Imagine a place far away from mainstream Japan and that’s what Rishiri Island and Rebun Island are.

Two small remote places in the most northern part of the country, where a relaxed pace of life and lack of foreign tourists await.

Small fishing villages, friendly people, a hot spring bath surrounded by cherry blossom trees, an extinct volcano looming out of the sea.

You get the idea. Welcome to the Rishiri and Rebun Islands.

It’s a designated national park and is the perfect place to escape from the busy cities in Japan and take things slower.

They are popular islands in the summer months with Japanese tourists, but you will see little foreigners.

This is basically a photo essay to show you what they are like.

For those interested in a guide on getting there, camping conditions, getting food supplies, hiking etc, you can find all the information at the bottom of the post.

If you are planning to move around quite a bit in Hokkaido then take a JR Hokkaido Rail Pass to get around by train.

This is true of the-beaten-path travel in Japan at Rishiri and Rebun Islands.

Rishiri Island and Ruben Island

Rishiri Island

The extinct volcano on Rishiri Island is seen from Rebun.

It’s like a mini Mount Fuji coming up from the sea.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom with Mount Rishiri in the background.

If you visit in mid-May you can see them. Small parks are covered with blossoms and they appear in many private gardens all over.

The southern part of Rishiri is one of the most relaxed areas.

Hidden shrines can be seen.

One of the main reasons people come to Rishiri is to hike up the mountain.

It can be hard going, and as it was visited in the middle of May there was still snow on the upper reaches, and impassable without proper gear.

When it comes to mountains it’s always better safety first. However, if you are there at that time of the year you can still get a decent way up for a view.

Snow is seen halfway up, which is hard to traverse with all the trees buried around and knee-deep snow in parts.

A steady climb.

Halfway up you get a view across to the smaller Ruben Island in the distance.

A small shrine surrounded by cherry blossoms in the southern part of the island. Come in April to mid-May for cherry blossoms.

A good way to see the island is to walk around it.

It’s 53km in total so can be done in 2 good days of walking with camping overnight halfway.

You will see small fishing communities at work and quiet small bays to relax in.

Two women attend to the fishing gear.

They use net cages like these to hang the fish. The nets are to keep out seagulls and crows.

Seaweed drying on the pavement at a fishing village in the south-west of Rishiri.

In the two main ports of the island are the bigger fishing boats that head out to deeper sea. Take a walk down the docks and eat some fresh seafood.

I’ve had some of the best sushi in Japan there.

You will come across laid-back parks in the typical Japanese style.

A small shrine juts out on a rock by the sea. They pray for the fishermen at sea.

The first glimpse of Mount Rishiri coming in on the ferry.

It’s a beautiful sight.

Rishirifuji Onsen (hot spring)

One of the delights of travelling in Japan is the hot spring baths you will find. There’s one on Rishiri that’s perfect. You can’t take photos inside the onsen as everyone is naked so imagine this.

The day is coming to an end and your muscles are a little sore from hiking. You enter the outdoor pool of the onsen and descend into the hot therapeutic water, all troubles easing away, a deep sigh.

Steam from the water blows around in front of you from the cool breeze as you look up and see a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, its petals gently falling around.

Beyond that alpine trees ascend upwards until you see the peak of the snow-capped mountain.

The sun is casting its last light on the slopes as a full moon rises to take its place above Mount Rishiri.

Naked. Relaxed. Warm. In awe at nature. At one with the world around you.

That’s exactly how it is. In cherry blossom season in mid-May. Well at any time of the year, minus the cherry blossoms.

Tempted?

Find places to stay on Rishiri Island here

Rebun Island

Rishiri is certainly the bigger and more busier island of the two.

Get onto Rebun Island and things really slow down. You will see the same small fishing ports and communities, especially along the east coast.

Although it doesn’t have a mountain in the middle of it you get great views across to Mount Rishiri.

The coast on the west side is more rugged and quiet compared to Rishiri and you can catch some great sunsets in the far north.

This is almost as far as you can go at the tip. This is one of the farthest points north in Japan.

Cliffs look over the sea offering some good hiking on the top.

But beware of strong winds, it’s very easy to get blown over there.

The most northern point of both islands. You will find a small cafe there for a good coffee and a nice view.

Mount Rishiri is seen in the far distance from atop a cliff.

The centre of the island has rolling hills but stick to the path as that terrain is not easy to walk across.

An abandoned fishing area. Due to the sometimes severe weather, buildings can take a battering, and there are plenty of deserted ones scattered about the coast on both islands.

Hanging fish heads dry by someone’s house.

If you stay at the campground in the north you will be next to a quiet lake with not much noise to disturb you.

You never get bored of the view towards Rishiri.

