Kushiro is a port city in eastern Hokkaido. The city is known for Kushiro Shitsugen, Japan’s largest marshland. Dedicated as a national park, the marshland is home to rare, wild Japanese red-crown cranes (tancho) that can be seen during the winter months. Kushiro has been an important port because it is more reliably ice-free during winter than alternative Russian Far East warm-water ports such as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or other ports in Hokkaido such as Hakodate, which occasionally do freeze for short periods due to the lower salinity of the Sea of Japan. For this reason, Kushiro was considered a valuable target for the Tsars during the Russo-Japanese Wars, but it only became a really important port during the 1920s with the growth of commercial fishing, for which its reliable freedom from ice reduced costs.
This town looked tired. When walking around we saw many closed store fronts and some that remained open were using limited hours. The bar and restaurant scene was plentiful but none opened until after 5:00 pm, likely catering to the commercial fishermen and women.
We opted out of the tour of the marshlands as the infamous cranes were likely not present in springtime. We walked to the Kushiro Washo Market ranked as one of the most famous in Hokkaido. Stalls in the indoor market sell fresh seafood and souvenirs. Joe scored a pair of waterproof pants he plans to use for Alaskan fishing on this trip and another he has planned in the fall.
From there we took a walk through town and saw some museums, Pachinko parlors, casinos, city parks, and lots of closed up buildings. This is our very last stop in Japan and one we will likely not return to. I can’t recommend going out of your way to take this one in but we made the best of our options today. At the museum in town there was a little man who privately owned the collections inside and we left him a donation. He was very proud of his accomplishment in amassing the artifacts he has inside over the course of many years.
As you can see by our pictures, we have added outer layers as we travel further north. Today was the coldest day by far at 48 degrees. Our crossing promises to be nippy, as well. The outside dining opportunities have been less than our previous stops but still offered. Our cabin is on deck 8 where the outdoor venue for dining is located. We have begun to see the hale and hearty diners don their coats, hats and blankets and carry on eating as if it isn’t a problem. We have promised ourselves (as self-respecting Minnesotans) that we will do this at least once on the way to our final stop in Vancouver, BC. Currently, we have been onboard for 63 days!
We are leaving Japan today and heading across the Bering Sea to Alaska. We cross the International Date Line so all in all, six days at sea. Our next stop is Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, AK. We have been warned that while on our Pacific crossing, we will likely see a reduction in deliverable satellite connectivity. So, I’m going to be hit or miss in the next week as to whether I can post or not. I have been putting together some ship activity pictures to share and thought I would find a way to post those on one of the sea days. Stay tuned…our time onboard is winding down. We arrive to Dutch Harbor on April 29th at 8:00 am.
