Rishiri Island cycle path (Hokkaido, Japan)and took in the largely untouched beauty of the south-western side of the small island, punctuated only occasionally by sleepy fishing villages.
If it hadn’t been so windy, we would have gone for a swim.
The mission for today was to catch a 40 minute ferry ride to Rebun Island. We made it with plenty of time, but for the first time in almost a week, the sun was out and it was scorching hot. This made the ferry terminal a stressful hot environment as we lined up to buy our tickets.
We were soon on our way…
and exited the ferry on Rebun Island to be greeted by another world: Much fewer tourists, and an end-of-the-world feeling.
At the other end of Haidee’s confused gaze was a group of fur seals. The amazing thing was there were groups of seals all along Rebun’s eastern coast; the first time I have seen seals in such numbers in Japan.
We had almost missed this bit of coast. Our destination for the day was a campground at the northern end of Rebun Island (the island is only 30km long), and there are two ways of getting there: A shorter inland route, and a longer coastal route. The coastal route paid off. We set up camp at the Kushuko-han Campground and headed into the nearby village of Funadomari for a soak in the public baths (which were scalding hot!).
2 thoughts on “Japan Far North: Day 5 (Rishiri Island to Rebun Island)”
We camped at a sheltered site at the Midorigaoka Park Camping Ground. They have wooden platforms so you don’t need to camp on the grass. There’s a cooking shelter with electricity.
It was Saturday when we reached Rebun. In summer that means there’s often a matsuri / festival in the evening. The helpful camp manager directed us to the (free) bus to Kafuka, where there was taiko drumming, games for the kids, and lots of food stalls. Twice, people bought us beer and sake. I think they were keen to see us tipsy. All very rowdy and fun.
A highlight on Rebun was Cape Sukai. The bay is insanely gorgeous, with clear water. https://www.japanhoppers.com/en/hokkaido/northernhokkaido/kanko/1961/
We also went beach combing at Menou Beach, by Jizoiwa Rock. If you’re lucky you will find agates.
Thanks for the beta!