Obihiro

Founded in 1883 by settlers from Honshu, and designated as a city in 1933, Obihiro is architecturally undistinguished except for a few kitsch pachinko (pin ball) palaces. To the visitor it appears a city of car dealers and cake shops.
Arranged on a regular north-south grid, most of the city lies in the south western quadrant. Two main features lie diagonal to the grid: the railway line with the main JR station and Midorigaoka Park, a green hill where some of the cities main attractions (the museum, zoo etc.) are located.
Most Japanese visitors from the south come to Obihiro to visit the dairy farms of the Tokachi Plain (thus cake shops and cookies sold as souvenirs), however foreign visitors already familiar with cows and wheat fields may be more interested in the high volcanic peaks of Daisetsuzan with its extraordinary alpine flora, or the wildlife in Shiretoko Peninsula. For these major attractions Obihiro is a gateway, conveniently bypassing Sapporo and western Hokkaido.

By plane

• Tokachi Obihiro Airport

  phone: +81 155 64-4078
  address: Naka 8-41, Nishi 9-sen, Izumi-cho
  Has flights to and from Tokyo (Haneda), Kansai International Airport and Nagoya. The phone number for JAL, the primary carrier at this airport, is +81 155 64-5681.

By train

• JR Obihiro StationObihiro is on the main JR Nemuro Line between Sapporo and Kushiro. There are trains to Sapporo (207 km, 2:15 hours), Asahikawa (183 km, 3:30 hours), Hakodate (461 km, 6:30 hours), and Kushiro (120 km, 1:45 hours).

By bus

Long distance buses are a good way to get to Obihiro. These buses all leave from in front of JR Obihiro Station.

• Chuo Bus Potato LinerFrom Sapporo at Sapporo Terminal or Oyachi (大谷地. +81 11 891-6388) subway station.

• Obihiro Station Bus

The center of Obihiro, located between JR Obihiro Station and Fujimaru Department Store, is small and walkable, though most of the larger shopping areas are outside of this. The city as a whole is large and spread out, though easy to navigate. Similar to Sapporo, it is laid out on a grid, and intersections are signed in both Japanese and English (e.g., West 1 South 10). The north-south axis (which lies close to the city center) is called Ōdōri.
City buses exist, though services are less frequent than on the more densely populated island of Honshu.

By car

A car is ideal, since the main attractions are outside the city. There are some rental car companies at the airport.

• Toyota

• Nippon

• Nissan

• Mazda

• Orix

• Obihiro Racecourse

  address: Nishi 13, Minami 9
  Obihiro has a unique type of draught horse racing called Banei (ばんえい) . The horses drag steel 'sleighs', each weighing around 500 kilograms, along a 200 metre sand track with two humps in the middle of the course. The sport originated in a test of strength for farm animals. Most of the horses are a crossbreed of French Percherons and Bretons and Belgian horses. The 'jockeys' lash the horses repeatedly with the reins - animal lovers be warned!

• Midorigaoka Park

  address: Midorigaoka2
  Large park. With in the park, there are a variety of facilities zoo, and museums.

• Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art

  address: Midorigaoka-koen, Midorigaoka 2

• Obihiro Centennial Memorial Hall

  address: Midorigaoka-koen, Midorigaoka 2
  City historical and natural history museum.

• Obihiro Zoo

  address: Midorigaoka-koen, Midorigaoka 2

• Obihiro Wild Flower Garden

  address: Midorigaoka-koen, Midorigaoka 2

Obihiro Shimin Bunka Hall

address: Nishi 5, Minami 11

This is a common venue for concerts and recitals.

Obihiro is located close to the Hidaka and Daisetsuzan mountains. There are an impressive range of facilities for outdoor activities: mountain trekking, horse riding, white-water rafting, kayaking, swimming, tennis, 'park golf' etc. during the summer, and skiing, snow boarding, snow shoeing and skating etc. during the winter.

• Ice FestivalFestival with ice sculptures.

• Heigen FestivalBon Dance festival.

• Chrysanthemum Festival

• Fujimaru

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 8-1
  Nine floor department store in the centre of the city. Food on the basement floor.

• Hokkaido Chizu

  phone: +81 155-25-1006
  address: 5th floor Sompo Japan Building, Higashi 1, Minami 10-21
  This is the place to buy trekking maps of Hokkaido at scales of 1:25,000 and 1:50,000.

