How Do You Get to Shiretoko National Park and Get Around from Utoro and Rausu?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Shiretoko National Park on the northeastern tip of Hokkaido and plan how to move around once they arrive. It uses the English pages of "National Parks of Japan" (run by the Japan National Tourism Organization with content provided by the Ministry of the Environment) and the JNTO Abashiri page. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Timetables and fares are not on these pages, so check them before you travel.

The short answer

Plan for a car or a tour. The park's access page says "Public transportation is somewhat limited, so it's best to rent a car or join a tour to explore the park." The two gateway towns are Utoro on the Sea of Okhotsk side and Rausu on the east side, and the page says "Utoro has more frequent bus services."

By air from Tokyo

• Haneda Airport to Memanbetsu Airport takes 1 hr 30 min. Utoro is "about 100 kilometers from Memanbetsu", and during the summer and winter months a two-hour bus service is available to Utoro.
• There are also less frequent flights from Haneda to Nakashibetsu Airport (1 hr 40 min). From the airport a bus run by Akan Bus takes 1 hr 10 min to Rausu.

From Sapporo

Several daily flights link Sapporo's Shin-Chitose Airport with Memanbetsu Airport. The page also describes a 6-hour highway bus between Sapporo and Utoro that leaves Sapporo at around midnight and arrives at about 6:00 a.m. at Shari Bus Terminal in Utoro. In the other direction it leaves Utoro in the morning and arrives in Sapporo at around 4:30 p.m. By train the journey takes "between seven and eight hours, not including connection times": the page says to take the Super Ozora express from Sapporo to Kushiro Station, change to the JR Senmo Line and alight at Shiretoko-Shari Station. Infrequent buses connect Shiretoko-Shari Station with Utoro, and some continue to the Shiretoko Five Lakes area.

From Abashiri

JNTO's page on Abashiri mentions the Ryuhyo-Monogatari train that runs along the coast from Abashiri to Shiretoko-Shari, and says the distance from Lake Saroma in the west to Shiretoko National Park in the east is 150 kilometers by road. These pages do not give a single travel time from Abashiri to Utoro, so check a current timetable.

Getting around the park

• Shiretoko Pass, which connects Utoro in the west with Rausu in the east, is closed in winter. Roads also run along the east and west coasts, and you need to hike or take a boat to see the rest of the park.
• From Utoro the easiest access by car is to the attractions in the west of the park, including Shiretoko Five Lakes, Furepe-no-Taki Falls and Kamuiwakka Falls.
• Buses run from Utoro to the attractions on the east coast (10 to 30 minutes), but service is infrequent, and even more so in winter.
• Sightseeing boats, whale- and bird-watching cruises and drift ice tours operate out of Rausu.

Which gateway should you pick?

The park's pages describe the two towns this way:

• Utoro is "the small port town" just south of the park, whose hotels, hot springs and campsite serve as a good base. Sightseeing boats head up the western coast from Utoro, and winter expeditions head out of Utoro to the drift ice.
• Rausu is the largest settlement on the eastern coast, with campsites, the Rusa Field House and several hot springs (Seseki and Aidomari). Winter drift ice cruises run from Rausu from January to April, and wildlife-watching trips depart from May to October.

Places that help you plan

The park's pages describe a visitor centre in each area. The Shiretoko World Heritage Conservation Center sits next to the Utoro Shirietoku roadside station on National Route 334 and gives the latest information on boat trip schedules. The Shiretoko Rausu Visitor Center, near the base of Mount Rausu, is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from April to October and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from November to March. The Shiretoko Goko Lakes Field House is the base for the Five Lakes area. We cover each of these in our companion guides.

A sensible plan

1. Decide whether you want the west side (Utoro, Five Lakes, falls) or the east side (Rausu, cruises, Mount Rausu), because the pages treat the two sides as separate bases.
2. If you do not drive, use the Sapporo to Utoro overnight bus or a bus from Memanbetsu, and pick guided tours or cruises for the rest.
3. In winter, do not count on the pass: it is closed.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Bus fares and current timetables, including the Memanbetsu to Utoro bus, which the page says is a two-hour service in summer and winter.
• Rental car prices and the condition of roads in winter.
• A single travel time from Abashiri to Utoro.

Related guides

• What is Shiretoko? A World Natural Heritage site of sea ice, bears and fish owls
• How do you visit the Shiretoko Five Lakes and the park visitor centers safely?

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. How to get there, Shiretoko (National Parks of Japan) — (flights, buses, train, getting around)
2. Explore Shiretoko National Park (National Parks of Japan) — (Utoro, Rausu, the pass)
3. Shiretoko Rausu Visitor Center (National Parks of Japan) — (hours)
4. Shiretoko World Heritage Conservation Center (National Parks of Japan) — (boat schedules, roadside station)
5. Abashiri (JNTO) — (coast road distance)
6. Ryuhyo Drift Ice (JNTO) — (Ryuhyo-Monogatari train)