Far East Hokkaido in Japan – Bet You Didn’t Expect Bears, Whales, and Volcanoes!

Far East Hokkaido in Japan – Bet You Didn’t Expect Bears, Whales, and Volcanoes!

Hey everyone! This is Will from Going Awesome Places, and I’m in a part of Hokkaido that not many people get to visit. This is Eastern Hokkaido, which many call the “Wild Frontier”. We’re here to discover the sea and mountains, the incredible wildlife, onsen hot springs, Ainu culture, and more.

If you love adventure and the outdoors and want to see a completely different side to Japan, come join me in exploring this part of Hokkaido that will surely blow you away. So where is the Far East of Hokkaido? For my journey, I started from Toronto and made my way to Tokyo.

From Haneda, you can fly directly to the city of Kushiro, which is located in Eastern Hokkaido. The Far East is what many call it, and so with this video, let us show you what makes this region so special and why you should visit.

We’re going to start off with the indigenous peoples of called the Ainu. They’ve had a tumultuous pass to say the least, and were only formally recognized in 2008. One of the best places to go learn and experience their incredible culture is to go to Lake Akan.

It’s here where you’ll be able to have someone like Kengo-san take you on a forest walk. It starts off with an introduction to the mukkuri, also called Jew’s harp, and sounds like this. Throughout your walk, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation of their traditions, their connection with nature,

How they used what was available around them, and their overall way of life. Here is also a village and community with various Ainu-owned craft shops. Kengo-san actually has a shop here with his wife, and inside you’ll see a lot of their handmade goods.

This is also. Where you can have a traditional Ainu meal, which is quite different than what you’ll have in the rest of Japan. And at night, come back to the theater that you started in to see a performance called Lost Kamuy. Something you quickly learn about Hokkaido is that it is quite volcanic,

Which gives way to all of its hot springs and many active volcanoes. One of them is Mount Io, which literally translates to Sulphur Mountain. It can be explored in a number of ways. The first is with a guided trekking tour. With gloves and helmets, you’ll be able to ascend the mountain

And see some of the remnants of the sulfur mining that was once here. You’ll be able to hike up the rocky landscape to see how barren desolate it is on the mountainside. And near the top, you’ll also see how it’s caved in.

It’s a dramatic view from up here, and along the way, you’ll see the funeral highlighted by bright yellow sulfur and steam. The more traditional way to see Mount Io is to combine the walk up to all of the volcanic activity from the main parking lot.

You can get pretty close to the action, where you can see all of the bubbling vents, be amongst the steam, and you can definitely smell it. From here, there’s a nice walking trail that connects directly with the onsen town of Kawayu.

Along the way, you’ll see just how large the mountain is and the larger scale of the caldera that surrounds this entire area. As you move further away, you’ll start seeing the vegetation dramatically change as the acidity lessens. The flat path gradually starts with shrubs

And low brush, and eventually takes you into the lush forest of spruce and oak. After you visit the Eco Museum Center, don’t miss the foot onsen that’s free for everyone to use. It doesn’t get any better after a long day of hiking and walking. Now, if there’s one hike you have to fit

Into your itinerary for Hokkaido’s Far East, it’s Mount Meakan. Also located in Akan National Park, this is a 6-7 hour trek that takes you up to the main mountain in the Akon Range and is very much an active volcano. For most of the hike, you’ll be ascending through the Sakhalin spruce forest.

Things open up as you make it near the top and you can see the parking lot where you started and on a clear day, as far as the Daisetsuzan mountain range. The landscape dramatically changes at the top as you’re transported to an other-worldly place of steam vents, sulphurous pools, and huge craters. As

You descend, you’ll also see Mount Akan-fuji. But don’t worry, it’s all downhill from here. If you’re looking for a bit of an easier hike on the shores of Lake Kussharo is Wakoto Peninsula. This is in fact an extremely popular starting point for exploring the waters of the lake. It’s a well-known camping site,

And you’ll often see folks out on canoes, kayaks, and stand-to-paddle boards. This is an hour hike where you’ll go clockwise, taking you first across the sandbar and then looping the peninsula through the forest, which is rich in botanical life and views of Lake Kussharo to your left.

