Urakawa 浦河町

• Racehorse breeding (軽種馬生産). In 2024 Urakawa produced 1,418 of Japan's 7,925 racehorses, or 17.9%. Among the Hidaka towns, only neighboring Shinhidaka (1,901) produced more, and the Hidaka region as a whole bred 78.8%, or about 80%¹². In February 2022 the town counted 153 light-horse farms, 1,800 broodmares and 1,334 foals¹.
• Shinzan (シンザン). Shinzan was born in 1961 at the Matsuhashi farm in Urakawa. He won the Japanese Triple Crown in 1964, the first since the war, and became Japan's first "five-crown" horse¹³. He stood at stud and is buried at Tanigawa Farm in Urakawa, where a statue has stood since 1983¹³¹⁴.
• Yushun Sakura Road (優駿さくらロード). More than 1,000 Ezo mountain cherry trees line both sides of a 3 km road in Nishicha, starting from the entrance of the Yushun-no-Sato park (AERU). They are lit up at night during the early-May festival¹⁵¹⁶.
• Summer strawberries (夏いちご). The tourism association calls Urakawa Japan's top producer of summer strawberries¹⁷. The main variety is Suzuakane (すずあかね), which is flown to Tokyo pastry shops. Full-scale production began in fiscal 2004, and sales from Urakawa and Samani have since grown about sixfold¹².
• Hidaka kelp and Ginsei salmon. The Ikantai (井寒台) district is the only kelp beach in Hidaka graded tokujō-hama (特上浜, "superior beach"). Ginsei (銀聖) is a brand of silver-bright autumn salmon caught alive in local set nets. It is a Hidaka-wide brand, created from 2000 by 41 set-net operators in the region¹⁸.
• Bethel House (浦河べてるの家). This community was founded in 1984 by people recovering from mental illness. It started "self-directed research" (当事者研究) around 2001, and since 1995 it has held an annual Hallucination & Delusion Convention (幻覚&妄想大会)¹⁹.
• A mild coast with frequent earthquakes. The town calls itself the "Shōnan of Hokkaido" (北海道の湘南), with cool summers and mild winters¹. Earthquakes are relatively frequent in the area¹¹, and the 1982 Urakawa-oki earthquake brought seismic intensity 6 to the town²⁰.

Nature & scenery

• Yushun Sakura Road (優駿さくらロード), Nishicha 141-11. From the entrance of the Yushun-no-Sato park, about 3 km of road is lined on both sides with more than 1,000 Ezo mountain cherry trees. Peak bloom is in early May. The name was chosen from residents' suggestions in April 2004¹⁵.
• Urakawa Obake-zakura (うらかわオバケ桜). A giant Ezo mountain cherry on a hill inside the JRA Hidaka ranch, named after the nearby Obake River. Its trunk girth is 4.8 m, which the festival organizers say is the largest in Hokkaido. Because it stands on JRA land, it opens to the public only for a few days in late April (24–26 April in 2026; free)⁴⁸.
• JRA Observation Deck (JRA展望台), Nishicha 535-13. A two-story deck looks over the JRA Hidaka training complex, with the Hidaka Mountains behind on clear days. Open 1 April–31 October, 8:00–16:00⁴⁹.
• Oromap Observation Deck (オロマップ展望台), Kami-Kineusu, off Route 236. It looks over pastures toward the sea. In spring you can see the Obake-zakura (オバケ桜) in the distance, framed by a photo spot with a viewing hole. Open late April to late November; free⁵⁰.
• Suimei Bridge Park (翠明橋公園), Route 236. Just before the Nozuka Tunnel, with views of the Hidaka range. In summer you can draw spring water that wells up in the tunnel; boil it before drinking. Open late April to late October⁵¹.
• Urakawa Thoroughbred Road (浦河サラブレッドロード). Pasture country along the Hidaka-Horobetsu River (Nishi-Horobetsu) and the Moto-urakawa River (Ogifushi)⁵².
• Ikantai Forest Park (井寒台森林公園). A 68 ha hilltop park with an observation deck over the town and the Pacific, walking trails, and birdwatching⁵³¹.

