About Us
@ The Hokkaido Wilds

About Us

HokkaidoWilds.org is a not-for-profit website, run by volunteers, that exists to inspire people to explore and enjoy the outdoors in Hokkaido and surrounding areas in an informed and responsible way by ski, bicycle, foot and canoe.

Inspiration

We strive to share images that will inspire people to visit and explore all corners of the great outdoors in Hokkaido and surrounding areas (here’s our Instagram).

Information

We hope the route guides and English-language topographical maps we produce will give spatial context, promote awareness, encourage safety, and facilitate informed access to the great outdoors in Hokkaido and surrounding areas (have a browse of the routes).

Education

We seek to educate outdoors-people about Hokkaido’s unique cultural, historical, legislative and natural environment in order to encourage exploration with context (see our Education tagged posts).

Collaboration

We connect, network, and work alongside Hokkaido outdoor industry stakeholders in the promotion of sustainable and safe access to the Hokkaido outdoors (we’re part of the Hokkaido Outdoor Network).

Open access

HokkaidoWilds.org exists as a non-profit, open-access platform committed to free cultural works and access to the outdoors for all (see our Foundation and licensing details).

Founded in November 2018 by a Hokkaido resident from New Zealand, and supported by a number of Hokkaido local tourism associations and NGOs, we currently have over 300 ski touring routes, bicycle touring routes, hiking routes, and canoe routes on the site, with one new route added weekly. We also have detailed information about most of the backcountry huts in Hokkaido available for use by the public. All route documentation, from planning, photography, to written details, is researched and produced by the volunteer HokkaidoWilds.org team (see them below).

HokkaidoWilds.org Goals
By 2025, our goal is to have written detailed online routes guides for the following in Hokkaido and surrounding areas: 150 ski touring routes, 120 hiking routes, 50 canoe routes, and 120 bikepacking/cycle touring routes. Our aim is for at least half of those routes to be multi-day routes.

What’s special about Hokkaido?
We agree with others that Hokkaido is the adventure capital of Japan. It’s Japan’s largest prefecture and northern-most island, and at about 500km from north to south and east to west, Hokkaido covers an area only slightly less than Iceland. Best known for its apocalyptic powder-snow winters, it’s also home to vast networks of remote gravel forestry roads, great high-alpine traverse hiking, and pristine waterways. Historically, culturally, geographically and climate-wise, it sits at the southern reaches of the great Okhotsk basin – Kamchatka, Siberia, the Kurils, Sakhalin, Hokkaido. For the prepared traveler, expedition-style travel here is well within the realm of feasibility. Access from Hokkaido to surrounding areas – such as Tohoku in northern Honshu and Sakhalin Island to the north – is relatively easy too.

Indigenous place names
HokkaidoWilds.org is committed to acknowledging the historical and contemporary indigenous Ainu heritage of Hokkaido. On all mountain, river, and lake routes posted on the site, we try to research and display Ainu names for the destination.

We’re safety focussed
At HokkaidoWilds.org we take pride in going beyond just inspiring Instagram photos. We strive to provide the sort of depth of information that makes adventure in Hokkaido more accessible and safer.

  • Location-based search (find routes near you).
  • Detailed route guides plus photos.
  • GPX and KML route files for GPS navigation.
  • Printable GeoPDF topographical maps – can also be used for navigation using smartphone apps.
  • Official topo map references.
  • Trailhead locations including public transport information.
  • Hokkaido mountain hut information (https://hokkaidowilds.org/huts).
  • Campsite locations and details.
  • Onsen hotsprings nearby each trailhead and campsite.
  • Safety tips and frequently asked questions, etc.

Hokkaido Wilds is a non-profit initiative
In order to support Hokkaido and surrounding areas’ local groups and organizations achieve the goal of providing sustainable, responsible, and safe access to the outdoors, we are pledging 100% of revenue from the Hokkaido Wilds website to a fund dedicated to financial support for those groups.

