Overview
The name is Ainu for the end of the earth, and the far end of the peninsula has no road at all — it is reached by boat or on foot with a guide. The brown bear density is among the highest in the world, which shapes every rule here: the Five Lakes boardwalk is electrified against bears, and the ground-level loop closes or requires a guide during the bear season from May to July. Drift ice arrives in late January and allows walking on the sea in a dry suit.
Highlights
The elevated boardwalk to the first lake is open all year without a guide and gives the view of the peninsula’s mountains over the water. Boat trips along the roadless coast in summer are the reliable way to see bears from a safe distance. Come in February for the ice, in June for the flowers, and expect the peninsula road to close entirely in winter.