Onsen

• No hot-spring resort was found in Urakawa. AERU has an observation bath (展望浴場)⁵⁴. Hakuyōkan (柏陽館) in Nofuke, a nature-study lodge built in 1988, has a bath and sauna¹. For a hot spring, Michi-no-Eki Mitsuishi in Shinhidaka, west along Route 235, has a kelp bath⁵⁵.

Museums & heritage

• Urakawa Town Local History Museum (浦河町立郷土博物館), Nishi-Horobetsu 273-1. It opened in 1978 in a former elementary school. Its "Gate of Champions" (優駿の門) has 32 horse statues on top. Exhibits cover nature, prehistory, settlement, fishing and farming. Open 9:00–16:30; free; closed Mondays, holidays and 30 December–5 January⁴⁶.
• Horse Museum (馬事資料館), same site. Opened in 1980. It displays material on Hindostan (ヒンドスタン), Shinzan's sire, and a four-seat, two-horse state carriage built in 1898, which the Hidaka stud farm used to receive distinguished guests from 1907 into the early Shōwa era. Free⁵⁶. The carriage is a town cultural property⁷.
• JRA Memorial Hall (JRAメモリアルホール), Nishicha 535-13. The Meiji-era office of the former Hidaka livestock farm, with records of horse breeding since 1907. Open 1 April–31 October, 10:00–16:00; free²².
• Shinzan statue (シンザン馬像), Tanigawa Farm, Nishi-Horobetsu 112-3. Erected in 1983, while Shinzan was still alive. Free to visit¹⁴.
• Akashinsha Memorial Hall (赤心社記念館), Ogifushi 15. The former office of the Christian settlement company. Open 9:00–16:30; contact the museum or the Ogifushi branch office before visiting; closed Mondays, holidays and 30 December–5 January⁵⁷.
• Fushikida Mitsuo Art Museum (伏木田光夫美術館). Inside the Equestrian Park, showing work by the local painter²⁴.
• Daikokuza (大黒座), Ōdōri 2-18. Hidaka's only cinema, founded in 1918. It screens two films in four showings a day, and visitors who just want to look inside are welcome⁴⁴.

Outdoor & seasonal activities

• Horse riding at AERU (うらかわ優駿ビレッジAERU), Nishicha 141-40. This 107 ha park has a lodge, restaurant, riding arenas, stables and an 18-hole park-golf course⁵⁴. A 5–10 minute led ride costs ¥500. Longer rides run from 30 minutes to 6 hours (¥4,100–45,300). A Sunday-only trail through the JRA grounds is often booked up to a year ahead. Riders must be at least 4th grade, 140 cm tall or more, and 75 kg or less⁵⁸.
• Urakawa Equestrian Park (浦河町乗馬公園), Nishi-Horobetsu 327-9. Riding lessons and competitions. Open 9:00–16:00; closed Mondays²⁴.
• Farm visits. Ask first at the Racehorse Hometown Information Center (競走馬のふるさと案内所). Stay out of stables and paddocks, do not touch or feed the horses, and do not use flash. Some farms have stopped accepting visitors because of bad manners⁵⁹.
• Hiking. The tourism association calls Rakko-dake (1,472 m) the easiest way to enjoy the Hidaka Mountains. It has a free 50-person hut at the trailhead, about 50 minutes' drive from town. Kamui-dake (1,601 m by this source) is harder: about half the route follows a stream, the forestry office must approve use of the gated road, and you should go with an experienced partner. Neither access road is plowed in winter⁶⁰.
• Others. Fishing, birdwatching and park golf⁶¹.

Food experiences

• The tourism association offers a fish-filleting class with a seafood-bowl lunch, a dried-fish (himono) workshop at Ikeda Fish Shop, and bread classes at a bakery with a sea view⁶¹.

