Hello to everyone watching Cool Japan Video! I’m Kurashima, Tourism Officer with the Community Revitalization Team of Nishiokoppe Village. I’d like to share lots of enticing tourist information about Nishiokoppe Village, Hokkaido. I look forward to your interest. Nishiokoppe Village, Hokkaido, lies inland from the Sea of Okhotsk in Eastern Hokkaido. The population is 1,002 (as of the end of July, Reiwa 5), and about 90 percent of the village area is covered by forest. The contrast between the forests and snowy landscapes is beautiful, and many public buildings are unified by orange-colored walls. The village experiences large temperature swings: winter can reach minus 20 degrees Celsius and summer can exceed 30 degrees Celsius. Despite the harsh natural conditions, the area is rich in nature and full of remote, scenic spots and waterfalls to explore. Now, here are some of the attractive sightseeing spots in Nishiokoppe Village, Hokkaido. At the foot of Mount Wenshiri, the “Ice Tunnel” offers a mystical, ice-filled world and is a popular destination. The tunnel, formed by water flowing from spring snowmelt, sits in a mountain valley so the ice remains even in summer, creating a mysterious scene. Because of collapse risks it is usually closed, but this July it was opened for one day for the first time in four years. Roadside Station Nishiokoppe Kamu blends a flower park with a roadside station. Inside the roadside station you can find a rare wooden mechanical organ called Oto-Ki-Bayashi that plays music using wind. The shop sells dairy products such as soft-serve made with Nishiokoppe-produced grass-fed milk, and processed Ezo deer products (leather goods, pet food, etc.). The adjacent flower park features a garden designed around a “natural garden” concept that recreates plants suited to Nishiokoppe Village’s climate and landscape. About a 10-minute drive from Roadside Station Nishiokoppe Kamu, the Komu Museum of Art, “Komu,” follows the concept of seeing, touching, playing, and creating. It exhibits about 3,000 wooden toys and works, and large wooden play structures are available for visitors to touch and play with. One especially popular attraction is the wooden sandbox filled with 160,000 wooden balls, where you can enjoy the scent of wood and a kind of woodworking bath. You can also take part in hands-on woodcraft workshops to make things yourself. Enjoy a luxurious time experiencing art in the forest. Gyōja Falls, a 20-meter waterfall where you can feel the power of nature, is another highlight. The falls began to be called Gyōja Falls after a woman in the late Meiji period repeatedly stood under the waterfall praying for her parent’s recovery from a serious illness. Upstream from Gyōja Falls are Akaiwa Falls, with a beautiful brick-colored riverbed, and Kuroiwa Falls, which flows through a primeval forest of Ezo spruce; you can enjoy all three falls along a single route. Next, here are campgrounds where you can enjoy wide-open nature and outdoor activities. Forest Park underwent major renovations over two years in Reiwa 4 and 5, preparing tent site improvements and new playground equipment for a renovated reopening in Reiwa 6. In Reiwa 5 the tent sites are available until October 15, but playground equipment is not usable. The park also has paid log houses available year-round and a BBQ house for day-use barbecues. Surrounded by primary forest, Wenshiri Campground has no cooking facilities and is recommended for a wild camping experience. Like the Ice Tunnel, it is located on Mount Wenshiri and offers one free bungalow that can accommodate up to ten people. Note that the area around the primeval forest may have bear sightings, so caution is required when using the site. Nishiokoppe Village is also known for its guitar factory, Okhotsk Musical Instrument Industry Co. Ltd., where beautifully sounding instruments are made. Founded in a way that succeeded a lumber company, Okhotsk Musical Instrument Industry now produces 20,000 guitar bodies annually. A separate building on the factory grounds houses a free showroom open to visitors for casual tours. Access to Nishiokoppe Village: From Haneda Airport to Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. From the Osaka area, you can fly from Kansai International Airport or Osaka International Airport to New Chitose Airport (about 1 hour 50 minutes), take JR to asahikawa station (about 2 hours 10 minutes), transfer to a JR limited express and get off at Nayoro (about 1 hour), then take a bus to Nishiokoppe Village (about 1 hour). A bus from Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport to Nishiokoppe Village takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. From the Ice Tunnel to other beautiful landscapes and delicious local food, Nishiokoppe Village offers a variety of experiences. We will continue to share the charms of Nishiokoppe Village, Hokkaido, so please stay tuned!

Nice to meet everyone who watched the COOL JAPAN VIDEOS! Okhotsk Tourism Association. We will introduce many sightseeing spots and recommended gourmet foods in the Okhotsk area, so thank you! The Okhotsk region of Hokkaido that we introduce consists of 18 municipalities: Kitami City, Abashiri City, Monbetsu City, Ozora Town, Bihoro Town, Tsubetsu Town, Shari Town, Kiyosato Town, Koshimizu Town, Kunishifu Town, Okito Town, Saroma Town, Engaru Town, Yubetsu Town, Takikami Town, Okobe Town, Nishiokube Village, and Omu Town. Okhotsk is a wonderful area where nature and history, hot springs and gastronomy are in harmony. Here are a selection of sightseeing spots that you definitely want to visit on your trip to the Okhotsk region. First, I would like to introduce the Okhotsk Chipmunks Park in Abashiri City. This park is a unique spot where you can interact with chipmunks. Cute chipmunks live in an environment rich in nature, and tourists who visit are soothed by their appearance. You can also experience feeding chipmunks in the park, which is very popular with families. Don't miss the "Ice Sea Observatory Okhotsk Tower" in Monbetsu City, which can be said to be a symbol of Okhotsk. Here there is an observation deck where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Sea of Okhotsk from 24 meters above sea level. On the seabed floor with a depth of 7.5 meters, there are 11 underwater windows of various sizes and a mini aquarium where you can feed fish. During the winter months, you can also see a superb view of drift ice, and you can truly enjoy the art of nature. When sightseeing in the Okhotsk region, please enjoy Hokkaido's fresh seafood gourmet. At the Okhotsk Yusenkan in Yubetsu Town, locally caught seafood is lined up at the store on the same day, so the freshness is origami! Especially the specialties of Okhotsk - scallops, sea urchins and hairy crabs attract tourists. "Okhotsk salt ramen", which was introduced as an exquisite dish on TV programs, is also recommended as a souvenir. When visiting the Okhotsk region, you will never get bored no matter how many times you visit, because each municipality can enjoy its own tourism resources and gourmet food. Experiencing the history, culture and nature of Okhotsk is sure to make your trip memorable. We, Okhotsk Tourism Association, will disseminate information about the Okhotsk region, which consists of the aforementioned 18 municipalities. In order to make your trip to Hokkaido more fulfilling, we will propose a wide range of sightseeing information and sightseeing plans across several municipalities that only we can do. The charming scenery and excellent gourmet food of the Okhotsk region await you. Enjoy a wonderful trip in the Okhotsk region! We will continue to introduce plenty of attractive sightseeing spots in the Okhotsk area, so thank you.