Hokkaido Places

Town Rumoi Subprefecture

Mashike 増毛町

ましけちょう

Mashike is a small Sea of Japan port that grew rich on herring from the 1750s. Its station-front street still has Meiji- and early Showa-era merchant houses, inns and stone warehouses, and Kunimare, Hokkaido's oldest sake brewery, is still working. Behind the town rise Mt. Shokanbetsu and the sheer Ofuyu cliffs. Around the streets are Japan's northernmost commercial orchards and a fishing port that lands sweet shrimp and octopus.

Population (2020 Census)
3,908
Area
369.72 km²
District
Mashike District (増毛郡)
Official website
www.town.mashike.hokkaido.jp

Known for

  • A herring-era townscape. Mashike was once called a "thousand-koku herring ground" (ニシンの千石場所).3 The buildings around the former Mashike Station were selected as Hokkaido Heritage (北海道遺産) in 2001, together with the old Mashike Elementary School.10 The Former Merchant House Maruichi Honma (旧商家丸一本間家) is a National Important Cultural Property.11
  • Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造). Founded in 1882, Kunimare is the oldest sake brewery in Hokkaido, and the town bills it as Japan's northernmost. It brews with water from Mt. Shokanbetsu.1213
  • Shrimp and octopus. In 2024 shrimp made up a quarter of the value of the town's catch, and octopus another 11%.5 The town says its sweet-shrimp (甘エビ) landings are among the largest in Japan.5 Japanese Wikipedia says the botan shrimp (ボタンエビ) catch is the largest in Japan (unverified).7
  • Japan's northernmost fruit district. The town describes itself as Japan's northernmost serious fruit-growing area, with 120 ha of orchards below Mt. Shokanbetsu. Cherries ripen in July, then plums and peaches in August, then grapes, pears and apples in autumn.1413
  • The "Station" film location. Mashike Station was the terminus of the JR Rumoi Main Line until the Rumoi–Mashike section closed in 2016. It is best known as the setting of the 1981 Takakura Ken film Station (駅 STATION).155
  • Mt. Shokanbetsu and the Ofuyu cliffs. The town's highest peak is Mt. Shokanbetsu (暑寒別岳, 1,492 m). Along the Ofuyu coast, cliffs over 100 m high drop straight into the sea. Both are in the Shokanbetsu-Teuri-Yagishiri Quasi-National Park.161713
  • Northern defence history. Late in the Edo period the Tsugaru and Akita domains stationed troops here against Russia. The Motojinya cultural centre, named after the Akita domain's headquarters camp (元陣屋), tells this story.1118

Sights & activities

Museums & heritage (station-front area, Benten-chō and Inaba-chō)

  • Former Mashike Station (旧増毛駅). The terminus of the Rumoi Main Line from 1921 to 2016. The building has been restored to its original look and has public toilets and parking.15
  • Former Tada Shop (旧多田商店). The building that played the Kazamachi Shokudō in Station is now the tourist information office. It displays stills from the film and, according to the tourism association, recreates the film's izakaya "Kiriko". Open 9:30–16:30 from late April to early November (tel. 0164-53-1108 in season).5315
  • Former Merchant House Maruichi Honma (旧商家丸一本間家). Honma Taizō built it over almost 20 years. He started as a kimono merchant and expanded into herring fishing, shipping and sake.5442
    • Buildings: the kimono shop dates from 1893 and the residence from 1894–1902. About 590 m² has been restored to its appearance around 1902.55
    • Visiting (2026): open 25 April–3 November, 10:00–17:00. Closed Thursdays, or on Wednesday when Thursday is a holiday, but open every day in July and August. Adults ¥400, high-school students ¥300, children ¥200.55
  • Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造, Inaba-chō 1-17).
    • The site: a wooden office rebuilt in 1918 fronts a row of Meiji- and Taishō-era stone storehouses more than 100 m long.56 The renovated brewery won the Hokkaido Red Brick Architecture Award for FY2005.29
    • Visiting: the brewery is open all year and the tour is free, 9:00–16:30. There are exhibits of brewing tools and a tasting corner where you can try every label.2956
  • Other buildings.
    • Former Tomitaya Ryokan (旧富田屋旅館): a three-storey wooden station-front inn from 1933.57
    • Old Mashike Elementary School (旧増毛小学校, 1936): the tourism association calls it Hokkaido's largest and oldest large wooden school building.58
    • Mashike Lighthouse: first lit in 1890. The present light dates from 1949.5
    • Motojinya (元陣屋): the cultural centre with the local-history room (see Culture & festivals).18 It is open all year.54
    • Jinya Observatory (陣屋展望台): on the Akita domain's second gun battery, with a replica cannon, sunset views and a small restaurant.54

