A gentle walk through a vast, bucolic and little-explored landscape.
Gentle guided walking tour introducing Hokkaido’s eastern region of pastoral, forested scenery set against a backdrop of mountain ranges and the Sea of Okhotsk. Wildlife aplenty, spectacular crater lakes and active volcanoes; local cuisine made with some of the best quality ingredients found anywhere in Japan, and onsen thermal hot spring baths.
June, July, September and October.
The East Hokkaido Walk is a fully-guided tour suitable for anyone who is an occasional walker and can walk for more than three to four hours in comfort. In general, the route is gently undulating but it also includes one easy climb and our paths are sometimes uneven under foot. Please read more on Tour Levels here.
A 7-day, 6-night tour starting in Kushiro and finishing at Memanbetsu Airport. Tour accommodation is in Western and Japanese hotels. Please read more on accommodation here. The maximum group size for this tour is 12 persons. We have no minimum size. If we accept a booking we guarantee to run the tour.
The East Hokkaido Walk is a fully-guided walking tour exploring the rural and sometimes wild lands of the Japanese archipelago’s sparsely populated, most northerly main island. In winter, frigid temperatures bring plentiful snow to Hokkaido but temperate warmer weather during the rest of the year makes it an ideal destination for walking. The East Hokkaido Walk capitalises on this clement weather to take us on a journey through the beautiful, gentle, seemingly empty lowlands of Hokkaido’s eastern extremity.
We explore this remote corner of Japan wending our way via the Ramsar-registered Kushiro Shitsugen wetlands, aside lake Akan-ko, through vibrant natural woodlands; to landscapes formed by volcanoes, some quiet for many an age and others still dramatically active; to the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s last true wildernesses; before finally arriving on the Sea of Okhotsk coast, where Russia is a close neighbour. Vast open landscapes surround us and abundant wildlife, including foxes, deer and numerous species of birds, is often encountered as we walk through their domains. Here the great and bustling cities and towns of Japan to the south are definitely of another world.
Japan settled Hokkaido comparatively recently in the nineteenth century and there is still little here of the history and culture commonly associated with the rest of the nation. But what is lacking in tradition is more than compensated for by the sheer scale and beauty of Hokkaido’s scenery and the quality and range of its food, undoubtedly amongst the best in Japan. The East Hokkaido Walk combines these wonderful elements with onsen thermal hot spring baths for an enjoyable experience of a distinctly different region of Japan.
The tour begins at Kushiro, a small city boasting one of Japan’s major commercial fishing ports, and from here we use our own two feet and private-hire vehicles for a slow-paced journey along quiet trails and equally quiet roads. We visit tiny settlements gathered around onsen thermal hot springs, walk through remote vast woodlands and a volcanic moonscape. We finally arrive in Utoro. Like so many of the places we visit on this tour, the name of which is resonant of a much older world, that of the original Ainu inhabitants and their native culture. The group transfers together to Memanbetsu Airport at the end of the tour.
This is a walking tour at a relaxed pace, which allows us to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the highlights of Hokkaido’s eastern region. The distances walked each day are moderate, between 6-11 kilometres, on trails over terrain that is mostly flat or gently undulating. There is one moderate climb over a fabulous volcanic moonscape but it is taken at a very easy pace. Our main baggage goes ahead by vehicle each day and we carry only what we need while walking. Throughout the tour we stay in comfortable and clean modern accommodation, all with soothing onsen hot spring baths.
A 7-day, 6-night tour starting in Kushiro and finishing at Memanbetsu Airport. Tour accommodation is in Western and Japanese hotels. Please read more on accommodation here. The maximum group size for this tour is 12 persons. We have no minimum size. If we accept a booking we guarantee to run the tour.
The East Hokkaido Walk is a fully-guided walking tour exploring the rural and sometimes wild lands of the Japanese archipelago’s sparsely populated, most northerly main island. In winter, frigid temperatures bring plentiful snow to Hokkaido but temperate warmer weather during the rest of the year makes it an ideal destination for walking. The East Hokkaido Walk capitalises on this clement weather to take us on a journey through the beautiful, gentle, seemingly empty lowlands of Hokkaido’s eastern extremity.
