Hokkaido Places

Town Okhotsk Subprefecture

Saroma 佐呂間町

さろまちょう

Saroma is a town of about 4,500 people on the south shore of Lake Saroma. The lake is Hokkaido's largest and Japan's third-largest, and more of it lies in Saroma than in either of the other two municipalities on its shore.123 Dairy cows outnumber people here. The town calls the lake the birthplace of scallop farming, and its roadside station grills local scallops all year and sells pumpkin soft-serve.4567 Every June the Saroma Lake 100 km Ultramarathon runs along the shore.8

Population (2020 Census)
4,875
Area
404.94 km²
District
Tokoro District (常呂郡)
Official website
www.town.saroma.hokkaido.jp

Known for

  • Lake Saroma (サロマ湖): 151.63 km², Japan's third-largest lake and its largest brackish lake. A 26 km sandbar separates it from the Sea of Okhotsk.23 The Saroma Lake Observatory on Mt. Horoiwa is described as the only place where you can see the whole lake.16
  • Scallops and oysters: the town calls Lake Saroma the birthplace of scallop farming.5 Its chronology says the "Saroma-style" (サロマ式) scallop farming method, a world first, was established in 1965.12 In 2018, shellfish made up 7,898 t of the town's 9,013 t catch.17
  • More cows than people: the town says it has more cattle than people.4 The farm ministry's profile lists 8,452 dairy cattle (2020 farm census). Livestock brought in ¥14.49 billion of the town's ¥15.53 billion farm output in 2024.17
  • Pumpkins: Ebisu pumpkins (えびすかぼちゃ) are a signature crop.18 JA Saroma turns Hokkaido-grown pumpkins into additive-free powder, flakes and paste.19 Pumpkin soft-serve is the best-selling item at the roadside station.7
  • Saroma Lake 100 km Ultramarathon: held since 1986. World 100 km records were set on this course in 1998 and 2018, and a women's world record in 2000.20
  • "Another Tochigi" (もう一つの栃木): in 1911, 66 households came from Tochigi Prefecture. They had been ruined by pollution from the Ashio copper mine and by floods.1221
  • Heat record: on 26 May 2019 Saroma reached 39.5 °C. This is the highest May temperature ever recorded in Japan.2212 Japanese Wikipedia adds that it is also the highest temperature ever recorded in Hokkaido.14

Sights & activities

Nature & scenery

  • Saroma Lake Observatory (サロマ湖展望台): on top of Mt. Horoiwa (幌岩山, 376 m). It is said to be the only place where you can see the whole lake, with the sandbar, the Sea of Okhotsk and, in the distance, the Shiretoko mountains.16 The observatory was finished in 1990.12 It has recently been renovated, and the access road is one-way.54 The road is closed in winter (from early November in 2024), but the trail stays open.1655 Hikers can take the Horoiwa trail from the Michi-no-Eki.34
  • Piraoro Observatory (ピラオロ展望台): a lakeshore lookout said to give the fullest view of the lake from the water's edge. The sunset over the Yūbetsu side is the main attraction.2316
  • Kimuanep Cape (キムアネップ岬): a spit reaching into the southeast of the lake. The town says its sunsets over the lake rank among Japan's best.56
    • About 50 plant species flower here in season, including coral grass (glasswort) and wild roses.56 The coral grass turns the shore red in autumn.57
    • Flocks of swans rest on the lake as winter approaches.56
  • Saroma lakeshore promenade (サロマ湖畔遊歩道): a walking trail of about 5 km through lakeside forest.54

Onsen & baths

  • Yūrinkan (悠林館): a 9-room inn on the hill above the Michi-no-Eki. It offers day bathing from 11:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30).587 Whether its bath uses hot-spring water was not confirmed.
  • Hotel Route-Inn Grantia Saroma-ko: the town's lodging list marks this Tomitakeshi hotel as closed (休業中).58

Museums & heritage

  • Saroma Traffic Park and Railway Memorial Hall (交通公園・鉄道記念館): on the site of the old Saroma Station of the Yūmō Line, at 65-1 Eitai-chō.59
    • The park displays a D51 steam locomotive, a diesel locomotive, a guard's van and a mail car.60
    • The old station building holds railway material. It is kept locked, so you must book ahead with one of the two caretakers. Open 1 May – 30 November, 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays.59
  • Saroma Pioneer Museum: see Culture & festivals.53
  • Tochigi district (栃木地区): the settlement of the families from Tochigi (see History).21

