Spring Arrives in Shiretoko, Hokkaido with the Melting of Snow

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:00 JST, June 11, 2023

SHIRETOKO PENINSULA, Hokkaido — Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido has welcomed spring and visitors could be seen enjoying skiing and mountain climbing on the mountains after entering from the Shiretoko Crossing Road, which was reopened on April 28 after being closed for the winter.

According to the Shiretoko National Park Nature Center, snow melted quickly due to continuous warm weather since March. All the snow on the boardwalk leading to the Shiretoko Goko lakes has also melted, when usually there is at least 1 meter high.

Rock surfaces and Japanese spruce were beginning to be visible even on the ridges of Mt. Rausu (1,661 meters), the highest peak of the peninsula.

A woman in her 50s from Kitami, Hokkaido, who was on a three-night trek across the Shiretoko Mountain Range said, “It was nice to see lovely scenery in mild weather.”