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[Unabetsu Onsen in Shari] Day Trip Onsen and Hot Springs with PH 9.2 Can Be Enjoyed at Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village

October 4th, 2019

CONTENTS

Unabetsu Onsen
List of Day Trip Onsen
- Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village
List of Accommodations

Unabetsu Onsen

Unabetsu Onsen (ウナベツ温泉) is a hot-spring place in Shari town located in the root of Shiretoko Peninsula, and is near Road to Heaven (天に続く道). Unabetsu Ski Ground (ウナベツスキー場) that is famous for viewing drift ice from a slope in a winter is built at the foot of Mt. Unabetsudake (海別岳), and 3 building, Unabetsu Ski Ground Ski House, Unabetsu Ski Ground Lodge and Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village (ウナベツ自然休養村管理センター) are built at the site. The Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village is the only accommodation in the Unabetsu Onsen, and accepts a day trip onsen bathers.

Movie of Unabetsu Ski Ground in Winter

Ikushina Primeval Flower Garden (以久科原生花園), Shari Shuen Burial Mounds (斜里朱円周堤墓群) and Shiretoko National Park (知床国立公園) are relatively near here. By the way, a direct bus from Sapporo or New Chitose Airport to here does not run, but Eagle Liner (イーグルライナー) between the Shari and the Sapporo is in service. Because public transportation to the Unabetsu Onsen is not in service, visitors should come here by a rental car, an own car or a taxi.

List of Highway Bus

Refer to following a company for the highway bus service between the Shari and the Sapporo.

Chuo Bus(中央バス)	From Sapporo to Shiretoko	HP	Jalan	Rakuten
Chuo Bus(中央バス)	From Shiretoko to Sapporo	HP	Jalan	Rakuten

Road to Heaven

Road to Heaven (天に続く道) is a straight road with about 28 km in total length in Shari town, and was named after stretching to the sky. There are 2 views, 18 km or 28 km on the internet. When I measure the distance on the Google Map, the total length of the straight road is 28 km, and the straight road from a starting point to National Route is 18 km. A view is comfortable in the daytime, and the view with the red sky is good in the sunset, too. The sunset cross the tip of the road may sometimes be seen from mid September to late September. Here was once a secret popular spot only for motorcycle riders, but a lot of tourists come at present. Article is here

Ikushina Primeval Flower Garden

Ikushina Primeval Flower Garden (以久科原生花園) is a nature garden facing the Sea of Okhotsk in Shari town located in the root of Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島). The distance between Shari Station and here is about 4 km away. There are nothing around here in particular. The Ikushina means "A river through there" in Ainu language, and may pointo to Ikushina River (幾品川) near here. The primeval flower garden is a little bit unusual, and has 2 types of the nature garden, the sea side and the green belt side along the sea. In a summer, primeval flower and magnificent Shiretoko Mounain Range (知床連山) can be enjoyed, and the sea covered with drift ice can be viewed in a winter. Here is not famous, so few people visit. It may be said that here is a little-known tourist attraction. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge, too. There are no facilities such as a restroom and a food stall. Article is here

Shiretoko National Park

Shiretoko National Park (知床国立公園) at the northeastern edge of Japan main land is a national park between Shari town and Rausu town in the the northeastern part of Hokkaido. Most northern part of Shiretoko Peninsula has been desinged as the national park since 1964, and has also been designed World Natural Heritage Site, one of only 4 world natural heritage sites in Japan, since 2005. In the national park, there are Shiretoko Mountain Range (知床連山) such as Mt. Rausudake (羅臼岳), Mt. Chinishibetsudake (知西別岳), Mt. Iou (硫黄山) and Mt. Shiretokodake (知床岳), and here is a tourist attraction on behalf of Hokkaido containing some hot spring places such as Aidomari Onsen (相泊温泉), Seseki Onsen (瀬石温泉), Rausu Onsen (羅臼温泉) and Iwaobetsu Onsen (岩尾別温泉). The Shiretoko National Park is roughly divided into 2 areas, Shari Area and Rausu Area. The area is about 39,000 ha in total. A deep forest that wild animals such as Brown Bears, Yezo Deers and Blakiston's Hish-owls inhabit, Steep cliffs with about 100 m in height that separet the sea from mountains, the sea that marine life such as Salmons and Whales swim in, and those closely related to each other create great nature views. Because the Shiretoko means "The end of the earth" in Ainu language, I can understand the reason that it is said to be an unexplored region. Article is here

List of Day Trip Onsen

The visitors can take a day trip bath only at the Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village.

Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village

The Unabetsu Nature Recreation Village is 2-story accommodation with a training facility founded in 1979 on hillside, and the sea can be viewed. The onsen facility is known for enjoying smooth and slippery hot springs with ph 9.2, and a little‐known good spot with high quality hot springs has a good reputation. Here is popular with local old people. They accept hotel guest from June to October, and a day trip onsen can be savored through the year. An entrance fee to the bath facility is JPY 300. Public bathrooms are on the 1st floor, and a coined operation laundry is set in front of entrances of the dressing rooms. Unfortunately, they plan to close their business in October 2019.

The pubilc bathroom is not large, but it has cleanliness and light. There is 1 indoor bath that about 3 people can take a bath at the cozy bathroom. Hot springs gush out from rocks, and overflow from the bath. I like that. Water temperature of a hot spring source is about 35 C, so they use heated hot springs without adding water.

The hot springs are simple alkaline spring, and are clear and colorless and have tasteless and no smell. A sum total of hot spring ingredients are 0.505 g/kg. When I took a bath in the hot springs, I felt smooth and slippery touch very much. The hot springs are not drinkable. Soaps are provided at the bathroom. There is not a restroom at a dressing room. You should get a wash beforehand at the restroom near the entrance hall.

Atmosphere of Unabetsu Onsen Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Unabetsu Onsen

Types of Hot Springs	Simple alkaline spring (Type: Alkaline, Osmotic Pressure: Low, Spring Temperature Type: Hot spring)
Water temperature of Hot Spring Source	35.8 C
ph	9.2
Indications	Neuralgia, Muscular pain, Arthralgia, Frozen shoulder, Motor paralysis, Tightening of the joint, Chronic digestive diseases, Relieving fatigue, Bruise, Sprain, Hemorrhoid, Cold sensitivity, Convalescent convalescence, Healthy increase
Contraindications	Acute disease(when there is the heat in particular), Active tuberculosis, Malignant tumor, Severe heart disease, Respiratory failure, Renal insufficiency, Hemorrhagic disease, High anemia, Other diseases during condition of a patient progress generally
Indications of drinking	Not drinking
Facilities	Indoor bath (1). * Sex-Segregated Public Bathroom.
Entrance fee to the bath facility	Adult: JPY 300. Child: JPY 150.
Business hours	10:00-21:00
Regular closing day	New year holidays
Parking lot	A free parking is provided (100 cars)
Telephone number	+81-152-28-2203
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	642 622 850*85