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With an absolutely stunning location on Rebun’s southwest side, it’s just a few minutes’ walk from several hiking tracks and has easy access to the rock-strewn sea. Beds are a combination of Japanese-style dorms (on tatami mats) and bunks. Staff can pick you up when the ferry docks: look for the flags and the enthusiastic guys yelling ‘okaerinasai!’ (welcome home!). If you’re coming by yourself, you can take a Motochi-bound bus and get off at the Yūsu-mae station (15 minutes), from where it’s another 15-minute walk.

Field Inn Seikan-sō (87-2818; http://homepage1.nifty.com/seikanso/main/p030000.htm, in Japanese; dm incl 2 meals ¥6000; May-Oct) This dormitory-style accommodation is more peaceful than Momoiwa-sō, is very convenient for hiking and has an amusing field-station theme throughout. Take a bus to Cape Sukoton (ask the driver to let you off at Seikan-sō). After getting off the bus, take the unpaved road to the west. Staff can pick you up at the ferry if you phone ahead.

Kāchan Yado (86-1406; fax 86-2188; http://web-kutsurogi.net/kaachan/index.html, in Japanese; r per person incl 2 meals ¥8000; Jun-Aug) Translating to Mum’s Place, this warm and cosy inn has that personal touch missing at so many minshuku in Japan. Japanese-style tatami rooms and – of course – Mum’s home-cooking are on the menu here. Get off the bus at the Shiretoko stop, walk a further five minutes along the road, and the inn is on your right.

Hana Rebun (86-1177; www.hanarebun.com, in Japanese; r incl 2 meals from ¥17,850; ) For honeymooners who really want to remember something special, this superluxury hotel offers balcony rotemburo in each room (a choice of porcelain or slightly pricier hinoki – an aromatic Japanese cypress wood often used in high-end onsen baths) that look out at Rishiri-tō, sunken kotatsu (a heated table with a cover over it to keep the legs and lower body warm) surrounded by beautiful tatami, and exquisite meals. Head right as you leave the port and Hana Rebun is about 10 minutes’ walk on the left.

GETTING THERE & AROUND

Air

From Rebun-tō airport, at the very northern tip of the island, there are a couple of flights a day to Wakkanai, more in the summer tourist season. The closest bus stop to the airport is Kūkō-shita (‘Below the Airport’), which means you’ll still need to walk 15 minutes to the terminal.

Boat

From Wakkanai-kō, Heartland Ferry (; 011-233-8010) operates two to five daily ferries (year-round) between Wakkanai and Kafuka (from ¥2200, two hours). Slightly less frequent ferries run in both direction from Kafuka to Oshidomari-kō and Kutsugata-kō (¥780, 45 minutes) on Rebun-tō. All ferry tickets are available for purchase at the various ports.

Bus

Up to five buses per day run along the island’s main road from Kafuka in the south to Cape Sukoton in the north (¥1180, 70 minutes). There are also bus routes from Kafula to Shiretoko (¥280, 13 minutes) and Motochi (¥440, 16 minutes) – check the timetable at the Kafuka ferry terminal on arrival.

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BIEI

0166 / pop 11,000

With the dramatic mountains of Daisetsuzan National Park (Click here) in the background, Biei is an artist’s and nature-lover’s mecca. The open fields, often covered in lavender or poppies, are so different from the rest of the mainland that you’ll wonder if you have left Japan and somehow ended up in rural France. The ubiquitous tour buses will quickly bring you back to reality, particularly in late June and July when the flowers peak. Still, Biei is a fun place to visit any time: walking and cycling the dirt roads in summer, enjoying the autumn leaves and late spring blooms, and even cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the dead of winter.

Information

The tourist information building (92-4378; www.biei-hokkaido.jp, in Japanese; 8.30am-7pm May-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Apr) is outside JR Biei station. Staff here can supply you with maps and tourist books, and help you find accommodation in town as well as in other destinations around Daisetsuzan National Park.

Sights & Activities

There are numerous art galleries