Outdoor & seasonal activities

  • Horoiwa trail (幌岩山登山遊歩道):34
    • About an hour one way to the observatory, from the west trailhead by the Michi-no-Eki or the east trailhead on the Naniwa side.
    • Steps and handrails on the steep parts make it suitable for children.
    • Snowshoeing from January to March.
    • In July 2025 the trail was closed for about ten days after bear sightings.61
    • It was closed again from 13 July 2026, after a bear was seen near the observatory road on 11 July. No reopening date had been announced; cars could still drive up to the observatory.62 Check with Saromaru before you go, and carry a bear bell.61
  • Kimuanep Cape Campground:56
    • Open 1 June – 20 October, no reservations needed.
    • Two cooking areas and parking for 200 cars.
    • Free showers from 1 July to 31 August.
  • Summer on the lake: SUP (evening sessions for the sunset are recommended) and cycling on the flat lakeshore roads.63
  • Winter: snowmobiling on the frozen lake.33
  • Tourist farm: the farm beside the Michi-no-Eki changes its flowers every year and grows giant pumpkins for a pumpkin tunnel in autumn.7

Food experiences

  • Grilled scallops and oysters at the Michi-no-Eki (see below).6
  • Rest House Hanako (レストハウス華湖): 292 Hama-Saroma, 11:00–19:00. Its Hanako-don is topped with salmon roe and scallops, and it also serves oyster dishes.64
  • Saroma Kaikō (さろま海幸): 157-1 Eitai-chō, 17:00–22:00, closed Wednesdays. A Japanese restaurant serving live local scallops from March to December and Lake Saroma oysters. Courses start at about ¥3,000.65
  • Soba-dokoro Hondaya (そば処ほん多屋): 59 Eitai-chō, closed Mondays. It serves jūwari soba made from 100% buckwheat and has been open since 1988.40
  • Ryokan Piraoro-sō (旅館ピラオロ荘): in Tomitakeshi, founded in 1961 and described as the oldest inn on Lake Saroma. It serves seafood and Saroma pork.66

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

Saroma-ko (道の駅サロマ湖)

  • Location:
    • 121-3 Naniwa, Saroma (常呂郡佐呂間町字浪速121-3), on National Route 238. It faces Lake Saroma, halfway along the lakeshore road.6
    • The buildings are shaped like the barns and silos of the town's dairy farms.7
    • The western trailhead of the Horoiwa trail to the Saroma Lake Observatory is nearby.34 The trail has been closed since 13 July 2026 because of a bear sighting.62
  • Hours (as of September 2026 — check before visiting):6
    • Mid-April to mid-October: 9:00–18:00.
    • Mid-October to mid-April: 9:00–17:00.
    • Fast-food corner: 9:30–16:00.
    • Closed 30 December – 3 January. The toilets are open 24 hours.7
  • Shops & products: the Minori shop (物産館みのり) sells Saroma specialties and goods from along the Okhotsk coast, and will ship anywhere in Japan.76
    • Processed scallop and pumpkin products.6
    • Live scallops and oysters, in season.6
    • Saroma pumpkins, scallops and other seafood, and the local Yonkenton (四軒團) brand pork.41
    • JA Saroma pumpkin powder and flakes.19
  • Food:
    • Grilled scallops (ホタテの浜焼き), all year. They are grilled on the spot and seasoned only with soy sauce.67
    • Grilled oysters, November to January.6
    • Other dishes: Saroma pork bowl (サロマの豚丼), pork burger, fried oysters and octopus, steamed oysters and pork skewers (some only in season).41
    • Soft-serve: pumpkin (the shop's No. 1 seller), scallop (with pieces of soft scallop adductor), and "angel" soft-serve topped with a pressed scallop cracker.741
  • Facilities:6
    • Parking: 78 cars and 3 large vehicles.
    • Toilets with warm-water bidet seats, an accessible toilet and a diaper-changing table.
    • Wi-Fi, a tourist information corner and a café.
    • Local produce sales.
    • Credit cards and cashless payment accepted.
    • The official station page lists no EV charger.
    • Outside:
      • A dog run.41 It closes for the winter, from early November in 2024.55
      • The tourist farm with its pumpkin tunnel (May–November).6
      • The Yūrinkan inn on the hill.7
      • The pony petting farm is suspended for now.7
  • Notes:
    • Registration: registered on 17 April 1998 as station No. 51.6 The town's own page says it was registered in fiscal 1997 as Hokkaido's 51st roadside station.7
    • Stamp: available during opening hours.6
    • Events: the Halloween Night (October 2026) and the Coffee Break Meeting (August 2026) are held here.5250
  • Nearby stations in other towns:67
    • Ai-Land Yūbetsu (道の駅愛ランド湧別) and Kamiyūbetsu Onsen Tulip no Yu (道の駅かみゆうべつ温泉チューリップの湯), both in Yubetsu.
    • Engaru Mori no Okhotsk (道の駅遠軽 森のオホーツク), in Engaru.
    • Onneyu Onsen (道の駅おんねゆ温泉), in Kitami.
    • Ryūhyō Kaidō Abashiri (道の駅流氷街道網走), in Abashiri.

