My boss treated me to a delicious, expensive drink.

Yubari Melon Juice

Small, yet sweet and vibrant, Yubari offers travelers a fresh perspective and an invigorating experience.

Once a thriving coal mining town, Yubari is now famous for its “Yubari King Melon” and is steadily recovering. Melon season begins in early summer. At this year’s first auction in Sapporo, two melons fetched an astonishing 1 million yen. While this is down from last year’s record high, Yubari’s reputation remains unshakable.

In the fall, movie fans flock to the city. The 35th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival will be held from October 17th to 20th, 2025, with screenings at various venues throughout the city. This unique, community-based event is worthy of Yubari’s scale. Sophisticated genre film fans should mark their calendars.

To get to Yubari, take the train to the Sekisho Line area and then a bus. The Yubari Branch Line was discontinued in 2019 due to the shrinking of the city’s downtown. This closure diminished the city’s nostalgic atmosphere, but it has improved road access for tourists who want to explore the city.

Yubari is a good example of the “compact city” concept, which aims to make daily life more walkable, affordable, and sustainable by shrinking its urban area. The dense concentration of services, shops, and community spaces clearly demonstrates this concept. As the population continues to decline, Yubari is striving for quality over urban sprawl.

What to do? Start with something sweet. Enjoy melon parfaits, soft-serve ice cream, seasonal cakes, and more. Stroll through former mines and small museums to learn about history, then soak in hot springs. For accommodation, Hotel Mount Racey is located exactly halfway between the ski resort and hot spring town, offering easy access to the lifts in winter and the slopes in other seasons. A convenient base for many travelers, Yubari is the perfect day trip or quiet overnight getaway from Sapporo. Get a glimpse into Japan’s post-industrial future, sample Hokkaido’s seasonal fruits, and, if you’re lucky, join the locals for a cult film in a converted gymnasium. Moderate your expectations, and you’re sure to leave with warm feelings. Yubari isn’t grand, but it’s an honest city, and it might just be what you need right now.

Finally, we regret to inform you that our escort service does not offer outcall service in Yubari.

We are working hard to expand our nightlife and escort services in Sapporo, and we are working hard every day to be able to provide outcall escort services in Yubari in a few years.