Iwanai District: Coast, Mountains and Culture

Iwanai District combines striking coastal scenery and mountains with wetlands, museums and outdoor activities. When choosing a location for your vacation rental, the experiences you want to focus on can help guide your decision: in Kyowa, nature and local history shape the range of things to discover, while Iwanai offers viewpoints, museums and activities as well.

Coast, Peaks and High Plateau

The stretch from the Raiden Coast to Mount Iwanai is part of the Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The waves have shaped its cliffs and distinctive rock formations. From the summit of Mount Iwanai, you can also enjoy panoramic views over the Sea of Japan. Allow about three hours for the ascent and about two hours for the descent.

Another viewpoint is the Maruyama Observation Deck, on a hill at the foot of Mount Iwanai. From there, you can see the townscape of Iwanai and the Shakotan Peninsula. In 2018, Iwanai’s night view was recognized as a “Japan Nightscape Heritage.”

In Kyowa, Shinsen-numa Nature Recreation Forest lies on a high plateau at an elevation of over 750 meters. The landscape is characterized by numerous ponds and wetlands. From the parking lot, a wooden boardwalk leads to Shinsen-numa in about 20 to 30 minutes each way; the hike is suitable for beginners, too. Around 140,000 people from Hokkaido and other parts of Japan visit the nature recreation forest each year.

It is important to plan around the seasonal closure: Prefectural Road 66 is closed from late October to late April, and the area around Shinsen-numa is inaccessible during that period. Check the dates before your visit. This will help you plan this nature outing for a time when travel there is actually possible.

Activities in Iwanai

Iwanai Forest Park comprises nine forest areas, including the “Forest of Rest” and the “Bird Forest.” Walking trails offer opportunities for forest bathing and birdwatching, and water lilies bloom in a pond in summer. At Iwanai Horse Village, a 30-minute horseback ride takes you through birch groves and forest. There is also a guided riding course suitable for young children and beginners.

IWANAI RESORT offers cat-skiing tours for powder skiing and three lift-served runs. From the north-facing slopes, panoramic views stretch across the Sea of Japan and the Shakotan Peninsula. Iwanai offers different kinds of active days side by side: horseback rides through the forest, time on walking trails, and skiing with views of the coast.

Art, Local History and Special Collections

The Nishimura Kiyoo Memorial Museum in Kyowa displays works by painter Nishimura Kiyoo, who was born there. Highly regarded in France, the artist’s works were acquired by, among others, the French government and the City of Paris. The museum includes exhibition rooms and a reconstructed studio. Also in Kyowa, Kakashi Furusato-kan uses the restored building of the former Horoni Elementary School as an exhibition space and shares the history of Kyowa’s development.

In Iwanai, the local history museum displays an organ described as Japan’s oldest, which visitors can play. The Arai Memorial Museum presents 267 Picasso prints, including “Le Repas frugal” and works from Picasso’s later period. Kiko-in is home to a fully gilded, 6.8-meter-high wooden Buddha, completed in 1921. It is considered the largest wooden Buddha north of Tokyo and was designated Iwanai Town’s first tangible cultural property in 1969. A monument also commemorates the former Iwanai Station, the terminus of the former railway line between Kozawa and Iwanai.

Seasonal and culinary experiences can also help give your plans a concrete shape. At Meizenji Temple in Kyowa, the grounds are covered with pink and blue flowers during the blooming season, which is expected to run from around mid-July to early August. At Yoshida Kamaboko in Iwanai, you can make kamaboko from Alaska pollock caught in Hokkaido with an advance reservation. Three courses are available: “KIDSかまぼこ体験隊,” “親子deかまぼこ体験” and “大人もかまぼこ体験.”

The history of agriculture is also part of local stories. In 1871, Thomas Antisell, a foreign employee of the Development Commission, discovered wild hops in what is now Iwanai Town; this discovery is associated with the beginnings of hop cultivation in Hokkaido. In Iwanai, Shimoda Kuzō also succeeded in cultivating asparagus for the first time in Japan. Iwanai is considered the birthplace of asparagus cultivation in Japan.

Focus your vacation rental search on the experiences that matter for your stay: nature and the high plateau in Kyowa, or viewpoints, activities and cultural sites in Iwanai. This way, you can start choosing your accommodation with the experiences you actually want to include in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Tomamae District, Abuta District, Yoichi District, Isoya District, Shari District, Sorachi District, Yufutsu District.

Return to the main travel overview: Hokkaido.