Kobunkan (Harbor Rest House)

Kobunkan is a compact, two-story harbor rest house located along the Kushiro River. The charming red brick structure is a reconstruction of the Kushiro Shinbun (newspaper) office building, originally built in 1908. The first-floor cafe offers drinks and light meals with a beautiful view of the sea. The second-floor features exhibitions about Ishikawa Takuboku (1886–1912), a renowned Japanese poet who worked as a journalist at Kushiro Shinbun for a short time. His statue stands outside the building and his poems are written on large stones around Kushiro City. The harbor rest house provides information on Kushiro’s modern history, including old town photographs.