Wakkanai is the northernmost city in Japan, located at the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula on Hokkaido. It serves as the primary gateway for the Hakodate–Wakkanai ferry route and the Wakkanai Tsubasa Express to Rumoi, connecting the Japanese mainland to northern Hokkaido. The city is also the starting point of the Wakkanai Line, the northernmost railroad in the country, and features the Wakkanai Hoshino Hotel alongside its historic waterfront.