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Dddeco / CC BY-SA 3.0
Bibai Miyajima Wetland
美唄宮島湿原Hokkaido
Come in the last two weeks of April or between late September and mid-October — outside those windows this Ramsar marsh holds no geese at all, and in midsummer it is simply a quiet pond. At the spring peak, 40,000 to 70,000 greater white-fronted geese and up to 10,000 whooper swans roost here on their way to Kamchatka, and the mass fly-out just before sunrise, with snow still on the Kabato mountains behind, is one of Japan's great wildlife sights. Even in season the timing is unforgiving: the birds leave before dawn to feed in the surrounding rice fields and return only at dusk, so a midday visit sees an empty marsh. The Miyajimanuma Waterfowl and Wetland Center (9:00-17:00, closed Mondays) extends its hours and opens its restrooms early during the peak.
- Best season
- Spring · Summer
- Spring and early summer for birdwatching
- Crowd level
- Hidden gem
- Rating
- 4.5· 329 reviews
- Opening hours
- Seasonal — see below
- Admission
- Free wetland viewing area; no fee schedule found.
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
FreeClosures
- Wetland open 24 hours; nature centre 9:00–17:00, closed Mon
How to get there
From Sapporo Station · ~1h 3m by car
Tags
naturewildlifesanctuary
Location
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