Iwanai
岩内42°59′ N 140°31′ ETownPop. 10,644Niseko
Iwanai is an old herring port at the western end of the Niseko range, where cat-skiing runs above the town and seafood stays cheap by the harbour.
Photo 柴田拓 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Iwanai for cat-skiing at Iwanai Resort and a quieter, cheaper base on the western side of the Niseko range. It suits drivers who want seafood and onsen without the Hirafu crowds.
The name
iwaw-nay / iwa-nay
イワウ・ナイ／イワ・ナイSulphur river (iwaw-nay), or mountain river (iwa-nay)
ainu
The meaning is not settled. Both readings circulate; the Forestry Agency's page for Iwanai-dake gives 'mountain river'. The town and the National Ainu Museum say only that the name is Ainu and do not commit to a meaning. A trading post stood here from 1751, and the name was fixed in its current characters in 1869.
SourceEat · 食べる
Kiyo-zushi Honten清寿司 本店sushi¥¥
Iwanai's best-known sushi family started here in Bandai. The house set runs about ¥3,000. Closed Mondays.
Kiyo-zushi branch清寿司 支店sushi¥¥
In front of the bus terminal and open daily 11:00–22:30. A twelve-piece omakase costs ¥3,800.
Take-zushi竹鮨sushi¥¥¥
A sushi counter in Ōhama for chūtoro and uni bowls. Closed Wednesdays.
Sasaya Shokudoささや食堂ramen¥
Try Iwanai's tempura ramen here, where a shoyu bowl comes topped with prawn tempura. Next to the Michi-no-Eki, 11:30–18:00.
Hokui 43-do北緯43度のお食事処shokudo¥
This diner by the Michi-no-Eki serves seafood set meals, and the silver salmon set costs around ¥1,000. Lunch only, 10:30–14:30; closed Wednesdays.
Suzuya鈴やcafe¥
This yōshoku diner has been open since 1958 and serves omurice and a daily lunch for about ¥900.
Drink · 飲む
Iwanai Brewery & Hotelbrewery
A brewery hotel on Maruyama whose beer bar looks onto the brewing kit. It grows its own hops in the town where wild hops were discovered in 1871. Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 18:00–21:00.
Saborucoffee
A kissa on the old station street that has been pouring coffee for about fifty years.
Do · 遊ぶ
Wakimasa / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Iwanai Resort cat-skiingactivity
Snowcats run laps on Mt. Iwanai (1,086 m) at the western end of the Niseko range, with views over the Sea of Japan and the Shakotan coast. Book through the operator; it sits about 40 minutes from Niseko.
San San no Yuactivity
This day onsen at Iwanai Onsen on Maruyama fills its baths with golden, cloudy salt water straight from the source.
Maruyama Observation Decksight
A lookout over the harbour and the Shakotan coast. Iwanai's night view was certified a Japan Night View Heritage site in 2018; go about 30 minutes after sunset.
No machine-readable author provided. ほくなん assumed (based on copyright claims). / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Michi-no-Eki Iwanaimarket
The roadside station at the Route 229 and 276 junction has a souvenir hall for local fish cake and cod roe. Winter hours 9:00–17:00; closed Mondays from November to April.
Iwanai faces the open Sea of Japan with its back to the last peaks of the Niseko range, and in winter the wind comes straight off the water. The town grew rich on herring in the late 1800s; by 1932 the fish had gone. On 26 September 1954 a fire driven by the typhoon that sank the Toya Maru burned 3,298 houses and killed 35 people. Four houses in five were lost. Most of what stands now went up after that, and the buildings around the harbour are low and plain.
Riders come for Iwanai Resort on Mt. Iwanai, now a cat-skiing operation with long runs that end looking out at the sea. Down in town the seafood costs a fraction of Niseko prices. Kiyo-zushi's branch by the bus terminal serves a twelve-piece omakase for ¥3,800, and Sasaya Shokudo next to the Michi-no-Eki does the local shrimp tempura ramen. After dinner, drive up Maruyama for the night view over the harbour lights, then soak in the golden water at San San no Yu.
Quick answers about Iwanaiよくある質問
What does the name Iwanai mean?
Iwanai comes from the local name iwaw-nay / iwa-nay, meaning sulphur river (iwaw-nay), or mountain river (iwa-nay). The meaning is not settled. Both readings circulate; the Forestry Agency's page for Iwanai-dake gives 'mountain river'. The town and the National Ainu Museum say only that the name is Ainu and do not commit to a meaning. A trading post stood here from 1751, and the name was fixed in its current characters in 1869.
Is Iwanai a good place to stay?
Stay in Iwanai for cat-skiing at Iwanai Resort and a quieter, cheaper base on the western side of the Niseko range. It suits drivers who want seafood and onsen without the Hirafu crowds.
How do you get to Iwanai?
No railway since the Iwanai line closed in 1985; the nearest station is Kozawa. The Chuo Bus Iwanai highway bus runs from Sapporo in about two and a half hours, and Niseko Bus connects to Kutchan. Driving takes about 1 hr 45 min from Sapporo and 50 minutes from Niseko. The Niseko Panorama Line over the range is closed in winter.
Ride from Iwanai近くの山
Hot springs nearby温泉
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