Kushiro Marshland

Kushiro Shitsugen covers roughly 29,000 hectares of reed and sedge marsh behind the coast of eastern Hokkaido, and it survived because it was too wet to drain profitably while the rest of Japan's lowland wetlands were converted. It was the country's first Ramsar site in 1980 and became a national park in 1987. The red-crowned crane was believed extinct in Japan until about thirty birds were found here in 1924; feeding stations established during hard winters and protection since have brought the Hokkaido population back to well over a thousand. They are the reason most people come, and winter is when they concentrate at the feeding sites and perform the courtship dance. In summer the marsh is a green plain crossed by boardwalks, viewed from raised decks at Kottaro and Hosooka, with canoe trips down the meandering Kushiro River.

What you actually see

• The largest wetland in Japan - about 29,000 hectares of reed and sedge marsh.
• Red-crowned cranes - rediscovered here in 1924 and recovered since.
• Winter dancing - the courtship display at the feeding stations in the cold months.
• Boardwalks and decks - raised viewpoints and canoe trips on the meandering river.

When to go

December to March for cranes; June to September for the green marsh. A day.

Honest expectations

The marsh is flat and, without cranes, visually monotonous to some. Cranes are distant - bring binoculars or a long lens. Winter temperatures are severe at the feeding sites. Public transport to the decks is sparse.

Nearby

Lake Akan is north; Kushiro city and its port are south.