No Michi-no-Eki is located in Urakawa. The official Hokkaido Michi-no-Eki address list has no station in Urakawa District, and a search of the official site for "浦河" returns no station⁶²⁶³. The nearest ones are:

• Mitsuishi (道の駅みついし), Shinhidaka. West of Urakawa on National Route 235, at Mitsuishi-Kerimai 161-2 (三石鳧舞161-2). Open 8:45–22:00 (April–September) and 8:45–17:30 (October–March); closed 31 December–5 January. It has a kelp bath (昆布温泉 蔵三), an auto campground with 16 bungalows, and a restaurant serving Mitsuishi-beef sukiyaki, ankake yakisoba and tempura bowls. Kelp, Mitsuishi yōkan and kelp shōchū are sold here. Registered 1995 (No. 18)⁵⁵.
• Cosmall Taiki (道の駅コスモール大樹), Taiki. Over the Hidaka Mountains on National Route 236, the Tenma Kaidō, at Nishi-hondōri 98 in Taiki. The specialty corner is open 9:00–17:30. It is known for local cheese, bacon and sausages, soft-serve, and a space theme. Registered 2002 (No. 75)⁶⁴.

• Rail. There is no train service. The Hidaka Line's Mukawa–Samani section, which had stations in town at Ogifushi, Efue, Urakawa, Higashichō and Hidaka-Horobetsu, closed on 1 April 2021²³⁷. Trains now run only as far as Mukawa, where the replacement buses begin²³.
• Bus. Highway buses run to Sapporo in about 3 hours 45 minutes⁶⁵. Dōnan Bus's "Pegasus" express ends at Urakawa Terminal⁵¹. JR Hokkaido Bus's "Tomamo" limited express connects Tomakomai and Urakawa in about 3 hours⁶⁵. Local buses are run by JR Hokkaido Bus, Dōnan Bus and Nikkō Bus⁶⁵.
• Airport shuttle. The Nanapaka-gō (ナナパカ号) is a shared ride that must be booked in advance. It links New Chitose Airport with towns in Hidaka and runs from 4 August to 30 November 2026. It is operated by Nikkō Hire and paid for with accommodation-tax revenue⁶⁶.
• Car. About 2 h 45 min from Sapporo using the expressway, and about 2 h 10 min from New Chitose Airport or Tomakomai⁶⁵. The Hidaka Expressway, planned to link Tomakomai with Urakawa, was extended to Niikappu IC when the toll-free Hidaka-Atsuga–Niikappu section opened on 28 February 2026¹². National Routes 235, 236, 237 and 336 pass through the town⁷.
• To Tokachi. The Tenma Kaidō (Route 236) runs 139 km between Urakawa and Obihiro through the 4,232 m Nozuka Tunnel. It cut about 30 km and 50 minutes from the old route²⁵. Obihiro is about 2 h 15 min by car, and Obihiro Airport about 1 h 50 min⁶⁵.
• Getting around. The main sights (AERU, the museums, the sakura road and the JRA ranch) are spread over Nishicha and Nishi-Horobetsu, so a car is the practical choice.

• When to go. Early May for the cherry blossoms. Summer, when strawberries are in season (Hokkaido strawberries are shipped out of Hokkaido from June to November¹²) and the Uma Festa and Port Festival fireworks are held. Late September for the Industry Festival and autumn salmon¹⁶.
• Visitor information. The Urakawa Tourism Association is at Ōdōri 2-27. It is open 9:00–18:00, including weekends, with irregular closures (tel. 0146-22-3200)³¹.
• Seasonal closures. The JRA Observation Deck and JRA Memorial Hall close from November to March. Oromap closes from late November and Suimei Bridge Park from late October^49225051. The museums close on Mondays⁴⁶.
• Winter driving on Route 236. Fill up before leaving town. It is about 62.5 km from Urakawa's last gas station to the next one in Hiroo, and about 67.8 km between convenience stores²⁵. Snowfall on the coast is light, but mountain conditions can be very different, so check road information before crossing in winter.
• Wildlife. The town office has a wildlife-damage section (鳥獣被害対策室)¹. Hikers in the Hidaka Mountains should take precautions against brown bears, and drivers should watch for deer, especially at dusk.
• Horses. Farms are working businesses. Follow the visiting rules strictly (see "Farm visits" above)⁵⁹.
• Earthquakes. Earthquakes are relatively frequent in the area¹¹. The 1982 quake sent an 80 cm tsunami into the harbor²⁰, so know the evacuation routes when staying near the coast.