（Photograph: Taken on August 2, 2025）

The Kushiro Port Festival is a summer tradition that has continued to this day, beginning with the 50th Anniversary Kushiro Port Opening Festival held in 1948 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Kushiro Port.
Today, the festival is held over three days starting on the first Friday of August. I visited on Saturday, August 2, the second day of the event. On this day, the Kushiro Port Boat Rowing Race took place at Nusamai Bridge, while food stalls, panel exhibitions, and public ship tours were held at the Kushiro Port Seismic-Resistant and Passenger Ship Terminal.

A video of the Kushiro Port Boat Rowing Race has been created. The audio captures the rowers’ fighting spirit, giving the video a strong sense of excitement and realism.

2025.08.02 Kushiro Port Festival – Kushiro Port Boat Rowing Race　Kawatabi Hokkaido YouTube URL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwdM2X0CAg

The rowing race rules are as follows:
Each race consists of three boats, with six rowers per boat. The course requires boats to row 100 meters to a designated turning flag near Nusamai Bridge and back, for a total distance of 200 meters. Any boat that exceeds five minutes is timed out. Teams come not only from Kushiro but from across Hokkaido. This year saw 81 teams, an increase of 15 teams compared to last year, showing how the event continues to grow in popularity each year.

Around the port area, various events were held for festival visitors, including a public tour of the research and survey vessel Hokushin-maru. It was an impressive and powerful-looking ship.

Manhole cards featuring the red-crowned crane (Tancho) motif were also distributed. Since it was a special opportunity, we each received one as a souvenir—children would especially enjoy them.

Panel exhibitions showcased regional projects within the Kushiro area, including river improvement works in the Kushiro River basin, the Kushiro–Akan expressway project, agricultural infrastructure development, and the Kushiro Port logistics terminal. It was a valuable opportunity to learn about the wide range of initiatives underway in the region.

Map Code for Kushiro Port Seismic-Resistant and Passenger Ship Terminal:
149 225 477*07