Hiking Hokkaido. Japan hiking at its finest along the the trails of Japan's northern island. Mountain hikes in four national parks - Shikotsu-Toya, Daisetsuzan, Akan and Shiretoko. Trails lead through gorgeous high country volcanic landscapes!

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Meakandake & Akan Fuji seen over Onneto. Japan's mountains offer an unusual escape from the ordinary!

NEWS! Walking Softly's hiking trips are now offered under our "Mountain Hiking Holidays" label. You can access information about our hiking trips at the Mountain Hiking Holidays website at www.MountainHikingHolidays.com.

For a more complete description of the Hokkaido hiking trip, please go to the Hokkaido Trails page at the Mountain Hiking Holidays website.

Join us on a hiking tour of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Hokkaido offers some of the wildest landscapes and best hiking opportunities in the country. On this trip, sample the mountain trails in the Shikotsu-Toya, Daisetsuzan, Akan, and Shiretoko national parks.

The lava dome of Tarumae-san. Photo by John Osaki.

Days 1-3: In the heart of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, hike to the summit of the Tarumae-san volcano with its impressive and still steaming lava dome. Enjoy a walk to the Moss Gorge (Koke-no-domon) whose walls are home to some thirty different moss species. In the Niseko region, hike the Niseko Circuit, a trail that leads though a varied and volcanically-created landscape. Steaming thermal areas contrast with quiet lakes and deep green bamboo thickets. Travel north to Daisetsuzan National Park and the Ashaidake Onsen at the foot of Asahidake volacano, Hokkaido's tallest peak.

Boardwalk trail at Shinsen-numa on the Niseko Circuit hike.

Days 4-6: From Asahidake Onsen, a cable car lifts you into the high country of the Daisetsuzan range. From the Sugatami ponds ascend the trail up the cinder slopes of Asahidake to reach its summit. Energetic hikers can complete a traverse of the Daisetsuzan range descending at the end of the day to the waterfall-lined gorge of Sounkyo. On another day, a loop hike leads past several picturesque mountain ponds on the Daisetsu Kougen (Daisetsu Plateau). Travel to the Akan National Park and the lake of Akan-ko, one of three "crater lakes" for which the park is known.

The Daisetsuzan high country. Photo by John Osaki.

Midori-numa ("Green Pond") is one of several small lakes on the Daisetsu Kogen. Photo by John Osaki.

Days 7-9: From the lovely lake of Onneto, hike to the top of Meakandake volcano crowned by two enormous craters. An optional hike leads to the top of Meakandake's neighbor, the symmetrical Akan Fuji. Travel to the caldera lake of Mashū-ko which some hold to be Japan's loveliest. Enjoy a hike along a bamboo-lined trail to a dramatic viewpoint high above Lake Kussharo, the third of Akan National Park's crater lakes. Travel north to reach the Shiretoko Peninsula whose wild landscapes are protected in the Shiretoko National Park.

Meakandake (left) and Akan Fuji reflected in Onneto. Photo by John Osaki.

Days 9-10: Hike to the summit of the dormant Rausudake volcano to enjoy views down the mountainous spine of the Shiretoko Peninsula. On a clear day, views extend out over the Sea of Okhotsk to the Tyatya volcano on Russian-held Kunashiri Island. At the end of the trip, travel to Memanbetsu in northern Hokkaido for your departure.

The view from Rausudake. Photo by John Osaki.

Hokkaido autumn flora.

For a more complete description of the Hokkaido hiking trip, please go to the Hokkaido Trails page at the Mountain Hiking Holidays website.

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