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Half-day trekking in Mount Pon in Rishiri, Hokkaido

Rishiri Island

Join Toshiya, a JMGA mountain guide, on a half-day trek among nature in Mount Pon, a small hill in the remote Japanese island of Rishiri.

Not specified

1/2 Day

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Open to everyone

First Time


Description

Rishiri —and its neighbor island, Rebun— are Japan's northernmost islands, lying about 20 km off the coast of Hokkaido. Come and discover Rishiri's natural scenery on this half-day trek!

I propose to take you to Mount Pon, a small 444 m mountain right behind Mount Rishiri (the main volcano at the center of the island). Pon means 'little' in Ainu, the Japanese indigenous peoples' language.

This is a tour designed for you to observe and listen to the sounds of nature, while walking at a relaxing pace and enjoy talking to each other. In the island, we'll meet at Maruzen Inn, Reramosir. After a short stop at Hokuroku Camp site, we will start our tour. We'll be walking on a paved moderate incline trail on the rich forests of Rishiri.

Then, we'll get to Kanrosen spring (Nector or tasty water fountain) and fill up our water bottles! Up from there, we'll start walking on a mountain trail.

We'll be walking for about 1 hour, spending some quiet time in nature and observing the beautiful seasonal alpine flowers. From Mount Pon we'll enjoy a 360 degree panoramic view (although this may depend on the weather!). The trip will have a total length of 2.5 hours.

Would you like to take a relaxed hike and enjoy the natural beauty of Rishiri island? Send me a request and book this trip!

I can also recommend you other activities in Rishiri and Rebun islands, please check out this 2-day sea kayak tour on Rebun island.

Price includes

- Guiding fee


Details

More info

This tour can be guided by me or one of my partners.
What to bring:
- Clothes and Shoes for easy mountain climbing - Backpack - Trekking shoes - Rain wear (both tops and bottoms) - Hat/Cap - Empty Water bottle for filling up fresh water at the spring in the mountain - Sunscreen - Camera - Pen and note (option for alpine flower observation)

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

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.


 

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