Nature & scenery

  • Mt. Shokanbetsu (暑寒別岳). Two trails start on the Mashike side, the Shokan and Hashibetsu routes. A third comes up from Uryu.16
    • Flowers: from mid-June to early August more than 100 alpine species bloom on the summit plateau, including the endemic Mashike-genge and Mashike-otogiri.16
    • Conditions: snow patches remain until about mid-July.16
    • Huts: the free three-storey Shokansō hut and the Keiryū no Mori forest park (10 ha, laid out in 1994) are at the Shokan trailhead.5960
  • Ofuyu Cape Observatory (雄冬岬展望台). A lookout 135 m above the sea over the cliffs, with views to the Shakotan Peninsula and Teuri and Yagishiri islands. A rock garden is at its foot.61
    • Hours: late April to mid-October, 9:00–18:00 (8:00–20:00 in June–August).61
    • 2026 note: it closed briefly because of a hornet nest and reopened on 9 September 2026.62
  • Shokanbetsu River. Salmon run up the clear river in autumn.1359

Onsen

  • Iwao Onsen Attamaru (岩尾温泉あったま～る, Iwaoi 109-1). A small town-run spa on a hill above Route 231, 18 km (about 20 minutes) south of the town centre. Its open-air bath faces the sunset over the sea.17
    • Hours and fees: open 1 April–30 November, 11:00–21:00 (last entry 20:15), closed the third Thursday. Adults ¥500. Parking for 42 cars. The water is a weakly acidic cold mineral spring.17
    • 2026 note: after rain damage it reopened on 12 September 2026 with indoor baths only for the time being.23
  • Auberge Mashike (オーベルジュましけ). A 24-room hotel in Betsukari. Non-guests can use its bath, 11:00–22:00, adults ¥600.63

Outdoor & seasonal activities

  • Riverside Park (リバーサイドパーク). A 10 ha lawn park by the Shokanbetsu River, reached by a red suspension bridge.64
    • Camping: an auto campground with tent sites, RV pitches and cottages, open mid-April to mid-October.64
    • Other facilities: barbecue shelters, four all-weather tennis courts and a 9-hole park-golf course (¥200). The 2026 season opened on 18 April.64
  • Other sports and camping.
    • Park golf: a separate 27-hole course runs along the river.54
    • Golf: Mashike Links is an 18-hole course that opened in 1989.545
    • Campsites: the Shokan beach campground is at the river mouth and the Ofuyu campsite beside the coast road.59
  • Shokanbetsu-dake Ski Area (暑寒別岳スキー場). Open late December to mid-March, with two pair lifts and six courses (the town's events page says five). An adult day pass costs ¥2,500, and there is night skiing.65
  • Nord Marina Mashike (ノールマリーナましけ). Hokkaido's first full-scale public marina, opened in 1994.665
  • Mashike Mountain Road (増毛山道). The road is not open for general use. The NPO Mashike Sandō no Kai runs guided treks.20

Food experiences

  • Fruit picking at the Shokanzawa orchards, from cherries in July to apples in autumn.1441
  • Sake tasting at Kunimare29 and cider at the Mashike Fruit Winery.39
  • Sushi and seafood in town; see Local specialties.36 Cafés include Arisu Kōhī Kōbō (ありすこぅひぃ工房), inside the Sengokugura warehouse, and Poruku & Koti (ポルク＆コティ), on a hill above the harbour.36

