Japan's Far North 7 Day Hiking Tour Tour Information

Essentials

You need to be ready for anything here in Hokkaido, so these items should be brought in all seasons - please be sure to pack them in your suitcase. However, you don’t need to carry it all in your day pack! Depending on the weather and season, some items can stay in your suitcase while you hike, freeing you up to take only what is necessary for the day.

• Light-coloured long-sleeved tops (or lightweight hoodie) and long hiking pants

  • We highly recommend long clothes, even in summer. Insects, including ticks, are common in Hokkaido’s mountains. Long sleeves and pants will protect you from them and the rays of the sun, too.

• Waterproof jacket & overtrousers - read more on what makes a good jacket

• Mid to high-cut hiking boots - read more on what boots are suitable

• Fleece or synthetic insulated jacket

  • This is essential even in summer as the temperature can still drop below 10°C. If you get lucky with good weather for your whole tour you may not need it, but you will be thankful when the weather turns!

• Thermal layers top & bottom (for June & September tours only)

• Base layers top & bottom

• Spare pairs of socks

• Gloves, beanie, and other items to keep you warm (on cold or wet days)

• Sun hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses

• Water bottle or hydration system of more than 2L

• Toiletries

• Personal medications

• Backpack between 25 and 35 litres

• Rain cover for backpack

• Eco-friendly shopping bag and any other item to reduce single-use plastic waste

• Travel insurance

• Passport

  • It is a requirement for accommodation providers to take a photocopy of the passport of international visitors.

• Cash in Japanese yen

  • Small restaurants and shops in rural parts of Japan do not accept credit cards. Lunch in general costs ¥1,000-1,500 and dinner ¥2,000-3,000. You can withdraw cash from an ATM at a post office and 7-eleven convenience stores.

Recommended

• Quick-drying hand towel

• Walking poles

• Head torch

• A pair of gaiters

• Cellphone power bank

• Travel SIM

• Familiar snacks to eat during activities

• Camera

What We Provide

• First aid kit

• Safety equipment 

• Insect repellent (though you may wish to bring your own)

You will need comfortable, sturdy mid-cut hiking boots that fit your feet correctly and that can cope with a variety of trails - especially loose gravel trails. Your boots should be waterproof as we will be crossing streams and unavoidable puddles. They should ideally have a sturdy rubber rand around at least the toes - we have seen more than one pair of hiking boots with limited toe reinforcement destroyed by Hokkaido’s rocky trails!

On your tour you will be walking on mostly unmaintained trails. You will cross surfaces that range from packed mud, to snow, tree roots, loose volcanic gravel and large boulder fields. The variety of trails is one of the highlights of hiking in Hokkaido, but it demands a lot from your boots and feet.

Lightweight walking boots, shoes or trainers will not be sufficient for these trails. However, we understand some people with trail running experience would prefer to use their trail running shoes. While we advise against them, please reach out to us after booking and we can discuss your options so your feet are as happy as possible.

We also do not recommend bringing new shoes to break in on the trip, as this is a shortcut to getting painful blisters! Please make sure the shoes you bring are ones that you have already worn several times and that you are quite sure fit your feet properly and are comfortable. If you usually need to rely on insoles, please do not forget them when packing. Your choice of socks is also important– please do not wear everyday cotton socks or woollen socks, wear socks that are specifically designed for sports or hiking.

Finally, if your boots have been stored in a humid environment and have seen little use recently, please take a good look at the bond between the sole and boot. We have seen a number of boots loose their soles due to the glue failing, a sure fire way to spoil a hike!

With little shelter in the mountains, your jacket is an essential piece of gear when the weather turns. On our tours, you need a waterproof and breathable jacket made of GoreTex of similar material.

As we discuss in our blog about weather in Daisetsuzan National Park, summer rain in Hokkaid can be heavy and windbreaker type jackets will soak through quickly, leaving you wet and cold. You want a jacket with at least a 10,000mm waterproofing rating.

On the other hand, we don’t quit at the first sight of rain, so you need to be prepared to keep moving with your rain gear on. Cheap rain ponchos are popular here, you can usually find them even at convenience stores. However, these wont allow the moisture and heat you generate while hiking to escape, causing you to sweat more and end up wetter inside the jacket than outside. Save the sauna experience for in the hotel after your hike!

