If you visit the Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido in the east, one of the best places to go is the Genseikaen, or “primeval flower garden”, near Koshimizu. Koshimizu Genseikaen is a beautiful natural park that stretches on a thin piece of land between Lake Tofutsu and the Okhotsk Sea. A genseikaen (原生花園) is an area of untouched land that features the only native plants of Hokkaido.

Among the flowers you will find here are Siberian lillies, Yellow Day lillies, Arctic Irises, Japanese Roses and Chocolate lillies. There are over 200 kinds of wild flowers that bloom from May to September, with the best viewing time being from mid-June to the end of July.

Koshimizu’s Genseikaen has a couple of notable features in addition to its location. Due to the hills, there are amazing views of the surrounding area, the coast and the nearby Shiretoko peninsula (although there are better views at the Furetoi Observation Deck in nearby Hama-Koshimizu).

Additionally this primeval park also has one of Japan’s most photogenic railway stations, so many train station enthusiasts also come to photograph this one-platform, one-track station.

If you are a horse lover, this area is also big into horse farming, given free reign across the many fields leading to the interior of the island.

Getting there

You can easily drive along Route 244 from Abashiri. It will take you about 20 minutes.

Alternatively you can take the bus to Koshimizu from Abashiri Bus Terminal, which will take approximately 30 minutes and cost ¥890. You can also take the train on the local Semmo Line from Abashiri station. This will take approximately 30 minutes and cost ¥440. The bus is more frequent, so definitely take that into consideration.

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