5°Mostly cloudy
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Mostly cloudy10° / 5°
Clear17° / 9°Partly clear13° / 2°
Rain and snow7° / 2°
Snow flurries6° / 2°
Showers7° / 1°Discover the most popular places to stay in Mombetsu, complete with recommendations from fellow travelers and special hotel offers
Guest User: The hotel is close to the coast, where you can easily see the Sea of Okhotsk (depending on which level & direction). A convenience store is located across the road. Parking is right at the doorstep, and plenty of lots are available. The onsen is spacious enough not to feel packed even though several bathers were within.
7 Chome-3-26 Honcho
From BRL 187
Guest User: That's my second stay at this hotel. Even though I could book only a smoking room, the smell was so weak that it was almost impossible to notice it. As usual, everything was great, the staff is ready to help you, room furniture is not new, but is nice and in the excellent condition.
5 Chome-1-35 Saiwaicho
From BRL 186
Anonymous User: One of a kind space. Fully equipped with a kitchen, living area and 2 bedrooms. A must stay if you're ever in Mombetsu. If booking via a third party, do note that they may not have over your contact details properly. So do contact the owner in advance to receive the check in details.
Motomombetsu11-6
From BRL 575
Want to eat like a local? Don't miss out on these top Mombetsu dishes and foodie spots.
Experience the enchanting charm of Hokkaido in winter. Take an icebreaker cruise across the Sea of Okhotsk, meet adorable seals, admire lighthouses draped in snow, and feast on fresh seafood. 🦀🦭 Conclude your trip with a romantic sunset over the drift ice—a 3-day, 2-night journey that promises to be truly unforgettable.
Want to avoid crowds when visiting Japan in winter? This 7-day hidden‑gem itinerary for eastern Hokkaido is perfect! See the drifting ice near Abashiri, ride an icebreaker, take the Kurodake ropeway around Daisetsuzan, visit Asahiyama Zoo, and travel solo or in a private group with a customizable itinerary—save it now! · ------------------- This all-in-one guide: swipe down to unlock more ideas~ · ------------------- Japan is an island nation in East Asia, historically called Fusang 🗾. From the thousand‑year capital Kyoto to trendy Tokyo, it offers both temple serenity and urban energy, truly the land of cherry blossoms. · ------------------- 🗺️ Itinerary: Day 1: Kofuku Station Day 2–3: Kushiro Marsh observatory->Tsurumidai->Lake Akan->Lake Akan onsen->Akan Ainu village->Lake Kussharo sand baths->Lake Kussharo->Lake Mashu->Mashu 3rd observatory->Mount Iō->Kotan open‑air onsen Day 4–5: Monbetsu IMERU drift icebreaker->Notoro Cape->Sounkyo Onsen->Daisetsuzan Sounkyo, Kurodake ropeway->Ginga Ryusei waterfall->Asahiyama Zoo Day 6: Patchwork Road->Seven Star Tree->Shirahige Falls->Blue Pond->Forest spirit terrace Day 7: New Chitose Airport Sky Museum, end your winter eastern Hokkaido secret tour. · ------------------- ✈️ Trip prep: 🪪 First, be sure to bring your passport and a copy of your Japanese visa. Keep the original on you and store the copy separately as a backup. 📱 Get a Japanese SIM card or portable Wi-Fi in advance—your navigation and communication depend on it, so don’t get disconnected locally. 🔌 Japan uses two flat pins—bring an adapter so you can charge phones and cameras. 👔 September can still be warm in Japan—pack short sleeves and a light jacket for air‑conditioned rooms and cool mornings and evenings. 🎒 Bring a compact folding umbrella and sunscreen—September may have showers, and UV can still be strong. 💊 Pack stomach medicine, cold medicine, and insect repellent for quick relief if you feel unwell or get bitten. 💰 Bring some cash and a credit card—some small shops accept cash only, and cards make things easier. · ------------------- ↓ Click the card below to customize your private tour
