Muroran

Understand

Located on a hook-shaped peninsula, Muroran is a declining industrial town and a fishing port, overshadowed on the tourist radar by the hot springs of Noboribetsu nearby. Still the headquarters of Japan Steel Works, employment at the mill has plummeted from tens of thousands to hundreds and the town has shrunk with it, losing nearly half its population since 1980.

Tourist information The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site, Otto! Muroran, with integrated machine translation.

Getting there

By train Muroran has two major stations. Roughly hourly Hokuto limited expresses between Sapporo (1 hr 15 min) and Hakodate (2 hr 30 min) stop at 1 Higashi-Muroran Station on the eastern side of town, where you can connect to the JR Muroran Line for the final 10-minute trundle into 2 Muroran Station in the center of town. There are also around 5 Suzuran limited expresses daily directly from Sapporo to Muroran station. The Hokkaido Shinkansen, due to be completed in 2030, will tunnel through the mountains and bypass Muroran entirely, requiring a transfer at Oshamambe (1:30 away) instead.

By ferry Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry operates a daily car ferry from Aomori (7 hours; from ¥5; 090).

See

Chikyu Misaki - A scenic cape with a lighthouse. Hakucho Bridge - The largest suspension bridge in eastern Japan. Senkai Temple

Eat

Muroran's most famous dish is curry ramen, which is exactly what it sounds like: the unholy love child of Japanese curry with ramen.

1 Ajinodaiō Muroran Honten. W-M 11:00-15:00. The original inventors of curry ramen. Now franchised around the city, but this unassuming shop is the original. Curry ramen ¥930. (updated Mar 2024)

Go next

Noboribetsu — one of Japan's largest hot spring resorts, only 15 minutes away by train Shiraoi Tomakomai Chitose Date Toyako Sobetsu Kuromatsunai Oshamambe