Getting there & around

  • Rail: no line runs through the town now. The Yūmō Line closed in 1987.27 Japanese Wikipedia gives JR Kitami or JR Engaru as the nearest stations.14 The town also lists JR Rubeshibe and JR Abashiri, and says the Limited Express Okhotsk takes about 3 hours 50 minutes from Sapporo to Engaru.68
  • By car:68
    • From Sapporo: about 3 hours 50 minutes. Take the expressway to Pippu Junction (Pippu), then the high-standard highway past Maruseppu and Engaru.
    • From Kitami: about 50 minutes. Take National Route 333 to Wakasa, then the prefectural road to the town center.
    • From Engaru: about 40 minutes.
    • From Monbetsu: about 1 hour on National Route 238 along the lake.
    • From Abashiri: about 1 hour on National Route 238 via Hama-Saroma.
  • Bus:
    • Local buses: from Abashiri, about 1 hour 30 minutes. From Engaru or Kitami, about 1 hour.68 Buses run from the Saroma bus terminal to Engaru, Kitami and Abashiri.14 Private route buses ended on 1 October 2010, and the town's Fureai Bus began the same year.1412
    • From Sapporo: the overnight Eagle Liner (イーグルライナー), run by Shari Bus, goes from Sapporo to Shiretoko. On the summer 2026 timetable it leaves Sapporo at 23:15 and reaches the Saroma-chō Wakasa stop at about 3:30. The fare is ¥5,050 one way, and seats must be reserved.69 The town also lists the Dreamint Okhotsk (ドリーミントオホーツク号, Sapporo–Kitami–Abashiri) and the Kōsoku Engaru (高速えんがる号, Sapporo–Engaru) intercity buses.68
  • Air: the nearest airports are Memanbetsu, in Ozora, and Okhotsk-Monbetsu.14
    • Memanbetsu is about 45 minutes by air from New Chitose, 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo and 2 hours from Osaka. From the airport, a bus to Abashiri takes about 40 minutes.68
    • The town subsidizes air tickets for flights through Monbetsu Airport.14

Practical tips

  • When to go:
    • Summer brings "Saroma blue" water, and the campground is open 1 June – 20 October.1656
    • Autumn brings coral grass, sunsets and fresh scallops.57
    • Oysters peak in November–December.33
    • January–March is the time for the frozen lake, snowmobiles and views of the drift ice.33
  • Ultramarathon day (late June): from about the 33 km point the race runs on the Okhotsk national highway, where traffic cannot be closed. Drive with care.47
  • Tourist information: Saromaru (さろま～る), 11-1 Miyamae-chō.70
    • Open 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays, public holidays and over New Year.
    • It hands out Okhotsk-area brochures and offers scallop-shell craft workshops.
    • The NPO Saroma Tourism Association is based here (tel. 01587-6-7176).71
  • Bears: in July 2025 the Horoiwa trail was closed for about ten days after bear sightings.61 It was closed again from 13 July 2026 after a bear was seen near the observatory road, with no reopening date announced.62 Carry a bear bell and take care on trails and at lakeshore campsites.61
  • Winter: Saroma gets about 5.5 m of snow a season, and temperatures have fallen below −35 °C. Allow for icy roads and short days.3122
  • Heat: summer can be hot as well. The town reached 38.6 °C in July 2025.22
  • Opening hours to plan around:
    • The Railway Memorial Hall must be booked ahead and is open May–November only.59
    • The Pioneer Museum is open on weekdays only.53
  • Where to stay: the town's lodging list includes Yūrinkan, Piraoro-sō, the Saromanian guesthouse at Hama-Saroma and several minshuku in town.58

