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[Wakka Primeval Flower Garden in Kitami] Slim Primeval Flower Garden Is Created by Lake Saroma and Sea of Okhotsk

August 19th, 2014

CONTENTS

Wakka Primeval Flower Garden
- Lake Saroma
- KITAMI
Primeval Flower Garden
List of Accommodations

Wakka Primeval Flower Garden

Wakka Primeval Flower Garden (ワッカ原生花園) is a primeval flower garden in Tokoro-cho, Kitami city located in the northeastern part of Kitami city, and is between Lake Saroma (サロマ湖) and the Sea of Okhotsk (オホーツク海), and has been designed as Hokkaido Heritage since 2001. The area is about 700 ha. Flowers and grass grow thick on a slim sand dune with 25 km in width. The wakka means a place that there is water in Ainu language, and it features that fresh water gushes out in Wakka Forest (ワッカの森). It is said that the Wakka Primeval Flower Garden is the largest grassy coast in Japan, and about 300 types of primeval flowers such as Siberian Lily, Rosa Rugosa and Orange-yellow Day Lily bloom from May to October. There are Wakka Nature Center (ワッカネイチャーセンター), the Wakka Forest, Rygu-kaido Street (竜宮街道), a restroom and a parking lot on the site. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge. The Wakka Nature Center opens from late April to early October.

The distance is around 10 km away from the center of the Tokoro, and a convenience store is not built near here. Tokoro Iseki-no-Mori (ところ遺跡の森), Lake Saroma Tsuruga Resort and Sencho-no-Fune are relatively near here. Speaking of a tasty restraunt in the Tokoro, the Sencho-no-Fune is popular in particular. The Lake Saroma is famous for tasty scallop and oyster, so seafood is popular. By the way, Advics Tokoro Curling Hall called "Curiling Mecca in the Japan" is in the center of the Tokoro, and visitors can experience the curling.

Lake Saroma

Lake Saroma (サロマ湖) is a brackish water lake among Kitami city, Saroma town and Yubetsu town, and is the 3rd largest lake after Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) and Lake Kasumigaura (霞ヶ浦) in Japan. A sandbar of 200 to 700 m width separates the lake from the Sea of Okhotsk (オホーツク海), and the lake links the sea with only 2 points. In old days, the sandbar separeted the lake from the sea depending on seasons perfectly. The perimeter of the lake is about 87 km, and the maximum depth is 19.6 m. The lake has no name in Ainu language, and they called it just lake. It is well-known for tasty seafood such as Oyster and Scallop, and fishing Japanese pond smelt is popular in a winter. Article is here

KITAMI

Kitami (北見) that about 120,000 people live is the 9th largest commercial city in Hokkaido, and is one of regional hub cities of the Northeastern Hokkaido area. The Kitami became incorporated with Rubeshibe town (留辺蘂), Tanno town (端野) and Tokoro town (常呂) in 2006, and has became the largest city by area in the Hokkaido. In Japan, it is the 4th latgest city by the area. The Kitami is also an agriculture city, and Onion and White Runner Bean are famous as a local product. As for a climate, it is hot that temperature rises to nearly 30 degrees in a summer, and it is cold that temperature falls to nearly -25 degrees in a winter, and it snow hard, too. Article is here

Primeval Flower Garden

The Wakka Primeval Flower Garden has 7 walks and 3 cycling courses, and visitors can enjoy those depending on a distance or time as they like. The primeval flowers bloom along the walks and the cycling courses, and the best time to see the flowers such as the Rosa Rugosa, the Siberian Lily and the Orange-yellow Day Lily is from late June to mid July. The flowers hardly bloomed when I visited here in mid August. Bad luck. But red coral grass can be seen in mid September, and wooden walks are built to observe the coral grass. Except the primeval flowers, here is popular as a good place for birding, and about 30 types of wild birds such as Siberian Rubythroat, African Stonechat and Black-faced Bunting can be seen.

The Wakka Nature Center is built at an entrance of the Wakka Primeval Flower Garden, At the building, movies about the Wakka Primeval Flower Garden can be watched, and there are a resting place, a food stall and a restroom, too. Bicycles can be rented for JPY 650 here. Sightseeing Carriage "Dream Wakka" runs to go a round trip on the site for about 40 minutes. The fee is JPY 1500. * It does not run on wednesday.

The distance is about 6 km from the entrance to the Wakka Forest. Most tourists go there by bicycles. I walked on the Ryugu-kaido Street named by Mr. Keigetsu Omachi (大町桂月) that is famous for naming Sounkyo, but it took about 60 minutes on foot. Because I was tired plenty, everyone had better rent the bicycles. The road is almost flat, so it is easy to walk.

The Wakka Forest is a planted forest, and there is Wakka Water (ワッカの水) that fresh water gushes out. Although a land was sandwiched between the sea and the brackish water lake, the water was not salty at all. It was not sweet water, so I guessed that it was hard water. It was the most suitable water to heal my tired body. There are a restroom and a gazebo, heartwarming state that a family ate lunch was seen.

Atmosphere of Wakka Primeval Flower Garden Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Wakka Primeval Flower Garden

Admission fee	Free of charge
Parking lot	Free parking is provided (150 Cars)
Business hours	08:00-18:00 * It changes depending on seasons
Regular closing day	Winter season
Telephone number	+81-152-54-3434
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	525 761 544*50

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations around Lake Saroma. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.

Lake Saroma Tsuruga Resort(サロマ湖鶴雅リゾート)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Saromakohan Youth Hostel(サロマ湖畔ユースホステル)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Saromako Yurinkan(サロマ湖悠林館)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Tabibito-yado Saromanian(旅人宿さろまにあん)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Sencho-no-Ie(船長の家)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Minshuku Watanabe(民宿わたなべ)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Minshuku Misuzu(民宿三鈴)	Only Tel:+81-1587-6-2152
Ryokan Piraoroso(旅館ピラオロ荘)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Lake Palace(レイクパレス)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Minshuku Hama-no-Ie(民宿浜の家)	Only Tel:+81-1586-5-3470
Sanrihama Camping Ground(三里浜キャンプ場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Kimuaneppusaki Camping Ground(キムアネップ岬キャンプ場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten

Booking.com

A page of Kitami is here

Kitami

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[Wakka Primeval Flower Garden in Kitami] Slim Primeval Flower Garden Is Created by Lake Saroma and Sea of Okhotsk