Mó Zhōu Hú レストハウス

This is the third observatory of Lake Mashu. There used to be a second observatory, but it seems to be gone now. The reason is unclear. The third observatory is truly just an observatory, with no other facilities, including toilets. However, the view of Lake Mashu from here is highly recommended. You can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire lake.

I went to a restaurant on the 5th and final day of my family trip to Shiretoko to celebrate my 60th birthday. We left Utoro and encountered a lot of fog! I thought we wouldn't be able to see the beautiful scenery, but we pushed through the fog anyway, only to realize it was impossible. Feeling disappointed, we headed to Lake Mashu, hoping to see some cute squirrels behind the rest house. However, we found out that the back was under renovation and we couldn't go there. The squirrels were gone due to the renovation. What a shame! We decided to cheer ourselves up by having some delicious Yubari melon at the rest house. It was so tasty! They were selling cut melons cheaply because they couldn't sell them whole when they were ripe. I highly recommend it! We also discovered a one-cup potato shochu highball here, which we hadn't noticed at other roadside stations. Shiretoko is known for its Baron potatoes, and I was sure the distillery only produced shochu. I ended up buying 5 cups without hesitation! We enjoyed them at home and they truly tasted like potatoes. On a side note, while driving around the Shiretoko Peninsula, we saw quite a few deer in the vast potato fields.