8 Popular Spots You Should Visit to Fully Enjoy Sightseeing in Obihiro

Summer is the best season for sightseeing in Obihiro, as you can enjoy beautiful scenery with refreshing blue skies and lush green trees.
Even in Obihiro, Hokkaido, where the average annual temperature is low, summer can get hot, so be sure to prepare for the heat.
However, summer in Obihiro has low humidity, so it will likely feel more comfortable than you expect.

Since Obihiro has an airport, flying is often the most common way to get there, whether from overseas or within Japan.
If you are visiting from Tokyo, the flight takes Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes. From Osaka, it takes Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes with a connecting flight.

Kofuku Station and Aikoku Station were once real train stations in operation, but they have since been closed.
They became widely known after being featured on a Japanese TV program and are now among Obihiro’s most iconic sightseeing spots.
A ticket from Aikoku Station to Kofuku Station became popular together with the catchphrase “From the land of love to happiness.”
Tickets are sold at souvenir shops near both Kofuku Station and Aikoku Station, so consider picking one up as a souvenir.
The area around Kofuku Station has been turned into a park and open plaza, where you can enjoy natural scenery that changes with the seasons.
Aikoku Station has been turned into a memorial hall, where tickets from its days in service and a steam locomotive are on display.

Banei Tokachi is the racecourse that hosts the world’s only ban’ei horse racing.
Ban’ei horse racing is a race in which horses known as banba pull iron sleds that can weigh up to 1 ton.
It began as a test of strength for farm horses, once widely practiced, and evolved into a cultural event that excites spectators today.
The appeal of ban’ei horse racing lies in the powerful spectacle you cannot experience in regular horse racing.
It is one of Obihiro’s signature cultural attractions, offering a scene you can truly only see here.

Shichiku Garden is a flower garden spread across the countryside of the Tokachi Plain, with Approx. 2,500 kinds of flowers and plants growing on its vast 6-hectare grounds.
Walking paths are also well maintained, and you’ll likely find the seasonal scenery, filled with flowers all around, wonderfully soothing.
From Shichiku Garden, you can enjoy views of the magnificent Hidaka Mountains as well as the farmland scenery that gives Obihiro its distinctive character.
When visiting Shichiku Garden, be sure to look beyond the garden itself and take in the surrounding landscape as well.

Obihiro Zoo was the second zoo established in Hokkaido, after Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo.
In addition to classic zoo animals such as lions, tigers, and elephants, one of the zoo’s highlights is the chance to see endangered species such as mandrills.
The zoo also has plenty of exhibits and animal information, making it a great place to deepen your knowledge.
There are also many attractions in the park, including a Ferris wheel and go-karts, so families can enjoy an especially fun visit.

Obihiro Shrine enshrines three deities, Okunitama no Kami, Onamuchi no Kami, and Sukunahikona no Kami, and is said to bring blessings for abundant harvests, prosperity in business, and matchmaking.
The shrine grounds are full of nature, and if you are lucky, you may even spot small animals such as squirrels and starlings.
One of the highlights of Obihiro Shrine is its limited-time hanachozu, or flower-filled purification basin.
The chozuya filled with colorful floating flowers is truly beautiful.

This strolling-style garden, covering 5,000 tsubo (Approx. 8,300 sq m), feels like stepping into a fairy tale. It is operated by the Manabe Garden Nursery, which imports, grows, and sells trees, and has been open to the public since 1966.
The collection of trees gathered since the garden first opened is especially impressive, and the site also serves as a kind of showroom where visitors can observe the growth of thousands of plant varieties.

Lake Shikaribetsu is the only natural lake in Daisetsuzan National Park and is located at an elevation of Approx. 810 m, making it the highest lake in Hokkaido. It is often called the “Lake in the Sky.”
There are also plenty of activities such as sea kayaking and canoeing. In winter, when the lake surface freezes, the magical Shikaribetsu Kotan village made of ice and snow appears, and ice fishing for whitespotted char through holes in the ice is also popular.

