Introduction to Kushiro, 01

The main southern gateway to the Akan National Park is the industrial town and port of KUSHIRO, which has a domestic airport and is also served by ferries from Tokyo. There's no special reason to linger in town, except perhaps to see the excellent natural history exhibits at the Kushiro City Museum (9.30am–5pm; ¥360), southeast of the train station and across the river. The dramatic exterior is designed to represent the outstretched wings of a tancho crane; inside, you'll see a reconstructed mammoth skeleton, carnivorous marshland plants, detailed life histories of bird, insect, fish and mammal species of the area, displays on prehistoric human life and an excellent collection of Ainu artefacts. There are few signs in English, but staff are happy to try to answer your questions.

If you do have some time to kill in Kushiro while waiting for a transport connection, you could do worse than head down to the colourful Fisherman's Wharf, a redeveloped waterside complex of shops and restaurants. The place also goes by the odd nickname of MOO, which apparently stands for "Marine Our Oasis".

Information by Rough Guides

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