(利尻岳) Mt. Rishiri Hike

The only officially "bear free" location in Hokkaido (at least as far hyakumeizans are concerned), Mt. Rishiri towers over the entire island (if you can see it. Unfortunately, I barely saw a thing when I hiked). Some islands, such as Yakushima and Hachijouji also have their own mountains, but nothing as singular as Mt. Rishiri.

Budget: JPY6,500 (~USD63) from Wakkanai Airport

• JPY1,400. Bus, Wakkanai Airport < > Wakkanai Port (JPY1,400 one way). 
• JPY5,100. Ferry, Wakkanai Port < > Rishiri Island (JPY2,550 one way)
• +JPY21,280. Roundtrip Flight, Tokyo < > Wakkanai. That's the cheapest I can find, average is at JPY40,000 one way. 
• I have done this with other Hokkaido hikes, so please refer to this post for the actual costs. 

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 1,721m / 5,646ft)

• July 23, 2022
• Difficulty: 3 out of 5. 
• Based on the elevation, I expected a more difficult hike but the pleasant gradient would put this on an average hike. 
• Route below is around 12.6kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,668m/ ▽1,668m (7h35m)for the entire hike from the port. 
• Map link. 
• If you use yamap, I think the time is about 10-30% slower, so would recommend you set your time at 0.8 the map time. 

When to Go

Official hiking season starts at July, but based on the locals, winter hiking is doable provided you have the right equipment (crampons and axes). 

Special Notes

• Weather check: English / Japanese
• Rishiri Island has no bears or snakes. Locals say that around 2020, two bears were seen swimming across from Wakkanai to Rishiri, and they "unofficially" took care of it, likely through hunters.   
• Rishiri has one of the most well maintained trails, and gentlest of slopes. 
• The trail is well maintained, with bushes regularly cut (around once a week, I was told by the guy cutting them).
• I was expecting a steep assault, and yet the trail remained mostly gentle, though slightly steeper from Station 6. From Station 9, it was easier to use hands than trekking poles. 

• Access to Rishiri Island. 
• You can fly to Wakkanai Airport, but the cheapest flight I could find was JPY30k rt if booked at least three months in advance. An alternative is taking the 6.5hr bus from Sapporo, at JPY6000 one way (or JPY5,650 if you book rt).
• For those coming from Sapporo, I personally used Hokuto Bus, and boarded from Odori Bus Stop. I had to go to the counter, show my online reservation and receive my rt tickets. Then she asked me to go to the boarding right across and take the bus to Wakkanai. The bus has 3 seats per row, is free seating (quite rare!), with the first eight seats exclusive to women. There is a USB plug on the side of the seat. 
• Trailhead. There's two main ones, but the easiest way to do it is just walk from the port. 
• Get to Wakkanai Port Ferry Terminal (稚内港).  
• Ferry, Wakkanai Port to Rishiri Island (Oshidomari) 利尻島(鴛泊). JPY2,550, an hour and a half one way. 
• For reserved seats, online reservations here. 
• The free seating, it's first come, first served basis. I personally prefer this over seats, as the "free seating" is mainly an open space, and I lied down and slept through all of them.  
• If the ferry is full, you will not be allowed to board. Not an issue during low season, but if you are travelling during Golden Week (early May), Obon Week (mid August) or during the consecutive national holidays (mid September), I would recommend paying the premium for reserved seats.  

Ferry Schedule (changes per season), Wakkanai Port < > Oshidomari (Rishiri Island)

• Mountain hut.
• Paid. None. 
• Free. 利尻岳山小屋. This mountain hut about two hours from the summit. 
• Camping. One right at the trailhead. Google maps pin. No reservations needed as of 2022, but check in is only from 2pm til 7pm. 
• If you want to rent a bungalow, reservations here.
• Side Trip : Rebun Island
• Ferry between Rishiri / Wakkanai / Rebun
• Bus within Rishiri

Itinerary
Friday

• Figure out how to go to Wakkanai. 

Saturday

• 06:45am. Wakkanai Ferry to Oshidomari. 
• 08:25am. ETA: Oshidomari. 
• Start hike. Stay in the emergency hut. 

Sunday

• Start hike. 
• 02:35pm. Oshidomari to Wakkanai. 

Actual Log
I did this with a couple more Hokkaido hikes, so I will focus on just the hike itself. Since I'm staying in Hokkaido for a couple of weeks and did not have enough space in my luggage for my overnight gear, I have decided to just do this as a dayhike. 

• 05:19am. Arrived at the Port, bought my tickets. 
• 07:02am. Started boarding. 
• 09:00am. Arrived at Oshidomari, started walking to my hostel to drop by bags. I walked back to the ferry, and took the taxi to the trailhead.
• 09:30am. Arrived at the trailhead, started my hike. 
• 01:29pm. Arrived at the summit. 
• 01:40pm. Started my descent. 
• 05:05pm. Back at the parking lot. Took a taxi back to the port. 

I've decided to buy the Wakkanai -> Rishiri -> Rebun pass. 

Here are my tickets. They scan the bar codes upon entry. 

Boarding the ferry now. 

The free seating at the ferry. 

Yep, that's Rishiri Island. As you can see, zero visibility. 

Once I got there, I went to my hostel first to drop off some bags, and then took a taxi at the port to drive me to the trailhead. 

Starting the hike!

Some info at the start of the hike. 

The hike starts with a nice trail

Still a gentle slope. 

There's a water source at the start. Most people take a stroll up to here. There's a nice cottage with some tables. 

The "official" trail starts at 3rd station. 

4th station had some nice benches. 

5th station only just has some rocks. 

6th station is where the ascent starts. 

station 6.5 is where this restroom is. Well, not really a restroom but a stop for people who have their disposable toilets.  

Here's what the inside looks like. 

7th station has nothing on it. 

Just a viewing point. On my case there was no view. 

8th station is also a summit. 

Inside the mountain hut. 

There were some toilets on the side. 

9th station also has some toilets, and a huge area for breaks. 

This is the first time I saw this soil erosion method. 

View from the top. 

Summit!

The well maintained trail. 

Here's a trail with the bushes freshly cut. 

At the trailhead is a section to wash shoes at. 

First time I saw this too - the water goes straight to the brush!

Back at the port, view from my hostel.