Enjoy the road trip to Lake Akan (#1 Akan International Crane Center)

Welcome to the town of red-crownded cranes!

Welcome to Kushiro City!

When you arrive here, you may be first surprised by the cool temperature!

Kushiro City is known as one of the coolest places in Hokkaido in summer.

On some days, the temperature can be lower than 10 degrees Celsius compared to Tokyo and Osaka, which attract many tourists to come here to enjoy a cool summer holiday.

Kushiro City and the Akan region are also home to the red-crowned crane, the largest bird species in Japan.

In fact, Kushiro Airport is nicknamed "Tancho Kushiro Airport '' (Tancho means red-crownded crane in Japanese) and there are many local people who love red-crowned cranes so much!

On the way to Lake Akan, you can sometimes see wild red-crowned cranes!

But if you don't want to miss them by any means! or if you want to learn more about the red-crowned cranes, you should definitely stop by the Akan International Crane Center!

It’s all about cranes!

If you are traveling from Kushiro City to Lake Akan, you will pass National Route 240.

When visiting the Akan International Crane Center, you will see this sign!

Many illustrations and symbols of the red-crowned crane can already be seen at the entrance of the facility.

Animal lovers will not be able to resist!

The museum not only has exhibition rooms and galleries, but also includes pictures of red-crowned cranes drawn by local students and their thoughts of the cranes' conservation efforts.

In the exhibition room, you can learn about the growth and the daily life of red-crowned cranes.

The most recommended section is the "Why are there so many red-crowned cranes living in Akan?

There you can learn about the geographical environment and ecosystem of Akan!

In fact, the red-crowned crane was nearly extinct, and thanks to the feeding activities carried out by local people in Akan or neighboring areas, the number of cranes today is gradually increasing!

After visiting the exhibition rooms and galleries, take a short break in the observation area!

While you take your time to look at the nature outside, you may even see a red-crowned crane flying by!

Once you walk outside the facility, enjoy the vast natural scenery in front of you!

From spring to fall, cranes can be found in the meadow behind this facility.

In winter, you can see such a beautiful view!

Snowfall and snow cover during the winter months drastically reduce the amount of food for the red-crowned cranes.

Instead, this facility provides feeding, and many cranes come here every day to have their ‘meals’!

However, the red-crowned cranes can still be seen in the summer!

There is a cage at the far end of the building, where three red-crowned cranes are living in good health!

When you see them up close, they are very large!

They are 1 to 1.5 meters tall, and when their wings are open, they are 2.4 meters long.

The Kanji for red-crowned crane is "tancho" (丹頂), which means "red color," and its name comes from the fact that it has a red head.


In this article, we introduced the Akan International Crane Center, where you can see the cute red-crowned cranes!

Highly recommended for bird watchers and animal lovers!


In the coming episode, we will introduce you to Akan Tancho no Sato, a roadside station where you can buy local foods and processed goods and learn about the history of Akan Town! Stay tuned!

Facility Information

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (Open everyday)

Price: Adult ¥480, Child (Elementary, middle school student) ¥250

Address: 23-40 Kamiakan, Akan-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido

Tel: 0154-66-4011

URL: target="_blank">https://aiccgrus.wixsite.com/aiccgrus/

Ticket information

■Where can I buy tickets? How is the opening time?

Tickets are available at the official website, hotels around Lake Akan, "Kamuy Lumina" Ticket Booth, and designated travel agencies.



Fees: Adults (junior high school students and older) 3000 yen / 3500 yen
　　　
Child (elementary school student) 1500 yen / 1700 yen
　
*Preschool children or below are free of charge.

Official website (Ticket purchase page): https://webket.jp/pc/ticket/index?fc=52386&ac=9000



Starting time changes depending on the sunset time. So be sure to check when planning your trip!



Event times:

May 13 (Sat) - August 9 (Wed) 19:30 - 21:00 ( Last start at 21:00)

August 10 (Thursday) - August 31 (Thursday) 19:00 - 21:30

September 1 (Friday) - September 15 (Friday) 18:30 - 21:30

September 16 (Sat) - September 30 (Sat) 18:00 - 21:30

Oct. 1 (Sun) - Nov. 11 (Sat) 17:30 - 21:00 ( Last start at 21:00)



This special website will provide information not only about "Kamuy Lumina", but also sightseeing information about the town, Lake Akan Onsen, where this event is held. Please check out the latest and seasonal recommendations here.



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We hope to meet you soon at the event of "Kamuy Lumina"!