Exploring the Shiretoko Peninsula with Shinra Nature Tour

The peninsula is home to an abundance of wildlife, including animals such as brown bears, Yezo sika deer, foxes, and various birds, as well as a wide range of flora. Popular all year round, in winter it transforms into somewhat of a winter wonderland with stunning scenery in every which way one looks. With this come a number of fun, exciting and educational activities. One of the companies offering such activities is Shinra, based in the town of Utoro.

Shinra is made up of a small team of nature enthusiasts who are highly passionate about outdoor activities and educating visitors about the peninsula. Perhaps the most popular of activities in the winter is the famed “Ryu-hyo Walking”, which allows visitors to walk out several hundred meters into the ocean on top of large slabs of drift ice that has made its way south over several hundred kilometers from the coast of Russia. This jaw-dropping phenomenon happens every year, and Shiretoko is as good a place as any to witness it. The whole ocean, as far as the eye can see, turns a brilliant white, allowing people with the guidance of trained individuals to venture out and walk along it. The views and eerily peaceful atmosphere are breathtakingly beautiful and unforgettable. Groups are typically made up of under ten people, with everybody putting on a dry suit and listening to a short safety talk before heading out.

The folks at Shinra are more than just activity guides, they also take great pride in teaching their guests about the diverse ecosystems at play along the peninsula. A walk onto the drift ice comes complete with a detailed explanation about the role drift ice has in supporting the area’s food chain. The ice is a source of life for ice algae, which breed as the ice melts and, in turn, attracts large numbers of fish and shrimp to the shallow waters, which then attracts larger sea creatures like crab, sea urchins and even seals and birds to the shores. The presence of the drift ice and the nutrients it contains has a significant knock-on effect to the entire food chain, meaning all sea life in the area is well nourished throughout the year. Learning about this as you venture further out to sea gives one a whole new perspective on the day’s activity.

Although the drift ice appears to be frozen solid, it is continuously moving at a very slow pace, meaning that over a day or two the landscape can potentially change dramatically. What you see off the coast one day may appear completely different the next, making Ryu-hyo Walking an activity that can be enjoyed time and time again. It also means your photos will always come out different.

Once you’re back on dry land, the activities at Shinra continue. Shiretoko National Park has a large number of hiking trails that are particularly popular in the summer and autumn, but also make for excellent snowshoe hiking courses during the winter.

Snowshoe hiking is an excellent way to explore the peninsula, walking routes take you through thickly forested areas, into wide open plains that allow fantastic views of the ocean and mountain peaks in the center of the peninsula. Many of these routes are off limits to groups unless they are accompanied by trained guides, meaning you often have these areas to yourselves, and you’ll always have a knowledgeable guide close at hand who can explain about the wildlife, animals, and plants along the way; of which there is no shortage!

Hiking these paths in the winter months also means areas that are usually home to brown bears during the warmer part of the year can be explored, safe in the knowledge that the bears are hibernating! Telltale signs of the presence of bears can be seen along the courses, like large claw marks that run down the trunks of large trees. It also means other animals, like deer, that would usually avoid areas with large bear populations can venture further afield and feed in the area too. It is inside these forests that one can witness an array of animals and birds in their natural habitat, including white-tailed eagles, sea eagles, red foxes, and Yezo silk deer, making it a fun and inspiring activity for families and people of all ages.

If it’s animals and birds in particular you are interested in, Shinra also offer specific tours tailored towards watching animals in the wild. Other points of interest include large (mainly frozen) waterfalls, and stunning views of the Okhotsk Sea and Shiretoko Five Lakes.

Shinra tours can start at any hotel along the Shiretoko peninsula, from where guests are picked up by their guides and driven to the different spots in a minibus. All equipment including dry suits for the Ryu-hyo walks and snowshoes for the guided treks are provided, as is insurance where necessary. The guides take extra care to ensure guests are having fun, feel safe, and remain engaged throughout the course of the activities. They encourage question asking and initiate discussions about the wildlife on display, as well as pointing out great photo opportunities. And at the end of the day, they drop all guests back at their hotels.

For more information check out Shinra and their activities at their homepage:http://shinrashiretoko.wixsite.com/shinra/

SHINRA Shiretoko Naturalist’s Association

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