Keeping Safe in the Hokkaido Outdoors

Hokkaido Wilds Updates and Press Releases

Authors

Rob Thomson is a Kiwi, and co-founded HokkaidoWilds.org with Haidee as a space on the web for their Hokkaido adventure stories, originally posted on 14degrees.org. He still holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey by Skateboard (12,159km). He also previously cycled 12,000km from Japan to Switzerland. He works at Hokusei Gakuen University (Associate Professor, Media & Communications – lab website). Member of Steering Committee for Hokkaido Outdoor Forum. Vice-chairperson of Hokkaido Outdoor Network.

Haidee is a Kiwi, and is co-founder of HokkaidoWilds.org. She has lived in Hokkaido for almost 10 years, having lived and worked in Sapporo, Niseko, Muroran, and Chitose City. Keen on the outdoors and birdwatching, Haidee planned most of the multi-day cycle touring routes on The Hokkaido Wilds, including campgrounds, daily distances, and onsen hotsprings. Haidee is a Ph.D.-holding associate professor of applied linguistics at Hokusei University.

Rick is originally from the UK and has lived and worked in Japan for 20 years, 10 of those in Hokkaido. In that time he has hiked, biked and skied over much of the island. He’s also an anthropologist who spent his early career working with the Ainu indigenous people of Hokkaido. Even before his adventures in Hokkaido, he had passed more years than he would like to remember tramping the bogs of his native Peak District and the wild hills of Scotland, and trekking in the mountains of Europe and the Himalayas.

Chris Auld is a Kiwi (from Rotorua, NZ) living in Asia. As a whitewater kayaker, mountain biker and skier with a cabin in Hokkaido he’s keen to share both high adventure and family fun trips here on Hokkaido Wilds. Chris is a qualified ski guide, avalanche and whitewater rescue technician, outdoor first-aider and he makes a mean backcountry jet-boil wagyu shabu-shabu.

Hugo is a long-time Niseko resident, originally from the south of France. He started kayaking age 8 in his local kayaking club in France and has paddled in more than 15 countries around the globe in search of beautiful whitewater. As the owner-operator of Niseko Flyfishing and Tenkara, and as an avid kayaker and river guide, he lives and breathes rivers in Hokkaido.

Rob Thomson is a Kiwi, and founded The Hokkaido Wilds as a space on the web for his Hokkaido adventure stories, originally posted on 14degrees.org. He still holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey by Skateboard (12,159km). He also previously cycled 12,000km from Japan to Switzerland. He holds a Ph.D. in Behavioral Science, and currently works at Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo City as an associate professor in media and communications (specializing in Internet pschology – lab website).

Haidee is a Kiwi, and has lived in Hokkaido for almost 10 years, having lived and worked in Sapporo, Niseko, Muroran, and Chitose City. Keen on the outdoors and birdwatching, Haidee planned most of the multi-day cycle touring routes on The Hokkaido Wilds, including campgrounds, daily distances, and onsen hotsprings. Haidee is an associate professor of applied linguistics at Hokusei University Junior College.

Rick is originally from the UK and has lived and worked in Japan for 20 years, 10 of those in Hokkaido. In that time he has hiked, biked and skied over much of the island. He’s also an anthropologist who spent his early career working with the Ainu indigenous people of Hokkaido. Even before his adventures in Hokkaido, he had passed more years than he would like to remember tramping the bogs of his native Peak District and the wild hills of Scotland, and trekking in the mountains of Europe and the Himalayas.

Chris Auld is a Kiwi (from Rotorua, NZ) living in Asia. As a whitewater kayaker, mountain biker and skier with a cabin in Hokkaido he’s keen to share both high adventure and family fun trips here on Hokkaido Wilds. Chris is a qualified ski guide, avalanche and whitewater rescue technician, outdoor first-aider and he makes a mean backcountry jet-boil wagyu shabu-shabu.

Hugo is a long-time Niseko resident, originally from the south of France. He started kayaking age 8 in his local kayaking club in France and has paddled in more than 15 countries around the globe in search of beautiful whitewater. As the owner-operator of Niseko Flyfishing and Tenkara, and as an avid kayaker and river guide, he lives and breathes rivers in Hokkaido.

Rob Thomson is a Kiwi, and founded The Hokkaido Wilds. He still holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey by Skateboard (12,159km). Member of Steering Committee for Hokkaido Outdoor Forum. Vice-chairperson of Hokkaido Outdoor Network.

