basic information

Rebun Island is a longish island, about 10 km north of Rishiri Island and 50 km off the northern tip of Hokkaido. Together with Rishiri Island, Rebun belongs to the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park.

Rebun Island is most famous for its rich flora, which features many alpine flowers, some of which cannot be found anywhere else on the world. The flowers are in bloom from around June to August, the best time to visit Rebun. Not many tourists come to the island during the long and harsh winters.

The alpine flora, the beautiful natural scenery of Rebun and views of nearby Rishiri can be enjoyed from a network of pleasant walking and hiking trails.

Cape Sukoton (Sukoton Misaki) Cape Sukoton is the northernmost point of Rebun Island. Besides the fine views and a souvenir shop, there is not much to be found. Cape Sukoton is a terminal point of the beautiful 4-hour and 8-hour hiking courses.

Cape Gorota (Gorota Misaki) Cape Gorota is a beautiful cape in the northern part of the island. A scenic walking trail, part of the 4-hour and 8-hour hiking courses, connects Cape Sukoton via Cape Gorota with Gorota Beach.

Gorota Beach (Gorotahama) Gorota Beach is a sand beach on the western coast of Rebun, popular among wind surfers. It offers beautiful views of nearby Cape Gorota. The 4-hour and 8-hour hiking courses pass along the beach.

Rebun Usuyukiso Area This is an area with a relatively high number of Rebun Usuyukiso, the Rebun version of the Edelweiss. The Rebun Usuyukiso is one of several protected, very rare kinds of alpine flowers found on Rebun Island.

Motochi Motochi is the name of the island's southwestern region, which is characterized by a scenic, steep coastline. A small village with ryokan and distinctively shaped rocks resembling a cat's head and a Jizo statue, can be found along the coast.

Momoiwa Momoiwa ("Peach Rock") is a roundish hill in the Motochi region. Alpine flowers in combination with views of nearby Rishiri Island can be enjoyed from the Momoiwa observation deck and the hiking course that leads along the ridge of the hills to Shiretoko.

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how to get there

Click here for details on how to get to Rebun Island.

Orientation:

Rebun's largest town and transport hub is Kafuka in the south of the island. Kafuka Port is the arrival and departure point of all ferries from/to Wakkanai and Rishiri. Rebun Airport in the north of the island, is currently out of service.

Getting around Rebun Island:

Scheduled bus services are provided from Kafuka to Cape Sukoton at the island's northern tip, Shiretoko at the island's southern tip and Motochi by Soya Bus, however, bus connections are infrequent. The one way journey from Kafuka to Cape Sukoton takes one hour and costs 1180 Yen. To Shiretoko it takes 10 minutes and costs 300 Yen. To Motochi 15 minutes and 440 Yen.

Many of the Japanese tourists visiting Rebun, explore the island by sightseeing bus tours. Typical tours of the island take between two and four hours and cost around 3000 Yen per person. Tours are held in Japanese.

It is also possible to rent a car on Rebun, however, rental fees are much higher than on the "mainland". The typical cost for a 24 hour rental is around 15,000 Yen for a small car, which is about the same as the one way cost of brining a car from Wakkanai to Rebun by ferry.

How to get to Rebun Island

travel community

Popularity of Rebun Island:
Users who have been to Rishiri and Rebun: 20
Users who have been to Rebun Island: 14

2nd of 2 most visited sights in Rishiri and Rebun.
422nd of 554 most visited sights nationwide.

Ratings for Rebun Island:

japan-guide.com Rating:		best of the best
User Rating (by 8 users):	95/100	highly recommended

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