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

No Michi-no-Eki is located in Mashike. The official list of Hokkaido roadside stations has none in the town.67 The nearest ones are:

  • Michi-no-Eki Rumoi (道の駅るもい) in Rumoi. Funaba-chō 2-chōme 114, on Route 231 north of Mashike. Registered in 2020.67
  • Michi-no-Eki Obira Nishin Banya (道の駅おびら鰊番屋) in Obira, further north on the coast road. Registered in 1996.67
  • Michi-no-Eki Ishikari "Airoad Atsuta" (道の駅石狩「あいろーど厚田」) in Ishikari, south along Route 231 towards Sapporo. Registered in 2017.67
  • Michi-no-Eki Sunflower Hokuryu (道の駅サンフラワー北竜) in Hokuryu, across the mountains by Prefectural Road 94. Registered in 1994.67

Within Mashike, the former station area serves the same purpose. It has public toilets and parking, and the tourist information office is in the former Tada Shop.1553

Getting there & around

  • Rail. None. The Rumoi–Mashike section closed in December 2016, and the whole Rumoi Main Line on 1 April 2026.22 The nearest JR station is Fukagawa on the Hakodate Main Line. The town's route is limited express from Sapporo to Fukagawa (about 1 hour), Engan Bus to Rumoi (about 1 hour), then Engan Bus to Mashike (about 30 minutes).68
  • Bus from Sapporo. Engan Bus's Tokkyū Mashike (特急ましけ号) runs on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only.69
    • Outbound: leaves Sapporo Station (stop 32) at 16:00 and reaches Old Mashike Station at 18:20, calling at Ofuyu and Iwaoi on the way.69
    • Return: leaves Old Mashike Station at 7:47.69
    • Cancellations: the whole route is cancelled whenever Route 231 is closed.69
  • Via Rumoi. Hokkaido Chūō Bus runs Sapporo–Rumoi in about 2 h 10 min. Engan Bus runs Rumoi–Mashike in about 30 minutes.68
  • By car.
    • From Sapporo: the coastal Route 231 is 110 km, about 2 hours.68 By expressway through Fukagawa JCT it is 144 km to Rumoi IC (about 1 h 30 min), then 25 km (about 30 minutes) on Routes 233 and 231.68 The Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway is toll-free from Fukagawa-Nishi to Rumoi.29
    • From Asahikawa: about 55 minutes by expressway to Rumoi-Ōwada plus 30 minutes, or about 1 h 40 min on Routes 12, 233 and 231.70
    • Inland road: Prefectural Road 94 (増毛稲田線) crosses from Hokuryu and has been open year-round since 1990.168
  • Airports. No direct link. Travel via Sapporo from New Chitose, or via Fukagawa and Rumoi from Asahikawa Airport.
  • Around town. The historic core around the old station, Kunimare and the Honma house is walkable. The town publishes a cycling map.54 Iwao Onsen and Ofuyu are 18 km or more south on Route 231. The local bus no longer goes beyond Ō-Betsukari, so you need a car or the Tokkyū Mashike (one trip each way on the days it runs).569

Practical tips

  • When to go. Late April to early November, when the seasonal sights are open:
    • Honma house: 25 April–3 November.55
    • Tourist office: late April to early November.53
    • Ofuyu observatory: late April to mid-October.61
    • Iwao Onsen: 1 April–30 November.17
    • For food, time a visit with the spring (late May) or autumn (late September) festival, or come for cherries in July.4314
  • Hiking Mt. Shokanbetsu. The flowers peak from mid-June to July. Bear sightings are few, but carry a bell and take all rubbish home. Biting insects (buyo, mosquitoes, horseflies) are very numerous from June to August, so bring repellent and a head net.16 Brown bears and sika deer live throughout rural Hokkaido, so watch for deer on the coast road at dusk.
  • Roads and weather. Route 231 south of town runs along cliffs and can close in bad weather. In 2026 it was shut between Iwaoi and Ofuyu until 11 September, and Engan Bus cancels its whole Sapporo route whenever Route 231 is closed.2369 Winters bring frequent blizzards.5 Check road reports before driving the coast in winter.
  • Money and supplies. There are Seicomart and 7-Eleven stores in town.35 Many small shops and restaurants keep limited or seasonal hours.
  • Information. The Commerce and Tourism Section of the town office answers tourism and hiking questions (0164-53-3332).16 The tourist office in the former Tada Shop is open in season.53