Haidee is a Kiwi, and has lived in Hokkaido for almost 10 years. She is the brains behind planning of most of the multi-day cycle touring routes on The Hokkaido Wilds.

Rick is originally from the UK and has lived and worked in Japan for 20 years, 10 of those in Hokkaido. In that time he has hiked, biked and skied over much of the island. He’s also an anthropologist who spent his early career working with the Ainu indigenous people of Hokkaido. Even before his adventures in Hokkaido, he had passed more years than he would like to remember tramping the bogs of his native Peak District and the wild hills of Scotland, and trekking in the mountains of Europe and the Himalayas.

Chris Auld is a Kiwi (from Rotorua, NZ) living in Asia. As a whitewater kayaker, mountain biker and skier with a cabin in Hokkaido he’s keen to share both high adventure and family fun trips here on Hokkaido Wilds. Chris is a qualified ski guide, avalanche and whitewater rescue technician, outdoor first-aider and he makes a mean backcountry jet-boil wagyu shabu-shabu.

Hugo is a long-time Niseko resident, originally from the south of France. He started kayaking age 8 in his local kayaking club in France and has paddled in more than 15 countries around the globe in search of beautiful whitewater. As the owner-operator of Niseko Flyfishing and Tenkara, and as an avid kayaker and river guide, he lives and breathes rivers in Hokkaido.

Contributors

Contributors are those who have helped The Hokkaido Wilds happen with photos, know-how, gear and stories. We’re super proud of the international team of contributors, without whom this site would waay less interesting.

Greg and Mari - Hokkaido Wilds Canoe Advisors

Greg (CA) and Mari (JP)

Greg and Mari are one of the most prolific Canadian canoeing couples in Hokkaido, with a host of multi-day canoe trips under their belt. Hokkaido Wilds leans heavily on their experience and knowledge when planning canoe trips.

Domi is an award-winning graphic designer, based in Poland. She’s also a passionate outdoors-person. She created the look-and-feel/visual branding of the Hokkaido Wilds, along with custom graphics.

Andrew Tranter (AUS)

Andrew is a self-proclaimed ski-bum, but behind the scenes is a talented and experienced systems engineer who we’re thrilled to have on board making sure all our website content gets delivered to users around the world reliably, efficiently, and fast.

Timbah Bell is from Aspen, USA, and lives in Shimukappu Village in the Hidaka Range. He’s a keen outdoors instructor, with numerous sea kayak, sailing, ski, trekking, and bicycle expeditions under his belt. He has led and instructed expeditionary skills courses for over 10 years.

Danielle Mitchell UX Intern

Danielle Mitchell (NZ)

Danielle is a UX Intern, currently based in Stockholm, Sweden. She is helping us out by listening to HokkaidoWild.sorg users and their experiences on the site, in order to get insight into how we can make the site better.

Joe is a talented digital artist, best known by his moniker @joekkaido. He has produced some custom badges for special routes on HokkaidoWilds.org. He also produces art for @twinmoonsupply.

Palm Equipment Japan has given us great support in our Hokkaido sea kayaking documentation project, with gear that helps keep us safe and comfortable on the water.

Biwako Canoe Center is one of Japan’s largest importers of foreign-made kayaks and canoes. They’re based just north of Kyoto, near Lake Biwa. They gave us a generous discount on a new sea kayak.

A.k.a. The Hokkaido Bush Pig. As the most experienced and prolific foreign mountain guide Hokkaido has known, Leon provided a wealth of insight early on when we were starting our Hokkaido exploring. He now lives in New Zealand.

Guide House Canoa is a Canadian canoe guiding service on Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaido. They ooze passion for everything canoeing. They provided us with two amazing Nova Craft Prospector 16 canoes for our Hokkaido canoeing project.

Micro Raft Systems (MRS) is a premium packraft manufacturer based in China’s wild and mountainous Sichuan Province. MRS provides us with lightweight durable gear to explore Hokkaido’s remote waterways.

Stay North Adventure Co. is a booking site providing access to down-to-earth cabins around Hokkaido for adventure-seekers. They’ve allowed us to crash at their pads in Niseko and central Hokkaido. 

Donors

Donors are awesome people and organizations who have helped us out with financial support in some way. Read more about how to help here.

Many thanks also to: Fabio Souto.