We explore this remote corner of Japan wending our way via the Ramsar-registered Kushiro Shitsugen wetlands, aside lake Akan-ko, through vibrant natural woodlands; to landscapes formed by volcanoes, some quiet for many an age and others still dramatically active; to the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s last true wildernesses; before finally arriving on the Sea of Okhotsk coast, where Russia is a close neighbour. Vast open landscapes surround us and abundant wildlife, including foxes, deer and numerous species of birds, is often encountered as we walk through their domains. Here the great and bustling cities and towns of Japan to the south are definitely of another world.
Japan settled Hokkaido comparatively recently in the nineteenth century and there is still little here of the history and culture commonly associated with the rest of the nation. But what is lacking in tradition is more than compensated for by the sheer scale and beauty of Hokkaido’s scenery and the quality and range of its food, undoubtedly amongst the best in Japan. The East Hokkaido Walk combines these wonderful elements with onsen thermal hot spring baths for an enjoyable experience of a distinctly different region of Japan.
The tour begins at Kushiro, a small city boasting one of Japan’s major commercial fishing ports, and from here we use our own two feet and private-hire vehicles for a slow-paced journey along quiet trails and equally quiet roads. We visit tiny settlements gathered around onsen thermal hot springs, walk through remote vast woodlands and a volcanic moonscape. We finally arrive in Utoro. Like so many of the places we visit on this tour, the name of which is resonant of a much older world, that of the original Ainu inhabitants and their native culture. The group transfers together to Memanbetsu Airport at the end of the tour.
This is a walking tour at a relaxed pace, which allows us to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the highlights of Hokkaido’s eastern region. The distances walked each day are moderate, between 6-11 kilometres, on trails over terrain that is mostly flat or gently undulating. There is one moderate climb over a fabulous volcanic moonscape but it is taken at a very easy pace. Our main baggage goes ahead by vehicle each day and we carry only what we need while walking. Throughout the tour we stay in comfortable and clean modern accommodation, all with soothing onsen hot spring baths.
The itinerary for the East Hokkaido Walk tour is ground-only, beginning in Kushiro and ending at Memanbetsu Airport. Prior to the tour, Walk Japan will provide detailed instructions for travelling to the meeting point in Kushiro from Osaka’s Kansai Airport (KIX), and Tokyo’s Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND) Airports. At the end of the tour, travellers are advised not to book themselves out on an early morning flight from Memanbetsu Airport as the group transfer will arrive approximately at midday.
The group meets the Walk Japan Tour Leader in the lobby of our accommodation in Kushiro, the major city in east Hokkaido, at 6pm for the tour briefing and equipment check. Dinner follows in a local restaurant. Kushiro is a major fishing port on Hokkaido’s Pacific coast and the freshest fish will be a major feature of our first meal together, and indeed of many more to come on the tour.
Accommodation: Western-style hotel.
Meals: Dinner.
Total walking: N/A.
Total elevation gain: N/A.
After breakfast we transfer by vehicle to Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, a vast marsh covering 268 square kilometres registered under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Park provides a protected habitat for wildlife and is particularly known for Hokkaido's famed tancho red-crowned cranes. A recognised symbol of longevity and good fortune throughout East Asia, this magnificent migratory bird has been classified as critically endangered and become the focus of conservation projects in Japan. The wetlands were also the setting for the Studio Ghibli movie When Marnie Was There.
Our morning walk follows the flat track of a long gone railway line at the edge of the wetland. On our way and especially at viewing points at either end of our walk we enjoy views across the expanse of this natural wonderland. With luck, we may catch a glimpse of a tancho red crowned crane or two.
We transfer for our second stroll of the day to Onneto, a lake towered over by Meakan, an active volcano. Onneto is also sometimes known as Goshiki-numa, which refers to the multitude of hues the lake takes on according to the weather, wind direction and viewing point. Our hotel is nearby in Akanko Onsen, a small lakeside hot spring resort.
Accommodation: Japanese-style hotel with onsen hot spring baths.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 8.8km (5.5 miles).
Total elevation gain: 112m (367ft).
