Day Trips from SapporoKamui Kaigan Park on Rishiri Island: Open a Live Sea Urchin and Eat It on the Shore
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- 2,000 yen for one purple sea urchin you open yourself; tools included, come empty-handed
- Walked in without booking and waited about 5 minutes; 30 minutes for the experience, an hour with the terrace
- Open June 1 to September 30, 9:30 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00); May is by reservation only
- About 10 minutes by car from Kutsugata; park in front of the black KAMUI distillery building
At Kamui Kaigan Park on the west coast of Rishiri Island, you crack open a live sea urchin with a fisherman's tool, scoop out the orange roe and eat it on the spot, a few steps from the sea. It costs 2,000 yen and takes about 30 minutes. I did it on a weekday morning in late June 2026 without booking, then stayed on the terrace looking out over black lava rocks; from parking to leaving took an hour.
Kamui Kaigan Park opening season and hours
Kamui Kaigan Park, which calls itself Kamui Seaside Park in English, is a small hands-on spot on the shore where the main thing to do is open and eat a sea urchin. It is open every day from June 1 to September 30, 9:30 to 16:30, with last entry at 16:00. In May, only people with a reservation can do the experience (Kamui Kaigan Park, as of November 2026).
Sea urchin experience: price, booking and how long it takes
The sea urchin experience (uni muki, "sea urchin opening") is 2,000 yen per person, tax included, for one purple sea urchin (kita-murasaki uni). All the tools are included and lent to you, so you can come empty-handed. You can book on the official site, and a session lasts up to 30 minutes (Kamui Kaigan Park, as of November 2026).
I went on a weekday in late June without a booking. The group before me was just finishing, so I waited only about five minutes, and from the counter to the last bite took about 30 minutes including that wait. After that I looked at the view from the terrace. I arrived at 10:10 and left at 11:10, an hour in all.
How to get to Kamui Kaigan Park and where to park
It took me 10 minutes by car from my hotel in Kutsugata, the town on the west side of the island where hotels and restaurants are. Kutsugata is about 10 minutes from Rishiri Airport, so driving straight from the airport takes about 20 minutes, through Kutsugata.
The parking lot is right in front of a black building marked KAMUI, which is a distillery.
You check in for the sea urchin experience at a different building, the one with banners outside.
How the sea urchin experience works
When it starts, the staff bring out the sea urchins in a basket. They were alive, and their spines were still moving.
You crack the shell with the tool and scoop the roe out with a spoon. The park's site says the tools are the real ones fishermen use.
I ate it straight away, and it had a gentle, broth-like, clean saltiness. The staff said that a sea urchin tastes of what it eats, and Rishiri's feed on Rishiri kombu and other seaweed, so they have no fishy smell. Watch out for the crows nearby; they were after the sea urchins.
Catching your own sea urchin from a boat
On days with good weather and calm seas, you may be able to start by catching the sea urchin yourself from an isobune, a small fishing boat moored at the shore. The price is the same, and whether it runs is decided on the day by looking at the sea and sky, so the staff tell you when you arrive; they can't answer in advance (Kamui Kaigan Park, as of November 2026).
The terrace over the lava shore
After the sea urchin, I spent 20 to 30 minutes on the terrace by the shore. It looks out over black lava rocks and the sea beyond them.
Mt. Rishiri is on the land side. It was cloudy that day, and only the lower slopes of the mountain showed.
The park's site calls this area Kamui Terrace and says it is lit up at night (Kamui Kaigan Park, as of November 2026).
Other things to do at Kamui Kaigan Park
Besides the sea urchin, there are two more things to do (Kamui Kaigan Park, as of November 2026). The Rishiri kombu souvenir workshop uses one whole sheet of Rishiri kelp to make three kinds of souvenirs to take home; it is indoors, so it works on a rainy day, and it costs 2,000 yen per person for up to 30 minutes. Crab fishing is free, with tools you can borrow.
Before you go, it helps to know how the experience compares with a sea urchin bowl at Isoyakitei by the ferry terminal:
Rishiri Uni (Sea Urchin): When It's in Season, What It Costs and Where to Eat ItWhen sea urchin is in season on Rishiri Island, what a raw sea urchin bowl cost on the day I went, and how it compares with opening a live sea urchin yourself at Kamui Kaigan Park, from a Sapporo local.
FAQ about Kamui Kaigan Park
Q1. Do I need to book the sea urchin experience?
Not from June to September. I walked in and waited about five minutes. You can also book on the official site, and in May it is by reservation only.
Q2. When can I do the sea urchin experience?
June 1 to September 30, 9:30 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00), every day in that period (as of November 2026).
Q3. How much does it cost?
2,000 yen per person for one purple sea urchin, with the tools included.
More on Rishiri Island
Kamui Kaigan Park was the first stop on the last morning of my two-night drive around the island, before heading back toward the airport. Here is the whole route with times and costs.
Rishiri Island Itinerary: 2 or 3 Days Around Mt. Rishiri by Rental CarA Sapporo local's Rishiri Island itinerary by rental car, with real times: flights from Sapporo, picking up the car at the airport, Himenuma Pond, Cape Peshi, sea urchin season and prices, where to stay, costs, and a shorter 1-night version.