Lucy & Eitchkay Hokkaido Holiday: Akankohan to Shari Cho and Shiretoko National Park

On our drive to Shari Cho where we intend to visit Shiretoko National Park, we decided to take a detour to find Kaminoko Pond (神の子池 Kaminoko-ike). Pond child of God (Jinno Koike) "map code" is "910216161" This is a small pond in the middle of the forest, reachable only by a long dirt track (no 4WD needed). What makes the bumpy trip worthwhile is that the water in the pond is a truly unearthly shade of transparent sapphire blue. The track is a few kilometers north of the Ura-Mashuko (#3) lookout. You need to get onto Route 1115.

When you see this sign turn in off Route 1115. You’ll need to drive a little bit uphill over some bumpy terrain, this will take approximately 10 minutes.

It's a very quiet place and there were only two other people enjoying the pond while we were there.

As usual, the drive from the pond to Shari Cho was a beautiful drive.

We stayed at Shiretoko Village (Formerly Tsukudaso) 099-4353 Hokkaido, Shari, Utoro Nakajima 125 (Phone: +81152242124). We stayed for 2 nights half board and we paid ¥ 33000.
Shiretoko Village offers inexpensive Japanese-style rooms with free Wi-Fi. There are private onsen for those are not get used to the public bath, but they are not as enjoyable as the public onsen. Rooms are clean and beds are comfortable. Hot water and green tea are available in the room as well as along the corridors. However, as we are used to staying in rooms en suite, we didn't like that the shared toilets were quite a distance from our room. We enjoyed our breakfast and dinner here. They come in really generous portions.

Shiretoko National Park located on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, is one of Japan's most beautiful and unspoiled national parks. Shiretoko is one of the richest integrated ecosystems in the world. Encompassing both terrestrial and marine areas the property is located in the northeast of Hokkaido and is comprised of a part of the Shiretoko Peninsula, which protrudes into the Sea of Okhotsk and the surrounding marine areas.

Shiretoko Five Lakes
Five magical lakes surrounded by virgin forest. The promenade encircling these lakes allow visitors to walk around all five lakes in just one hour. The view of the surrounding virgin forest and the Shiretoko mountain range reflected on the surface of the lakes along makes this place a pristine paradise.The five lakes are located within walking distance of each other and well-maintained trails connect them. An elevated wooden path way to Lake Ichi-ko (the first lake) can be taken year round for free without guidance but the routes from lakes two to five require a reservation, payment of a fee and a visit with an authorized guide.

The Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido juts out into the Sea of Okhotsk. It is said to be the last unexplored region of Japan, and consists of steep mountain peaks covered with virgin forests. The towns of Utoro and Rausu are situated on the eastern side of the peninsula and well worth visiting as the drive to these towns are also scenic with beautiful coastal features.

Cape Puyuni - This cape commands a panoramic view of the idyllic coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Port of Utoro. We read that drift ice can be seen here in winter, and the view produced by the setting sun is particularly spectacular. We didn't stay long enough to capture the view of dusk.