Townapedia
江差町 - panoramio
江差町 - panoramio · 百合の國, CC BY 3.0
Esashi Shinkin
Esashi Shinkin · アラツク, CC BY-SA 4.0
Esashi Nishin Soba
Esashi Nishin Soba · Hhaithait, CC BY-SA 3.0
Remote view of Esashi Station 2013-09-17
Remote view of Esashi Station 2013-09-17 · A_CUVE, CC BY-SA 2.0
Michinoeki Esashi
Michinoeki Esashi · Him56, CC BY-SA 3.0
Warship Kaiyo Maru in Dordrecht August 1866
Warship Kaiyo Maru in Dordrecht August 1866 · Handelende voor het Japanse Gouvernement, Voorrekening..., Public domain

Esashi, Japan

江差町

Esashi is a town of 8,117 people in Hokkaido, Japan, founded in July 1, 1900.

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Population8,117 GeoNames
Local name江差町
RegionHokkaido
Elevation24 m 79 ft
FoundedJuly 1, 1900
Time zoneAsia/Tokyo
Land area109.5 km²
Nearest airportHakodate Airport (HKD) 59 km

Why visit Esashi

Townapedia lists 20 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 64 places to eat, 14 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Hachiman Dake, Kaiyo Maru and 旧檜山爾志郡役所.

About Esashi

Esashi (江差町, Esashi-chō) is a town in Hiyama Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Hiyama Subprefecture.

From the Wikipedia article Esashi, Hokkaido (Hiyama) (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do5

Hachiman Dake

Scenic view · 8.6 km

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元山

Scenic view · 5.8 km

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天狗岳

Scenic view · 6.7 km

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笹山

Scenic view · 7.0 km

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鴎島灯台

Lighthouse · 1.2 km

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Museums and landmarks20

Kaiyo Maru

Monument and historic site · 0.9 km

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旧檜山爾志郡役所

Museum · 0.6 km

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Kaiyo Maru Memorial Museum

Museum · 0.9 km

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アネロイド気圧計

Monument and historic site · 0.6 km

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かもめ島

Monument and historic site · 1.3 km

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勝山館跡

Monument and historic site · 7.1 km

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勝山館跡ガイダンス施設

Museum · 7.4 km

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千畳敷

Monument and historic site · 1.3 km

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弁慶の足跡

Monument and historic site · 1.3 km

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折居社跡

Monument and historic site · 0.6 km

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旧JR江差駅記念モニュメント

Monument and historic site · 0.7 km

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旧江差駅

Monument and historic site · 0.7 km

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8 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds8

天の川ふれあい広場

Playground · 6.6 km

字大留

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Ikkyuu Park

Park

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Kyuusokawa Park

Park · 0.7 km

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えぞだて公園

Park · 1.4 km

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松ノ岱公園

Hiking and trails

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江差町水堀町民プール

Sports field and stadium · 8.2 km

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海水浴場

Sports field and stadium · 1.0 km

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茂尻児童公園

Playground

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Restaurants and cafes64

お好み焼き ホームラン

Restaurant · Japanese

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つるみ食堂

Restaurant · Japanese

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どばそば 和屋

Restaurant · Japanese · 6.4 km

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ひのき亭

Restaurant · Japanese

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やまげん

Restaurant · Japanese · 0.6 km

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よし膳

Restaurant · Sushi

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パレス

Restaurant · Italian

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ラーメン 千里

Restaurant · Japanese

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ラーメンめんぞう・焼き肉上ノ国

Restaurant · Japanese · 6.5 km

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味処うめ津

Restaurant · Japanese

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夷王亭

Restaurant · Japanese · 6.6 km

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夷王寿司

Restaurant · Sushi · 6.5 km

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52 more on the map.

History

In the Edo period, Esashi grew wealthy as a herring fishing town. The town's prosperity coined a saying, "Even Edo is not as busy as Esashi in May" and visitors to the town described the herring as being so plentiful that it turned the color of the sea white.

Several Meiji-era residences of those who grew wealthy on the trade are preserved in the town today, including the Sekikawa family country house and the Nakamura family house. The majority of Esashi's historic buildings are located on Esashi Inishie Road.

The fisheries failed around the turn of end of the 19th century and the town tried to replace its major industry with tourism. The town advertised itself using the Min'yo classical Japanese folk song, the main part of which was originally from the village of Oiwake in central Japan, but became known as Esashi Oiwake as the town's version gained renown.

1955: Esashi Town and Tomari Village were merged to form the new town of Esashi.

From the History section of Esashi, Hokkaido (Hiyama) on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay14

Churches and places of worship26

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Shopping12

Gas and EV charging4

Schools, colleges and libraries10

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Healthcare8

Map of Esashi

171 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Hakodate Airport (HKD) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 59 km away.

  • Kaminokuni 7 km south, about 7 min by car
  • Hokuto 42 km east, about 42 min by car
  • Yakumo 45 km north, about 45 min by car
  • Honchō 47 km east, about 47 min by car
  • Matsumae 48 km south, about 48 min by car
  • Hakodate 51 km east, about 51 min by car
  • Shikabe 60 km east, about 1 h by car
  • Setana 69 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Oshamambe 75 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Muroran 87 km northeast, about 1 h 30 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 5, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.