After breakfast in our hotel we set off on foot to explore the surrounding area. To help us appreciate better the natural environment we explore over the coming days, a local expert guide joins us for our morning in a private woodland reserve. Under his expert guidance, we are introduced to a wide variety of Hokkaido's flora and fauna as we stroll together. Along the way we come across bubbling mud hot springs, known locally as bokke, and the first of several close-up experiences of the volcanic activity featured on this tour.
After lunch, we begin our gentle afternoon walk along the shore of Akan-ko, a lake that gives its name to the town through a verdant forest. Akan-ko is famed for marimo, a rare phenomenon of green algae combining to form spheres that can reach the size of soccer balls.
A private-hire vehicle whisks us to Kawayu Onsen and our accommodation for the next two nights. The smell of sulphur from the onsen fills the air, but the locals swear by the therapeutic health benefits. We soak leisurely in the baths soothing away any aching limbs and refresh ourselves before enjoying dinner together.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 6.2km (3.9 miles).
Total elevation gain: 47m (154ft).
Today, we once again set out on foot from our accommodation to head for one of Japan’s most spectacular active volcanoes, Atosa-Nupuri. En route, we visit the visitor centre, which provides us with a fascinating display on the local volcanic geology and sets the scene for our day’s exploration.
Our path takes us deep into a forest but as we approach our destination the trees thin out as we near Atosa-Nupuri, a seemingly diabolic volcano that belches vapour and sulphur in a continuous roar from numerous fumaroles. Suddenly, we seem to be on another planet as a moonscape spreads out in front of us. Atosa-Nupuri is more often known as Io-zan, but the locals prefer to use its original Ainu name, which translates as ‘naked mountain’.
Today we are joined by another expert guide, who leads us on a spectacular trail up and over Atosa-Nupuri. Sulphur was once mined here on an industrial scale and there are still some weather-worn remnants of this activity along our path. But since then, entry has been restricted so we are afforded an amazing experience. The smell of sulphur is a continual companion as are the numerous fumaroles, of numerous sizes, from where the odour emanates. The most spectacular of these is F1. Whether the name is an allusion to motorsports or not, F1 radiates immense power as it continually gushes water vapour at pressure high into the skies from a thick deposit of yellow sulphur.
We return on foot to our accommodation at Kawayu Onsen for another leisurely soak in the onsen baths and dinner.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 6.4km (4 miles).
Total elevation gain: 238m (780ft).
After breakfast, we transfer by private-hire vehicle to today's walk beginning at Mashu-ko, a crater lake renowned for its crystal-clear waters with visibility measured to a depth of over 40m. Many visitors are drawn to the lake's beautiful vistas and, after first enjoying grandstand views of the lake, we set off on a gentle declining trail through virgin forests to Kami-no-Ko, a cobalt-blue pond thought to be fed by spring waters emanating underground from Mashu-ko. The lake is known by the Ainu people as Kamuito, or Lake of the Gods, while the pond's name corresponds to Child of the Gods.
We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before transferring by vehicle to Utoro on the Shiretoko Peninsula, a wildlife haven and UNESCO World-Heritage Site. Our accommodation, where we stay for two nights, is an onsen hot spring hotel overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk. Dinner in our hotel is yet another feast.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 7km (5.6 miles).
Total elevation gain: 9m (30ft).
This morning we visit the Shiretoko Nature Centre, where we learn about the unique ecosystem of the Shiretoko Peninsula. This is followed by a gentle stroll through forests which open up to a beautiful landscape of the Shiretoko mountain range, a spine that runs the 64 kilometre length of the peninsula.
After lunch, a short bus ride to the Shiretoko Goko, or Shiretoko Five Lakes, area for a looping walk through a native forest of oaks and pines, which are reflected along with the Shiretoko's mountains in the clear waters of the lakes. Close encounters with bears are a distinct possibility in June and July, requiring a ranger to accompany us, but in September and October this is unlikely and we are permitted to walk on our own.
We return to our accommodation for hot spring baths and a final celebratory meal together, reviewing the highlights of the tour.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring baths.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner.
Total walking: 8.3km (5.2 miles).
Total elevation gain: 61m (200ft).
