Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [488]
Hotel Route Inn (; 44-5511; fax 44-5512; www.route-inn.co.jp/search/hotel/index.php?hotel_id=502, in Japanese; 1-2-13 Shin-chō; s/d ¥6000/10,000; ) Directly across from the JR Abashiri station, this instalment of the Route Inn chain offers the usual cookie-cutter business rooms. However, a nice perk here aside from its convenient location is the large winter-warming onsen open to guests only. LAN cable internet available.
Abashiri Central Hotel (; 44-5151; www.abashirich.com; Minami-ni-jō-nishi, San-chōme; s/tw ¥7350/12,000; ) A few minutes’ walk east of the station in front of Chūō bridge, the Abashiri Central is the city’s best hotel. Rooms are decked out in soft and muted colours to provide for a relaxing stay, while the recommended restaurant serves up seasonal offerings from Abashiri’s bountiful seas in pleasantly relaxed surroundings. LAN cable internet available.
Eating & Drinking
Kandō Asa-ichi fish market (;43-7670;6.30-9.30am Mon-Fri, 6.30-10.30am Sat & Sun mid-Jul–15 Oct) A great option for fresh-fish lovers: select your own seafood and cook it on one of the open-air grills. Shuttles leave from several major hotels to the market, located on the outskirts of the town; ask your lodging for details.
Murakami (;43-1147; www.drive-net.com/murakami, in Japanese; Minami-san-jō-nishi, Ni-chōme; platters from ¥1000; lunch & dinner) Two blocks east and one block south of the Central Hotel is this small sushi bar (look for the red-and-blue sign), which is locally famous for its high-quality fish. The owner changes the menu daily based on what’s fresh from the boat, so best to just ask for his osusume (recommendation).
Abashiri Bīru-kan (; www.takahasi.co.jp/beer/yakiniku/index.html, in Japanese; 45-5100; Minami-ni-jō-nishi, Yon-chōme; meals from ¥750, beers from ¥375; lunch & dinner) A famous Hokkaidō microbrewery with various flavours on tap, the Abashiri Beer Hall offers refreshing taster sets that are the perfect accompaniment to either German- or Japanese-inspired meals. There is no English, but the mouth-watering picture menu makes things easy.
Getting There & Away
AIR
From Memanbetsu airport, about 15km south of the city centre, there are domestic flights to various destinations including Sapporo, Tokyo and Osaka. Airport buses (¥750, 30 minutes) are approximately timed to flights and run from the bus station via Abashiri station to the airport.
BUS
There are a few highway buses each day in both directions between the bus terminal in Abashiri (1km east of the train station), and the Chūō bus station in Sapporo (¥6210, 6¼ hours). Between June and mid-October there are three daily buses from Memanbetsu airport via Abashiri bus terminal to Utoro in Shiretoko National Park (¥3000, 2½ hours). Finally, there is one direct bus daily linking Abashiri and Shiretoko-shari (¥1120, 1¼ hours).
CAR
Hiring a car is the best option for those who want to get to the more remote sections of Shiretoko and Akan National Parks. Various car-rental agencies, including JR Hokkaido Rent a Lease (; 43-6197; 8am-6pm Jan-Apr & Nov-Dec, 8am-8pm May-Oct), are located in front of the station.
TRAIN
Frequent tokkyū on the JR Sekihoku line run between Abashiri and Asahikawa (¥7750, four hours) via Bihoro (¥530, 35 minutes), where you can catch onward buses to Akan National Park. There are just a couple of futsū each day on the JR Senmō main line between Abashiri and Kushiro (¥3570, 3½ hours) via Shiretoko-shari (¥810, 50 minutes).
Getting Around
Regular bus lines connect the station to various points in town including Tento-zan. There is no bike rental, and the 25km cycling road is for people who have proper cruising bikes.
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AKAN NATIONAL PARK
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