Utoro Onsen Town

Utoro is the larger of Shiretoko's two gateway towns, sitting on the Sea of Okhotsk at the mouth of the Perepi River. The harbor handles both the salmon fleet and the sightseeing cruise boats that run up the peninsula to Cape Shiretoko (no road exists past the cape). The ryokan strip backs onto a sodium chloride spring; several baths overlook the harbor. The Utoro Onsen Visitor Center handles bookings for the bear-watching guides at Five Lakes.