More about Saroma

At a glance
Field Details
Type Town (町)
Subprefecture Okhotsk (オホーツク総合振興局)
District Tokoro District (常呂郡)146
Population 2020 Census: 4,875 people (2,296 men, 2,579 women) in 2,266 households. This was 9.1% fewer than the 5,362 counted in 2015.9 2025 Census (preliminary): 4,339 people in 2,213 households, down another 11.0%.10 Resident register: 4,520 people (2,097 men, 2,423 women) in 2,484 households on 31 August 2026. This includes 379 foreign residents.1 Peak: 15,656 at the 1955 Census. The town notes that figures up to 1955 include the former Wakasa Village.11
Area 404.94 km² (GSI, 1 April 2026).2 The town measures 31.3 km east–west and 18.2 km north–south.15 Of Lake Saroma's 151.63 km², 54.22 km² is counted as part of Saroma.2
Density About 11.2 people/km² (August 2026 register ÷ GSI area). The 2020 Census figure was 12.0/km².9
Municipal history 1894: Suzuki Jingorō settles at Hama-Saroma. The town counts this as its founding (開基).414 1914: the area gets its own village office, Tōfutsu (鐺沸村), separate from Tokoro. 1915: it is renamed Saroma Village.12 1948: Wakasa Village (若佐村) splits off. 1950: the Tokotan (床丹) area is added from Shimo-Yūbetsu Village.1214 April 1953: Saroma becomes a town. September 1956: it merges with Wakasa Village.14 2003–2005: merger talks with Kamiyūbetsu and Yūbetsu collapse after a majority in Yūbetsu vote against in a referendum.12
Neighboring municipalities Kitami, Engaru and Yubetsu. Lake Saroma forms the northern edge.14
Symbols Flower: Ezo-murasaki-tsutsuji (エゾムラサキツツジ, Rhododendron dauricum). Tree: ōba-bodaiju linden (オオバボダイジュ), adopted 1984. Sport: softball, adopted 1986.4 The town's chronology lists all three as adopted in 1984.12 Emblem: adopted April 1953. It shows the katakana サ wrapped around ロ and マ.4 No town bird was found.
Mascot Momo-chan (ももちゃん) was created in 1994 for the town's 100th anniversary. It wears a pumpkin and a scallop as hats, for the town's pumpkins and the lake's scallops.13
Official website https://www.town.saroma.hokkaido.jp/ (Japanese)

Name origin
  • Saroma: the town gives the source as the Ainu saro-oma-pet (サロ・オマ・ペット, "place where there are reeds"). This goes back to sara-oma (サラ・オマ, "marsh where there are reeds"). The name became "Saroma" and was written in kanji as 佐呂間 in 1915.4
  • River or marsh? Sources differ on what the reeds grew beside. Japanese Wikipedia's article on the lake gives sar-oma-pet as "river where reeds grow".3 English Wikipedia gives Saro-oma-pet as "place of many miscanthus reeds".24 The Saromabetsu River (佐呂間別川), the town's main river, carries the same name.14
  • Tōfutsu (鐺沸): this was the area's first name. It was set as "Tōfutsu Village" (トウフツ村) in 1872 and written in kanji as 鐺沸村 from 1875.12 Japanese Wikipedia's article on the lake derives it from Ainu tō-put (トー・プッ, "mouth of the lake"), after the lake's old outlet at Tōfutsu, now Sakaeura on the Kitami side.3
  • Piraoro (ピラオロ): the lakeside lookout takes its name from Ainu pira ("cliff") and oro ("place"), meaning "place with cliffs".23

