Muroran
Discover Muroran
Located on a hook-shaped peninsula, Muroran is a declining industrial town and a fishing port, overshadowed on the tourist radar by the hot springs of Noboribetsu nearby. Still the headquarters of Japan Steel Works, employment at the mill has plummeted from tens of thousands to hundreds and the town has shrunk with it, losing nearly half its population since 1980. The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site, Otto! Muroran, with integrated machine translation.
Taste of Muroran...
Muroran's most famous dish is curry ramen, which is exactly what it sounds like: the unholy love child of Japanese curry with ramen.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsMuroran has two major stations. Roughly hourly Hokuto limited expresses between Sapporo (1 hr 15 min) and Hakodate (2 hr 30 min) stop at 42.348833141.0254171 Higashi-Muroran Station (東室蘭駅) on the eastern side of town, where you can connect to the JR Muroran Line for the final 10-minute trundle into 42.317992140.9744472 Muroran Station (室蘭駅) in the center of town. There are also around 5 Suzuran limited expresses daily directly from Sapporo to Muroran station. The Hokkaido Shinkansen, due to be completed in 2030, will tunnel through the mountains and bypass Muroran entirely, requiring a transfer at Oshamambe (1:30 away) instead. Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry operates a daily car ferry from Aomori (7 hours, from ¥5,090). Muroran's most famous dish is curry ramen, which is exactly what it sounds like: the unholy love child of Japanese curry with ramen....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Muroran's most famous dish is curry ramen, which is exactly what it sounds like: the unholy love child of Japanese curry with ramen.
Money & Budget
Muroran's most famous dish is curry ramen, which is exactly what it sounds like: the unholy love child of Japanese curry with ramen.