Grab Edible Souvenirs at Roadside Rest Station Utoro Shirietoku

Michi-no-eki, literally “road stations”, are highway rest stops with tourist information centers, restaurants, and souvenir stores. The roadside rest area Utoro Shirietoku serves as the gateway to the Shiretoko World Heritage Center. You can find all the necessary information to make sure you don’t miss out on anything in Shiretoko (a peninsula recognized by UNESCO as the southernmost place where sea ice usually forms in the Northern Hemisphere, which is also renowned for its biodiversity and singular ecosystem home to many endangered aquatic species): boat cruises, accommodation arrangements, and info on important locations such as the Five Shiretoko Lakes and the Shiretoko Pass. The exhibition corner displays scientific information on the nature and wildlife of Shiretoko in multiple languages. If you’re hungry, there’s a restaurant serving a plethora of delicious items like seafood rice bowls and grilled fish platters that use freshly caught local fish.