Kushimoto Marine Park
Kushimoto’s waters are home to some of the world’s northernmost table coral communities. Tropical fish and corals can survive here because of the Kushiro Current which brings warm waters from the southern oceans. Kushimoto Marine Park includes a research center, an aquarium, an undersea observation tower, and an underwater sightseeing boat, allowing you to view the local marine life. An on-site sea turtle sanctuary protects the area’s turtles and their eggs from predators.
The Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation of wetland areas, protects some of the coast here and the coral communities within it. Around 120 different kinds of coral live here, including varieties of table coral, as well as clownfish (Amphiprioninae), neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis), and butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae).