Discover Niikappu

Niikappu brings together nature watching, horses, and music history. At Hangandate Forest Park, the focus is on walks and wildflowers or birds; Yuushun Tower offers views of the Pacific Ocean, mountains, and pastureland. Other highlights include a horseback riding experience, a large record collection, and horse racing memorabilia. If you are looking for a hotel in Niikappu, you can use your interests as a starting point: which aspects of the town would you most like to discover during your stay?

Park trails and views

Hangandate Forest Park covers about 66 hectares and includes Cape Hangandate, which faces the Pacific Ocean. You can walk along the trails and observe many kinds of wildflowers and birds. The area gives you a sense of the park’s scale, while the wildlife mentioned offers specific nature-related themes for your walk.

Yuushun Tower is 36 meters high, and its 360-degree observation deck is 25 meters above the ground. From there, the view takes in the Pacific Ocean, the Hidaka Mountains, and pastures where thoroughbreds graze. Two distinct perspectives stand out: trails through the park for discovering wildflowers and birds, and the elevated deck for sweeping views of the mountains and pastureland.

Meet horses and plan stud farm visits

Niikappu Horoshiri Riding Club offers horseback riding experiences; visitors can also feed the horses carrots there. Separate guidelines apply to visits to Niikappu’s thoroughbred stud farms. For information, contact the Racehorse Hometown Information Center rather than the stud farms directly. Many stud farms do not allow visitors in order to prevent illness and accidents; some accept visitors on a voluntary basis. The guidelines for stud farm visits are separate from the riding experiences offered by the club.

Records, horse racing, and a festival

Niikappu Record Hall displays historically valuable gramophones and early records as rare cultural artifacts. It opened in 1997 as a central facility of the “Town Development through Records and Music” project. Two notable figures mark the growth of the collection: before the opening, more than 300,000 records were sent in from across Japan; in May 2017, the collection reached one million. Donations stopped being accepted in June 2017. The submissions before the opening and the later collection total represent different milestones.

Yushun Memorial Hall focuses on horse racing. The memorabilia on display includes winner’s sashes from the Arima Kinen, racing silks, commemorative photos, and messages from fans. The Hangandate Procession is another cultural highlight: it takes place during the Niikappu Furusato Festival.

A local specialty

Sarabred Roadside Station Niikappu is next to Yuushun Tower. It offers Piman soft serve ice cream, which is available exclusively at this location. As product offerings may change, check whether it is still available before planning a visit.

Discover more destinations: Abashiri, Ashibetsu, Menashi District, Kiyosato, Teshikaga, Makkari, Hidaka, Akkeshi.

For the broader travel overview: Hokkaido.