Your waterproof trousers should also be of similar material, however it is ok to lean towards a less breathable pair if you are happy taking them off and letting your legs get a bit wet in light rain.

Yes - the weather in Hokkaido’s mountains is unsettled and the temperature can dip below 10°C in Hokkaido’s mountains at any time of the year so a warm layer is essential. At the other end of the spectrum, it can commonly be above 30°C and there is little shade on some hikes, so sun protection and ample water is also essential. Being well prepared for whatever mother-nature throws at you will help you enjoy your adventure. However, you don’t need to carry everything - your guides will let you know what you need and what you can leave in the van for each day.

We estimate that a medium-sized suitcase should be sufficient to hold everything on the packing list and still leave you with some space for souvenirs!

Large or oversized suitcases are not recommended on our tours. There are many reasons for this - first, we often change accommodation every night and It can be tricky to pack and unpack large suitcases everyday. Large luggage can also have trouble fitting into tour vehicles and you may struggle to get them on board Japan’s compact public transport. Additionally, some accommodations that we use do not have elevators.

If you are looking for ways to reduce your luggage load, we would suggest sticking to the packing list we provide and leaving anything not listed at home. Many of the accommodations we stay at have laundry facilities, so you can wash and re-use the same clothes on tour. If a large amount of luggage is unavoidable for whatever reason, let us know at the time of booking. We can advise you on luggage-holding services or how to use Japan’s luggage-forwarding system.

We will meet in Central Wakkanai at 6:00PM on the first day. The closest airport to Wakkanai City is Wakkanai Airport (WKJ). The airport shuttle bus for downtown Wakkanai is scheduled to connect with all incoming flights from Tokyo and Sapporo. The fare is 700 yen per person.

An alternative to flying is to travel by train (Japan Railway, abbr. JR). Trains travel 3 times a day between Sapporo and Wakkanai and the journey takes just over 5 hours. The fare is 11,090 yen (one way) for a reserved seat. Upon booking, please let us know your travel plans and we will confirm in detail where and what time we will meet on the first day.

You can search train timetables in English on Japan Transit Planner website.

In the case of tours where the meeting point or end point is different to the first or last night’s accommodation (for example, meeting in Asahikawa but staying in Asahidake Onsen, staying in Tsurui but disbanding in Kushiro), it is best that you make any pre or post-tour night arrangements by yourself. Once booked, please inform us of where you will be staying so that we can pass the information on to your guides.

However, if the tour’s meeting point or disbanding point is the same as the first or last night’s accommodation, we can simply extend your stay so please let us know in this instance!

If you are struggling to make a pre or post-tour hotel booking, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help.

We will send you a link to our online sign up form, where we ask for the travel information of all the members travelling with you. 

Once we receive this, we will send you an invoice for your tour deposit, which is JPY 50,000 per person. We will confirm your booking upon receipt of your deposit payment.

The deposit is treated as a part of the tour price. Payment of the balance will be reminded by email, which is generally 5 weeks prior to the tour departure date.

We accept payment via Wise or Flywire. We will send you payment links, which you can use to send payment directly to ourselves (you don't need to create a Wise or Flywire account to send the funds). When paying via Wise, payment is available in Japanese Yen only, and you must pay any currency exchange or transfer fees by yourself. 

For credit card payment or domestic bank transfer converted to your own currency, we use Flywire, which will incur an additional transaction fee of 1.5%.

By paying for a deposit or full amount, you confirm that you have read, understand and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

Our general cancellation policy is shown as below.

• Cancelled more than 21 days prior to departure: Zero fees

• Cancelled between 20 days and 8 days prior to departure: 20% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled between 7 days and 2 days prior to departure: 30% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled 1 day prior to departure: 40% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled on the day of departure: 50% of the Tour Price

• No refunds will be given after the tour has commenced

For further details, we recommend you read our refund and cancellation policy in more detail on our Terms and Conditions page. Feel free to contact us at info@adventure-hokkaido.com if you have any additional questions.