History
  • Ainu era: the town's account of the lake says Ainu lived around its shores. When sand closed the lake mouth, their daily life and their oyster fishing suffered.5 A local legend is about a young man of the Tokotan Ainu (トコタンアイヌ).23
  • 1858: the explorer Matsuura Takeshirō visited Tōfutsu, where the lake mouth then lay (now Sakaeura, on the Kitami side of the lake).145
  • 1872–1875: the area was named Tōfutsu Village, written in katakana at first and in kanji from 1875.12
  • 1894: Suzuki Jingorō (鈴木甚五郎), from Higashi-Tsugaru District in Aomori Prefecture, settled at Shimo-Saroma (now Hama-Saroma). He fished and farmed, and the town dates its founding from his arrival.412
  • 1901–1903: the Saromabetsu plain (サロマベツ原野) was surveyed into farm lots for settlers. A road from Tokoro was opened, and a government relay station (駅逓, ekitei) was set up at Naka-Saroma.12
  • 1911: the Tochigi settlers. On 7 April 1911, a party of just over 200 people left Oyama Station for the Saromabetsu plain. They were destitute from mine pollution and floods in seven towns and villages of southern Shimotsuga District, Tochigi.21 The town's chronology counts 66 households.12 They had been told of fertile, south-facing land. What they found was high, north-facing ground with little flat land, ringed by mountains on three sides and open to the north wind off the Okhotsk. The snow there melts later than anywhere else in the town.21 Their district is still called Tochigi (栃木).2125 Japanese Wikipedia's article on Yanaka Village says most of the migrants did not stay for good, and a campaign to return to Tochigi followed.25 On 21 April 1971, 13 households from the district petitioned to return to Tochigi Prefecture.14
  • 1913: Kawashima Heisuke (川島平助), a settler from Yanaka Village, first staged Tochigi Kabuki (栃木歌舞伎), at a celebration for a finished road.26
  • 1914–1915: Tōfutsu got its own village office, separate from Tokoro, in 1914. In 1915 it became a second-class village and was renamed Saroma.12
  • 1926–1936: a regular bus to Ikutahara began in 1926.12 In 1929 fishermen from the Yūbetsu side dug a new mouth for the lake. The town says a storm on the night of 20 May 1929 widened it overnight to about 180 m.5 Japanese Wikipedia dates the breakthrough to 16 April 1929.3 Scallop spat (young scallops) were found in the lake in 1931, and farming trials began in 1934.5 The Yūmō Line (湧網線) reached Naka-Saroma from Keroji in 1936.12
  • 1945–1950: after the war, new settlers arrived. They included 47 households of emergency settlers at Horoiwa, 12 households from Kanagawa, 52 households of evacuees and 69 households returning from overseas.12 Wakasa split off as a separate village in 1948.12
  • 1952: three fishing cooperatives set up the Saroma Lake Aquaculture Fisheries Cooperative (サロマ湖養殖漁業協同組合).5
  • 1953: Saroma became a town. On 22 October the Yūmō Line was completed with the Saroma–Shimo-Saroma section.1227
  • 1955–1958: the population peaked at 15,656 in 1955.11 Saroma merged with Wakasa in 1956.12 Lake Saroma became part of Abashiri Quasi-National Park on 1 July 1958.28
  • 1965–1979: the Saroma-style scallop farming method was established in 1965.12 The Morinaga Milk Saroma factory opened in 1972.12 A second lake mouth, 50 m wide, 4 m deep and 300 m long, was finished after seven years of work. The town's scallop page dates it to 1979, and its chronology to 1978.512
  • 1980–1994: Saroma became a sister city of Palmer, Alaska, in 1980.29 The first ultramarathon was held on 14 September 1986.20 The Yūmō Line closed on 20 March 1987.27 The Saroma Tunnel on National Route 333 opened in 1988, and the lake observatory was finished in 1990. Toyo Tire's Saroma test course was completed in 1993.12 The town marked its 100th anniversary in 1994.12
  • 1998: Michi-no-Eki Saroma-ko was registered as a roadside station.6
  • 2001: Asia's first case of BSE (mad cow disease) was found in a dairy cow born in Saroma.12
  • 2006: heavy rain brought 255 mm in three days. The town issued its first-ever evacuation advisory.12 On 7 November, at about 13:20, a tornado hit the Wakasa district. It struck near the construction site of the New Saroma Tunnel on Route 333. It was later rated F3, killed 9 people and injured 31. It is the deadliest tornado in postwar Japan. A memorial was put up in 2007.3012
  • 2009–2022: the New Saroma Tunnel to Kitami opened in 2009, and the town's Fureai Bus began running in 2010.12 In 2014 the town signed an economic exchange agreement with Tsuno Town (都農町) in Miyazaki Prefecture.12 On 26 May 2019 the town recorded 39.5 °C.12 The lakeside youth hostel closed in 2021 after 60 years.12