Attention moms! This 7-day family trip guide to eastern Hokkaido, Japan, is super easy to follow! You can ride an icebreaker to see the drift ice on the Sea of Okhotsk, take the Kurodake ropeway to explore Daisetsuzan, visit Asahiyama Zoo to get close to the animals, and enjoy a custom itinerary with flexible stops along the way. . 🗺️ Itinerary: DAY 1: Shiawase Station Check in at the secret eastern Hokkaido spot, Shiawase Station, and start your healing journey. DAY 2–3: Kushiro Wetland Observatory – Tsurumi-dai – Lake Akan – Lake Akan hot springs – Lake Akan Ainu village – Kussharo Lake sand bath – Kussharo Lake – Lake Mashu – Mashu third observatory – Mount Iou – Kotan hot spring open-air bath Explore wetlands and soak in hot springs while discovering eastern Hokkaido’s pristine nature and local culture. DAY 4–5: Monbetsu Garinko drift icebreaker – Cape Notoro – Sounkyo hot springs – Daisetsuzan Sounkyo and Kurodake ropeway – Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls – Asahiyama Zoo Experience the light and shadow of drift ice in Abashiri, ride the ropeway for panoramic views of Daisetsuzan, and visit the charming Asahiyama Zoo. DAY 6: Patchwork road – Seven Star tree – Shirahige waterfall – Blue pond – Forest spirit balcony Stroll along popular trails and capture the beautiful, soothing Japanese scenery. DAY 7: Hello Kitty Happy Flight Take the themed flight and start your dreamy journey home. . Must-visit spots: 🐟🌲 Lake Akan: In summer, enjoy a boat ride to admire the lake views. In winter, try ice fishing on the lake and soak in natural hot springs. The lake is famous for marimo moss balls and trout, plus a unique Ainu fire festival! Don’t miss the Night Walk in the Forest of the Gods, a 1.2 km trail combining digital art and Ainu legends. Light projections vividly bring to life the story of the owl and the jay, perfect for the whole family to immerse in local culture and nighttime beauty✨ 🌊🦆 Kussharo Lake: Stunning natural scenery and rich ecology! Surrounded by dense forests and rare plants and animals, you can boat, fish, kayak, and hike at a relaxed pace. In winter, enjoy skiing and snowmobiling—there’s never enough time to do it all! 🐧🐻❄️ Asahiyama Zoo: One of Japan’s most famous large-scale polar zoos, where you can watch spotted seals, polar bears, and penguins in their natural behaviors with no barriers. The winter-only penguin parade is irresistibly cute, held daily at 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM. Watching emperor penguins waddle right past you is truly unforgettable🥹 . ✈️ Travel checklist: 🪪 First, bring your passport and Japanese tourist visa, plus several copies to avoid trouble if the originals get lost. 🔌 Japan uses two flat-pin outlets. Bring a converter and a multi-port charger to keep your devices powered. 🎽 August in Japan is hot and rainy. Pack lightweight, breathable clothes, a sun and rain umbrella, sunscreen, and a pair of comfortable sandals. . Moms traveling to Japan with kids, save this private group guide for a stress-free and fun trip!
![[Monbetsu, Hokkaido] This Giant Crab Claw is So Photogenic! The Crab Claw Monument & Local Soft Serve Ice Cream. — traveler post in Mombetsu](https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/1mi43224x9a0fl6tuF356_C_480_270_R5.jpg_.avif?proc=source/trip)
The giant "Crab Claw" really stands out in Monbetsu! 🦀 Seeing it up close is even more impressive than you'd imagine! Just posing next to it makes for a striking photo 📸 At the nearby Okhotsk Tower (Ice Ocean Observation Tower), there was a lucky draw to win a crab claw. The draw costs 1,500 yen per try. The size of the claw you win depends on your draw, and we got the size shown in the photo. It definitely makes a statement when you put it on! 🦀 We took a break inside the tower at "Cafe on the Sea companio" for some soft serve ice cream 🍦 Here’s what we ordered: ・Premium Vanilla With a seal cookie - 600 yen ・Premium Vanilla + Strawberry Sauce With a seal cookie - 680 yen A smooth, silky ice cream made with plenty of fresh Hokkaido cream. We topped ours with a cute seal cookie and enjoyed it while gazing out at the sea. A giant crab claw monument, and eating soft serve while looking out at the ocean. It was a spot where you could experience the true essence of Monbetsu all at once ✨ 📍 Crab Claw Monument / Monbetsu City Ocean Park 📍 Okhotsk Tower (Ice Ocean Observation Tower) 🗓 Visited on May 3, 2025 * Please note that lucky draw details, merchandise, and prices are subject to change. Sightseeing