More about Mashike

At a glance
Field Details
Type Town (町)
Subprefecture Rumoi (留萌振興局). Mashike was itself the seat of the Mashike Subprefecture (増毛支庁) from 1897 until the office moved to Rumoi in 1914.1
District Mashike District (増毛郡)
Population 3,908 at the 2020 Census (1,776 men, 2,132 women; 1,878 households). That was 589 fewer (−13.1%) than in 2015.2 On 31 August 2026 the town listed 3,332 Japanese residents and, separately, 116 foreign residents: 3,448 in all.3 The Hokkaido Government's register total for 1 January 2026 was 3,522 (3,393 Japanese, 129 foreign).4
Area 369.72 km².5 The Rumoi Subprefecture overview gives 369.721 km² (GSI, as of 1 January 2026).6
Density About 9.3 people/km² in August 2026, calculated from the figures above. The 2020 Census figure was 10.6/km².2
Municipal history 1706: the area became the trading-post fief of the Shimokuni family, retainers of the Matsumae domain. 1751: the merchant Murayama Denbei (村山伝兵衛) of Noto took over the Mashike trading post. The town counts its founding (開基) from this date.5 1 July 1900: the nine wards of the town district and six surrounding villages (Mashike, Betsukari, Iwao, Shokanzawa, Afun, Shaguma) merged as Mashike Town.7 No later mergers. From 2003 to 2005 Rumoi, Mashike and Obira held merger talks, but the council was dissolved.1
Neighboring municipalities Rumoi to the east. Beyond the Mashike Mountains are Hokuryu, Uryu, Shintotsukawa and Ishikari.5
Symbols Flower: cherry (Ōyamazakura, オオヤマザクラ). Tree: Japanese rowan (ナナカマド). Bird: gull (カモメ), specifically the black-tailed gull (ウミネコ). Colour: vivid blue. All were designated on 3 November 1976. The town emblem, a stylised form of the characters 増毛, dates from 1972.5
Mascot Kamome no Māshī-kun (かもめのマーシーくん), a gull, chosen by public contest for the 90th anniversary of town status in 1990.8 His official birthday is 1 July 1990. His favourite foods are the town's sweet shrimp, cherries, apples and Kunimare sake.86 English Wikipedia spells the name "Mercy-kun".9
Official website https://www.town.mashike.hokkaido.jp/ (tourism association: https://mashike.jp/kankou/)

Name origin
  • Town explanation. The town derives the name from Ainu Mashukini (マシュキニ) or Mashuke (マシュケ), meaning "place with many gulls". When herring swarmed inshore to spawn (群来), gulls covered the sea.12 The town statistics book gives the form Mashikei (マシケイ).5
  • Place-name scholarship. The Hokkaido Government's Ainu place-name list records Matsuura Takeshirō's Mashikei. Matsuura explained that the bay filled with gulls whenever herring swarmed in. Yamada Hidezō analysed the name as mas-ke, "gull + place". He added that the name first belonged to the Hamamasu area to the south (Hama-Mashike). It moved north when the trading post's office (運上屋) did.19
  • Competing reading. The same list also records maske, "too many, excessive". It rates the etymology as C, the least certain of its three levels.19
  • The name also appears in the town's endemic alpine plants, such as Mashike-genge and Mashike-otogiri.16