Geography & climate
  • Position: the town's statistics give its position as 44°00′58″N, 143°46′46″E. The town runs 31.3 km east–west and 18.2 km north–south.15
  • Landforms: the northern edge is Lake Saroma, and the south is hilly and forested.14 Forest covers 22,801 ha, more than half the town's land.17 The highest point is Mt. Saroma (佐呂間山) at 515.3 m.15 Japanese Wikipedia's list of mountains includes Niikoro (仁頃山), Saroma, Keirodake (計露岳), Horoiwa (幌岩山), Bushi (武士山) and Maruyama (円山). The Saromabetsu River (佐呂間別川) is the main river.14
  • Lake Saroma: 151.63 km². About 36% of it (54.22 km²) is counted as Saroma, 52.51 km² as Kitami and 44.90 km² as Yūbetsu.2 It is 92 km around and up to 19.6 m deep. A 26 km sandbar cuts it off from the Sea of Okhotsk. The lake formed about 1,000 years ago when drifting sand closed off a bay.3 It is normally frozen from December to March.32 From January to March you can see the frozen lake and the drift ice on the Sea of Okhotsk from the observatory.33 The road up is closed in winter, so you walk up the trail on snowshoes.1634
  • Protected area: the lake is part of Abashiri Quasi-National Park (網走国定公園), designated on 1 July 1958. Saroma is one of the seven municipalities it covers.28
  • Climate (Saroma AMeDAS weather station, 1991–2020 normals):31
    • Annual mean temperature: 5.6 °C.
    • August mean high: 24.9 °C. January mean low: −15.7 °C.
    • Precipitation: 829.9 mm a year.
    • Snowfall: 556 cm a year, with a normal maximum snow depth of 96 cm.
    • Sunshine: 1,678.5 hours a year.
  • Extremes:22
    • Highest: 39.5 °C on 26 May 2019, then 38.6 °C on 24 July 2025.
    • Lowest: −35.4 °C on 17 February 1978.
    • Deepest snow: 164 cm on 16 January 2004.
    • Wettest day: 182.0 mm on 8 October 2015.

Economy & industry
  • Farm output: ¥15.53 billion in 2024 (estimate).17
    • Livestock: ¥14.49 billion. This splits into beef cattle ¥8.01 billion, dairy ¥6.12 billion and pigs ¥0.36 billion.
    • Crops: ¥1.04 billion.
  • Dairy: the town says its dairy farms are run "in a European style" and that it has more cattle than people.4 The farm ministry lists 8,452 dairy cattle (2020 farm census).17 Morinaga Milk's Saroma factory (森永乳業佐呂間工場) has operated since 1972.12
  • Field crops (2025):17
    • Wheat: 878 ha, 3,480 t.
    • Sugar beet: 522 ha, 30,400 t.
    • Soybeans: 218 ha, 717 t.
    • The town also lists pumpkins, potatoes and other beans.4
    • Farmland totals 7,470 ha, worked by 135 farm businesses.17
  • Fishing: the fishing ports are Hama-Saroma (浜佐呂間) and Tomitakeshi (富武士). Scallops and oysters are farmed.14 The town says it switched early to aquaculture so as not to run out of fish. It says its scallops are of high quality, are produced in steady amounts, and are also exported. Salmon, Hokkai shrimp (北海シマエビ), sea urchin and oysters are also landed.4
    • 2018 catch: 9,013 t, of which 7,898 t was shellfish and 961 t salmon and trout.17
    • There are 82 fishing businesses.17
  • Forestry: the town's slogan is "You can import timber, but you cannot import forests" (木材は輸入できても、森林は輸入できない).4
  • Companies:
    • The Toyo Tire winter-tire test course was completed in 1993. It is in the Nishitomi (西富) area and also hosts the harvest festival.1236
    • Morinaga Milk's Saroma factory.14
    • Hokusho Suisan (北勝水産), a scallop processor.1437
  • Tourism (FY2025):35
    • 195,400 visitors, up 2.1% on the year before. Almost all came for the day: 192,300 day-trippers and 3,100 overnight guests.
    • About half (95,400) came from outside Hokkaido.
    • August was the busiest month, with 41,400 visitors.
  • Population:
    • People aged 65 and over were 39.5% of the population in 2020, up from 10.3% in 1975. Children under 15 were 10.1%.11
    • The 2025 preliminary census shows an 11.0% drop in five years.10
    • Foreign residents were 379 of the 4,520 registered residents in August 2026, about 8%.1
  • Revitalization:
    • Furusato nōzei donations since 2008, with thank-you gifts since 2014.12
    • A Supporters' Club since 2015.12
    • Donations can go to tourism, local industry, education (including keeping the local high school going and free school meals) and welfare.38
    • The tourism association runs Saromap (サロマップ), a website about the town.39

