Nice to meet you all!
This is the Industrial Promotion Division of the Oketo Town Town Hall.
We will tell everyone who watches the COOL JAPAN VIDEOS the charm of Hokkaido Oketo Town, so thank you!

This is my first post, and I would like to introduce what kind of town Oketo Town is and deliver the charm of Oketo Town!
Hokkaido Tokoro DistrictOketo Town is a peaceful town surrounded by beautiful nature located in the eastern part of Hokkaido with a population of 2,669 as of January 31, 2023.

There are plenty of opportunities to interact with warm people and you can feel the charm of the region.
In addition, the climate and weather of Oketo Town is characterized by a large temperature difference between day and night, and little snow and rain.

Access to the Oketo Town is convenient by combining airplane and car!
It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport Ozora Town to Oketo Town, and driving while surrounded by nature is the real pleasure of a pleasant trip.
By bus, take the Kitami Bus Memanbetsu Airport Line from Memanbetsu Airport Ozora Town and transfer to the Kitami Bus Terminal Rikubetsu Line at Kitami Bus Terminal Kitami City for a total of about 1 hour and 40 minutes Oketo Town.

Next, we will introduce the sightseeing spots and ways to enjoy Oketo Town where you can enjoy different expressions throughout the year!

●Lake Oketo, Kanoko Dam Kanoko Dam
"Oketo Lake" is an artificial lake created by damming the Shikanoko Dam.
With a circumference of 13.4 km, there are many wild birds and wild grasses, and it is one of the attractions.
You can also enjoy fishing in the lake! In summer, you can enjoy mountain trout and American trout, and in late December ~ mid-February, you can also enjoy "Japanese smelt fishing". There is no rental of fishing gear, so please prepare your own fishing gear and tent. ）

●Rainbow Falls
Shikanokozawa, located downstream of the Shikanoko Dam, has a magnificent natural beauty.
One of them, the 13-meter-high Rainbow Falls, is popular for its picturesque scenery!
Trees and flowers are in full bloom around the waterfall, and it is a spot visited by many photographers.
In winter, Rainbow Falls is lit up and icefall tours are held.

●Oke Craft Center "Forest Craft Museum"
"Oke Craft" is a regional craft brand in Oketo Town.
The activity began in 1983 by combining "oke" bending tub, which was produced as a local industry, "oke" of Oketo Town, and "craft".
24 private workshops in Oketo Town produce tableware and other items that can be used in everyday life.
Okecraft can also be purchased from the website.
At the Forest Craft Museum, we exhibit and sell products made in the area, such as plant dyeing, as well as oke crafts! You can also tour the production scenery and facilities.

"Okecraft" is also popular as a thank-you gift for Oketo Town Furusato Nozei!
The texture of the wood, such as the couple's bowl made of Ezo spruce and the mouth-watering cutlery, is outstanding.
Please check the Furusato Nozei sites.

●Oketo Katsuyama Onsen Yuyu
"Oketo Katsuyama Onsen Yuyu" is a facility full of attractions such as accommodation, hot springs, gourmet food, and sightseeing.
There are 4 cottages in total, and you can enjoy the camping feeling with free BBQ space.
There is also a restaurant and a café corner in the building. Weekday lunch menu is also recommended.
At the day-trip hot spring, you can enjoy the hot spring that flows directly from the source Katsuyama Onsen.
You can enjoy a large bathtub, sleeping bath, open-air bath, pottery bath, etc., and there is also a dry sauna room!
In addition, there are plenty of sightseeing spots such as oke and lake around the facility.

●Minamigaoka Ski Resort
It is also recommended to enjoy it at the ski resort in winter!
"Minamigaoka Ski Resort" is a reasonably priced ski resort with a one-day ticket of 1040 yen for adults and 520 yen for children junior high school students and younger.
There is a wide range of courses from beginners to advanced, so you can fully enjoy skiing.

Please feel the charm of nature and the warmth of the local area in the Oketo Town.

This account will provide you with Oketo Town information.
Thank you in advance!

Tomakomai City's unexplored area "Shichijo Otaki"

Shichijo Otaki is located in the national forest of the Maruyama district near the border between Tomakomai City and Chitose City, and is a spot where you can see a large waterfall 16m high and about 2.3m wide up close!

Shichijo Otaki, with its deep green trees and majestic waterfall, is a spectacular view.

In order to enter the national forest where Shichijo Otaki is located, you need an application for approval from the Eastern Iburi Forest Management Office, so please check with the Eastern Iburi Forest Management Office below for details.

