ADVENTURES AROUND THE WORLD

© Christopher Earls Brennen

Hike C12. Shiretoko Peninsula

Characteristics

The Shiretoko Peninsula is one of the wilder accessible places on earth. It is Japan's "Wild North", the distant northerly promontory of the island of Hokkaido, Japan. For most of the year it is a frozen land bounded by sea ice on the north. It is a land that once belonged to the native Ainu people before the relative recent influx of modern Japanese. The name "Shiretoko" in the Ainu language means "The end of the earth". The peninsula projects north from the bulk of Hokkaido by about 60 miles and is now encompassed as the Shiretoko National Park. It is so wild that coastal roads on the east and west sides only penetrate a few miles into that wilderness; only one road crosses the peninsula from the west to Rausu on the east side. The rest is the forested and marine habitat of a spectacular variety of flora and fauna including the densest population of giant brown bears anywhere on earth.

Shiretoko is one of Japan's most pristine national parks and one of the richest north temperate ecosystems in the world. Its wild expanses are home to 36 land and 22 marine mammal species as well as 285 bird species. No-one lives in the protected area today and only seven in a buffer zone.

A line of snow-covered volcanoes form the spine of the peninsula and create a wide range of habitats for the native animals. This spine includes the 5125 ft Mount Io and 5449 ft Mount Rausu, active snow-covered stratovolcanos that are visible from the east coast. Mount Rausu is close to the 2428 ft Shiretoko Pass on the road that crosses the peninsula. The trail from the pass to the summit of Rausu is popular in the summer.

One of the most popular attractions in the Shiretoko National Park are the spectacularly beautiful Five Lakes, Go-ko in Japanese. The lakes were formed many years ago by an eruption of Mount Io and are fed by mountain springs. The short hike around the Five Lakes is highly recommended.

Trailhead

The Five Lakes can be reached from the town of Shari by following the coast road, Route 334, northeast from Shari to the town of Utoro and thence to the entrance to Shiretoko National Park. Follow the main road into the National Park for about five kilometers until you reach the Shiretoko Nature Center. Here you come to the junction where Route 334 turns inland and climbs over the Shiretoko Pass. The road to the Five Lakes, Route 93, turns left at the Nature Center and continues northeast up the coast for about 10 kilometers to the Shiretoko Five Lakes Visitor Center (44.1216oN 145.0804oE and altitude 790 ft). Note that the access road, Route 93, is closed in winter from late November to late April.

Five Lakes, Shiretoko peninsula

Hike

It is essential to visit the Visitor Center before embarking along the trails since these are often closed due to the presence of bears. A half-mile long, wooden elevated boardwalk leads from the parking lot to Lake 1. This allows visitors to enjoy views of the lake, the Sea of Okhotsk and the surrounding mountains without damaging the fragile ecosystem. It is also equipped with an electric fence for protection against the bears. The boardwalk is open for the entire season from late April to late November. A spectacular but unprotected 1.9 long hiking trail (90 minutes) leads around all five lakes and is highly recommended though often closed (or limited to officially guided tours) due to bear activity.

Last updated 1/27/03.
Christopher E. Brennen