History
  • Ainu era and archaeology. Two archaeological sites, the Ofuyu site (雄冬遺跡) and the Shaguma site (舎熊遺跡), are designated as town historic sites.7 No published excavation details were found.
  • Matsumae-era trading post. In 1706 the Mashike area became the trading-post fief of the Shimokuni family, retainers of the Matsumae domain. In 1751 Murayama Denbei took over the Mashike trading post (増毛場所) and set up a branch station. Japanese settlement dates from then.512 A post station (マシケ運行屋, later an ekitei) opened in 1794.5
  • Northern defence. Under Russian pressure, the Tsugaru domain kept a wintering garrison at Mashike, and in 1856 the Akita (Kubota) domain built its main camp (元陣屋) here.111 In 1857 the shogunate had Date Rin'emon (伊達林右衛門), the contractor for the Mashike fishery, cut the Mashike Mountain Road (増毛山道). It detoured inland around the cliffs between Hamamasu and Mashike, and Matsuura Takeshirō praised it as "the finest in Ezo".20
  • Meiji administrative centre. Mashike was governed by the Yamaguchi domain in 1869 and then by the Kaitakushi from 1871. In 1881 the Rumoi district office moved here and became the Mashike district office, responsible for six districts. A court (1882) and tax office (1897) followed, and the Mashike Subprefecture was set up in 1897.5 Settlers entered Shokanzawa in 1887 and Nobusha in 1889. Farming on the Nobusha imperial estate (信砂御料) began in 1900.5 No tondenhei settlement was found, and the home prefectures of Meiji settler groups are not recorded in the sources checked. The best-known newcomer is Honma Taizō (本間泰蔵) from Sado, who founded the Kunimare brewery.21
  • Herring boom. The herring catch reached 60,000 koku in 1890, and the Mashike Lighthouse was first lit that December. The town chronology calls roughly 1891–1903 the "million-koku herring era". On 12 April 1919 a storm sank herring boats and 45 people drowned.5 Town status came on 1 July 1900.1
  • Railway and decline. The railway from Rumoi reached Mashike on 5 November 1921, and the first stage of the fishing port was finished in 1928.5 The subprefecture office left for Rumoi in 1914.1 On 15 July 1945 US aircraft bombed Ofuyu. On 22 August 1945 the evacuation ship Ogasawara Maru, carrying people from Sakhalin, was sunk.5 Herring runs fell away from 1952. The population peaked at 16,768 at the 1955 Census and has fallen ever since.5
  • Opening the south coast. Until National Route 231 opened, the cliff-bound coast west of Betsukari was an "island on land", reached almost only by boat.7 The Rumoi–Sapporo section of Route 231 opened on 10 November 1981. The Ofuyu-misaki Tunnel collapsed on 19 December 1981. The Mashike–Ofuyu ferry ended on 30 April 1992.5
  • Heritage and tourism. The Honma house opened to the public in 2000.5 The station-front buildings became Hokkaido Heritage in 2001, and the Honma house a National Important Cultural Property on 25 December 2003.1011 Iwao Onsen opened in 2003.1
  • Rail closure. Rumoi–Mashike, 16.7 km, carried 480 passengers a day in 1987 but only 39 in 2014. The last trains ran on 4 December 2016, and the section was formally abolished on 5 December.225 The rest of the Rumoi Main Line closed on 1 April 2026.22 The station building was restored to its 1921 appearance and reopened with a ceremony on 22 April 2018.515
  • Recent events.
    • 2018: the Mashike and Gokibiru mountain roads were selected as Hokkaido Heritage after volunteers restored them.20 The same year the main hall of Itsukushima Shrine became a Hokkaido cultural property, and the 6 September Iburi earthquake blacked out the whole town.5
    • March 2019: herring spawning (kuki) turned Ofuyu fishing port milky white for the first time in 66 years.5
    • 2021: the population dropped below 4,000 at the 2020 Census.5
    • September 2024: the local bus beyond Ō-Betsukari to Ofuyu was withdrawn.5
    • September 2026: Route 231 between Iwaoi and Ofuyu reopened on 11 September after a closure. Iwao Onsen, closed by heavy-rain damage, reopened on 12 September with indoor baths only.23

