Rebun Island

Island Hikyo

Prefecture

Hokkaido

Type

Island · Hikyo

N/A

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About This Destination

A long, low island west of Wakkanai, reached only by a ferry of about two hours. From late May to August its grassy west-coast trails are covered in alpine flowers, including an orchid that grows nowhere else. The trails close for winter in October, and from November the ferry drops to two sailings a day each way.

Rebun lies west of Rishiri, about two hours by ferry from Wakkanai: a long, low, grassy island without a big peak to climb. People come for the flowers. Cold winds off the Sea of Japan keep plants here that elsewhere grow only high in the mountains, and from late May the slopes above the west coast fill with them. The best known is Rebun-atsumoriso, a cream-coloured lady's slipper orchid that grows only on this island and has been a protected species since 1994. You see it from fenced boardwalks at Tetsufu in the north, which in 2026 opened on May 15 and closed on June 20. There are seven marked trails. Momoiwa Observatory is about 5.3 km and three hours, and the tourism association calls it the place to see most of the island's flowers with Rishiri behind them. The 8-hour course is the longest, about 16.5 km from Hamanaka to Kafukai, and it is not a walk to take lightly. The trail office says it needs the same fitness and gear as climbing Mount Rishiri, that you should not walk it alone, that the middle part has no phone signal and no villages, and that the shore before Uenai can be impassable in high waves. Walk it north to south only. There are no brown bears or snakes on the island. Weather is the other catch: fog rolls in fast, and ferries are cancelled in rough seas, so leave a spare day at the end of a trip.

Location

Prefecture: Hokkaido

Address: Rebun, Hokkaido, Japan

Nearest Station: Kafuka Port Ferry Terminal (ferry from Wakkanai Station area)

Best time to visit: Late May to June for the flowers (the Rebun-atsumoriso viewing area was open May 15 to June 20 in 2026); June to September for the most ferries. The trails close for winter in October

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Visitor Information

Credit Cards: Unknown

Official Website

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I see Rebun-atsumoriso?

The Ministry of the Environment gives its flowering as late May to late June. You can only see it from the fenced viewing area at Tetsufu in the north of the island, which is open for a few weeks a year: in 2026 the boardwalk and viewing areas opened on May 15 and closed at 16:30 on June 20, with hours of 8:30 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30). Check the Rebun trail site for the next year's dates in May.

Is the 8-hour course open, and can I walk it alone?

In 2026 the trail office reported every course open along its whole length on May 28, and all courses except the Rebun forest road course close for winter from October 20, 2026 (the Rebun Falls course closed on October 1). Do not walk it alone: the trail office calls solo walking dangerous and asks you to go in a group. Phones do not work on most of the route, and the tourism association notes there are no villages between the Shokoku junction and Uenai. Walk it north to south only, start early, and turn back in bad weather. The coast from Uenai south to Motochi is closed because of rockfall.

How often does the ferry run in winter?

In Heart Land Ferry's 2026 timetable, from November 1 to April 27 there are two sailings each way between Wakkanai and Kafuka: from Wakkanai at 6:35 and 14:10, from Kafuka at 9:00 and 17:05. The Rishiri link drops to one a day each way. Winter storms cancel sailings, so do not plan a tight connection to a flight or train on the way back.

Are there bears on Rebun?

No. The Rebun tourism association says there are no brown bears or snakes on the island, which is rare for Hokkaido hiking. The real hazards are wind, fog and getting lost on the quieter stretches of the long courses.