5-day snowboarding trip in Rishiri Island, Japan

Discover the magical, remote Rishiri Island in Japan on a 5-day/6-night off-piste snowboarding tour along with JMGA-certified guide Toshiya.

Not specified

5 Days

Jan, Feb, Mar

Occasional

Beginner

Description

Looking for an exotic, world-class snowboarding experience? This trip is for you!

Rishiri is a circular island in the Sea of Japan, located off the coast of Hokkaido, the second largest island in Japan. Rishiri extends over 183 km2, and is known for the cone-shaped extinct volcanic peak of Mount Rishiri (1,721m).

Rishiri’s mountains offer beautiful views and amazing backcountry terrain for all levels, making the island a great destination for ski touring and snowboarding. I was born in Rishiri and have lived here all my life, so I will be pleased to guide you through its peaks and forests, to the best spots where to ride powder snow!

In order to make the most of our time and save energy for the snowboarding part of the trip, every morning we will travel long distances, across flat valleys, on snowmobiles. This will allow us to explore a big portion of the island and then ascend to the selected spots using splitboards.

I will have another mountain guide helping me lead this tour. We will split the group in twos based on acquaintances and/or skill level, and each of us will guide a subgroup.

Another exciting part of the trip is that you will spend the nights at a comfortable, traditional Japanese guesthouse (known as a ryokan) that my family and I own. An onsen (hot spring bath) and some delicious Japanese dishes will wait for you after each exhausting day, ensuring you enjoy a real Japanese experience!

While this is a 5-day trip, I recommend guests to arrive a day earlier and depart the day after the tour ends, staying in Rishiri for 6 nights (included in the tour’s price).

Rishiri is the mecca for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. Don’t miss this fun, top-notch experience! Send me your booking request now.

If you are interested in shorter tours in Rishiri, I also offer 1-, 3- and 4-day snowboarding trips. If you are looking for other winter activities in the island, I recommend the snowshoe trekking trip.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Accommodation included

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Price details

The price includes 6 nights of accommodation with breakfast and dinner. When booking, please note that the price depends on the size of the group at that time. If the group size is larger by the time of the trip, the difference will be refunded. If the group is smaller, then participants will have to cover the difference.

Bath Tax is included in the price

Details

Accommodation

Family guesthouse.

More info

I can help you with the transportation from the ferry terminal or the airport to the guesthouse, if needed.

Given there are no rental places in the island, you will need to bring all your snowboarding gear and safety equipment. Additionally, participants should have medical insurance, which should cover mountain rescue operations.

Winter temperatures in the island are around -5℃ and can feel below -15℃ due to strong winds.

Meeting point

You can fly from Sapporo's Okazu Airport to Rishiri Airport or from Haneda Airport to Wakkanai Airport, where you can come to Rishiri Island by ferry from Wakkanai. If you come by ferry we'll be able to pick you up at the ferry terminal for free.

About the guide

-Toshiya

4.85

(20)

Ski Guide

I was born on the island of Rishiri in 1969. I still live here today! Since my childhood, I have spent most of my time in the sea, going fishing, and in the mountain going skiing. I’m a ski guide (level 2) from the Japanese Mountain Guide Association. I’m the only one on the island. I have reached the summit of Rishiri more than 500 times… It’s my great pleasure to guide here and let people from all around the world discover this beautiful island all year round. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you are looking for a local expert to guide you in Rishiri. Besides mountain guiding, I'm managing a family hostel here so I can help you with the accommodation as well.

Languages

Japanese | English

Certificates

JMGA

What people are saying about -Toshiya Watanabe

denis joly

5.00

March, 2023

We had a great trip, no powder but fabulous Spring ski, thanks to Toshiya who is super friendly and excellent at picking the right route according to the weather especially in windy conditions. Thanks a lot

Mikko Vanska

5.00

March, 2023

Outstanding service in pension and guiding.

Ben Rowlinson

5.00

January, 2023

Had a great time on Rishiri with Toshi. He really knows how to make the best out of all weather conditions. Had some of the best skiing of my life, plus the food was great!

Angela Gillespie

5.00

April, 2021

If it were possibke to award 100 Stars I would !

Davide Jacks

5.00

March, 2020

The traveller did not leave a comment.

M. R. Grimshaw

5.00

March, 2020

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Joel Schy

5.00

January, 2020

Toshi is world class from pick-up to drop-off. Very friendly, very professional and he knows Rishiri inside out. His guest house is outstanding and the food they serve like nowhere else. Will be back very soon!

Anonymous

5.00

April, 2019

Toshi and his crew gave us a truly remarkable experience! From the food to the accommodations to the epic skiing: this trip was out of this world!

Chris Pierce

5.00

March, 2019

Toshi and his staff are great! Very knowledgeable of the local terrain. Definitely recommend bringing a group of people with similar abilities and objectives. If you end up in a mixed group they do their best, but they have to slow the pace to the least experienced people in the group. The accommodations at the pension were very comfortable and the staff was excellent as well. Food was fantastic, including several unique and authentic Japanese dishes.

Paul Johnston

5.00

March, 2019

We had a great trip to Rishiri! The snow gods were not on our side but Rishiri is a mountain of many slopes and aspects and thanks to a great guiding team we always managed to find good snow! Toshi ran a great operation with 3 other guides which meant we were split into two groups with a max of 9 per group and two guides. This allowed the group to be split even further on the day... Special thanks to Shohei and Kosukei - very professional guides!! Arigatou-gozaimashita!!

Bruce Barnett

4.00

February, 2019

I recommend this trip for any backcountry skier who likes to ski Japan powder. Toshi has a great set up with snow mobiles for initial access and a large variety of steeper terrain for skinning up and skiing down. Can suit a range of wind directions and conditions. The accommodation is new and comfortable and the Japanese dinners and breakfasts are great if you like seafood. There is also an onsen there. Unfortunately we were there at a time when there was no new snow however this was compensated for with the magnificent views we had if Rishiri mountain and surrounding islands.

Craig

3.00

February, 2019

I can not rate Toshiya because he was not our guide. Our experience was marred by a void of communication prior to the trip. We never recieved email or other communication prior to our trip, despite frequent requests. Simple questions like, "Do we need crampons?" were unanswered. The day before our arrival, we called Toshiya (whos phone number was being withheld). He was unaware of what day we were visiting, he did not know how many days or how many people in our group.

Elisabeth Smajda

5.00

January, 2019

English very limited. But otherwise the experience, the accommodation, the snow, the place and the guide were truly amazing!

Nick Oats

5.00

March, 2018

Toshi and his team are fantastic - great guiding and accom, and Rishiri has some amazing terrain for backcountry ski/snowboarding.

James Ramsay

5.00

February, 2018

One of the best trips I have ever done. One of the most beautiful places I have visited in Japan and the rest of the world. Toshi is an exceptional guide, is an expert on the islands skiing and has a fantastic set up including accomodation. His pension is perfect for daily excursions into the backcountry. I cannot recommend this trip enough except that I don't want eveyone else to know about this very special place.