Geography & climate
  • Shape and land use. The town measures about 24.4 km north–south and 30.2 km east–west, with about 38 km of coastline. About half the land is mountain forest (山林), 50.5%. Rice paddies are 1.6% and residential land 0.4%.5
  • Mountains. The Mashike Mountains fill the south and east. Their main peak is Mt. Shokanbetsu, 1,492 m by the town's figure (Japanese Wikipedia gives 1,491 m). Other peaks include Mt. Kunbetsu (群別岳, 1,376 m), Minami-Shokan-dake (1,296 m) and Ofuyu-dake (1,198 m).167 Snow lies on the peaks into July.16
  • Rivers and plains. Short, fast rivers flow north from the mountains and have built small alluvial plains, where the villages sit. The main rivers are the Shokanbetsu (暑寒別川), Nobusha (信砂川) and Hashibetsu (箸別川).57 Orchards and rice fields lie on the Shokanbetsu fan.12
  • Coast. From Betsukari to Ofuyu the mountains fall into the sea as cliffs for about 20 km. Sea caves and odd rock formations make it a showpiece of the park.5 The town's onsen page describes cliffs over 100 m high running for 25 km.17
  • Protected area. The Shokanbetsu-Teuri-Yagishiri Quasi-National Park (暑寒別天売焼尻国定公園) was designated on 1 August 1990 as Japan's 55th quasi-national park and Hokkaido's 5th. Mashike holds 17,846 ha of its 43,559 ha, the largest share of the six municipalities.24 The Shokanbetsu massif had been a prefectural natural park since 1962.1
  • Climate. Normals (1991–2020) at the JMA Mashike station:
    • Annual mean 8.4 °C. January averages −3.3 °C and August 20.9 °C.
    • Annual precipitation 1,085.9 mm, wettest from September to November.
    • Sunshine 1,509.9 hours a year, but only 28.2 hours in December.25
    • Record high 34.2 °C on 1 August 2021. Record low −17.4 °C on 26 January 1985.26
    • Mashike does not measure snowfall. Neighbouring Rumoi averages 546 cm a year, with a normal maximum depth of 90 cm.27
    • The town describes a windy Sea of Japan climate with frequent winter blizzards, dry springs and rain from late summer into autumn.5

Economy & industry
  • Fisheries. In 2024 the town landed 5,736 t worth ¥3.24 billion.5
    • Scallop seed (ほたて稚貝): 2,775 t, 33.4% of the value. The town raises scallops from egg collection to juvenile shells and ships them to cooperatives on the Okhotsk coast.5
    • Shrimp: 304 t, ¥834 million (25.7%).5 Shrimp-basket fishing opens in March. On the first day in 2025, about 1,400 three-kilo boxes (4.2 t) of sweet, shima and botan shrimp were landed.28 The wholesale market is right on the harbour, and processors a few minutes away flash-freeze the shrimp alive.28
    • Other catches: live octopus 412 t (¥352 million), flounder 632 t, scallops 598 t and salmon 114 t.5
    • Fleet and workforce: 165 registered boats, and 85 people in fishing in 2023.5
  • Agriculture.
    • Rice: 264 ha planted and 1,270 t harvested in 2023, mainly low-protein Nanatsuboshi and Yumepirika.5
    • Fruit: the 2020 farm census counts 84 ha of orchard. The town's tourism page gives 120 ha.514 Apples were first planted at Shokanzawa in 1883.5
    • Sake rice: Kunimare buys the town's whole crop of Ginpū (吟風) sake rice.29
  • Manufacturing. Seafood processing is the main industry: shrimp, sea urchin, octopus, salmon and herring.12 The town's 16 manufacturers employed 336 people and shipped ¥11.1 billion of goods in 2023.5 A town-run crushed-stone quarry also operates.5
  • Jobs. Of 1,963 workers at the 2020 Census, 411 were in primary industries (237 of them in fishing), 479 in secondary and 1,062 in tertiary industries.5
  • Tourism. Visitor numbers were 213,000 in FY2021, 245,000 in FY2022 and 302,000 in FY2023.5 The town says visitors around the old station have increased since the Hokkaido Heritage listing, and new restaurants have opened there.5
  • Population. In March 2024, 45.3% of residents were 65 or over, and 50.9% of women were.5 Households averaged 6.0 people in 1955 but 2.1 in 2020.5
  • Furusato nozei. Donations reached ¥498,209,000 from 30,991 gifts in FY2024.30 Since FY2024 donors can choose to fund upkeep of the Mashike Mountain Road.30 The town won a Bronze award in the 2024 Furusato Honpo Awards, a category for little-known but excellent municipalities.31