At the tip of the peninsula is an observation deck where you’ll see volcanic fumes below. Locals will often boil eggs in the cracks of spouting hot steam. It’s quite the view of Lake Cusharo here, especially on a clear and calm day when the sky perfectly reflects off. The water.

Canoeing is quite popular in Hokkaido, and so next we’re going to show you two experiences you can have in the far east of Hakeido. The first is on Kushiro River. From the outfitter shop, you’ll change and pick up your equipment. They typically arrange one guide per canoe for safety reasons.

The launch point is a short walk along Lake Kussharo. You’ll receive a quick safety briefing and first get acquainted in your three-person canoe on the lake, after which you’ll paddle into Kushiro River. The area is teeming with wildlife. You’ll be able to see crayfish, gray heron, crested kingfisher,

Gray wagtail, mink, and fish called eto in the water, part of the salmon family. The paddling itself is quite easygoing, and in between, you’ll also stop for a nice tea and coffee break. The other popular spot for canoeing is on the Biwasse River, which flows through the Kiritappu wetland.

What’s unique about the waterways here is that you have much more narrow river channels that eventually open up. You’ll have an excellent opportunity to spot birds. Similar to canoeing on Kushiro River, you’ll also get a nice break in the middle for coffee, tea, and cookies. This is a perfect segue to the wildlife

In Hokkaido and one of the most exciting opportunities – bear watching. Hokkaido is home to the Ussuri Brown Bear, and the best area to see them is on the Shiretoko Peninsula. The whole time we were driving through, we were on the lookout and we were lucky

Enough to spot this brown bear just hanging around the river, posing perfectly for us, but most likely was looking for food. This was shot right from the bus and on a bridge looking down towards the river below us. The more traditional way to see bears here is at the Shiretoko Five Lakes.

This is a park where if you want to walk to trail, have to listen to a very serious talk about bears in order to get a certificate of entry. One of the things you learn is what to do if you see a bear on the trail.

I guess this is always the risk of this happening, but literally minutes into our walk, we see a bunch of people walking back towards us. And yes, bear sighting back that way. We got to head back. The hike is over. With our hike foiled,

We simply walked the elevated boardwalk, which leads to the first lake. It’s electrified, so you’re safe from bear encounters. It’s quite the impressive walkway that allows you to enjoy views of the lake, the sea of Okhotsk, and the surrounding mountains without damaging the fragile ecosystem. No bears for us in this area.

Another nature trail you can do in this area is out to Furepe Falls. It’s a pleasant walk through the forest and over grassland and leads to an observation deck on top of the cliff with views down onto the waterfall and the Coast.

We didn’t see any bears here, but we did see some droppings. From the town of Rausu, in the Shirotoko Peninsula, take the road north as far as you can, and you end up at a local fisherman’s shop who runs boat tours along the coast of the peninsula.

This is a great way to see brown bears who often come down to the coastline to look for food. Even if you don’t see any bears, the scenery from the boat is absolutely stunning. In our case, we managed to see this one bear that was quite hard to spot

And further up the coast, a family of three bears. This part of Hokkaido has an extremely unique ecosystem that draws in a lot of marine life into the Nemuro Strait that sits between Shiretoko Peninsula and Kunashiri Island. As a result, Rausu is the perfect place to go on a whalewatch and cruise.

There are staff on board that will share more information about marine life you’ll see. While it is in Japanese, they do hold up signs that have English translations, which is very helpful. What you’ll be able to spot will change depending on the time of year. In our case, in September,

You have a really good chance of seeing Dall’s porpoise, tuna jumping. Now, with some patience and the help of sonar, you’ll be able to watch a magnificent display of sperm whales coming up for air, and eventually, diving back down. Perhaps the bird that’s most associated to Japan is the red-crowned crane.

Birdwatchers flock to Hokkaido to see this bird that is still considered to be endangered. The highest chances of seeing them is in the Kushiro Wetland, where there are residents all year round. You can see them in the open fields from the road. So just keep your eyes peeled.

