Japan Heritage story
Sacred land of salmon: 10,000 years on the Nemuro Strait
「鮭の聖地」の物語
On the Nemuro Strait at Hokkaido's eastern edge, facing Kunashiri, people have lived on salmon for 10,000 years. Ancient villages, Ainu sites, Edo-era fisheries and canneries all grew around the autumn salmon run, and dried salmon still hangs from the eaves every December.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Sea and waterside, Food and sake
- Era
- Jōmon, Muromachi, Edo, Meiji
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Official name in Japanese
- 「鮭の聖地」の物語
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～根室海峡一万年の道程～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 北海道（標津町，根室市，別海町，羅臼町）
The story
Every autumn salmon swim up the rivers into the Nemuro Strait; in Ainu tradition they are a gift from the kamuy, the gods, off Shiretoko. Near the Po River, more than 4,400 hollows mark ancient pit dwellings, Japan's largest group, lived in from 10,000 years ago to the 17th century, and every period's houses are full of salmon bones. Along the coast, Ainu chashi sites stand facing the sea, because here the sea was the main road.
In the Edo period, Japanese merchants opened salmon fisheries, and this region's salmon was so prized it was presented to the shogun. Aizu samurai guarded the new border with Russia. A cannery opened at Betsukai in 1878 and shipped salmon to Europe and Australia. When stocks ran low, fishers turned to kelp, shrimp and dairy farming, until salmon hatcheries finally brought record catches from the late 1960s.
What to see
- Notsuke Peninsula: Japan's largest sand spit, 28 km long, with ghostly dead forests and views of Kunashiri.Google Maps 野付半島 (opens in a new tab)
- Ichani Karikariusu site: thousands of pit-dwelling hollows in the forest at Shibetsu.Google Maps 伊茶仁カリカリウス遺跡 (opens in a new tab)
- Nemuro Peninsula chashi sites: Ainu cliff-top sites facing the sea, such as Noccamafu Chashi.Google Maps ノッカマフチャシ跡 (opens in a new tab)
- Notsuke Bay shrimp boats: fishing for hokkai shrimp from sailing boats.Google Maps 野付湾 (opens in a new tab)
Plan your trip with the Hokkaido guide and see more nature.
Good to know
- Come in autumn to see the salmon run and the busy salmon-processing season.
- In December, look for salmon toba, strips of salmon drying under the eaves of homes.
- Try salmon izushi, a fermented rice dish made to each family's recipe.
Questions travellers ask
Why is this coast called a sacred land of salmon?
People have depended on salmon here for 10,000 years, and everything from ancient villages to modern industry grew around the salmon run.
What is the Notsuke Peninsula?
Japan's largest sand spit, 28 km long, built by coastal currents and once a crossing point to Kunashiri and the Kuril Islands.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Coal, steel and port: Hokkaido's northern industrial revolution
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Gyoda: the town of tabi storehouses
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Masuda: a medieval masterpiece of Japan
- Otaru, the heart of Hokkaido: a merchant city saved by its people
- Takaoka: the castle town that became a merchant town
- The Kamikawa Ainu: living with the kamuy of Daisetsuzan
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.