A base for learning about A Heritage of Salmon

Each location on the Nemuro Strait coast has a facility where you can learn about the Heritage of Salmon story. To learn about salmon in detail, the best place to start is the Shibetsu Salmon Museum. After that, by visiting the other facilities, it’s possible to get a real of the 10,000-year story.

Shibetsu Salmon Museum (Salmon Aquarium)

An aquarium where you can learn everything you need to know about salmon – from the ecology and the history to the food culture. The number of different types of salmonid exhibits is the largest in Japan. In the aquarium connected to the Shibetsu River, it is possible to observe the state of the salmon in each season, with fry swimming in shoals from February to June, salmon swimming upstream in September and October, and spawning activities in November.

Shibetsu Salmon Museum (Salmon Aquarium)

Kita 1-jo Nishi 6-chome 1-1, Shibetsu-cho, Shibetsu-gun, Hokkaido (with in Shibetsu Salmon Park)

MAP

TEL:0153-82-1141

Opening hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)

Open: every day from May to October; closed on Wednesdays in February, March, April and November;

closed in winter in December and January

Admission: Adults 650 yen, elementary and junior high school students 200 yen

WEB site: http://s-salmon.com

Shibetsu Po-Gawa Historical Nature Park

An outdoor museum comprising three areas: the nationally designated Ichani Karikarius site; the nationally designated natural monument, Shibetsu Marsh; and the pioneer village and history & folklore museum. A replica of the Shibetsu Banya folding screen is exhibited in the Visitor Center. From the sight of the prehistoric sites at which the remnants of countless pit dwellings remain, it is possible to sense the breath of the people who lived on this land.

Shibetsu Po-Gawa Historical Nature Park

Ichani 2784, Shibetsu-cho, Shibetsu-gun, Hokkaido

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TEL:0153-82-3674

Opening hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission 16:30)

Open season: April 29th to November 23rd

Open every day throughout the season

Admission: (Pioneer village, marsh and prehistoric-site area) Adults 330 yen; university and high school students 110 yen; junior high school and under, free

※Admission to the Visitor Center is free

WEB site: https://www.shibetsutown.jp/shisetsu/art_culture/po_river/

Shibetsu Prehistoric Sites guided tour

2 hours 30 min  2,500 yen

Po River canoeing tour

2 hours 6,000 yen

Nemuro City Museum of History and Nature

An exhibition of materials related to Russia’s first envoy to Japan, Adam Laxman’s visit to Nemuro, as well as other materials related to Russo-Japanese diplomatic history from the Edo to Meiji periods, including the border stone placed in Karafuto (currently Sakhalin). In addition, the museum also boasts a Hokkaido-designated tangible cultural property clay figure (latter part of the Jomon period), precious Okhotsk-culture-period archaeological materials, and an abundance of materials regarding the region’s nature.

Nemuro City Museum of History and Nature

Hanasakiminato 209-banchi, Nemuro, Hokkaido

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TEL:0153-25-3661

Opening hours: 9:00 to 16:30

Closed: Mondays (closed the following day if Monday is a public holiday), public holidays and from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3

Admission: free

WEB site: https://www.city.nemuro.hokkaido.jp/lifeinfo/kakuka/kyoikuiinkai/kyoikushiryokan/index.html

Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center

A hub for information related to the nature and history of Japan’s largest sand spit, Notsuke Peninsula. The crockery unearthed from the remains of the Notsuke Tsukoya site (stopover lodgings), which existed during the Edo period, tells of how the region was once a gateway to Kunashiri Island and the world beyond. If visited in conjunction with the Kaga Family Archives, the Notsuke history can be understood in a more real way.

Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center

Notsuke 63, Betsukai-cho, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido

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TEL:0153-82-1270

Opening hours: April to October 9:00–17:00; November to March 9:00–16:00

Closed: December 30th to January 5th

Admission: free

WEB site: http://notsuke.jp/

Betsukai Town Folk Museum/Kaga Family Archives

A collection and exhibition of ancient documents related to the Kaga family, which was originally from Ishikawa prefecture but worked in the Kushiro/Nemuro region for five generations. Many of the documents relate to a 3rd generation Kaga, Denzo (1804–’74) who interpreted the Ainu language for over 50 years and interacted with Matsuura Takeshiro, with pictures and records from which much can be learned about the lives of the Ainu at the time.

Betsukai Town Folk Museum/Kaga Family Archives

Betsukaimiyamai-cho 29, Betsukai-cho, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido

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TEL:0153-75-2473

Admission: (Both buildings) Adults 350 yen; high school students and under, free

Opening hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)

Closed: Second and fourth Monday and first, third & fifth Saturday in the month; public holidays, and from December 29th to January 6th

WEB site: https://betsukai.jp/kyoiku/kyoudo/about/kagakemonziyokangoannai/

Rausu Municipal Museum

Located in the town of Rausu, the museum conveys – through artifacts excavated from prehistoric sites from the Okhotsk and Tobinitai cultures – the unique history and culture of the town, where northern peoples have been coming and going since the prehistoric age. In particular, numerous wooden products excavated from the Matsunori River North Shore site – an important cultural property of Japan – provide a precious chance to learn about the living conditions of the Okhotsk people, who were maritime traders.

Rausu Municipal Museum

Minehama-cho 307-1, Rausu-cho, Menashi-gun, Hokkaido

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TEL:0153-88-3850

Opening hours: 9:00 to 17:00

Closed: Sat., Sun., public holidays and the year-end & New Year period. *Open every day from July to Sept.

Admission: free

WEB site: https://www.rausu-town.jp/pages/view/179