I spent a total of 11 days on the islands and loved it.

It’s not only one of my favourite places in Japan, but after over 20 years of travel, I will definitely be including this as one of the places I will escape to again in the future.

Guide to Rishiri and Rebun Islands

This part is where I will go into exact details about the trip to the islands to help you plan a trip there. This would probably be boring if you just wanted to see what the islands were like.

But if you’re curious about going find out how.

First of all I highly recommend camping when there. You’re on quiet chilled-out islands so it’s perfect for it, but also way cheaper than hotels.

Camping will set you back around $5 a person/tent whereas the average hotel room is $50.

If you have no camping gear and are coming to the islands for at least a few days, you could just buy a really cheap tent and sleeping bag in Sapporo and save yourself some money.

You could always sell the gear on to other travellers when done.

Otherwise, check for places to stay in Rishiri and Ruben here at my favourite hotel booking site for Japan.

Getting To Rishiri and Rebun Islands

You can fly into Sapporo for quite cheap from Tokyo ($50 average) and then take a bus north to the small city of Wakkanai. There you will need to spend a night before getting the ferry the next day.

I took the bus at 10.30 in the morning from Sapporo using the Soya Bus near the TV tower in the centre. It took 6 hours to reach Wakkanai and cost $60.

I went to Rebun first and paid around $20 for the ferry to the main port at Kafukamura. You can then take a bus to the north or walk it.

It takes just over 4 hours walking and you pass by quaint fishing villages. Although you’re walking along the ring road of the island there are not many cars and you’re by the sea.

I hitch-hiked the rest of the time on the island when on the roads.

From Rebun I paid just under $9 to take the ferry to Oshidomari town on Rishiri Island. From there back to Wakkanai is again around $20.

I walked most of the time on Rishiri island, except one day when I took a bicycle out for a ride to a well-known ramen place there.

Camping And Hiking In Rishiri-Rebun National Park

This was all in May.

I spent a total of 11 days on both islands and for 7 of those days I was the only person at the campgrounds as it was still early in the season. I was on Rebun Island for 4 days and Rishiri for the rest.

One thing to be aware of on these islands is the weather as you can get very strong winds at any time.

Also, the weather is fickle with one moment being a very sunny day and the next being drowned out in non-stop rain.

It rained for 2 days on Rebun which was ok as it actually added to the remote feeling of the place.

On Rishiri I was blessed with no rain for 7 days and mostly sun.

However, 3 of those days had very strong winds.

Rebun Island

I stayed at the campsite in the northern part of Rebun and it cost around $5 a night per person with a tent.

From there you can easily walk out to various trails in the north or hitch down to the central area to hike there.

There is a Seicomart supermarket in Kafukamura but you don’t need to carry food supplies as there are 2 small supermarkets in Funadomari in the north where the campsite is next to.

There is also an international ATM at the JP post office there.

Rishiri Island

I stayed at the YU-NI campsite in Oshidamari and recommend it.

It’s up on a hill looking down onto the sea with plenty of space and right next to the onsen (hot spring), and only a several-minute walk into town and 30 minutes to the start of the trailhead for Mount Rishiri.

As mentioned I was there in mid-May and there was too much snow on top for a safe ascent.

You could always risk it but I was happy enough with the view halfway, and the going got really hard after that.

Make sure to get some food from the small bakery in town next to the bookstore, which is on the main road from the ferry terminal to the Seicomart. Get there at 11 for freshly baked warm goodness.

There are Seicomart supermarkets around the island in Oshidomari, Katsugata, and Oniwaki. So again like on Ruben you don’t need to carry food all over as you can easily restock.

The island is 53km in diameter and I walked it in just over 10 hours with my backpack and camping gear. 4 hours the first day and 6 the next. I’m a very fast walker though.

Like Rebun there are small fishing villages on the road around the island. I liked the southern part best as it was less busy.

Whatever you do don’t think that you’re escaping purely into nature as the main towns are built up with all modern conveniences.

However, all of the towns and villages are located by the sea and there are no settlements inland as it is a national park. That’s where you will find the nature.

But the coast is one of the best things about the islands.

Rishiri Island and Rebun Island

The friendliness of the people and the relaxed/remote island life along with the fishing is what made the islands great for me. The walking/hiking around was just the bonus.

Hopefully, you will feel the same if you make it there.

Enjoy it if you do!

Take a look at some of the best books about Japan to read.

If you’re interested in more of Japan take a look at my Japan guide.

If you want an in-depth detail of the region and Japan then get the Lonely Planet Japan guidebook.

Share this Rishiri Island and Ruben Island advice:

Keep updated with new articles by email.

SUBSCRIBE!

You have Successfully Subscribed!