I was pretty exhausted after driving for 7.5 hours yesterday, so I slept in, naturally waking up just in time to check out at 10:00 AM. I sat in the car writing my travel journal until 10:30 AM before finally hitting the road. After a 1.5-hour drive north, I arrived at "Hotel Okhotsk Palace Monbetsu" in Monbetsu City, eager to try their local specialty: "Monbetsu White Curry." This unique curry is made with a generous amount of fresh milk and cream, giving it a rich and milky flavor. After all, I’ve tried almost every quirky curry across Japan—Fukuoka's baked curry, Tottori's pink curry, Shizuoka's dark green tea curry, Mount Fuji's blue and red curries, Hokkaido's soup curry, and the blue-and-white drift ice curry. This was the only one left on my bucket list. Unfortunately, upon arrival, I discovered the restaurant was closed. It turns out you mostly only have a chance to try it on weekends, which contradicted the hours listed on their official website. But making a wasted trip wasn't a big deal. I just headed over to "Roadside Station Okhotsk Monbetsu" to snap a photo of the famous crab claw landmark and look around. I picked up an adorable "surrendering brown bear" souvenir at the gift shop before hitting the road toward Asahikawa. 20260528 Summer Scenic Highlights D4-2 While stopping for gas in Engaru Town along the way, I spotted a road sign for the Maruseppu "Wisteria Garden" and decided to make a quick detour. Heading up the hillside, the first thing I came across was "Koseiji Temple" of the Koyasan Shingon sect. It featured short purple wisteria in full bloom with plenty of trellises. Further up the hill was "Heiwayama Park," which also boasted a lot of wisteria flowers. Although the scale couldn't compare to the famous wisteria parks, it was still a lovely local spot for flower viewing.
The Garinko-go icebreaker cruise offers a unique opportunity to experience the enchanting winter scenery of the Sea of Okhotsk from January 16 to March 31, 2026. This exciting cruise allows passengers to witness the miraculous drift ice formed in the region during the cold winter months. Visitors also have the chance to see seals gliding on the ice, Steller's sea eagles, and white-tailed sea eagles. This cruise is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the magnificent natural beauty of Hokkaido during winter. For families and travelers seeking adventure in eastern Hokkaido, this experience is sure to be unforgettable. Additionally, the Okhotsk Tower, known as the Sea Ice Observation Tower, is the world's first sea ice observation tower and the largest underwater observation tower in northern Japan. This attraction enhances the overall experience, allowing visitors to explore the underwater world while enjoying stunning water views. Don’t miss the chance to embark on this extraordinary winter adventure!
For those heading to Hokkaido in winter, who doesn’t want to chase the blue ice sea on an icebreaker! But stuck between Abashiri or Monbetsu? This article will help you figure it out, with car charter itineraries + self-guided travel tips~ 🌟Monbetsu 1-day tour (for car charter lovers! Easy round trip in one day) ✅Suitable for: Those who want to ride the icebreaker but don’t want to stay overnight, departing from Sapporo 🚗Car charter itinerary (example from Sapporo): 8:00 Pick up from Sapporo hotel → 10:30 Arrive at Monbetsu Port (2.5h drive, enjoy snowy plain scenery along the way) 11. 00 Ride the “Garinko” icebreaker (1.5h experience! The “crack” sound of the ship breaking the floating ice is super impressive, you can shoot blue ice and drift ice up close on the deck, and if lucky, see seals sunbathing on the ice) 12. 30 Lunch: Eat northern crab set meal near Monbetsu Port, the crab meat is fresh and juicy to the max 14. 00 Monbetsu Port Ice Sculpture Park (free! Check out the giant ice slide, drift ice-themed ice sculptures, and capture atmospheric snowy scenes) 15. 00 Drift Ice Museum (experience the -20℃ ice bar, have a cup of Hokkaido sake with ice, the cups are made of ice!) 16. 