Japan's Far North 5 Day Hiking Tour

This tour kicks off in Wakkanai, the northernmost city in Hokkaido and Japan. Once everyone is together, we will hold a short meeting to introduce ourselves and brief everyone on the upcoming adventure. We then catch the ferry to Rebun Island at around 2:00 pm and in just under 2 hours we will arrive on Rebun, nicknamed the ”floating flower garden”.

Japanese flower lovers flock to this island each June to admire the rare alpine flowers that can be found at unusually low elevations. Later in the season, we are still able to enjoy our island adventure without the crowds but the remnants of summer can still be felt in the warm water and long twilight.

After getting off the ferry, we’ll set off to our accommodation on the coast, where we’ll settle in for the next two nights.

Today we will explore the northern part of Rebun Island starting from Cape Sukoton. The cape is at the northernmost end of Rebun Island, overlooking small rocky islands dotted in the blue ocean extending to the north. On a clear day, you will be able to catch sight of Russia’s Sakhalin Island over La Pérouse Strait. This is as far north as you can get!

We’ll enjoy walking on the scenic coastal trail exploring Cape Gorota and Cape Sky. The blue sea that hugs rocky coves and the fishing villages here and there provide a unique island hiking experience.

Once we complete the walk, we will travel by van to hopefully see more of Rebun’s flora and fauna. Cape Kaneda-no-misaki is our favourite location to spot wild seals, which are often seen sunbathing on rocks on a fine day.

This morning we will explore the southern part of Rebun Island, hiking along the Momoiwa Trail. The trail starts near the ferry terminal and takes us down to the southern tip of the island. This popular trail provides unique scenery combining the ocean, rugged coastline, neighbouring Rishiri Island and colourful flowers along the trail.

Once we finish the walk, we will have lunch near the ferry terminal before catching an early afternoon departure for Rishiri Island. The forty-minute ferry ride takes us to a completely different landscape; Rishiri is literally an island volcano with a summit of 1,721m above sea level.

We will spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the native conifer forest at the foot of Mt. Rishiri and Hime Numa, a famous little lake that reflects Mt. Rishiri on its mirror-like surface.

If the weather permits, we’ll take on the challenge of climbing the 1,721m high Mt. Rishiri, also known as Rishiri-fuji. The island climate makes Rishiri-fuji a difficult peak to reach as it can be extremely windy and cold at any time of the year. Japanese hikers who are determined to conquer the peak often stay on the island for a week, waiting for the ideal weather conditions to hike the mountain.

If the weather is not fit for climbing Mt. Rishiri we will aim to summit Mt. Chokan, just below 1,200m , before retreating to the onsen hot spring at the foot of the mountain.

Tonight we dine out at a local izakaya bar-restaurant to celebrate our final night on the island.

We have our final meal together at our hotel then board the ferry departing for Wakkanai in the morning. We will say our goodbyes at Wakkanai Ferry Terminal at around 2:00pm.

If you wish to extend your stay on Rishiri Island, perhaps to enjoy guided sea kayaking or a fishing tour, we can help to arrange your post-tour accommodation and other activities. Please indicate if you would like to extend your stay at the time of booking.