Kushiro

A crane paddles in the water. A 50 minute drive from kushiro lies the quaint village of tsurui, home to multiple spots ideal for crane watching. Otowa bridge is great for early risers when, just after dawn, tancho can be seen in the adjacent river, remaining for a short time after roosting here at night due to the relative safety of the river. Shari bus and akan bus operate four buses per day between utoro and rausu via shiretoko pass from mid june through september. The one way trip takes about 50 minutes and costs 1380 yen. Kushiro

Lake akan is about 75 kilometers north of central kushiro. Car rental outlets are available at the airports, in kushiro and in abashiri. Akan bus runs a few buses per day between kushiro and lake akan in the park's western portion year round, as well as a few infrequent bus lines around kawayu, lake mashu and lake. Lake mashu, one of the clearest lakes in the world; Kushiro (釧路) is a port city in eastern hokkaido. The city is well known for kushiro shitsugen, japan's largest marshland. As a major fishing port city, kushiro is naturally renowned. ¥ 6,000 (expressway tolls) driving between sapporo and kushiro via expressways takes around four hours. The regular expressway toll around 6000 yen one way. Above fees and schedules are subject to change. Be sure to check current yen exchange rates. From the airport, buses make the trip into the city center in about 50 minutes and for 940 yen. Bus departures are timed to flight arrivals. Alternatively, a rental car is a convenient way to access the area and beyond. The kushiro marshland (釧路湿原, kushiro shitsugen) in hokkaido was designated as a national park in 1987 in order to preserve the country's largest wetland and marsh habitat which supports the only known population of endangered japanese cranes in japan. Kushiro