Lake Kutcharo in Hokkaido, Japan

 - Lake Kutcharo -

 

Lake Kutcharo [Japanese: クッチャロ湖] in Hamatombetsu.

Map around Lake Kutcharo (in Japanese)

Lake Kutcharo is in the North Okhotsk Prefectural Natural Park
[Japanese: 北オホーツク道立自然公園].

Lake Kutcharo was fully covered with snow.

It was the world of white!

Lake Kutcharo is designated by Ramsar Convention.

Hamatombetsu Lake Kutcharo Waterfowl Observatory [Japanese: クッチャロ湖水鳥観察館] was beside the lake.

The number of swan arrivals to Lake Kutcharo.

Taxidermy of Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)

[Japanese: オオハクチョウ; 大白鳥]

Information of swans.

Lake Kutcharo is the good spot to see the breeding time of swans. 

Taxidermy of eagle

Taxidermies of seals

Taxidermies of many animals living around Lake Kutcharo

Taxidermies of the brown bears (Ursus arctos) [Japanese: ヒグマ]

Episode of Lake Kutcharo

Tomo&Chouchou went to Lake Kutcharo [Japanese: クッチャロ湖] and Hamatombetsu Lake Kutcharo Waterfowl Observatory [Japanese: クッチャロ湖水鳥観察館] by group tour. When we visited there, it was the world of white! It was full of snow! Lake Kutcharo was fully covered with snow. We couldn't find any lake around. Without Lake Kutcharo signs, we could not have found it. We found the diploma of Ramsar Convention. We understood that Lake Kutcharo was designated by Ramsar Convention and it was protected. We could also understand that this area, North Okhotsk Prefectural Natural Park, is the wetland, and waterfowl habitat area.

We found the Hamatombetsu Lake Kutcharo Waterfowl Observatory beside the lake. We decided to enter there. Before entering there, it was written that 400 swans had arrived. Unfortunately winter is not the season to see swans, so we could not see any swans. It seems that tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) [Japanese: コハクチョウ; 小白鳥] stop by Lake Kutcharo in spring and autumn. Especially spring is the best season to see the swans' breeding time. Two couple swans make heart shape together. It is called "Happy ring". We can see it in spring. Inside the observatory, we found many taxidermies such as Whooper swan, eagle, seals, brown bears, sea turtle, deer, fox, peregrine falcon [Japanese: ハヤブサ], Japanese buzzard (Buteo japonicus) [Japanese: ノスリ] and so on. They were so real. Sometimes scary. Anyway we could learn that what kind of spieces live around Lake Kutcharo.

We couldn't see the lake but we could enjoy the white world at Lake Kutcharo in winter. We could have the special time at Lake Kutcharo.

 

Information

Lake Kutcharo is designated by Ramsar Convention on July 6, 1989. Ramsar Convention is the international treaty on wetland conservation. It is known as the Convention on Wetlands. Official name is the "Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat". Lake Kutcharo is the third place designated by Ramsar Convention in Japan. 

 

Hamatombetsu Lake Kutcharo Waterfowl Observatory
クッチャロ湖水鳥観察館

Location: Kutcharo Lakeside
Address: Kutcharo Kohan, Hamatombetsu-cho, Esashi-gun, Hokkaido
[Japanese: 北海道枝幸郡浜頓別町クッチャロ湖畔]
Open: 9:00 - 17:00

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Travel Itinerary of Hokkaido Snow Festival tour Tomo & Chouchou joined

Travel agent：Club Tourism International Inc.
Date: Feb in 2016 (2 nights 3 days)

1st day: Arrive at Wakkanai airport　⇒　Scallop lunch at Wakkanai station which has northernmost railroad track　⇒　Snow activities such as snow rafting, snow mobile, snow tube at Soya Fureai Park (Japanese: Soya Fureai Koen, 宗谷ふれあい公園）　⇒　Visit Cape Sōya (Japanese: Sōya-Misaki, 宗谷岬), where is the northernmost point of Japan. Visit Drift Ice Hall too.　⇒　Watch Russian musical ensemble at Wakkanai Sakhalin Hall (Japanese: Wakkanai Sakhalin Kan, 稚内サハリン館)　⇒　 Stay at Hotel Meguma in Wakkanai. Enjoy Wakkanai hot spring and Soya crab dinner course.

2nd day: Visit Lake Kutcharo (Japanese: Kutcharo-ko, クッチャロ湖) in Hamatombetsu (浜頓別).　⇒　Go to Cape Drift Ice / Cape Ryuhyo (Japanese: Ryuhyo-misaki, 流氷岬) in Monbetsu (紋別). Bord on the drift ice crusher "Garinko Ⅱ".　⇒　Stay at Sounkyo Kankou Hotel (層雲峡観光ホテル). Enjoy  41th Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival at night.

3rd day: Enjoy snow sculpture and ice sculpture of 67th Sapporo Snow Festival.　⇒　Eat Sapporo Ramen (Japanese:  ラーメン, which is a Japanese noodle soup) at New Chitose Airport Terminal (Japanese: Shin Chitose Kuko, 新千歳空港)  　⇒　Fly back to go home.

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Travel review of Hokkaido Snow Festival group tour

Tomo & Chouchou had dreamed of traveling to the snow festival in Hokkaido. Our dream came true with this tour!

There are so many snow festivals in Hokkaido. Sapporo Snow Festival is the most famous one. With this tour, we could go to two festivals "Sapporo Snow Festival" and "Sounkyo Hyobaku Festival". Normally it costs a lot to travel to Hokkaido during snow festival season. With this group tour, we could travel at a relatively reasonable price. So we were very lucky. We could also visit the northernmost point of Japan and board the drift ice crusher. Even though we couldn't see the drift ice, 2016 was not so enough cold to see the drift ice, it was enjoyable to look for the drift ice. All the foods that we ate were good. We were really satisfied with this tour.

Relating article

* Hotel Meguma in Wakkanai : northernmost hotel in Japan

* Wakkanai Secondary Port Market [Wakkanai Fukuko Ichiba]