Japan remains a popular travel destination and it is not unusual for accommodation in peak seasons to be booked out up to a year in advance. So, the sooner the better! Generally speaking, we ask for you to book 10 - 12 months in advance if you are looking at a custom departure. For scheduled departures, we make our dates available from up to a year in advance. If we feel that your date is too close for us to realistically put a trip together to the standard we pride ourselves on, we will let you know at the time of enquiry and will do our best to suggest alternative travel dates.

This is a mixed group tour and we accept bookings from one person up. However, our scheduled group tours require a minimum number of bookings for us to guarantee the departure of the tour, and to offer the tour at the price quoted. The minimum number of booked guests to guarantee the tour is four people.

If you book with less than four people, we will hold your place on the tour and wait for another group to join the tour. If the number of guests has not reached the minimum number by 60 days prior to departure, we will give you the option to cancel or to upgrade to a private departure. 

If you choose to cancel, we will refund the amount in Japanese Yen that you have paid us. You’re welcome to check with us at any time about the status of bookings. 

Please be advised that we will not be liable to compensate for any inconvenience or incidental expenses that might have incurred to you, including airline tickets.

Our tours are priced on a twin share basis. Those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you enter the number of guests in your group and rooms you need, the dates and prices form will calculate the price for your group.

Our tours are priced on a twin share basis and those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you are happy to share a room with another guest - of the same gender - then let us know at the time of booking. If we match you with another solo traveller then we can discount the single supplement for both of you.

Private departures of one of our existing tours is something that we can arrange, provided that we have guides available for your travel dates. The earlier it's planned the higher chance we can secure guides and our favourite accommodations for you. Requests made at least 10-12 months prior have a good chance of being accepted successfully, while 6 months prior is too late for peak seasons like August or February.

This hiking tour is a series of day hikes; either return, loop or traverse routes. We always come back to our van at the end of the day, so you can leave any overnight luggage in the van where it will travel with you to our next accommodation! This means that even on multi-day hiking tours, all you need to carry is a daypack between 20 and 30 litres.

While we try to organise everything, mother nature is out of our control. If the weather is too bad to safely hike, such as a typhoon or sudden storm, we will travel to the next inn in our support vehicle. Along the way we will still stop at local restaurants and visit indoor facilities, so you can still experience the charm of the area while travelling safely and comfortably.

While vegetarianism and veganism are catching on in larger urban areas, across much of Japan it is still unheard of. Outside of main cities, there are very few pure vegetarian or vegan restaurants available and many Japanese do not have a clear understanding of what exactly qualifies a food as being truly vegan or vegetarian.

If you are travelling to Hokkaido as a vegan or vegetarian, you will have to accept that you may not be able to experience the full scope of Japanese food as your other travellers might. With advance notice and clear direction, some restaurants and accommodations are happy to cater to your requirements so please let us know your needs at the time of booking, but some facilities may choose to simply remove dishes from your meal instead of making a substitute. The main challenge is “dashi”, a meat or fish-based broth that is very commonly added to Japanese dishes. This can be hard to remove from Japanese cooking (it’s a bit like asking a European chef not to add salt and pepper!) as it is integral to a number of dishes.

See our Vegan & Vegetarian in Hokkaido blog to learn more.

Absolutely! This is a must for all travellers joining our tours. Please make sure you have valid travel insurance, covering the kind of activities you are undertaking during our tour, cancellations, loss of personal belongings, and any unforeseen circumstances while travelling. We will require the details of your travel insurance provider such as the name, policy number and phone number prior to the commencement of the tour.

If you're a Japanese citizen and on Japan's national health insurance scheme, we can mitigate our insurance requirement, although we still strongly recommend that you have flight cancellations and related expenses covered by some kind of insurance. Often your credit card provider can offer this coverage.

Tipping is not a part of Japanese culture and is not expected. Most jobs pay a high enough wage that workers can make a living without tips and service charges are often included as standard at restaurants, bars and so on (but this being Japan, you of course don’t pay a service charge and get nothing in return– you might get a little extra side dish called “otōshi” or some free bar snacks!) However, if you do wish to tip, feel free to do so. Nobody is going to mind the extra cash (even if you may have to reassure them several times that it’s okay to keep the money)!