Local specialties
Specialty Category Details & where to get it
Sweet shrimp (甘エビ) and botan shrimp (ボタンエビ) Seafood The headline catch, landed from March.28 Sold at the spring festival and at fish shops near the port, such as Mashike Minatomachi Market Endō Suisan (増毛港町市場 遠藤水産, Minatomachi 4-26). Endō Suisan opens 9:00–15:00 and is closed Monday–Thursday (winter and holiday hours differ).32
Tender-simmered octopus (タコ柔らか煮) and octopus zangi (たこザンギ) Local dish, processed seafood Both are listed among Mashike's local foods.6 The processor Gurume Shokuhin (ぐるめ食品) makes the tako yawarakani. Its shop, listed by the tourism association as 孝子屋ぐるめ食品 (旧JR増毛駅構内直売店), is at Benten-chō 1-chōme, open 9:00–17:00 (to 16:00 on weekends).3334 Hamasui (はますい) in Betsukari is a specialist octopus processor.35
Sushi and seafood bowls (鮨・海鮮丼) Local dish Local shops such as Sushi Chū (寿し忠), Sushi no Matsukura (寿司のまつくら, known for its tokujō nama-chirashi with about 13 toppings) and Sushidokoro Fukuyoshi.366
Kazunoko, sea-urchin ichiyazuke, salmon toba Processed seafood Traditional processed products named by the tourism association.37 Katō Suisan's Afun plant is known for kazunoko and tarako.35
Kunimare sake (國稀) Sake Founded in 1882. Two of its products made from the town's Ginpū rice are sold only in Mashike.29 The brewery calls the very dry Hokkai Onikoroshi (北海鬼ころし) its signature brand. In summer 2026 it launched an Onikoroshi lemon sour (28 July) and an organic Ginpū junmai daiginjō (1 August), and restocked its sparkling sake Nagisa. All three are sold only at the brewery shop.38
Mashike Cidre and Poire (増毛シードル・ポワール) Cider, perry Made by the Mashike Fruit Winery (増毛フルーツワイナリー) in the orchard district (Shokanzawa 184-2; 10:00–17:00, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).39 Its "Pomme Sucrée" cider won the only Silver in its category at the Japan Cider Cup.40 Mashike Cidre is listed among the town's specialties.6
Cherries, apples, pears, grapes, prunes Fruit About 20 family orchards line the Shokanzawa district. Varieties include Satō Nishiki and Benishūhō cherries.41 The season runs from July (cherries) to autumn (apples).14 Cherries are one of the most-listed furusato nozei gifts.34
Apple pie and local sweets Sweets Maruzen Satō Orchard's shop Fruit labo is known for apple pie. Nakamuraya, Takahashi and Yamazaki confectioners make traditional Mashike sweets.35 The bakery Sukanpin (スカンピン) sells a "kazunoko bread".35
Low-protein rice Rice Nanatsuboshi and Yumepirika from the Shokanbetsu fan.5
Furusato nozei gifts Gifts Furusato Choice lists 48 gifts in its loquat/cherry category, 45 shrimp, 31 kazunoko and 18 octopus gifts. The top-ranked gifts include the octopus-and-rice set (たこやわらか煮とたこめしの素) and botan shrimp.34

