Popular sightseeing spots around Kushiro Station that do not require a car!

Author information

Kushiro has direct flights from Tokyo and Osaka, so many tourists visit Kushiro.

However, there are many places around Kushiro Station that can be enjoyed without a car.

In this article, we will introduce some of the sightseeing spots you can enjoy in the Kushiro Station area, as well as some classic local gourmet foods you must try if you come to Kushiro!

WASHO Market, a classic sightseeing spot but also frequented by locals

Kushiro is famous for WASHO Market（和商市場）!

WASHO Market is actually called one of the three major markets in Hokkaido, along with Sapporo’s Nijo Market and Hakodate’s morning market.

Established in 1954, Washo Market is the oldest market in Kushiro and is known as the “kitchen of Kushiro citizens.

Inside the market, there are about 50 stores selling fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, meat, delicacies, confectionery, food, and other items, making it a great place to look for souvenirs.

The market is famous for “kettledon,” a bowl of rice topped with the seafood of your choice.

In katte-don, you can choose your favorite seafood such as salmon roe, sea urchin, scallops, salmon, and scallops to eat on top of the rice, as shown in the photo. You can choose the amount of rice and the type of seafood you like.

Kushiro is famous for its fishing industry, so the seafood is fresh and delicious. You should definitely try it when you come to Kushiro.
The price per item is cheap, but be careful not to overload it with too many items, as it will become expensive!

The restaurant is open from 8:00 a.m., so you can enjoy katte-don for breakfast!

Nusamai Bridge, from which you can watch a beautiful sunset.

Nusamai Bridge（幣舞橋） spans the downstream portion of the Kushiro River and is about a 10-minute walk from Kushiro Station.

Because of its beautiful European-style form, Nusamai Bridge is one of the three most famous bridges in Hokkaido, along with Toyohira Bridge in Sapporo City and Asahi Bridge in Asahikawa City.

Bronze statues of spring, summer, fall, and winter are placed in the middle of the bridge parapet as symbols of the bridge, and it is known as the first bridge in Japan to have sculptures on the bridge.

The Fisherman’s Wharf MOO, a commercial facility near the bridge where you can buy souvenirs, is a good place to visit in combination with the bridge.

The Nusamai Bridge in the daytime is nice, but we recommend visiting in the evening or at night.

Around the spring and autumnal equinoxes, the sunset from the Nusamai Bridge is very beautiful!

Kushiro’s sunset has been selected as one of the three most beautiful sunsets in the world, and you can see such a bright red sunset on a clear day (the Philippines, Bali, and Kushiro are the three most beautiful sunsets in the world).

However, this beautiful sunset can only be seen from Nusamai Bridge during the spring and autumnal equinoxes.

Therefore, if you want to see a beautiful sunset outside of these periods and close to the station, you should try to see it from a facility called “Manabotto（まなぼっと）”.

Also, the cityscape of Kushiro and the sunset seen from “Kusuri-bashi Bridge（九寿里橋）” a short distance away from Nusamai bashi Bridge, are very beautiful.

The city of Kushiro seen from Kusuri-bashi Bridge.

The sunset from Shidemai-bashi Bridge is the most famous, but you can enjoy different views from different locations, so try to find your favorite place!

Fisherman’s Wharf MOO is the best place to look for souvenirs

The building of MOO (Mu-) was designed in the image of a ship.

Kushiro Fisherman’s Wharf MOO is a commercial complex located at the foot of the Shidemai Bridge introduced earlier.

The word “MOO” means “dream” and “fog,” which often occurs in Kushiro.
Both dream and fog can be read as “mu” in Japanese.

MOO is a five-story building with dozens of restaurants, fresh fish stores, fruit and vegetable stores, delicacy stores, confectionery stores, and souvenir stores on the first floor, making it a standard place to hang out and look for souvenirs.

On the second floor, there is a restaurant area called “Kushiro Port Food Stalls.

This restaurant district is a great place for those who want to have a drink in the evening, as it is densely packed with a variety of restaurants, including Kushiro seafood, yakitori, Italian, and more.

Near MOO, there is a restaurant called “Ganpeki Roubata（岸壁路ばた） (open only from May to October),” which is popular among tourists.

Kushiro is famous for “robatayaki,” grilled seafood and vegetables over a charcoal fire, so those who want to try local food should stop by.

You can grill and eat the food yourself here, making it a fun experience.

Natsukashikan Kura (open only on Sunday afternoons).

So far, I have introduced some of the standard Kushiro sightseeing spots.

If you are interested in Ainu culture, Natsukashikan Kura（なつかし館 蔵）is also recommended.

The owner of this museum has a collection of small items related to the Ainu people and railroads on display, and you will be overwhelmed by the number of items.

The Ainu-related small items are lined up in a cramped space.

The owner is here when the store is open, so be sure to ask him about the Ainu and his collection.

You will be surprised at many things you would not have known even if you had just casually looked at the exhibits!

The hours of operation are quite limited, from about 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, so if you can make it, please stop by.

There is also a café space inside the store, and coffee will be served in this space from 2024.

The cafe “Lily” has the atmosphere of an old Japanese cafe.

It is recommended to stop by the coffee shop to kill time or take a break during sightseeing. In the city, there are many cafes and few coffee shops, but Kushiro has many coffee shops.

Kushiro has many coffee shops, but there are few coffee shops in the city, and Kushiro has many coffee shops.

Lily is a miraculous old-established coffee shop that has been in existence for nearly 90 years since 1935.

It is a place where you can relax and enjoy many kinds of coffee (although some are not available on certain days) and parfaits.

The homemade parfaits are delicious.

Sunset Sightseeing Cruise (only from the end of April to the end of November)。

Less known to tourists but highly recommended is this sunset sightseeing cruise.

The cruise departs from across from MOO, a tourist spot located near the Nisamai Bridge, and takes about 90 minutes.

The cruise operates outside of winter, and the guide will explain what you see, so you can learn about Kushiro’s sightseeing and industry.

The sunset sightseeing cruise is all-you-can-drink, and you can enjoy the beautiful sunset while listening to a band play.

You can also feed the seagulls during the cruise, so you will not be bored at all during the 90-minute cruise.

In summer, it is often foggy and cloudy, so if possible, we recommend October or November as the weather is clearer.
However, it gets cold in Kushiro during this season, so be sure to bring warm clothing for the cruise!

Click here for the Kushiro sightseeing cruise website!

Kushiro Akachochin Yokocho, Hokkaido’s oldest food stall street.

If you stay in Kushiro, you will probably enjoy Kushiro’s gourmet food and drink at night.

Kushiro has an area called “Suehirocho（末広町）” where many bars and snack bars are located, and most locals and tourists who want to have a drink in Kushiro come here.

It is about a 10-minute walk from the station (close to the Nusamai Bridge), and there are many hotels nearby, so it is a good place to stop by after checking in.

Among them, Kushiro Akachochin Yokocho（釧路赤ちょうちん横丁） is a tasteful side street lined with narrow izakaya (Japanese style pubs) and has many attractive restaurants such as yakitori, oden, Italian, and bars.

There are several izakayas that we recommend, but since introducing them will cause trouble if they get crowded and people cannot get in, we encourage you to walk around and find them yourself!

All izakaya are recommended for their good food and atmosphere.

However, all izakayas are very small, with only about 6 seats inside, and many are frequented by regulars and locals, so it may be a little difficult for foreign tourists to get in.

Also, very few staff members speak English, so a visit just to enjoy the local atmosphere should be enough.