Backcountry Skiing & The History of Convict Labor and Coal Industry of Hokkaido in Sorachi
5-DAY
DIFFICULTY
SNOW SEASON
5 days 4 nights
Min. 1, Max. 6
Ski/Snowboard
- HIGHTLIGHTS
-
- To visit Tsukigata Kabato Museum and other facilities to learn about the history of Hokkaido's development through the forced labor of prisoners
- To experience of the history of hardships of outdoor activities in old days with the environment of heavy snowfalls and freezing coldness
- High satisfaction through the activities with high snow quality and heavy snowfalls
- To learn the history of the development and decline of coal-producing areas due to coal mine labor
- To enjoy ONSEN with a sodium hot spring after skiing
- LOCATION
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SORACHI District in Hokkaido/Japan has an area of 5791.59㎢. Located at between Sapporo (West) & Asahikawa (Central), the area includes 10 cities and 14 towns and is accessible to major metropolises. The area is famous for agriculture especially rice and also some wineries can be found. The area once developed due to coral industry which contributed the modernization of Japan. 1~1.5hr from New Chitose Airport to SORACHI.
Distant view of Mt. Otoe
Mt. Urausu
OVERVIEW
It is a journey that will leave one in awe of the labor of mankind, while at the same time reaffirming the joy of modern man’s ability to enjoy the conveniences and freedom of today’s life.
Since the dawn of the Ezo region in the early 19th century, the harsh nature of Hokkaido, which belongs to the subarctic zone, has caused indescribable hardship to the people who came from Honshu under orders to pioneer the region. The forced labor of prisoners that began in 1880 at Kabato Shuchikaan (the predecessor of the current Tsukigata Prison) opened up cultivated land and paved roads in the unprecedented wilderness, but it is also a symbolic historical fact in the development of Hokkaido that countless victims were born.
Another important part of Hokkaido’s history is the coal industry, which was developed as a national project on a large scale, requiring many sacrifices, and then declined within a mere 100 years. Sorachi is the best place to learn about the unimaginable hardships and sacrifices of our predecessors that made Hokkaido what it is today.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Traveling from New Chitose Airport to Tsukigata
You meet a guide at New Chitose Airport that connects to Tokyo Haneda airport or other airports with considerable number of daily flights. 1.5hr on a private van to Tsukigata Town from the airport. At Tsukigata Museum, we learn about the history of pioneering of Hokkaido which the labor of prisoners contributed to. Staying overnight hotel in Tsukigata town.
Activity – Vising Museum
Accommodation – Tsukigata | Hotel | Private room with ensuite
Included meals – Dinner at hotel
DAY 2
Guided Backcountry Skiing in Mt. Urausu (718m) & Coal Mining Heritage
After breakfast at hotel, we depart for the trail head of Mt. Urausu by driving 30min. Mt. We try to hike up to the peak and ski down on eastern slopes. The tour takes about 5hrs.
After the ski tour, we transfer to Akabira town and visit the heritage site/facilities of coal industry. We learn about the history of the coal industry in Sorachi by an interpreter who was once a coal miner. We stay overnight at HTL in either Ashibetsu city or Fukagawa city.
Coal Train in the old days
Activity – Backcountry Skiing (5hrs) & Visiting Museum
Accommodation – Ashibetsu or Fukagawa city | Hotel | Private room with ensuite
Included meals – Breakfast & Dinner at hotel
DAY 3
Guided Backcoutry Ski in Mt. Otoe (796m) and Visiting Mikasa Museum
After Breakfast at hotel, we depart for Mt. Otoe in Fukagawa city. We try to hike to the peak and ski down to the bottom. The ski tour takes about 4hrs. After the ski touring, we transfer to Mikasa city and visit Mikasa Museum to learn Coal Mine Complex and its by-product, large ammonite fossils, as well as an exhibit on Sorachi Shuji Gagan, which was the front line of prison labor like Tsukigata. We stay at HTL in Iwamizawa city or Mikasa city.
Distant view of Mt. Otoe
Activity – BC Skiing (4hrs) & Vising Museum
Accommodation – Iwamizawa or Mikasa | Hotel | Private room with ensuite
Included meals – Breakfast & Dinner at HTL
DAY 4
Guided off-piste Skiing in Mt. Reisui (702m) & Yubari Coal Museum
Breakfast at hotel. We depart for Mt. Reisui by using chair lift of Yubari Ski Resort. We ski on north & east faces also in ski resort about 4hrs. After skiing, we visit Yubari Coal Museum to learn about its history with the rise and fall of coal industry brought about by national policy. We stay overnight at a hotel in Yubari city, Yuni town or Naganuma town.
Activity – Off-piste Skiing (4hrs) & Vising Museum
Accommodation – Yubari, Yuni or Naganuma | Hotel | Private room with ensuite
Included meals – Breakfast & Dinner at hotel
DAY 5
Traveling To New Chitose Airport
After breakfast at the hotel, we send you to New Chitose Aiport by a private van. It’s about 1hr drive to the airport.
Included meals – Breakfast at HTL
ACCOMMODATIONS
| Area | Facility Type | Room Type | Onsen / Spa | WiFi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsukigata | Hotel | Private room ensuit | Onsen |  |
| 2 | Iwamizawa / Fukagawa | Hotel | Private room ensuit | Onsen | |
| 3 | Iwamizawa / Mikasa | Hotel | Private room ensuit | Onsen | |
| 4 | Yubari / Yuni / Naganuma | Hotel | Private room ensuit | Onsen | |
Tour Operator / Contact
NOMAD Co., Ltd
Our company was established in 1987 as a pioneer in the field of mountaineering, trekking, hiking and other “walking” tours in Hokkaido. Since then, our company has built up achievements of successes in travel in the mountains and unexplored areas of all over Japan and the world. And in 2023, thanks to your support, we will celebrate our 36th anniversary.
We deliver a wide range of travel experiences, from leisurely day hikes to enjoy nature, traverses, and treks into the heart of the mountains, and visiting the unexplored regions to visit unknown natural and historical heritage sites, to provide you with inspiring journeys to experience the most spectacular scenery on earth.
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