Tectonic Plates Movement in the Hidaka Mountains,
4-Day Geological Observation Tour

We will meet the rest of the group around 11:00 am at New Chitose Airport (CTS). After spending some time getting to know each other and having a briefing for our upcoming adventure program, we will head to Hidaka town, 2 hours away from the airport by private van.

Before going on the field with a curator, we will get a general overview of the formation of the Hidaka Mountains at the Hidaka Mountains Museum. The Akaiwa-Seigan Gorge in the Yubari Mountains, which was formed on the side of the mountain range during the uplift of the Hidaka Mountains. This is a place where red rocks called chert are popular with rock climbers and exposed on a large scale. Here you will be able to touch the actual rocks.

We will stay for three nights at Yunosawa Onsen Mori no Shiki, where you will feel and experience the great nature of Hidaka and Japanese culture. Surrounded by forests, the inn aims to reduce CO2 emissions by using thinned wood and unused leftover wood to heat the hot spring.

Accommodation

Yufutsu| Private room, shared bath and toilet | Onsen Spa

Included meals

Dinner at Onsen Inn

Rising in the Hidaka Mountains, the beautiful Saru River, which is the longest river in Hidaka, reflects the beauty of the four seasons. Accompanied by our curator, we will enjoy rafting this slowly flowing river. Unique geology site of Hidaka region, this landscape has been carved out by the river over the years. We will observe the geology of the deep underground valleys exposed to the surface of the earth.

After a few hours of gentle river rafting, we will change clothes and head to a local restaurant. We will taste Biratori Wagyu beef lunch. By surviving the cold winters of Biratori town, the flavor of the meat is tender and richer. The hamburger steak is served with a Japanese soy sauce that has been traditionally used for 30 years. With a focus on local production for local consumption, the delicious rice, tomatoes (another specialty of the region) and other vegetables from Biratori are also excellent.

After lunch, we will visit a peridotite mining site thanks to a special permission. Peridotite is a geologically rare rock that is a magma uplifted mass that has escaped serpentinization. We will discover where this rare rock is extracted while acknowledging the natural blessing of the earth and the purpose of this local mining industry.

For dinner, we will have light soba noodles, creative dishes made with local ingredients and local sake.

Accommodation

Yuufutsu| Private room, shared bath and toilet | Onsen Spa

Included meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at the local restaurant

We will walk through the clear streams of the Chiroro River, a tributary of the Saru River, climb rocks, swim in waterfall pools and look at the variety of rocks and geological characteristics that have surfaced due to the movements of the earth’s plates.

After enjoying a lunch of fish dishes, at a fishing pond on the riverbank, we might be enough lucky to find a rare fossil to bring back home with us.

This area is the birthplace of “Ryusou,” a method of transporting lumber on the current of the Saru River when transportation was still undeveloped. Our curator will explain to us how to make the difference between simple rocks and geological stones, and we might find a fossil to bring back home as a memory of this trip!

The last dinner of the trip will be an authentic BBQ outdoor cooking experience. We will enjoy a Dutch oven cooking with Hidaka’s mountain and sea delicacies while socializing with the Farm Inn owner and his wife around a bonfire.

AccommodationYuufutsu

Private room, shared bath and toilet | Onsen Spa

Included meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner in nature

We will start our last day a bit earlier than the past few days to enjoy a spectacular view. We will leave the hotel before breakfast and go up a hill to experience the sea of clouds that covers Hidaka valley. After three days of walking and rafting down the river to feel the movements of tectonic plates, we will picture Hidaka region from the top of the mountain and if the weather is clear, we will be able to see the town of Hidaka. We will enjoy the breakfast while admiring the magnificent view of the surroundings before to return to the hotel to check out.

The last activity of our trip in Hidaka is a zipline. We will have a bird’s eye view of Hidaka’s nature by ziplining over the canyon, which we have been looking up from the river the last 3 days.

We will toast to our adventure travel ending with a local beer at a local restaurant, and then we will drive to New Chitose Airport.

Included meals

Breakfast, Lunch