Culture & festivals
Event When Highlights
Honma-ke Cosplay Day (本間家でコスプレデー) Mid-April (18 April 2026, the 4th) Photo shoots in costume inside the 1902 merchant house, before it opens for the season. ¥400.42
Mashike Spring Taste Festival (増毛春の味まつり) Late May (30–31 May 2026) On-the-spot sales of sweet shrimp, plus seafood products and food stalls, around the station-front historic street.4344 It grew out of the shrimp festival first held in 1975 and took its present name in 2018.5
Mt. Shokanbetsu mountain opening (暑寒別岳山開き) June (safety prayer on 19 June 2026) A safety-prayer rite in front of the Shokansō hut the day before. On opening day anyone who wishes may climb.4344
Itsukushima Shrine Festival (厳島神社例大祭) 12–14 July On the main day, 13 July, a portable-shrine procession tours the town. It ends with rice-cake throwing near the street stalls.43
Mashike Port Festival (増毛町港まつり) Late July (25 July 2026, the 69th) Beer party (from 16:30 in 2026) and fireworks (19:45–20:20) at the port. The Honma house holds a summer fair that afternoon.4445
Bon dance and haunted-school night August (14 and 28 August 2026) Bon dancing at Memorial Park 100. The kimodameshi ghost night at the old school requires advance booking.44
Mashike Autumn Taste Festival (増毛秋の味まつり) Late September (27 September 2026, the 55th) Scallops, salmon, fruit and rice, 10:00–14:00 at the Mashike Port central wharf.4643 It began in 1972 as the "Akiaji" (autumn salmon) festival and was renamed in 2016.5
Ski Resort Fest (暑寒別岳スキー場フェス) February (7 February 2027 planned) A giant slide and snowball games around the lodge.4344
Eki☆Matsuri (駅☆祭) February (14 February 2027 planned) A giant snow slide and snow sumo at Mashike Station.44
  • Shrines. The main hall of Mashike Itsukushima Shrine (増毛厳島神社, Inaba-chō 3-chōme) is built entirely of zelkova and is noted for its carvings.47 In 2018 it became a Hokkaido Tangible Cultural Property together with seven votive ema paintings.5
  • Performing arts. Ofuyu Kagura (雄冬神楽), performed at Ofuyu Shrine, is a town Intangible Cultural Property.75
  • Museums. The Motojinya cultural centre, opened in 1996, has a local-history room on the Akita domain garrison, a library and gallery space.185 The Sengokugura (千石蔵), owned by Kunimare, displays a herring boat and herring-fishery material. Entry is free.48
  • Film. The town has been the setting for many films and dramas, beginning with Station, and supports location shoots.13
  • Community events. In 2026 the 1936 school building marked its 90th year with an "adults' school day" of classes on Mt. Shokanbetsu's nature, post-war school life and local bear information.49

Ainu heritage
  • Place names. Most local names are Ainu, and the Hokkaido Government's list explains several:
    • Shokanbetsu (暑寒別): so-ka-an-pet, "river above the waterfall", confidence A.50
    • Betsukari (別苅): pes-tukari, "this side of the cliff". It is the last settlement before the coastal cliffs, and the list rates this A.51
    • Shaguma (舎熊): sat-kuma or i-satke-kuma, "drying pole" or "fish-drying pole", confidence C.50
    • Ofuyu (雄冬): uhuy, "burning". One explanation points to the red rock exposed in the cliffs, another to a lightning fire. Confidence B. The list files this name under Hamamasu Village (now part of Ishikari).52
  • Sites. The Ofuyu and Shaguma archaeological sites are town historic sites.7
  • Limits of the record. Little is documented about Ainu communities in Mashike in the sources checked, and no Ainu cultural facility was found in town. The main Ainu museum in Hokkaido is Upopoy in Shiraoi.

Sister & friendship cities

None found. No sister or friendship city is listed on the town website or in the FY2025 town statistical handbook.5

Notable people
  • Mikuni Kiyomi (三國清三). French-cuisine chef, born in Mashike.76 His Hôtel de Mikuni in Yotsuya, Tokyo, has closed. In September 2025 he opened an eight-seat counter restaurant, Mikuni (三國), on the same site.71 The town's "Mashike Mikuni Juku" began in 2006.5 The Rumoi Subprefecture overview describes him as supervising the Auberge Mashike, but the hotel itself states that he is not involved in its cooking.663
  • Ikeda Mitsuo (池田三男). Wrestling gold medallist at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.57
  • Honma Kazuo (本間一夫). Founder of the Japan Braille Library (日本点字図書館).76

Sources

Numbers in the text link to these sources. Figures as of 23 September 2026

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