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.

Do

 * Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival

Buy


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.

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