Local specialties
Specialty Category Details & where to get it
Scallops (ホタテ) Seafood Farmed in Lake Saroma and the Sea of Okhotsk.4 Hokusho Suisan (北勝水産, 51 Naniwa) makes several products: Tamarei (玉令, flash-frozen large adductor muscles), soft salted adductors (帆立ソフト貝柱) and smoked scallops in oil (帆立燻油漬). It sells them in its own shop, along with scallop burgers.37 Grilled scallops (ホタテの浜焼き) are served all year at the Michi-no-Eki.6
Lake Saroma oysters (牡蠣) Seafood Grilled oysters are served at the Michi-no-Eki from November to January.6 Oyster season peaks in November–December.33 Soba-dokoro Hondaya serves oyster soba from late October to February or March.40
Other seafood Seafood Salmon, Hokkai shrimp (北海シマエビ) and sea urchin.4 Fried octopus is served at the Michi-no-Eki's food corner.41
Ebisu pumpkin (えびすかぼちゃ) Crop The town describes it as fluffy and very sweet.18 JA Saroma makes additive-free pumpkin powder, flakes and paste from Hokkaido-grown pumpkins. They are sold at A-Coop Saroma and the Michi-no-Eki, and JA Saroma also sends powder and flakes by parcel.19
Saroma pork (サロマ豚四軒團) Meat A three-breed cross raised by four farms. The feed includes flaxseed, so the pork has more omega-3 fatty acids than usual. The brand dates from 2018. The farms won the top group prize at the FY2017 Hokkaido carcass show.42 Served as pork bowls, burgers and skewers at the Michi-no-Eki.41
Pumpkin and scallop soft-serve Sweets Pumpkin soft-serve made from local pumpkins is the Michi-no-Eki's best seller.7 There is also a scallop soft-serve with pieces of soft scallop adductor, and an "angel" soft-serve topped with a pressed scallop cracker.41
Saroma no Kohaku (サロマの琥珀) Liquor A pumpkin liquor launched in 2000.12 Whether it is still sold was not confirmed.
Jersey milk (ARVO) Dairy Cafe Wakasato Jersey Milk Kōbō ARVO (カフェ若里ジャージーミルク工房ARVO), opened in August 2021 in a former school at 498-2 Wakasato. It sells milk, drinking yogurt, pudding and 15 kinds of gelato. Open weekends and holidays 11:00–16:00.43
Kabochan pie and Cheese Bokko Sweets Kabochan Honpo (かぼちゃん本舗, 61 Miyamae-chō) sells a pumpkin pie (かぼちゃんパイ). Its Cheese Bokko (チーズぼっこ) sticks began as offcuts from its cheesecakes.44
Okhotsk Cheese Soufflé Sweets Okashi-tsukasa Ōtsuki (御菓子司 大月, 70 Eitai-chō), founded around 1938. Its Okhotsk cheese soufflé (オホーツクチーズスフレ) carries the Okhotsk brand certification. It also makes a Basque-style cheesecake.45
Furusato nōzei gifts Gifts In September 2026 the top gifts on Furusato Choice were large Okhotsk scallop adductors, seasoned herring roe, dried atka mackerel (ほっけ), Saroma pork loin and live scallops shipped in December.46 The town offers gifts through 14 portals (April 2026).38

