Shiretoko is located in a very picturesque region rich with beautiful untouched nature: mountains, rivers, wild animals are ubiquitous here. Utoro, a town situated on the coast of the Ohotsk sea is a gateway to this nature's beauty.

 Both winter and summer seasons offer amazing sceneries as well as opportunities for exploration. It's not unusual to see wild animals like deer, bears, trout in the rivers, eagles in the forest, seals, dolphins and even mink whales and baleen whales in our sea. Diving also offers a  new unseen underwater world all year round. 

SUMMER

• Shiretoko sightseeing boats - 2 boats offer a 1 h 30 min trip and a 3 h 45  min. trip around Shiretoko Peninsula, where you can see breathtaking cliffs, waterfalls, dolphins, whales and splendid mountains.
• Fishing boats are available for fishing trout and salmon in the summer (July - September).
• We can show you bears in the wild hunting for trout in a river or playing with cubs in the forest. Beware: we don't recommend taking a risk of trying to see them on your own. You should use an expert guide.
• You can also see many other wild animals like foxes, deer, owls and eagles, whales and dolphins, that's why our hotel is called "Dolphin".
• You can take a tour or go on your own to see beautiful waterfalls, wild hot springs, 5 Shiretoko lakes and untouched nature.
• Stunning sunrises and sunsets over the sea. To see a sunrise you won't forget, you have to get up early and take a 20 minute drive to the mountain pass, from where on a fine day you will watch fantastic sunrise over the sea of clouds. Sunsets over the sea can be seen from near the hotel. 
• There are a lot more travelling and sightseeing opportunities in Hokkaido and Japan. Click here to learn more.

WINTER

• Besides ice diving and ice walking tours in the frozen Ohotsk sea offered by Dolphin Hotel, there is a wide ranging of other winter activities in our area.
• "Aurora" Ice-breaker trip offered in Abashiri will guide you through the frozen Ohotsk sea. You will get aboard a real ice-breaker and see ice cracking under the boat, ice floes passing by with birds resting on them. Occasionally you can also see seals.
• Put on skis or snow-shoes and take a short walk through winter forest to the frozen waterfall "Otome no namida", which literally stands for "Virgin's tears" while watching lots of wild deer in the forest gazing back at you. You will also see terrific sunset and huge snow-capped mountains of Shiretoko and lots of wild deer staring at you.
• Every night in February and March you can watch a stunning "Aurora" Northern lights performance of light and music which is a close resemblance of the real Northern Lights. See pictures here.
• Take a short drive and enjoy the view of a moutain river running down the valley from the snow-capped Shiretoko mountain into the frozen Ohotsk sea. The water is so clean and healthy you can drink from it without worries.
• Great powder skiing and snowboarding are available at the nearby skiing slope.
• You can travel around Hokkaido and enjoy lots of winter festivals concentrating on the combination of ice and snow figures and lights performances, visit a real ice-bar or a hot spring in the middle of a frozen lake (Shikaribetsu lake), fly a hot balloon or a paraglider, visit the famous Ice Festival held each year in Sapporo.
• You can relax and warm up after a forest walk, diving or skiing in one of the many wild and cultivated spas and hot springs overlooking the ice fields of the Ohotsk sea.
• Again terrific sunrises and sunsets over the frozen sea are awaiting you in Utoro and more, more, more.......

See some pictures of the beautiful Shiretoko region in our Gallery.
You can find more information on visiting Japan and Hokkaido from here.