Article

01578 ／しらおいちょう

Hokkaido 白老郡

Shiraoi Town

A natural river was the outpost's moat.

Shiraoi Sendai Domain Jinya Site

Photo by AITNIM (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Traditional Ainu dance

Among the protecting groups of nationally designatedTraditional Ainu Dance is one in Shiraoi.

Traditional Ainu Dance is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, designated across 15 cities and towns including Sapporo, Shiraoi and Biratori, and inscribed in 2009 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. One of its protecting groups is the Shiraoi ethnic performing arts preservation society.

Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (1984)
Spans 15 cities and towns
UNESCO Representative List, 2009

02 ／ Poroto Forest

To protect a colony of mizubasho skunk cabbage,the Do-O Expressway was built without piers.

According to the town, mizubasho skunk cabbage grows in a colony near the floating bridge in Poroto Forest, and to protect it the Do-O Expressway was built without support piers. The forest is one of the "100 Best Walking Paths" chosen by the Yomiuri Shimbun in 2002, three of them in Hokkaido.

Skunk cabbage near the floating bridge
100 Best Walking Paths (2002)
3 sites in Hokkaido

03 ／ Inkura Falls

A falls called "Betsubetsu" until the early Showa erais now called Inkura Falls.

Inkura Falls in Shiraoi Town — Photo by Tomo200006 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The falls are about 44 m high and 10 m wide. Until the early Showa era, local people called them "Betsubetsu Falls"; after an incline, a powered cargo car on rails laid on the slope, was installed, they came to be called Inkura Falls, the town explains. The town also presents them as one of Japan's 100 Best Waterfalls.

About 44 m high, 10 m wide
Former name "Betsubetsu Falls"
Japan's 100 Best Waterfalls (town)

Shiraoi Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot September–October 2019)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

Six stations of the JR Muroran Main Line lie in the town.

about 20,000 people
Rural district town

In JR Hokkaido's timetable (October 2026 issue), the stations in the town are on the Muroran Main Line: Kita-Yoshihara, Shiraoi, Shadai, Takeura, Hagino and Kojohama. The timetable for the Limited Express Hokuto and Suzuran lists Shiraoi Station.

People living here: 16,212people
Area: 425.63km²
Households: 7,688households
Rent (average for rentals): 33,120yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 5 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —5 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 5 municipalities.

Shiraoi Town in Japan42.551°N 141.356°E

Territory of Shiraoi Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

29.7km

Noboribetsu City, Chitose City, Tomakomai City, Date City, Sobetsu Town

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Shiraoi Town isthis kind of town.

01Shiraoi Sendai Domain Jinya Site is a National Historic Site, the remains of the Shiraoi base the Sendai Domain began building in 1856, with a natural river as its moat and earthworks around its inner and outer compounds
02The Shiraoi ethnic performing arts preservation society, one of the protecting groups of the nationally designated Traditional Ainu Dance, is based in the town, and the designation spans 15 cities and towns
03There are Poroto Forest, where the Do-O Expressway was built without piers to protect a mizubasho colony, and Inkura Falls, called Betsubetsu Falls until the early Showa era

See the town as it is now.

Facebooktown.shiraoi ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shiraoi Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes