After Asahidake, we took the train up to the northernmost city in Japan, Wakkanai. There we caught a ferry to Rebun Island for the night. When we arrived in Wakkanai, there was a big food festival right outside the train station. We had time for lunch, so we browsed the food stalls and ended up with some interesting new delicacies, including a type of dumpling with octapus in it. Then it was off to the ferry, where the very affordable first class tickets got us a great view of the volcano on Rishiri Island on the way to Rebun.
After leaving the ferry we walked across the street from the station to Hotel Rebun to check in. We were pleased to find that our room had a view of Rishiri Island, and the volcano was looking beautiful. There isn’t much to do on the island other than walk around, so we decided to head down the road a bit to check out the views before supper. Dinner at the hotel was again a fantastic Kaiseki meal. After dinner we tried out the rooftop onsen, topping off a lovely evening.
The next morning we wanted to get out and hike. The hotel staff recommended the Momoiwa Observatory hike for the amount of time we had and for the flowers currently in bloom. Rebun is known as Flower Island, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I made a fifth Japan post just so I can feature all the beautiful flowers we saw! We headed out of the hotel and started up the road toward the trailhead before turning onto a wooded path.
At Momoiwa Observatory you get a great view of the sea from three sides. It was a glorious sunny morning, with just enough breeze to keep the air cool. The flowers along the walk were amazingly varied! We saw so many, and the Japanese tourists were so excited about them it seemed like some were rare. We felt lucky to get the chance to see them and experience this special place.
We continued on past the observatory to the Motoji Lighthouse, then down to the coast road at the bottom of the hill. Just as we were arriving, the rain started up. We hustled to the bus shelter to see when the next bus was due. When we realized it wouldn’t be coming for over an hour, we decided to do the walk in the rain back to town. It was a pretty wretched walk for a while, and both of us needed to find a restroom. Luckily, not far down the road we found a public restroom. And, in a new twist, it had slippers for you to put on when you used the toilet so muddy hiking boots didn’t get the area dirty. We’d never seen that before!
Back in town we were ready for lunch, but finding a restaurant was a challenge. Luckily, we remembered seeing one the night before and it was open! It was a small hole in the wall, but the three older ladies cooking lunch welcomed us in. The place just had about four tables and a small TV playing a baseball game. The menu was hand written on a chalkboard with just a few options, but Ang ordered the mackerel set lunch, and Adam opted for butter miso ramen. Both were delicious! The atmosphere was cozy and we were entertained by watching the cooks and the ballgame. A wonderful find.
We hung out for a while at the restaurant, but still had some time to kill when we left, so we found a coffee shop and settled in. They were serving a local craft brew, so we tried that out in addition to some lovely coffee and cake. Soon it was time to hop on the ferry for the ride back to Wakkanai. With the rain, the trip didn’t have a Rishiri view, and when we got back to Wakkanai we headed straight for our hotel. Dinner that night was another amazing sushi meal, eaten at the bar in a restaurant across the street. And of course, another onsen with a lovely outdoor space on the roof was waiting for us at our hotel before we turned in for the night. Angie soaked for a long time in the outdoor tub listening to the wind whip around the building and relaxing. What a day! From a gorgeous hike to great food in unexpected places, we felt like we’d done Rebun Island and Wakkanai right.
The next morning after a last onsen bath, we had a little time to kill before our flight back to Tokyo. The hotel breakfast had really lovely food, but the coffee was a bit lacking, so we decided to try to find a place to get a better cup. There was a little place a couple of blocks from our hotel that had good reviews, so we strolled over. We walked in and took a seat in the window. The proprietor was cooking and seemed to be the only one working. No one spoke much English. One of the other patrons managed to convey to us that it would take a while for us to get the coffee, but that it would be really good when we got it. We didn’t have anything else to do, so we decided to wait for it. It was true – I don’t think I’ve ever waited so long for a coffee! But it was great! The coffee was a wonderful way to end our Hokkaido sojourn. That morning we flew back to Tokyo for one more night of big city fun before flying home to Iowa. We did a different kind of trip than most Japan first-timers, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. It was truly amazing.
