Wakkanai is the northernmost city in Japan.
It has a population of about 42,000, and is in the subdistrict
of Soya in northern Hokkaido.
Wakkanai's tiny airport (WKJ) fields regular flights to Sapporo
and Tokyo (Haneda), with additional summer-only services to
Nagoya and Kansai. The airport is 20 minutes away from Wakkanai
station by bus.
The JR Soya Honsen line connect Wakkanai to Asahikawa. There
are two stations in city limits, Wakkanai itself as well as
Minami-Wakkanai to the south. Three
daily Super Soya and Sarobetsu Limited Express trains make
direct runs from Sapporo in 5-6 hours, at a hefty price
(~¥10000). There is no charge to use this train with
the Japan Rail Pass.
There are two islands off the western coast of Wakkanai,
called Rebun and Rishiri, accessible by ferry.
Wakkanai is
about 40 km from Sakhalin, a Russian island, and can be
seen on clear days. There is a ferry that can be taken from
Wakkanai to Sakhalin: it lands at a harbor far more distant,
approximately 300 km away. The ferry takes about 6.5 hours.
In some Japanese
dialects, wakkannai happens to mean "I don't understand"
(or wakaranai in standard Japanese). You can thus expect
to get some ribbing if you answer questions like "Where
are you?" with "Wakkanai"!
Ryuhyo (floating ice) is of interest in winter, and occurs
either in February or March. It is ice that drifts in from
the sea. Dog sled races are also held in February.
Wakkanai has a variety of stores and bars, a shopping mall,
and a bowling alley. It does not have a movie theater, probably
due to the fact that it is a small city, and movie theaters
in Japan are expensive, one ticket costing 1800 yen (about
15-16 American dollars).
Wakkanai is known for its variety of seafood. Catching and
selling sea-dwelling creatures (fish, crab, octopus, et
cetera) may be considered the industry in Wakkanai.
There are three large hotels in Wakkanai, the ANA hotel,
the Wakkanai Sun Hotel and the Dormy Inn. The Wakkanai Sun
has free wifi in the lobby, however non smokers be warned,
every room is a smoking room.
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