【Eastern Iburi Forest Management Office】
Address: 3-4-1 Hinode-cho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido
TEL：0144-82-2161

Nice to meet you, Omu Town Tourism Association!
Hokkaido Omu Town faces the Sea of Okhotsk.
The sunrise from the horizon is also a symbol of the town.

In COOL JAPAN VIDEOS's first post, we will introduce you to Omu Town and the highlights of Hokkaido Omu Town where you can enjoy delicious food.

There are no trains Omu Town, so you can get there by car, rental car, or bus.
It takes about 4 hours 30 minutes ~ 5 hours 30 minutes by expressway from Sapporo.
If you are traveling by air, please use Asahikawa Airport or Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport.
It takes about 3 hours by car from Asahikawa Airport Omu Town and about 1 hour Omu Town from Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport.

The climate weather in Omu Town is cool throughout the year, especially from January to March, when drift ice docks in the Sea of Okhotsk, so the temperature is low.
In winter, the temperature may drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius on some days, so be careful about the cold when visiting.

Next, we will introduce the representative sightseeing spots of Omu Town.
The recommended base for sightseeing in Omu Town is "Roadside Station Oumu" in the center of Omu Town city.
You can also sell Omu Town specialties, look for souvenirs, and enjoy local gourmet foods such as "Dattan Soba".
Dattan soba Dattan Soba is also called "bitter soba noodles" and contains about 100 times more "rutin", which is a type of polyphenol and the source of bitterness, about 100 times more than normal soba noodles, but now it is easy to eat because we have planted a variety called "Manten Kirari" that softens the bitterness and retains the nutrients.
Rutin has a powerful antioxidant effect, so it can be expected to prevent weekly illness and improve blood sugar and blood pressure, making it a soba noodle that has been attracting attention due to the health boom in recent years.

There is also an observation deck modeled after an airship 24 meters above the ground, and it is also a spot where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Obu.

Located about 12 minutes by car from downtown Omu Town, Cape Hinode is a superb view point of sunrise.
On the small hill of the cape, there is also the all-glass "Cape Hinode Observatory La Luna", and there are binoculars that can be used free of charge at the observatory. "La Luna" means "moon" in Italian.
It is said that it was named "It seems that the moon floats above the cape."
You can enjoy the scenery of the Sea of Okhotsk in summer and the panoramic view of over 180 degrees in front of you during the drift ice season in winter.

There is "Omu Town Cape Hinode Campsite" about 7 minutes on foot from Cape Hinode.
It consists of a free site and bungalows, and is bustling during the summer camp every year.
You can spend a comfortable time surrounded by nature.

There is also Hotel Cape Hinode around this campsite where you can take a day trip, so please use it when sightseeing Omu Town.

Here, we will deliver information on Omu Town's specialties and recommended gourmet food!
The specialty of Hokkaido Omu Town is delicious seafood nurtured by rich nature.
Among seafood, fresh scallops, hairy crabs, and salmon are gaining popularity.
Since you can fully enjoy the bounty of the sea, processed products are also recommended as souvenirs!

Hokkaido Omu Town's hometown tax payment offers thank-you goods that take advantage of these rich nature and local specialties such as delicious marine products.
The popular "saltwater sea urchin Ezobahun sea urchin" 2023 has already ended is grown by eating the nutrient-rich Rishiri kelp that grows in Obu, and is characterized by its rich taste.
In addition, the mineral-rich scallops caught in Omu Town, where scallop fishing is popular, can be grilled, fried, and of course sashimi.

Omu Town, the breeding and production of "Angus beef" is also thriving.
In general cattle barn, they are raised on high-calorie food, but Angus cows are raised on large pastures and are characterized by relatively low fat and a lot of redness.
As a gift in return for hometown tax payment, "Angus beef set frozen" is also available, so please enjoy it.

Please experience the charm of Omu Town in your own way, such as superb scenery rich in nature, gourmet food, and outdoor activities.
In the future, COOL JAPAN VIDEOS will continue to deliver fascinating Omu Town information.
Thank you very much!

Nice to meet you all! Kumejima Visitor's Bureau.
Kumejima, Kume Island a remote island in Okinawa with a population of about 7,300, is home to beautiful nature and rich culture.

The Kume Island is located 100 km west of the main island of Okinawa, and access to the Kumejima is about 30 minutes by plane from Naha Airport on the main island of Okinawa to Kumejima Airport 7 flights a day.
Kumejima Airport from Haneda Airport takes about 3 hours and 35 minutes.