This day-use hot spring facility is known for its variety of baths, including an indoor bath with free-flowing spring water, an open-air bath, a germanium far-infrared sauna, and a jet bath with pleasantly strong water pressure that provides a massage effect. It is said that the name “Suikouen” came from how the spring water in this area looked sparkling.
The hot spring you can enjoy here is a simple hot spring known as “moor onsen.” It is popular among hot spring fans for how gentle it feels on the skin and its reputation for leaving skin smooth.

A specialty pork bowl restaurant with over 90 years of history. The roots of pork bowl go back to the idea of creating an energizing dish as an alternative to grilled eel in Tokachi, where there is no sea, and it was the first owner of Panchō who came up with this pork bowl.
The menu ranking is unique, with the grades listed in ascending order as Matsu, Take, Ume, and Hana. The premium pork loin is cut thick, and the number of slices increases by grade, with 4, 5, 6, or 8 slices, while the amount of rice stays the same, making it a menu designed for truly enjoying pork.

A famous restaurant serving Tokachi’s specialty pork bowl, made by placing pork seasoned with a sweet and savory sauce over rice.
The pork bowl uses Hokkaido pork loin with a well-balanced amount of fat.
The sauce is made in-house with plenty of sake and honey and contains no additives at all.
Its light yet rich flavor pairs perfectly with the pork.

Kita no Yatai is a food stall village lined with stalls serving yakitori, skewers, izakaya dishes, and more.
It also has unusual stalls serving French, Chinese, and Korean food, with Approx. 20 stalls in total.
One of its main attractions is being able to enjoy delicious dishes made with fresh local ingredients while sampling a wide variety of food as you walk from stall to stall.
Another charm of Kita no Yatai is its warm, homey atmosphere, unique to food stalls, where you feel close to the owners and other customers.
One recommended stall is Ponchise, where you can try home-style Ainu cuisine from the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido.
Its signature dish is pone ohau, a representative Ainu home-cooked dish made by simmering vegetables such as carrots in a pork-bone broth.
The broth has a deep umami flavor from the pork bones, but the overall taste is very gentle.
Being able to experience Ainu culture through food is something special to Kita no Yatai and Ponchise.

Rokkatei is beloved as one of Hokkaido’s classic and most popular souvenir brands.
At the Obihiro main store, you can find a wide variety of sweets, including Marusei Butter Sandwiches and strawberry chocolate.
Rokkatei’s signature confection, the Marusei Butter Sandwich, is known for its special butter cream and moist biscuit cookies.

A long-established select shop in Obihiro founded in 1990. The first floor, NORTHCOWBOY, carries men’s items, while the second floor, AUDREY, offers women’s items.
The shop selects carefully chosen items from Japan and abroad, mainly from the United States and Europe. It is well stocked with rare products you can only find here, including items from famous brands not yet available in Japan, colors not sold domestically, and niche overseas brands known only to true enthusiasts.

A hotel located in central Obihiro. It stands right in front of JR Obihiro Station, and the shuttle bus from Tokachi Obihiro Airport also arrives and departs here, making it popular for both sightseeing and business thanks to its convenient location and excellent access.
The guest rooms, designed around the theme of “Nordic living,” offer warm and welcoming spaces accented with bright wood-toned interiors.

Dormy Inn is a major business hotel chain found across Japan, built around the concept of a “business hotel that feels like home.”
This property is in a great location about a 5-minute walk from JR Obihiro Station and is known for its “moor onsen,” which can be enjoyed in the separate natural hot spring baths for men and women. Moor onsen is a rare type of hot spring water, known around the world for containing abundant plant-based organic matter and for its skin-beautifying qualities.

A hotel in an excellent location just a 1-minute walk from Obihiro Station. It offers easy access to places such as Obihiro Racecourse, where ban’ei horse racing is held, the main store of Rokkatei, a sweets shop popular for Hokkaido souvenirs, and Kita no Yatai, where a variety of eateries line up like an alley of food stalls, making it convenient for sightseeing in Obihiro.