00 Return to Sapporo → 18:30 Arrive at hotel ✨Advantages of car charter: No need to rush JR schedules, can spend more time taking photos at the ice sculpture park anytime, and the driver will help with luggage~ 🌌Abashiri 2 days 1 night (deep experience! Stay at a hot spring hotel, super relaxing) ✅Suitable for: Those who want to explore slowly and check out the surroundings of Abashiri 🚗Car charter itinerary (departing from Sapporo): Day 1 9:00 Pick up from Sapporo → 12:30 Lunch in Abashiri city (try Genghis Khan grilled lamb, paired with Hokkaido beer, amazing) 14:00 Ride the “Aurora” icebreaker (2h! Longer than Monbetsu route, can go deep into the drift ice area, hot drinks available on deck so you won’t feel cold) 16:30 Ice activities on Lake Abashiri (ice fishing for pond smelt, cook them directly in hot pot! Or ride snowmobiles) 18. 00 Dinner: Abashiri seafood hot pot, scallops and Arctic surf clams so fresh they’ll blow your mind 19. 30 Check in at Abashiri hot spring hotel (soak in the open-air hot spring while watching the snowy plain night view, relieve the day’s fatigue) Day 2 9:00 After hotel breakfast → 10:00 Abashiri Prison Museum (winter snow scenery + red brick buildings, take vintage-style photos, learn about the drift ice era history) 12. 00 Lunch: Abashiri specialty salt-flavored ramen 13. 30 Kitami Fox Village (pet the soft white foxes! In winter, the foxes wear little scarves, super cute) 15:00 Return to Sapporo → 18:30 Arrive 🚌 How to get there on your own? ❌Disadvantages: Tight schedule + inconvenient transfers, JR trains often delayed in winter ⚠️Important reminder! Car charters in Hokkaido are super popular in winter! Especially during the drift ice season in January and February, our company’s 7-seat business vehicles (with heater + luggage space) are often fully booked a month in advance. If you want peace of mind, book early! Chinese-speaking drivers accompany you throughout and can help take stunning snow photos~ This winter, stop hesitating! Choose Monbetsu for a relaxed single-day trip, or Abashiri for a deep exploration. Car charter will maximize your winter romance~
Lavender fields are the representative scenery of Hokkaido in summer. Many tourists like to go to Furano to enjoy them, but because they are too famous, there are many people. This time we came to Monbetsu City in the east of Hokkaido, and it turned out that there is also lavender to enjoy! Okhotsk Drift Ice Park is very large, and the lavender fields are limited to summer, open from June to August every year. We arrived at the end of June, and the lavender was not the most brilliant, but the endless lavender fields were filled with fragrant flowers, which was refreshing! The most important thing is that there are not many tourists, and you can walk into the lavender fields. If you don’t like crowds, I recommend coming here!
Hokkaido is famous for eating crabs, this is the second time I have come to this hotel located in Mobetsu, the hotel is quite old but is called clean and tidy 🛏 There are many types of rooms, before living in an ordinary double room felt too small, so I chose a large double bedroom, the space is really much larger ♨️ The hotel's large bath is nothing special 🦀Dinner chose two big crabs ~ sashimi 🦀, hot pot 🦀, grilled 🦀, steamed 🦀 (crab meat siu mai), tempura 🦀 are all, and crab meat kabu rice 🦀 ~ really any style to eat 🤣 🥢 Breakfast has a lot to choose from, sashimi is also 7-8 kinds, salad hot bread. . . . There is also 🦀 bean curd soup, really rich 👍🏻 #Matsubetsu Hotel
#Travel itinerary I have a mini-trip within the trip, 1 night 2 days Memanbetsu IN Monbetsu OUT by domestic flight in Japan. I returned to Monbetsu to use the 47th airport in Japan. In March, the limited express Okhotsk weekday operation was reduced by 50% with the Diamond account, so my schedule became very varied.🤣 I will stay at Kitami. I will leave my suitcase at Memanbetsu Airport and take a limousine bus to Abashiri. I will also visit Shibazakura Park in Abashiri by bus and taxi. I will eat at Michi-no-eki and go to Memanbetsu Airport via Abashiri and go to Kitami. I will go to Starbucks, the northernmost Starbucks in Kitami. Since there is no transportation to Kitami between 7 and 10 AM, I will leave for Engaru at 6 AM. I will go to the Pokemon Manhole in Abashiri and Monbetsu. Thanks to DIA💎, I am forced to tour Monbetsu, where I only stayed 5 years ago. The trip continues somehow. I am heading from Monbetsu to Haneda. Thank you. #JapanTravel #1Night2Days #HokkaidoTravel #MemanbetsuAirport #MonbetsuAirport #Kitami #Abashiri
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