Wakkanai Park, Urban park in Wakkanai, Japan

Wakkanai Park is an urban park sprawled across a hillside with views of the Soya Strait, covering approximately 45 hectares. The grounds feature walking trails, gardens, a memorial museum, and several observation platforms.

Wakkanai Park opened in 1961 on a hillside above the Sōya Strait. In 1956 a training centre for Sakhalin huskies bound for Antarctic expeditions was set up here, and from 1960 to 1963 the park gained its memorials: the Sakhalin dog monument, the Karafuto Islanders Memorial (Gate of Ice and Snow) by sculptor Hongō Shin, and the Nine Maidens of Maoka statue.

The Gate of Ice and Snow, formally the Karafuto Islanders Memorial, was made by Sapporo sculptor Hongō Shin in 1963. Its central figure is a woman with her face to the heavens, hands to the earth and back to Sakhalin. A peace memorial ceremony is held here on 20 August.

The park is easily accessible from Wakkanai Station and welcomes visitors year-round. Trails are clearly marked, and you should allow time to visit the observation points and indoor museum spaces.

The Sakhalin husky monument singles out Tarō and Jirō, two sled dogs trained in the park who survived a year in Antarctica after the 1958 expedition was abandoned; a memorial tower nearby honours dogs that died on such missions.