Kushiro Shitsugen — Japan's Largest Wetland & Cranes

Kushiro Shitsugen (釧路湿原) is Japan's largest wetland, covering 280 square kilometers of marshes, reed beds, and meandering rivers in eastern Hokkaido. The wetland is a designated Ramsar site and home to red-crowned cranes (tancho, タンチョウ) — sacred birds in Japanese culture symbolizing longevity and fidelity. In winter (December-February), the cranes gather at feeding stations, performing their famous courtship dances with leaping, bowing, and wing displays.

The wetland landscape is vast, flat, and wild — grasses stretch to the horizon, rivers wind in lazy loops, and wildlife (deer, foxes, eagles) appear unexpectedly. The Kushiro Shitsugen Observatory offers panoramic views, and wooden boardwalks (Onnenai and Hosooka) allow walking into the wetland without disturbing the ecosystem.