Shiretoko National Park Nature Center

Really helpful staff. We were a little confused about what was available in advance. We were able to rent rubber boots for 500 yen each which were really handy in the snow. The first walk to Furepe Falls was 2km, it was a nice walk, the snow looked impressive and we saw some deer along the way. The waterfall was a trickle so not that much to see but the cliffs were impressive and worth a look. The wind was a bit scary when we visited! Back at the centre we decided to do a second trail - we asked at the counter what's available and were given a map for another trail into woodland. It took us about an hour and a half on snow shoes (also rented for 500 yen each). Hard work for the legs but good fun! Some beautiful views of the trees in snow and the overlooking mountains, with an observation area at the halfway point. I wasn't that interested in the lectures/films at the centre itself but the staff were really friendly and helpful at setting us up for our walks. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Shiretoko area

An educational center with outdoor gear shop. Information and videos about wildlife in this area and rental equipments are available for the hikes here. Its the starting point to furepe falls and some other trails as well. We came in early feb and got ourselves some snow shoes. The walk to furepe falls is about 20min one way not to bad a walk. There are some trails that are closed in winter. Overall the service staff is amazing in explaining some of the details. We got though some harder translations with google translate.

The nature center is very nice. Staff was helpful (apart from a very rude and unhelpful guy at the bar). Unfortunately no way to throw trash away.

Excellent nature, we met with 4 bears just driving around 1 afternoon in mid july. Many deers & foxes too. Majestic setting & friendly rangers & patrols

It tells you a lot about the wilderness of this beautiful area

It's worth the visit and do have a few hours to immerse the nature

Large visitor centre with a large carpark. There is a Northface shop and also a montbell shop. Barista coffee also has a cafe within. Starting place for a few short hikes.

Very helpful staff and the best place for information on any activity in the Shiretoko Peninsula. You can rent/buy equipment such as bear mace spray, boots. Special shoutout to Dustin for the informal hiking advice on climbing Mount Rausu. He speaks excellent English and is available at the North Face shop. Some of the park staff also speak good English and were very knowledgeable. The cafe serves fantastic coffee (“Melbourne quality” lattes). Food is expensive and small ish. There are two walking routes available; 45 min to Furepe waterfall (recommended) and 2 hours or 1 hour if you’re a fit person on the forest keeper trail. The later is a bit boring, more for killing time. If you’ve already seen the Mountain range it’s not worth the walk to the viewpoint. The forest is partially artificial. It would be great if you could fill up a water bottle here. Note: this is a review for the centre itself, not the activities around. It would be unfair to rate a building based on the uncontrollable environment around it. This, the enjoyment of the walking nearby is subject to weather conditions, but not worth visiting just for the purpose of these walks.