Yubari

Yubari (夕張) is a city in Sorachi, Hokkaido.

Understand

Yubari is a coal mining town famous for melons, a film festival and staggering rates of depopulation. When the mines closed in 1980s, the town shrank from a peak of 120,000 down to about 6,000 and still dropping, a 95% collapse unmatched even in Japan. With a median age of 65, also the highest in Japan, a turnaround is unlikely anytime soon.

Tourist information site

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

Get in

The Yubari branch line closed in 2019, leaving the town with no train service. The closest station is the misleadingly named Shin-Yubari (新夕張), 16 km away, which has services from Sapporo every two hours or so, with connecting buses to town.

Alternatively, take a direct Hokkaido Chuo Bus from Sapporo.

See

• 1 Yubari Coal Mine Museum (夕張市石炭博物館), 7‐1 Takamatsu, ☏ +81 123 52 5500. (updated Mar 2022)

Do

• Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Mount Racey Ski Area, 2 Chome-4 Suehiro, ☏ +81 123 57 7766. Ski resort. "Racey" is an Anglicized name for marketing purposes. Proper transliteration is Mount Reisui (冷水山). Day pass at ¥5,100 for adults and ¥3,100 for child. (updated Mar 2022)

Buy

Yubari Melon

Yubari is famous for the Yubari Melon, the very best of which are sold in the department stores of Tokyo for north of ¥10,000 each. In season (May to August), you can buy less perfect specimens for about ¥1000 per melon.

Even outside season, you will not be able to miss one of Japan's most bizarre mascots, the Melon Kuma bear, whose melon-helmeted raging maw adorns all sorts of souvenirs ranging from keychains to underpants.

Eat

• 1 Yubari Yatai Village (ゆうばり屋台村（バリー屋台）), 1 Chome-81 Suehiro (Across from the old JR Yubari station), ☏ +81 123 52 0230. Small food court with a couple of restaurants. (updated Mar 2022)
• 2 Orenchi (俺家), 3 Chome-71 Honcho, ☏ +81 123-52-2670. M-Sa 17:30-23:00; Su 17:30-21:00. Izakaya restaurant. (updated Apr 2022)
• 3 Nonkiya (のんきや), 1 Chome-52 Honcho (Walk 15 mins north from old Yubari train station). F-W 11:30-14:30. Ramen restaurant. ¥600 (as of 2018). (updated Apr 2022)

Sleep

The only hotel in the city, Hotel Mount Racey (Reisui), announced "temporarily" closure in March 2020 due to COVID-19. It has not reopened since.

Go next

• Shimukappu
• Mukawa
• Atsuma
• Minami-Furano
• Furano
• Ashibetsu
• Iwamizawa
• Kuriyama
• Yuni

Routes through Yubari

N S ← Chitose ←

W  E

→ Shimukappu → Obihiro