Hike & Kayak in Okushiri Island: 5-Day Guided Tour

Upon arrival at Hakodate airport, we will drive 2 hours to Esashi, the gateway to Okushiri island.

At Esashi town, we will first visit Kamomejima (Seagull Island. Its name referring to its seagull-like shape), which is protected as a part of the Hiyama Prefectural Natural Park. It is not an exaggeration to say that the history of Esashi began with Kamomejima. Today, this beautiful natural island is the symbol of Esashi and is loved by Japanese and visitors.

In the late Edo period, Esashi prospered as Hokkaido’s representative commercial port and was a prosperous merchant town back when Kitamaebune, trading cargo vessels bound to the north (literally ‘north-bound ships’), sailed from southern Japan to trade for local products, such as herring. The town still retains the atmosphere of the olden days. We will spend some time at “Inishie Kaido” the main street of Esashi to feel the flourished history of the town through historical buildings.

For our fist meal in Hokkaido, we will eat oden, a type of simmered dish in Japanese cuisine consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, konjac and processed fishcakes stewed in a soy-flavored dashi broth.

Included meals

Dinner at a Local Restaurant

We will start the day with a Zen practice at Shogakuin Temple, found 350 years ago and belonging to the Sōtō Zen sect. This historical temple also holds memorial services for maritime disasters.

The Sōtō school, the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, is devoting to feel the Zen spirit in all aspects of the daily life even while eating. As part of this Zen practice, we will eat meaningfully a “morning porridge.”

We will enjoy a 2 hours ferry journey heading from Esashi to Okushiri Island, the “floating island of the beech forest.” From the port, we will go directly to the beech primeval forest, which play an important part in Okushiri Island by providing the water necessary for the land. During our walking tour, we will experience the water cycle, necessary to sustaining life on island, from the land to the sea. At end of the tour, we will see the beautiful sunset.

Having dinner at a local tavern (Izakaya) and staying at a local guest house will make us feel like belonging to Okushiri!

Included meals

Breakfast, Lunch box, dinner at the local tavern

Okushiri Island is geographically located at the junction of the warm Tsushima Current moving northward and the cold Liman Current moving southward from the coastal states. It is also a place visited by rare wildlife from the continent. We will spend a whole day sea kayaking in the warm waters of Okushiri. Kayaking on the quiet and blue ocean it might be difficult to imagine that this beautiful island was once hit by a tsunami.

We will enjoy a wild BBQ lunch on the beach on the west coast of island.

In the afternoon, we will return to our sea kayaking activity and continue to enjoy the island’s nature. We will have a second occasion to see the sunset.

After cooling off in the waters of the Sea of Japan, we will warm up in the unique Kamuiwaki Hot Spring located in a fishing port.

Again, tonight we will explore the island enjoying the night life mingling with the locals. There is no better way to immerse ourselves in the culture of this distant island!

Included meals

Breakfast, BBQ Lunch, dinner at the local tavern

On July 12, 1993, at 10:17 p.m., an earthquake hit the seabed of the Sea of Japan off the northern coast of Okushiri Island. With a magnitude of 7.8, it was the largest earthquake to occur on the Sea of Japan since modern times. The earthquake caused widespread damage from fires and tsunamis, especially in Okushiri Island near the epicenter, and resulted in 202 deaths and 28 missing persons. It was about a year and a half before the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It took five years to the island to recover from this disaster.

We will cycle through the Aonae district, where the disaster prevention city planning has been carried out to prepare for future disasters and trace the process of reconstruction.

On our way to the ryokan for dinner, we will visit the Okushiri Tsunami Museum. The role of this facility is to pass on to future generations the painful memories and lessons of this tsunami disaster, as well as the gratitude for the support received from all over Japan.

We will enjoy our last supper of the freshest ingredients at a traditional Japanese ryokan before go back to the guest house.

Included meals

Breakfast, BBQ Lunch, dinner at the ryokan

We will leave the inn at 7:00 a.m. and take a ferry to Esashi.
From Esashi Ferry Terminal, we will take a private van to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station to conclude our trip to Hokkaido.

Included meals

Breakfast box