Winter is certainly the best time to see them flock in the hundreds for feeding, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see them in other parts of the year. Notsuke Peninsula is another one of a kind ecosystem. It’s a sandspit sticking out into the waters of the Nemuro Strait,

And this narrow strip of land happens to be a great spot for wildlife viewing. Rounding at our journey through the far east of Hokkaido is Cape Kiritappu. Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, come here for coastal views, imposing cliffs, its striking lighthouse, a great walk to the tip, bird spotting,

And the resident sea otters that patrol the waters. They say. That only 0.1% of tourists to Japan ever come here, but we think it’s a destination that you should definitely add to your. Hokkaido itinerary. Next, make sure to watch our video, which showcases our full journey in Hokkaido from start to finish.

Then head down to the description below, which has links to our blog, where we find a valuable resource for anyone that’s planning a trip to this. Part of Japan. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you in Japan. While you.

Can do this part of Hakeido on your own, life was much easier for us when we got to travel with companies like Adventure Hokkaido and Hokkaido Treasure Island. To learn more about our partnerships with them, again, check out our blog and the video’s description.

Also, if you haven’t yet, make sure to subscribe and click that bell.

The Far East of Hokkaido is relatively unknown to most travellers to Japan but if you love the outdoors, wildlife encounters, Indigenous culture, and going off-the-beaten-path, you’re in for a treat.

In this video, we uncover everything we got to see in our trip to this Eastern part of Hokkaido which is also known to be a wild frontier. We were blown away by what we saw as it’s completely not what you expect from travel in Japan.

While Far East Hokkaido isn’t an official geographical term, it’s meant to include places such as Kushiro, Lake Akan, Shiretoko Peninsula, the Nemuro Strait, and coastline of Shibetsu down to Hamanaka.

Brown bears, whale watching, cute otters, and epic hikes, OH MY!

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👀 MUST-READ JAPAN GUIDES
9 Day Far East Hokkaido Itinerary – https://goaw.pl/far-east-hokkaido-itinerary
Ultimate Tokyo Food Guide – https://goaw.pl/tokyo-food-guide
What To Buy In Japan – https://goaw.pl/what-to-buy-in-japan
Best Apps for Japan – https://goaw.pl/japan-travel-apps

👍 WHICH TOUR OPERATORS TO BOOK WITH?
Planning a trip to Eastern Hokkaido isn’t the easiest especially in the Far East. That’s why we do recommend that you travel with a local tour company because they either have a pre-packaged tour or they can help you create a custom tour.

We’ve partnered with Adventure Hokkaido & Hokkaido Treasure Island as operators of choice for Hokkaido.

With Adventure Hokkaido, use code GOINGAWESOMEPLACES when getting a quote to get a FREE BUFF when you travel with them: https://www.adventure-hokkaido.com/

Hokkaido Treasure Island is our operator of choice if you’re looking to put together a custom-tailored tour. Select “Going Awesome Places” under “How did you hear about us?” and get a FREE bottle of regional sake! You can find them at https://hokkaido-treasure.com/

Another company to look at is Akan Adventure Tourism that focuses on travel around Lake Akan.

🎥 WATCH MORE JAPAN VIDEOS
How To Spend 6 Days in Sapporo – coming soon
24 Days in Hokkaido – coming soon
Best Michelin Star Ramen in Tokyo – https://youtu.be/fTUi3SI92_U
9 Must-Eat Restaurants in Tokyo – https://youtu.be/QB8ma8-SpSk

🟢 CHAPTERS
0:00 – Intro
0:37 – Where is the Far East of Hokkaido?
0:57 – The Ainu
2:33 – Mt. Io
4:33 – Mt. Meakan
5:59 – Wakoto Peninsula
6:48 – Canoeing Kushiro River
7:40 – Canoeing Biwase River
8:11 – Brown Bears
8:53 – Shiretoko Five Lakes
9:43 – Furepe Falls
10:00 – Cape Shiretoko Brown Bear Boat Cruise
10:46 – Whale Watching Cruise
11:55 – Red-Crowned Cranes
12:22 – Notsuke Peninsula
12:44 – Cape Kiritappu
13:09 – Outro

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Produced, filmed & edited by Will Tang
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