Rishiri & Rebun Islands

Rebun, Japan's northernmost ‘island of flowers’, and Rishiri with its ‘Rishiri Fuji’ — summer brings alpine flowers everywhere and ultra-fresh sea urchin bowls, all reachable by ferry from Wakkanai.

Rishiri and Rebun lie in the Sea of Japan west of Wakkanai at Hokkaido's northern tip, and both belong to Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park. Rishiri is essentially a single conical volcano, the 1,721 m ‘Rishiri Fuji’, circled by a road of about 60 km. Its main gateway is Oshidomari Port on the north shore, with ferries also calling at Kutsugata Port on the west coast. Highlights include climbing Mount Rishiri, the mountain's reflections in Lake Himenuma and Lake Otatomari, and the lava coastline at Senposhi on the southern tip. A cycling path runs around the island, so you can spend a day by bike or take a sightseeing bus tour of about 3.5 hours. Rebun, about 10 km west of Rishiri, is known as the ‘Floating Island of Flowers’: thanks to its high latitude, more than 300 species of alpine plants bloom on its low grassy slopes. Around Kafuka Port in the south are the Momoiwa Observatory, the Momoiwa Observatory Course and Neko-iwa (Cat Rock), while the north has Cape Sukai, Cape Sukoton and Cape Gorota, linked by the Misaki Meguri (Cape Tour) hiking course. Seasons: June–August is flower season and peak season, with highs of around 20°C; sea urchin season runs June–September, and bowls of purple and bafun sea urchin are a must. Flights drop sharply after October, and winters are cold, windy and snowy. Getting there: Heartland Ferry sailings from Wakkanai take about 1 hr 40 min to Oshidomari and about 1 hr 55 min to Kafuka, and about 45 minutes between the two islands. Rishiri also has an airport with summer flights from Sapporo. Spend a night on each island, 2–3 days in total. Fog is common on both islands, so build some slack into your plans and book accommodation in advance.

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Where to eat

Itineraries