Utoro is a small fishing town on the western shore of the Shiretoko peninsula, which pokes out into the Sea of Okhotsk like a thumb at the north-eastern tip of Hokkaido. The name Shiretoko comes from an Ainu phrase meaning the place where the earth ends, and it feels like it. The peninsula is covered in dense forest and rugged volcanic mountains, with almost no roads, and it holds one of the densest populations of brown bears in the world. UNESCO added it to its natural World Heritage list in 2005, for the way the cold sea and the land are tied together by salmon, bears, sea eagles and drifting ice.
Utoro is the main base for visitors, with a harbour, a few hotels and guesthouses, souvenir shops and seafood restaurants. There is fuel here, which matters, because the next supply is across the peninsula at Rausu, so fill up. The town also serves as the departure point for boat trips along the coast, where you may see brown bears on the shore in summer, as well as whales and dolphins further out. Look for the Oronko Rock, a lump of basalt rising from the shore, from which people watch the sunset.
For riders, the road starts gently, running beside the coast, with the sea on one side and forest on the other. Traffic is light, but in summer tourist coaches use the road, and wildlife can be a hazard. Deer cross the road often, foxes are common, and brown bears, though rarely seen from the road, are a real presence. Do not stop to feed or approach any animals. Early morning and late evening are the most active times for wildlife.
Local food focuses on the sea. Salmon, sea urchin, crab and scallops are served fresh in season, and the salmon-roe rice bowls are a speciality. The climate is cool, even in summer, with sea fog in the afternoon, and winters are harsh, with drift ice arriving off the coast. The riding season is short, from late spring to autumn.