We transfer together from the accommodation to Memanbetsu Airport after breakfast, where we arrive at approximately midday. The tour ends here. If your flight requires an early departure, please contact us for advice.
Accommodation: N/A.
Meals: Breakfast.
Total walking: N/A.
Total elevation gain: N/A.
This Itinerary is subject to change.
Day 1 Kushiro
The group meets the Walk Japan Tour Leader in the lobby of our accommodation in Kushiro, the major city in east Hokkaido, at 6pm for the tour briefing and equipment check. Dinner follows in a local restaurant. Kushiro is a major fishing port on Hokkaido’s Pacific coast and the freshest fish will be a major feature of our first meal together, and indeed of many more to come on the tour.
Accommodation: Western-style hotel.
Meals: Dinner.
Total walking: N/A.
Total elevation gain: N/A.
Day 2 Kushiro - Kushiro Shitsugen - Akanko Onsen
After breakfast we transfer by vehicle to Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, a vast marsh covering 268 square kilometres registered under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Park provides a protected habitat for wildlife and is particularly known for Hokkaido's famed tancho red-crowned cranes. A recognised symbol of longevity and good fortune throughout East Asia, this magnificent migratory bird has been classified as critically endangered and become the focus of conservation projects in Japan. The wetlands were also the setting for the Studio Ghibli movie When Marnie Was There.
Our morning walk follows the flat track of a long gone railway line at the edge of the wetland. On our way and especially at viewing points at either end of our walk we enjoy views across the expanse of this natural wonderland. With luck, we may catch a glimpse of a tancho red crowned crane or two.
We transfer for our second stroll of the day to Onneto, a lake towered over by Meakan, an active volcano. Onneto is also sometimes known as Goshiki-numa, which refers to the multitude of hues the lake takes on according to the weather, wind direction and viewing point. Our hotel is nearby in Akanko Onsen, a small lakeside hot spring resort.
Accommodation: Japanese-style hotel with onsen hot spring baths.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 8.8km (5.5 miles).
Total elevation gain: 112m (367ft).
Day 3 Akanko Onsen – Kawayu Onsen
After breakfast in our hotel we set off on foot to explore the surrounding area. To help us appreciate better the natural environment we explore over the coming days, a local expert guide joins us for our morning in a private woodland reserve. Under his expert guidance, we are introduced to a wide variety of Hokkaido's flora and fauna as we stroll together. Along the way we come across bubbling mud hot springs, known locally as bokke, and the first of several close-up experiences of the volcanic activity featured on this tour.
After lunch, we begin our gentle afternoon walk along the shore of Akan-ko, a lake that gives its name to the town through a verdant forest. Akan-ko is famed for marimo, a rare phenomenon of green algae combining to form spheres that can reach the size of soccer balls.
A private-hire vehicle whisks us to Kawayu Onsen and our accommodation for the next two nights. The smell of sulphur from the onsen fills the air, but the locals swear by the therapeutic health benefits. We soak leisurely in the baths soothing away any aching limbs and refresh ourselves before enjoying dinner together.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 6.2km (3.9 miles).
Total elevation gain: 47m (154ft).
Day 4 Kawayu Onsen – Atosa-Nupuri – Kawayu Onsen
Today, we once again set out on foot from our accommodation to head for one of Japan’s most spectacular active volcanoes, Atosa-Nupuri. En route, we visit the visitor centre, which provides us with a fascinating display on the local volcanic geology and sets the scene for our day’s exploration.
Our path takes us deep into a forest but as we approach our destination the trees thin out as we near Atosa-Nupuri, a seemingly diabolic volcano that belches vapour and sulphur in a continuous roar from numerous fumaroles. Suddenly, we seem to be on another planet as a moonscape spreads out in front of us. Atosa-Nupuri is more often known as Io-zan, but the locals prefer to use its original Ainu name, which translates as ‘naked mountain’.
