Wakkanai
landmark
稚内
Japan's northernmost city with Cape Soya, Soviet-era architecture, and vast peatland wetlands.
Wakkanai sits at the northern tip of Hokkaido, closer to Sakhalin Island than to Sapporo. Cape Soya, a short drive from the city, is the northernmost point on the Japanese mainland. The city's most unusual landmark is the North Breakwater Dome, a Soviet-inflected concrete colonnade built in 1938 to shelter the ferry terminal from Okhotsk Sea storms. In summer the surrounding Sarobetsu Wetland blooms with rare wildflowers across a wide flat landscape that feels nothing like the rest of Japan. A destination for those who want to reach an edge.
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