Rishiri/Rebun worth the hassle in May?

Hi,
I will be in Tokyo in May planning to do a side-trip north to Hokkaido. I have been to Sapporo once before but not much more of Hokkaido.

I noticed the islands of Rishiri/Rebun but seems quite hard to access. Having a train to Wakkanai for 5 hours from Sapporo (not forgetting the time of getting TO Sapporo) and then a ferry for a few more hours.

I saw there were flights from Haneda to Wakkanai or from Sapporo to Rishiri but these are probably out of the "Air Pass" fare so I guess it might come expensive.

Is it really worth the hassle getting all the way there? One blog mentioned people go there to hike mt Rishiri, but that it might be covered in snow in May and also hard to climb. Is it still worth it?

As judged by the data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, May is the most sunny month in Wakkanai which is the closest point to Rishiri and Rebun. Unfortunately they don't show data for Rishiri or Rebun.

http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=1...

Basically no snow on the road though the average temperature is below 10��C.

Most people visiting Rishiri and Rebun want to see floating Mt Rishiri from Rebun island. There are some nice trails in Rebun so Rebun is more popular than Rishiri. Climbing Mt Rishiri is not for non-experienced climbers.

Note that the weather is not stable in Rishiri and Rebun, like other part of Japan so you may be caught by the cold and rainy weather while you are there.

I saw there were flights from Haneda to Wakkanai or from Sapporo to Rishiri but these are probably out of the "Air Pass" fare so I guess it might come expensive.

At least Haneda to Wakkanai is covered by ANA Experience JAPAN program. If you can't find the discount fare for next May, it is because they haven't start to sell the tickets for that period.

https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+158459

Best time to visit is June - early August.
I really liked it there, but I don't know if I would have gone if I hadn't planned an extensive trip in Hokkaido.
It makes more sense when you plan to see other things that are kind of "on the way".
Wakkanai itself is also quite nice and worth spending a day or two there.

I've gone to Rishiri in mid-May and can say it was pleasant. I had planned to hike the mountain, but after biking the entirety of the island in a day, I was way too tired.

I think many people go to the island for the flowers, particularly Rebun. I can't comment on the flowers, but there was plenty of green for me, and the coolness of the island was a big help for the biking.

If you have a good 3 weeks in Japan, I would definitely recommend taking the time to get there, especially if you are planning on seeing other parts of Hokkaidou. We flew from Tokyo to Wakkanai and on the return flew from Wakkanai to Sapporo; the latter flight only costing ~$50. If you're only going to be in Japan for 10 days, it's probably not worth the trouble.