Sapporo-Tomakomai

About Sapporo-Tomakomai

Tomakomai is the other cruise option for the Sapporo area, on Hokkaido's south coast about 70 minutes from the city. The port itself is industrial, so nearly every passenger moves quickly to excursions — Sapporo for Odori Park and TV Tower, Noboribetsu's hot springs and Hell Valley, or Lake Shikotsu for crater-lake scenery. Utonai-ko wetland is a notable bird-watching stop locally. New Chitose Airport is 30 minutes away.

• The name Tomakomai derives from Ainu words meaning 'marsh' and 'river which goes into the depths of the mountain,' reflecting the city's origins in Hokkaido's Indigenous Ainu culture.
• Tomakomai is the largest city in Iburi Subprefecture and the fourth-largest city in all of Hokkaido, with a population of about 167,000 and a vast area of 561 km².
• The city is renowned for its exceptionally high catch of Arctic surf clams (hokki-gai), a beloved Hokkaido delicacy — Arctic surf clam curry has become a signature local dish.
• Tomakomai has two major port facilities: Tomakomai West Port (opened 1963) and Tomakomai East Port (opened 1980), making it one of Hokkaido's most significant industrial and logistics hubs.
• The city's geography puts it close to Mount Tarumae, an active stratovolcano within Shikotsu-Toya National Park, and in September 2018 it was the nearest city to the epicenter of the magnitude-6.7 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake.