The White Road in Wakkanai: How to Find the Start and Drive It

The White Road is a 3-kilometer gravel road in the Soya Hills, just south of Cape Soya in Wakkanai, paved with crushed scallop shells. The white line cutting through the green hills, with the sea beyond, is one of the most unusual views in Hokkaido. It is free to drive, but the start is easy to miss, and car navigation sends you to the wrong end. Here is how to find the right entrance, and the rules to follow once you are on it.

1What is the White Road?

Wakkanai is a fishing town, and Soya scallops are its best-known catch. For years, the shells were simply thrown away. Looking for a way to reuse them, the shells were crushed and spread on a road through the Soya Hills, and the result was the White Road. On a clear day, the white of the road, the green of the hills and the blue of the sea are at their most vivid.

2How to find the start of the White Road

The city asks everyone to drive the White Road in one direction: from the start on the Cape Soya side, gently downhill to the finish in Soya, a small coastal village south-west of the cape. That way the road mostly runs downhill with clear views ahead.

The catch is that car navigation tends to route you the other way, from the Soya village end. So do not just enter "White Road":

• Start from Cape Soya. The start is about 10 minutes by car from the cape, up in the Soya Hills behind it.
• Do not navigate straight to "White Road"; head for Cape Soya first.
• Wakkanai City has made a short official video that shows the drive from Cape Soya to the start: How to get to the White Road (YouTube, in Japanese). The narration is in Japanese, but you can follow the turns from the pictures. It is worth watching before you set off.

Start from Cape Soya:

3Five rules for driving the White Road

Wakkanai City asks visitors to follow five rules:

1. Enter from the start on the Cape Soya side.
2. Use the toilets around Cape Soya first; there are none on the way.
3. Drive slowly and give way. The road is narrow.
4. Never walk into the pasture. The fields are working farmland.
5. Drive slowly through Soya village at the finish, where people live.

There is no car park. If you want photos, stop briefly in one of the passing places without blocking other cars.

4When is the White Road open?

From late April to mid-November; it is closed in winter. Check the Wakkanai tourism site for the latest.

5Near the White Road

Cape Soya, the northernmost point of Japan's main islands, is where the drive starts.

Cape Soya: The Northernmost Point of Japan and the View to SakhalinA local's guide to Cape Soya in Wakkanai, the northernmost point of Japan's main islands: the monument, seeing Sakhalin, how to get there from Wakkanai, parking and what to wear.

In Wakkanai, Cape Noshappu in the north-west of the city is the place for the sunset over Rishiri and Rebun islands, and for dinner, Urokotei serves octopus shabu-shabu, thin slices of local octopus swished in hot broth, the town's specialty.

My guide to the drive from Sapporo up the Ororon Line coast road ends with Cape Soya and the White Road the next morning.

Sapporo to Wakkanai by Car: The Ororon Line Coast Road to Cape SoyaDriving from Sapporo to Wakkanai up the Ororon Line, the Sea of Japan coast road, from a Sapporo local who did it: the stops, the closest view of Rishiri Island, sunset at Cape Noshappu, and Cape Soya and the White Road the next morning.

6FAQ about the White Road

Q1. Where does the White Road start?

In the Soya Hills on the Cape Soya side, about 10 minutes by car from the cape. Head for Cape Soya first rather than navigating straight to "White Road", which tends to route you in from the wrong end.

Q2. Can you drive the White Road?

Yes, in a normal car, from late April to mid-November. Drive slowly, give way and stay out of the pasture.

Q3. How long is the White Road?

About 3 kilometers.

Q4. Is there parking at the White Road?

No. Stop briefly in the passing places for photos.