Equipment - Shiretoko Rausu-cho Tourist Association

Rausu Town Area Map

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Roadside Station Shiretoko Rausu

Situated on national highway 335, Roadside Station Shiretoko Rausu is the closest roadside station in Japan to the Northern Territories and Kunashiri Island, a mere 24km away. The first floor and rooftop viewing platform provide breathtaking views of Kunashiri Island, and on a clear day you can even see buildings on the island. In the winter time, this is also a great place to watch the Steller's sea eagles and White-tailed sea eagles glide effortlessly through the air.
Click here for details.

Advice

Roadside Station Shiretoko Rausu was ranked 9 in the top 10 ranking of all roadside stations in Hokkaido for overall customer satisfaction in the magazine "Jaran Hokkaido (April 2007 Edition).
This roadside station ranked highly for the wide range of extremely high quality local produce available (souvenirs: 87.37 points), and received the highest score of all roadside stations in Hokkaido for customer service (80.00 points)!! The first floor of the roadside station has a large panel depicting scenes from the filming of the last episode of "Kita no Kuni Kara". With the famous theme music playing in the background, this is a place where you want to take your time in looking around...

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Shiretoko National Park - Rausu Visitor's Centre (open all year)

Opened in May 2007, this centre was provided by the Ministry of the Environment to provide information on the nature in Shiretoko. In the lecture room, you can watch a high-definition video entitled "The Four Seasons in Shiretoko Rausu" (approx. 30 minutes, free) on a huge 150 screen! Visit here to get all the information you need for your trip!

Rausu Visitor's Centre Movie

Advice

From February 2009, the entire skeleton of a killer whale is on display!
The skeleton of this killer whale is one of the group of whales that became trapped in the drift ice and died on February 7th, 2005 in the Aidomari area of Rausu. The remains of the largest of the whale was buried for 3 years, to allow nature to take its course and leave this superb skeleton for future research. The highlight of the entire centre is the 7.6 meter long skeleton of the huge whale that once weighed 6.6 tonnes. There is also a lot of interesting information about killer whales on display below the skeleton. *Skeletons from ocean mammals are extremely brittle. Please do not touch the skeleton.

"The Four Seasons in Shiretoko Rausu" (26 mins) movie viewing times

9：30・10：15・11：00・11：45・12：30
13：15・14：00・14：45・15：30・16：15

Opening Times

9:00 ~ 17:00 May to October
10:00 ~ 16:00 November to April

Regular Holidays

Mondays, New Year Holidays

Admission Fees

Free admission, free movie viewing

For details,

contact Rausu Visitor's Centre 0153-87-2828

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Shiretoko World Heritage Site Rusa Field House

Opened June 2009! Rusa Field House was opened to provide visitors such as mountain climbers and sea kayakers who want to visit areas of Shiretoko Peninsular or Mt. Shiretoko with instructions on the rules and manners of the area, along with real-time local information. Rusa Field House also holds a number of lectures aimed at regular visitors on the unique ocean and mountain ecosystem of Shiretoko, and houses unique displays that show the long relationship man has had with the ocean.

Advice

You can get wonderful views of Kunashiri Island from the first floor of Rusa Field House on a clear day. And if you're very lucky, you may be able to catch a glimpse of whales and dolphins swimming in the sea near Rausu through the telescope.

Opening Times

Summer Season (May 1st ~ October 31st) 9:00 ~ 17:00
Winter Season (February 1st ~ April 30th) 10:00~16:00

Regular Holidays

Summer Season (May 1st ~ October 31st) Every Tuesday
Winter Season (February 1st ~ April 30th) Every Tuesday
Depending on the snowfall conditions, the house may be closed temporarily during the winter time.

Admission Fees

Free admission

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Kunashiri Tenboutou (Observation Tower)

Located approximately 2.5km from the town centre. There are telescopes both inside and outside the tower, and as the name suggests, the observation tower gives you truly outstanding views of Kunashiri Island, Rausu Town, and Mt. Rausu.

Kunashiri Tenoutou

Opening Times

April ~ October (9:00~17:00)
November ~ January (10:00~15:00)
February and March (9:00~16:00)

Regular Holidays

Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday)
New Year Holidays (December 31st ~ January 5th)

Admission Fees

Free admission

For details,

contact Kunashiri Tenboutou 0153-87-4560

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Furusato Taikenkan

Furusato Taikenkan is the pet name for the Rausu-cho Agriculture and Fisheries Training Hall. Here, you can try your hand at processing agricultural and marine products. Equipped with a campsite and barbeque house, the Furusato Taikenkan is also a great place for recreation.

Advice

The nearby Rausu Town General Sports Park has a 36-hole park golf course and tennis courts.

Opening Times

9:00~17:00

Regular Holidays

Closed January~May (can be opened on request)

Facilities

Manufacturing Training Room (half-day ¥500, full day ¥1,000)
Barbeque corner (free), Rausu Automobile Campsite (¥300)
(Contact 0153-88-1094 for details)

Contact

0153-88-1094 for details

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Rausu Town General Sports Park

Close to the Furusato Taikenkan, here you can enjoy a full 36-round game of park golf, or tennis on the outdoor tennis courts!

Opening Times

5:00~19:00

Regular Holidays

Closed December ~ April

Facilities

Tennis Courts (3 courts. ¥260 per day)
Park Golf Course (4 courses, 36 holes. 1 day ticket 300. Multiple ticket ¥1,500. Season ticket ¥7,500)

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Rausu Local History Museum

In ancient times, many races living in the northern regions came and went, and left many historical remains from many different periods. Remains have been found from cultures thought to be the decedents of the Ainu people, as well as the Tobinitai culture, that is thought to have become mixed with the Okhotsk culture. There are many actual artefacts and displays available for you to learn more about the ancient peoples who once inhabited the area.

Advice

This facility has precious information and relics that show the history of the area from the Palaeolithic period, through to the Ainu culture!

Opening Times

10:00~17:00

Regular Holidays

Weekends, national holidays, and New Year Holidays

Admission Fees

Admission Free

For details,

0153-88-3850

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Minehama Parking

The first parking area when driving to Rausu from Shibetsu.
Kunashiri island, which looked like just a small island in the distance, can be seen for the first time in its entire, huge glory.
Also, as you get closer to the Shiretoko mountain range, you can begin to get a feel of the true natural beauty that Rausu holds.

Advice

This parking area marks the entranceway to Rausu, and is the perfect place for your first photograph. You can take in the panoramic views of the Shiretoko mountain range and Kunashiri Island, and in just 23km time you will be in Rausu. Its hard to believe that the long town stretching all the way to the town centre is Rausu!