- October 5th, 2015
- Nature
- TouristSpots
- NorthernArea
[Minamihama Wetland in Rishiri Island] Easy Access to High Moor at 5 M Above Sea Level
Minamihama Wetland
Minamihama Wetland (南浜湿原) is the Rishiri Island’s largest high moor in the southern part of the Rishiri Island, and is near Numaura Obseravation Deck (沼浦展望台) and Otatomari Pond (オタトマリ沼), and Rishiri Island Wetland Group (利尻島湿地群) containing the Minamihama Wetland and Numaura Wetland (沼浦湿原) has been chosen as one of 500 Important Wetlands in Japan (日本の重要湿地500). But the area is about 6 ha. It is not so large. The Minamihama Wetland is high moors at about 5 m above sea level, and Sphagnum Moss grows thick at lowlands near the sea, and it is a rare place in Japan. A forest of Japanese Spruce spreads over the area around Menyushoro Pond (メヌウショロ沼), and 2 wooden paths are built to look around on foot at the wetland. A sightseeing bus does not drop tourists off here, so few tourists come. Visitors can enjoy to go around the Minamihama Wetland leisurely, and it becomes a popular sightseeing spot secretly. Mt. Rishirifuji can be seen in the daytime, and beautiful starry sky can be seen in the evening. A parking lot and a public restroom are built at the site. There are not tourist facilities such as a souvenir shop. Admission free. The parking lot is free of charge.
Otatomari Pond
Otatomari Pond (オタトマリ沼) is the largest pond in the southern part of Rishiri Island (利尻島). The perimeter of the pond is about 1.1 km, and the depth is about 3.5 m. In Numaura Wetland (沼浦湿原), the pond is near Mikazuki Pond (三日月沼). The Otatomari means “An inlet with a sandy beach” in Ainu language. A reversed image of Mt. Rishirifuji (利尻富士) reflected on the surface of the pond and Mt. Rishirifuji can be seen at the same time if the weather is fine, and here is a popular tourist attraction. A large parking lot, a public restroom, Rishirifuji Town Resthouse (利尻富士町レストハウス) and Rishiri Kameichi Otatomari Branch (利尻亀一オタトマリ沼店) are built at the south bank of the pond. Grilled scallops, a sea urchin battleship roll sushi (うにの軍艦巻き), a striped bamboo flavored soft serve ice cream (熊笹ソフト), a perpetual snow soft serve ice cream (万年雪ソフト) and Mirupis (ミルピス) have a good reputation. Admission free. The parking lot is free of charge. Read More
Numaura Obseravation Deck
Numaura Obseravation Deck (沼浦展望台) is a lookout point in the southern part of Rishiri Island (利尻島). Mt. Rishirifuji (利尻富士), Otatomari Pond (オタトマリ沼), Numaura Wetland (沼浦湿原), Numaura Beach (沼浦海岸) and the sea of Japan can be viewed on a hill at about 43 m above sea level. Its another name is Shiroi Koibito Hill (白い恋人の丘). Mr. Yukiyasu Ishizumi (石水幸安), a founder of Ishiya Confectionery (石屋製菓), was impressed with a shape of the Mt. Rishirifuji like a shape of mountains in Switzerland, so he adopted the mountain as an image of package of Shiroi Koibito (白い恋人), one of the most famous cookies in Hokkaido. Therefore here is also named as the another name because the image of the package resembles the shape of the Mt. Rishirifuji from here. Numaura Camping Ground (沼浦キャンプ場) is close to here. Only a parking lot is provided, and tourist facilities such as a public restroom and a souvenir shop are not built. Admission free. The parking lot is free of charge. Read More
There are some means of transportation for the island tourism, for example, a sightseeing bus and a fixed-route bus managed by Soya bus (宗谷バス), a sightseeing taxi, a rental car, a rental motor scooter and a rental bicycle. I went around the Rishiri Island by the rental motor scooter, and it was very comfortable. By the way, if tourists raise their hand in the case of fixed-route bus happening to pass, they can get on the bus without a bus stop, and can get off the bus without a bus stop.
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Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park
Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park (利尻礼文サロベツ国立公園) located in the northern Hokkaido between Rishiri Island, Rebun Island, Toyotomi Town and Horonobe Town is the northernmost national park in Japan, and has been designated as the national park since 1974. The area is 24,166 ha. It consists of 2 islands, wetlands and the coast, and beautiful nature such as the sea, mountains, wild flowers and wetlands is highlight. Because the Northern Hokkaido has few famous tourist attracsions, the national park is one of the most famous nature tourist attracsions. The Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park is divided into 4 areas, Rishiri Area (利尻), Rebun Area (礼文), Coastal Sand-dune Area (海浜砂丘) and Sarobetsu Area (サロベツ), and the Rishiri Area (利尻), the Rebun Area (礼文) and the Sarobetsu Area have a lot of highlights. Read More
Look of Minamihama Wetland
The Menyushoro Pond is the only lake in the Minamihama Wetland. The perimeter of the pond is about 160 m, and the maximum depth is about 1 m. More than 100 types of damp plants and alpine plants grow naturally around the pond, and here is famous for seeing a lot of nature flowers in the Rishiri Island. In a spring, Skunk Cabbage and Gagea bloom are in full bloom, and Marsh Tea, Huckleberry and Hare’s-Tail Cottongrass are in full bloom in a summer, and Plantain Lily and Lobelia are in full bloom in an autumn. Enjoy forest bathing and watching precious nature flowers along the wooden paths of about 1 km total length.
Atmosphere of Minamihama Wetland Can Be Watched on Youtube
Movie of Minamihama Wetland
| Admission fee | Free of charge |
|---|---|
| Parking lot | Free parking is provided (3 cars) |
| Business hour | Open 24 hours |
| Regular closing day | Winter |
| Telephone number | +81-163-84-3622 |
| Home page | Home page is here |
| Mapcode | 714 077 899*38 |
List of Accommodations
Refer to following websites for the accommodations in the Rishiri Island. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.
Rishiri Fuji
Rishiri
A page of Rishiri Island is here
Rishiri Island
By the way, Club Tourism (クラブツーリズム), a Japanese tour travel agency, provides various types of tours such as day trip tours or ordinary tours. In the case of bus tours, tourists do not drive their cars themselves, so they can savor alcohol. Choosen tourist attractions are national parks such as Rishiri and Rebun, Shiretoko, and popular tourist places such as Furano and Biei, and some activities such as hiking and fruit picking are also enjoyed depending on seasons. If you are interested in tour trips, you should visit the club tourism's website for details.
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