Rebun Island

Rebun lies off the northern tip of Hokkaido at about 45 degrees north, cold, wind-scoured and fog-bound, and the effect is that plants which elsewhere in Japan grow only above two thousand metres flower here on coastal slopes a few metres above the sea. Around three hundred alpine species have been recorded, including the Rebun lady's slipper orchid, which grows nowhere else, and the island is generally called the island of flowers for that reason. The way to see them is on foot: the Eight-Hour Course runs the length of the western coast over headlands with no road access, and shorter trails reach Cape Sukoton at the northern end and the Momoiwa rock. Fishing is the island's other business, and the sea urchin landed here in early summer is what the islanders would tell you to eat.

History

The name comes from the Ainu Repun, "island in the open sea", and the island has a chashi, a hilltop fortification of the Ainu; its highest point is Mount Rebun, 490 metres (Wikipedia, Rebun Island).

What you'll find

• Alpine flowers at sea level - species that need two thousand metres elsewhere.
• The Rebun lady's slipper - an orchid found on this island and nowhere else.
• The Eight-Hour Course - a coastal trail along roadless western headlands.
• Summer uni - sea urchin landed here in June and July.

When to go

June to August, when the flowers are out. Two days; the long trail needs a full one.

Before you go

Fog is frequent and can erase the views entirely. The season is short and outside it most services close. Ferries are cancelled in swell and can strand visitors. Accommodation is limited and books out in the flower weeks.

Nearby

Rishiri Island is south across the strait; Wakkanai is east on the mainland.

Key facts