How to get here
By route bus, about 2 hours and 35 minutes from JR Nemuro station to Shibetsu bus terminal.
Then, about 20 minutes from Shibetsu bus terminal to Odaitou.
A few bus visit Nature Center first. About 30 minutes from Shibetsu bus terminal.
