[Wakkanai Park] Good Place to See Night View and Cherry Blossoms Is Famous for Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate

Vin

Steak House Vin (ステーキハウス ヴァン) is a steak restaurant in Wakkanai city. There is a building near Wakkanai station. It is known as the steak restaurant located in the northmost in Japan and visitors can eat soya beef (宗谷牛) at the restraunt. They garnered one star in MICHELIN GUIDE Hokkaido 2012 Special Edition. Business hours are, from 18:00 to 20:00, very short. An owner and his wife are at an old age and seemed to shorten working hours. Read More

Takaraya

Takaraya (たからや) is a long-established ramen restraunt in Wakkanai city and was founded in 1966. There is a building near Wakkanai station. It is famous for getting the Bib Gourmand in MICHELIN GUIDE Hokkaido 2012 Special Edition. I visited here around 16:00 on weekdays. There was no visitor because it wss past lunchtime. The ramen restraunt was a typical ramen restraunt with a warmth of woods. There are some tables, so family customers seem to enjoy. Read More

WAKKANAI

Wakkanai (稚内) that about 35,000 people live is the 21th largest fishery city in Hokkaido, and was named after Yamuwakkanai that means "A river with cold water" in Ainu language. It is one of regional hub cities of the North Hokkaido area, and is the northernmost port town in Japan. A catch of Octopus Dofleini (ミズダコ) is the largest in the Japan. In addition, a lot of people run a dairy farm, and the Wakkanai is one of tasty milk‐producing distlict in the Hokkaido. My grandmother was from Keihoku (恵北) in the Wakkanai, and I remember that the milk was very tasty when I visited parents' house of my grandmother in the old days. As for climate, the Wakkanai faces the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, so a wind blows hard. Average annual temperature is 7 degrees, and it is chilly in a summer, and it does not relatively snow hard in a winter. Wakkanai Peninsula (稚内半島) is in the west side of the city, and Soya Peninsula (宗谷半島) is in the east side of the city, and the downtown is in the west side of the city. Various things is the northernmost in the Japan, for example, Japane's Northernmost Railway Monument (日本最北端の線路の碑) is built beside the Wakkanai Station, too. Read More

Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate Area

The visitors reach the Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate Area when they turn right at the junction. It is at about 90 m above sea level, and the hill commands a fine view of the downtown. The Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate, Monument of the Nine Maidens (九人の乙女の碑), Monument of Gyokokei (行幸啓記念碑), Monument of Education (教学の碑), Monument of Surveying (測量の碑) and Antarctica Expedition Sakhalin Husky Monument (南極観測樺太記念碑) are built at the area, and there are Hyosetsu-no-Mon Shop (氷雪の門売店) and a public restroom, too. A soft serve ice cream and a souvenir can be bought at the shop. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge.

The Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate is a memorial monument for dead Japanese in Sakhalin Island, and Mr. Shin Hongo, a famous sculptor, created it in 1963. 8 m-height 2 pillars express a gate, and 2.4 m-height female sculpture expresses a sorrow and overcoming hardships.

The Antarctica Expedition Sakhalin Husky is the Sakhalin Husky to transport commodities in the Antarctica. Especially, Taro (タロ) and Jiro (ジロ) that appear in Japanese movie "Antarctica" is famous in the Japan. So it was built as a memorial monument of dead dogs in the Antarctica for their achievements. The sculptor is Mr. Kensei Kato, a famous sculptor. A sculptor model is Para-go (パラ号), Sakhalin Husky.

Movie of Antarctica

Atmosphere of Hyosetsu-no-Mon Monument Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Hyosetsu-no-Mon Monument

100th Year Memorial Tower Area

The visitors reach the 100th Year Memorial Tower when they turn left at the junction. The 100th Year Memorial Tower, Northern Botanical Garden (北方植物園) and Bungei Path (文芸の小径) are built on the top of the hill at about 170 m above sea level. It is higher than the Hyosetsu-no-Mon Gate Area, and an observation deck is built on the ground, and a fine view is good, too. The 100th Year Memorial Tower with 80 m in height that was built in 1978 has an observation deck, and the downtown can viewed at more high place. Admission is JPY 400. Except the 100th Year Memorial Tower, others are free of charge. A parking lot is free of charge, too.

Movie of 100th Year Memorial Tower

Atmosphere of 100th Year Memorial Tower Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of 100th Year Memorial Tower