Culture & festivals
Event When Highlights
Saroma Lake 100 km Ultramarathon (サロマ湖100kmウルトラマラソン) Late June (41st race: 28 June 2026) Course: the 100 km race starts at 5:00 in Yūbetsu and finishes at the Tokoro Sports Center in Kitami, with a 13-hour limit. The 50 km race starts at 10:00 from Saroma's 100-nen Hiroba (100年広場).8 Records: world 100 km records were set here by Sunada Takahiro (6:13:33, 1998), Abe Tomoe (6:33:11, women, 2000) and Kazami Nao (6:09:14, 2018).20 Wakka: the Wakka Primeval Flower Garden stretch, from 80 to 98 km, is called "the hardest and most beautiful point".47 History: entries peaked at 2,823 in 2005. The race was cancelled in 2020–2022.20
Saroma Fireworks (サロマ打ち上げ花火大会) 14 August (2026) Bon dancing and fireworks at the Town Citizens' Center (町民センター), from about 20:00.48
Saromarche (さろまるしぇ) Third Sundays of August and September (2026) A market at the Saromaru tourist center.49
Saroma Coffee Break Meeting (サロマコーヒーブレイクミーティング) 19 August (7th, 2026) A motorcycle meet-up at the Michi-no-Eki.50
Saroma Harvest Festival (サロマ大収穫祭) Early October (28th: 4 October 2026, 10:00–15:00) Held at the Toyo Tire Saroma test course in Nishitomi.36 Local food, live music and a prize draw.51
Saroma Halloween Night (サロマハロウィンナイト) 30–31 October (2026) In 2026 it moves to the tourist farm next to the Michi-no-Eki.52
Saroma Autumn Evening Festival (さろま秋宵まつり) Autumn (date not confirmed) The town's own festival, with stage shows and fireworks.51
Saroma Pumpkin Contest (サロマかぼちゃコンテスト) Autumn (date not confirmed) A contest built around the town's pumpkins.51
  • Tochigi Kabuki (栃木歌舞伎): Kawashima Heisuke (1874–1961) was born in Yanaka Village, Tochigi, and trained under a Tokyo kabuki actor. He moved to Saroma in 1911. From 1913 he staged kabuki for the settlers. The troupe's repertoire ran to 55 scripts, and he made the costumes, props and scripts himself. He also served 15 years on the village council.26
  • Tochigi Shrine (栃木神社): in the Tochigi district. Japanese Wikipedia describes it as a branch of Futarasan Shrine in Utsunomiya.14
  • Saroma Pioneer Museum (佐呂間町開拓資料館): 169 Eitai-chō, open to anyone. It displays tools and records from the settlement years. Open weekdays 9:00–17:00, closed 29 December – 5 January. Ask at the office of the Town Citizens' Center across the street.53
  • Cinderella Dream Festival (シンデレラ夢まつり): a pumpkin-themed September festival that ended in 2022.14

Ainu heritage
  • Life on the lake: the town's history of scallop farming says Ainu lived around Lake Saroma. It says they had trouble with daily life and with oyster fishing whenever sand blocked the lake mouth.5
  • Fish lookout: Ainu are said to have watched for schools of fish from the Piraoro cliff.23
  • The Piraoro legend (ピラオロ哀恋伝説):23
    • Sankur (サンクル), a young man of the Tokotan Ainu, went to fight in the "Bora battle" (ボラ合戦) between the Tokachi and Kitami Ainu. He never came back.
    • Machika (マチカ), the girl who loved him, looked toward Ingarushi (インガルシ) day and night. In the end she threw herself into the lake from the Piraoro cliff.
    • The mountain lilies that bloom on the cliff are said to be Machika.
  • Place names: Saroma, Piraoro and Tōfutsu all come from Ainu (see Name origin).42312
  • Facilities: no Ainu museum or living-culture program in Saroma was found in the sources consulted.

Sister & friendship cities
  • Palmer, Alaska, USA: sister city since 28 October 1980.29
    • How it began: Ishiguro Mutsuhiro, a teacher at Saroma High School, made friends over amateur radio with Edward Holmes of Palmer. Their first contact was on 10 April 1980.29
    • School links: Saroma and Palmer high schools became sister schools in 1990. Saroma Elementary and Pioneer Peak Elementary followed in 1992, and Saroma's junior high schools linked with schools in and around Palmer in 2003.29
    • Exchanges: students and residents exchange letters and artwork and go on short and long study stays. More than 200 Saroma residents have visited Palmer.29
  • Tsuno Town (都農町), Miyazaki Prefecture: economic exchange agreement, 2014.12
  • Mita shopping street (三田商店街), Minato Ward, Tokyo: exchange agreement, 2008.12

Notable people
  • Sawahikari Yukio (沢光幸夫): sumo wrestler, born in Saroma Village. He fought for Tokitsukaze stable and reached east komusubi in July 1964.72
  • Tamai Taishō (玉井大翔): pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, born in Saroma. He was an 8th-round pick in the 2016 draft.73 The town counts him as its first professional baseball player.12
  • Akiyama Kazuhiko (秋山和彦): the first person to clear the final stage of the TV obstacle course SASUKE (4th tournament, 1999).74 Japanese Wikipedia's Saroma article lists him as a native. His own article says only that he was born in Hokkaido.1474
  • Kawashima Heisuke (川島平助, 1874–1961): a Tochigi settler who founded Tochigi Kabuki.26

Sources

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

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