Restaurants

• Sushi Masa

  phone: +81 155 23-4561
  address: Nishi 2, Minami 19
  Traditional sushi restaurant with a quiet atmosphere.

• Panchō

  phone: +81 155 22-1974
  address: Nishi 1, Minami 11
  The restraurant is Tokachi style Pork Bowl originated. Many guests, it may ofen matrix.

• Tatsumi-zushi

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 7
  Quality sushi in an unpretentious restaurant.

• Umi-e

  address: Alta 2F, Nishi 1, Minami 9-17-2
  A seafood izakaya in the city centre. Large menu.

• Matsuhisaen

  address: Bisei 1-20, Memuro-cho
  Historic trout farm, restaurant and garden.

• The Soup

  address: Nishi 3, Minami 11-1
  Serves Hokkaido soup curry.

• Michinro

  address: Nishi 19, Minami 2-25-9
  This restaurant, whose Chinese name is Meizhenlou Xijia, serves straightforward Cantonese food. It has a large menu with reasonably-sized portions.

• L'Orange

  address: Nishi 3, Minami 9-2
  A French restaurant.

• Chez Maeda

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 10-2
  A French restaurant.

• Le Bordeaux

  phone: +81 155-38-3440
  address: 17-9 Nishi 16, Minami 5
  A French restaurant.

• Osteria Alpesca

  phone: +81 155 28-5663
  address: Nishi 1, Minami 12-2-7
  An Italian restaurant.

• Pennylane

  phone: +81 155 36-2300
  address: Nishi 21, Minami 5
  Serves mainly pasta and has good bread.

• Byplane

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 11
  Serves seafood, pasta, and vegetarian food — and also good cheese.

Cake

• Rokkatei

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 9-6.
  The main branch of a nationally famous confectionery company, that is also an important patron of the arts (see Nakasatsunai Bijutsumura above).

• Ryugetsu

  phone: +81 155 23-2101
  address: Ōdōri, Minami 8-15
  Rivals to Rokkatei.

• Uetliberg

  phone: +81 155 33-0134
  address: Nishi 17, Minami 4-15-7
  Flying the Swiss flag, this cake shop specializes in purin, the Japanese custard pudding.

• Cranberry

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 6

• Asahiya

  address: Nishi 19, Minami 4-24-3

• Akutsu

  address: Honmachi 3-9, Taisho,

• Tokachi Beer

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 9-6
  Not to be confused with the Tokachi Brewery (below), this microbrewery and restaurant is notable for its pizzas and giant tropical plants.

• Rancho El Paso

  address: Nishi 16-13-20, Minami 6
  Restaurant specializing in sausages, ham and bacon.

• The Galway

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 10-20-5
  Irish pub with Guinness and Kilkenny.

Camp

• Poroshiri Nature Park Campsites

  address: Dai 2 Kisen 2-7, Takuseicho
  Open Jun-Sep.

Budget

• Toipirka Youth Hostel

  address: Higashi 52-8, Kita 4, Shimo-Shihoro, Otofuke
  Located outside the city, near Tokachigawa Onsen.

• Hot Spring Hotel Boston

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 3-15

Mid-range

• Tokachi Gardens Hotel

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 11-6

• Obihiro Washington Hotel

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 12-8

• Hotel Paco Obihiro

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 11

• Obihiro Tokyu Inn

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 11-2

• Fukui Hotel

  address: Nishi 1, Minami 11

• Toyoko Inn

  address: Nishi 4, Minami 11-4

• Hotel Route Inn

  address: Nishi 3, Minami 11-8

• Obihiro Grand Hotel

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 3-20

Splurge

• Hokkaido Hotel

  address: Nishi 7, Minami 1-19

• Hotel Nikko Northland Obihiro

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 13-1

• Tokachi Tourist InformationInformation mainly in Japanese, but they have a number of pamphlets and maps in English.

• Obihiro City Library

  address: Nishi 2, Minami 14-3-1
  Obihiro's main library has English newspapers. Internet is available, too.

• International and Domestic Relations Department

  address: 3rd Floor, Obihiro City Hall, Nishi 5, Minami 7-1
  Information in English for foreign residents.

• Tokachi International Relations Center

  address: Nishi 20, Minami 6
  Library and resource center. Run by the International and Domestic Relations Department (listed above).

Beyond Obihiro lie the high volcanic peaks of Japan's largest national park, Daisetsuzan, and the Kushiro Wetlands National Park. Further afield are Abashiri and Shiretoko National Park.