Rishiri Island, Japan, Guided Hiking Tour

Toshiya, an JMGA certified guide, wants to take you on a 1 day hike so you can explore the amazing Rishiri Island off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan.

1 Day

Jun - Aug

Intermediate

Beginner

Description

The beautiful Rishiri island, located off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan is a marvellous place visit. It is a small island, yet despite its small size it is absolutely full of gorgeous scenery. Thus making it the perfect place to enjoy a day long hiking tour.

While it could be easy to rent a car and see the entirety of the island in a few short hours, on this hiking tour, you will have the chance to thoroughly immerse yourself in it. You will have the opportunity to not only see, but to also learn and enjoy the lush, vibrant Rishiri island.

The trip will begin at approximately 8:30 am. We will meet at the Maruzen Inn. After the group is gathered, every participant will have to fill out the appropriate registration forms. After that, we will begin the wonderful hiking tour.

The first highlight of this hike is the Rishiri island’s virgin forest. Within the forest, I will take you to a special location that has an abundance of gorgeous alpine flowers. Midway through the trip, we will stop for a delicious and healthy lunch. Afterwards, we will continue exploring the island, passing by and enjoying 2 wonderful and famous springs. You will also have the chance to observe the island’s wildlife, and enjoy some truly memorable views of the island’s landscape, including Mount Rishiri, before the hike ends at approximately 5:00 pm.

The pace of the trip is easy and comfortable. Hence making it perfect for hiking beginners. So if you want to leisurely enjoy the Rishiri island in a way that you can really take in the beauty it possesses, then this day long hike is for you. Just send me a request, and I’ll be happy to guide you.

I can also guide you to the summit of Mount Rishiri on this day long hiking trip as well.

Price includes

Guiding fee

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.

Details

More info

This tour can be changed or cancelled due to weather conditions or other unforeseen events. The tour guide may change from Toshiya Watanabe to another equally qualified JMGA certified guide. Participants should bring with them the following items: hiking clothing and shoes, Rain wear, an empty water bottle that can be filled and refilled with fresh water, hat or cap, sunscreen, snacks, camera, pen and notepad in case you wish to take notes during the journey.

About the guide

-Toshiya

4.8

(24)

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

Massimo

Toshiya and the guys here are amazing. Both as persons and as guides. Wonderful experience and great times!

Chris

Toshiya is a perfect guide. His lodge is homely and welcoming and he knows the mountain extremely well. He is fun to ski with and will show you deep powder on storm days and beautiful runs with views of the mountain and ocean on clear days.

Davide

We had an amazing experience on Rishiri, perfect snow, good weather and a guide who knows the island like his pocket. The very steep slopes and the overwhelming nature satisfied every wish we had. We have been looking for a guided tour avoiding the normal tracks on Hokkaido and then saw the pictures of the floating mountain. And definitively the adventure included. We went to the southern part of the island, as Toshi-san knew that there would be the best snow conditions. The first 5km we have been toed in by a snow mobile and then climbed up a several times, riding different gullies each time. Toshi-san is an amazing person, always happy, friendly and very welcoming. As said before, he knows every bit of the island and guided accordingly bringing us to breathtaking places. We all would and will totally recommend him to friends visiting Japan. The reality was much better than expectations! We had some concerns regarding the weather conditions and difficulty but got lucky with the weather and never felt that Toshi chose a route too difficult. Rishiri is a floating mountain! Steep like in the Swiss alps, but just one single mountain, which makes the it much more imposant. On the sunny day, we could see the Sibirian mainland. What are your top 3 memories during the trip ? Riding very steep slopes in perfect snow, Toshi-san with his warm and welcoming attitude, and the travel to get there and back

Our two guides have been really great and showed us the beauty of Rishiri and Rebun Island by sharing their knowledge and passion. We did learn a lot about the flora on Japan's most Northern islands! Rishiri-Zan was a great, pleasant summer hike and must be beautiful and fun for ski touring in Winter time. thanks again!