Today we are joined by another expert guide, who leads us on a spectacular trail up and over Atosa-Nupuri. Sulphur was once mined here on an industrial scale and there are still some weather-worn remnants of this activity along our path. But since then, entry has been restricted so we are afforded an amazing experience. The smell of sulphur is a continual companion as are the numerous fumaroles, of numerous sizes, from where the odour emanates. The most spectacular of these is F1. Whether the name is an allusion to motorsports or not, F1 radiates immense power as it continually gushes water vapour at pressure high into the skies from a thick deposit of yellow sulphur.
We return on foot to our accommodation at Kawayu Onsen for another leisurely soak in the onsen baths and dinner.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 6.4km (4 miles).
Total elevation gain: 238m (780ft).
Day 5 Kawayu Onsen – Utoro
After breakfast, we transfer by private-hire vehicle to today's walk beginning at Mashu-ko, a crater lake renowned for its crystal-clear waters with visibility measured to a depth of over 40m. Many visitors are drawn to the lake's beautiful vistas and, after first enjoying grandstand views of the lake, we set off on a gentle declining trail through virgin forests to Kami-no-Ko, a cobalt-blue pond thought to be fed by spring waters emanating underground from Mashu-ko. The lake is known by the Ainu people as Kamuito, or Lake of the Gods, while the pond's name corresponds to Child of the Gods.
We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before transferring by vehicle to Utoro on the Shiretoko Peninsula, a wildlife haven and UNESCO World-Heritage Site. Our accommodation, where we stay for two nights, is an onsen hot spring hotel overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk. Dinner in our hotel is yet another feast.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Total walking: 7km (5.6 miles).
Total elevation gain: 9m (30ft).
Day 6 Utoro – Shiretoko Goko – Utoro
This morning we visit the Shiretoko Nature Centre, where we learn about the unique ecosystem of the Shiretoko Peninsula. This is followed by a gentle stroll through forests which open up to a beautiful landscape of the Shiretoko mountain range, a spine that runs the 64 kilometre length of the peninsula.
After lunch, a short bus ride to the Shiretoko Goko, or Shiretoko Five Lakes, area for a looping walk through a native forest of oaks and pines, which are reflected along with the Shiretoko's mountains in the clear waters of the lakes. Close encounters with bears are a distinct possibility in June and July, requiring a ranger to accompany us, but in September and October this is unlikely and we are permitted to walk on our own.
We return to our accommodation for hot spring baths and a final celebratory meal together, reviewing the highlights of the tour.
Accommodation: Onsen hot spring baths.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner.
Total walking: 8.3km (5.2 miles).
Total elevation gain: 61m (200ft).
Day 7 Utoro – Memanbetsu Airport
We transfer together from the accommodation to Memanbetsu Airport after breakfast, where we arrive at approximately midday. The tour ends here. If your flight requires an early departure, please contact us for advice.
Accommodation: N/A.
Meals: Breakfast.
Total walking: N/A.
Total elevation gain: N/A.
This Itinerary is subject to change.
The itinerary for the East Hokkaido Walk tour is ground-only, beginning in Kushiro and ending at Memanbetsu Airport.
The airport closest to the tour’s start in Kushiro is Tancho Kushiro Airport (KUH), with domestic flights departing frequently from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport (HND).
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FROM TANCHO KUSHIRO AIRPORT (KUH)
From Tancho Kushiro Airport, shuttle buses depart to central Kushiro City. The journey takes approximately 55 minutes.
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The Pre-tour Pack includes detailed instructions, including a map, for travel to the accommodation at the start of the tour.
Tour participants are advised not to book themselves out on a morning flight from Memanbetsu Airport at the end of the tour as the group transfer will arrive at approximately midday. If you plan to depart earlier than this, please contact us for advice.
The airport closest to the tour’s start in Kushiro is Tancho Kushiro Airport (KUH), with domestic flights departing frequently from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport (HND).
-----
FROM TANCHO KUSHIRO AIRPORT (KUH)
From Tancho Kushiro Airport, shuttle buses depart to central Kushiro City. The journey takes approximately 55 minutes.
-----
The Pre-tour Pack includes detailed instructions, including a map, for travel to the accommodation at the start of the tour.
Tour participants are advised not to book themselves out on a morning flight from Memanbetsu Airport at the end of the tour as the group transfer will arrive at approximately midday. If you plan to depart earlier than this, please contact us for advice.