In addition, the ferry can be taken from the main island of Okinawa "Naha Tomari Port",
Via Tonaki Island, it takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes to Kume Island Kanegusuku Port or about 3 hours by direct Kume Island flight.
There are 1~2 ferries per day, so please be careful when using them.

There are four ways to get around the island: town buses, rental cars, taxis, and bicycle rentals.
You can rent a car from the airport if you make a reservation, and please check the reception desk of each company in the airport arrival lobby.
There are town buses that go around the island clockwise and counter-clockwise, the Airport Line, the Shimajiri Line, and the Kagiyama Line, and the Airport Line mainly operates according to the flight time, so you can easily use it.
The Kume Island is about 23km and can be circled in about 3~4 hours by bicycle.

The Kumejima has a number of fascinating sights.
In this post, we will introduce some of them.

The ruins of the Gusuku period scattered throughout Okinawa are called "Gusuku castle".
Chinese ceramics are sometimes unearthed from Gusuku, and it is a spot where you can feel the remnants of the era when trade with overseas was thriving.
Located at the top of Mt. Uejodake, "Uegusuku Castle Ruins" is the ruins of a castle built at the highest point in Gusuku. From the summit, you can see the entire Kume Island and it is also a superb viewing spot.
"Gushikawa Castle Ruins" is a gusuku located on a limestone hill along the coast. It is also a nationally designated historic site, and Gusuku is characterized by a castle wall that mixes limestone and andesite.

Next, we will introduce the beaches where you can enjoy the beautiful sea of Okinawa.
"Ara Beach" is a hidden gem spot like a private beach surrounded by mountains.
There is no doubt that you will be impressed by the beauty of the mysterious sunset as well as in the daytime!
Shinri Beach, a beach with gentle waves, has an atoll right off the coast, and you can see the atoll up close at low tide.
Since it is close to the airport, it is possible to watch airplanes take off and land.
In addition, if you apply to the town environmental conservation division, you can use it as a campsite for free.

"Mifuga Rock" on the shore of Yamatodomari is a tourist destination that means "female rock" in dialect.
There are strangely shaped rocks created by the wind and tide, and it is a popular spot that is said to be a blessing for children.

At Kumejima Tsumugi no Sato Yuimaru-kan, you can observe the dyeing techniques and works of traditional Kume Island pongee, and you can also enjoy weaving and dyeing Kume Island pongee.
The Kume Island Museum is a museum where you can experience the history and culture of Kume Island, and holds permanent exhibitions of "Kume Island Nature and Culture" as well as special exhibitions.

Next, we will introduce information on activities that you can enjoy in the Kume Island full of nature.
The "Maine Beach", "Nakano Beach", and "Hatinu Beach" floating in the northeast of the Kume Island are collectively called "Hatenohama", and you can enjoy various marine activities!

There are plenty of diving spots in the Kume Island for beginners to intermediate divers and above.
Recommended for beginners, "Manta Station" is a popular manta ray encounter spot. You can enjoy Black Manta watching up close.
In addition, the diving spot "Tombara", which is representative of the Kume Island with a huge rock height of about 50 m, has a maximum depth of 30 m, which is suitable for intermediate skiers and above, and the tide is strong, but it is also an attractive spot because there is a possibility of encountering schools of migratory fish, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, etc.

You can also explore the beautiful ocean world on a snorkeling tour.
You can also enjoy the charm of Kumejima by strolling along the coastline in a "sea kayak" where you can enjoy the surrounding scenery while paddling on the sea.
There is also a two-seater kayak, so you can enjoy it even with children.

At the "Kume Island Horse Farm" where you can enjoy interacting with the horses, you can enjoy horse play that can only be experienced here!
You can also use the "Umi Uma Asobi" to enter the sea while riding a horse, as well as your favorite horse play and a back menu on request.

Yajiyagama Cave, the longest limestone cave in the Kume Island, which is about 800 meters long, offers year-round exploration programs.
Depending on the program, you can explore the mysterious limestone cave in about 1 and a half ~ 2 hours.

Don't miss the gourmet food of Kumejima!
Kumejima is also famous as a shrimp farming pond.
The quality is highly evaluated by the industry, and it is also certified as a "base production area" by Okinawa Prefecture. The season is December ~ May.
In addition, sea grapes and awamori are also delicious specialties. It is also a perfect souvenir for Kume Island.

Kumejima is a place where you can spend a rich time through contact with nature and cultural experiences.
We will give you the best information to make your trip to Kumejima enjoyable.
Thank you for your continued support!