There are two mountains named Mt. Akan in the Akan Naitonal Park; Mt.Meakan (female Mt.Akan) and Mt. Oakan (male Mt.Akan), both of them are volcanoes. Mt.Oakan is a dormant volcano and Mt.Meakan is an active volcano. You can feel the power of the earth by walking near the crater of Mt. Meakan and enjoy the distant view of beautiful Mt.Oakan from its top.
At your hotel in Abashiri
Walking to the top of Mt. Meakan while looking down smoke rising from the crater
Beautiful alpine flowers growing in July and August
High quality of Onsen, or hot spring water
When this hike is canceled due to the bad weather, you can visit Ainu Museum at the Lake Akan on the way back to Abashiri. Ainu is native people in Hokkaido and they have some unique culture and life style.
At your hotel in Abashiri
Akan is a very popular national park in Japan and very famous for its high quality of "Onsen", or hot spring water and its beautiful green algae ball called "Marimo". The main purpose of this tour is Mt. Meakan hike, an active volcano and to see its magnificent view of the crater and other mountains such as Mt. Oakan, Mt.Mokoto, Mt. Shari, Shiretoko range of mountains, World Natural Heritage Site. If you start the hike very early or the hike is canceled due to the weather conditions, you'll have time to visit other tourist spots such as Lake Akan, Ainu Theater, sourvenir shops specializing in the Ainu culture and so on. Ainu, native people in Hokkaido, used to live this area and their traditional dances are now designated as UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage. The hike will be 3 hours up and 2 hours down not included rest and lunch time. You can see many beautiful alpine plants such as "Iwabukuro" and "Meakan Kinbai" on the way to the top in July and August.
guide fee, hotel pick-up in Abashiri
transportation fee ( you and guide), taxi fare from Abashiri to Akan for both ways (about 25000JPY) or rent-a-car fare a day (about 8000JPY)
lunch, dinner, hike food and drinks, entrance fee, sightseeing boat fare, hot spring bath charge,etc
I can help you visit the places around Abashiri, where I live and go hiking in our area. There isn't frequent transportation service here and I think you need to take a taxi or rent a car. We basically begin our tours from Abashiri and return to this city. If you plan to start your tour from different cities, let me know about your plan. In that case, you might need to pay for my transportation expenses and accomodation fees. There might be some cases that I have to drive a long way ( more than 3 or 4 hours for one way) and stay at a hotel on the day before meeting you.
only available from June to October
There is no public transportation service from Abashiri to the hike start, so you must take a taxi or rent a car. It takes 2 hours to get there. It will cost you about 25000 JPYto take a taxi for both way and about 7000 JPY plus gas to rent a car a day. The hike can be canceled due to the weather condition. In that case, you can choose some options such as visiting a very beautiful lake called "Onneto" ,taking a sighseeing boat in the Lake Akan, visiting Ainu museums, taking a hot spring, looking around the Ainu wood carvings and unique clothes with Ainu patterns at the souvenir shops.
Our group from Seattle Washington spent two days with Hiroshi in Eastern Hokkaido - one day touring the Abashiri area and the second hiking in Lake Akan. We had a great experience with him and highly recommend him. In planning the trip, Hiroshi was a pleasure to work with. We were interested in hiking and seeing some of the natural wonders of Eastern Hokkaido. He answered all our e-mails promptly with excellent ideas and information, and was very flexible in developing a trip that met the needs of our schedule and group interests. On our arrival to Japan, Hiroshi went out of his way to make two trips to the airport as some of our group was delayed. Upon meeting him, we bonded quickly. His written and spoken English is excellent - not surprising as he is a former English teacher. He is a charming, funny and delightful individual, a Hokkaido native full of local knowledge and lots of energy. He had prepared extensively for our trip, coming with maps, brochures, and a wide range of specific ideas. He drove us for two days in a rental car, including in some challenging weather conditions. He is an experienced and cautious driver who made us feel very comfortable. On our hike to Meakandake at Lake Akan, he arrived fully prepared with extra gear, maps, even fresh home made bread and hot coffee for the trail! He was very careful to track our progress and mindful of how the group was doing at all times as the weather and conditions changed during the hike. Even after our tour with him and during the rest of our time in Hokkaido, he stayed in touch frequently, providing additional ideas as to where to go, including many excellent spots that were not found in local guides. Overall, our experience with Hiroshi was great and I would recommend him without reservation.
Hi Sandy Thank you so much for your message. I had a GREAT time spending two days with you, too. It was also a hppy and pleasure time for me. Unfortunately, we didn't have the best weatherfor the hike at Mt.Meakan but as I told you during our hike, that was a kind of the notice that we should hike again. So I'd like you all to come again to Mt. Meakandake to enjoy its spectacular views in the near future !! I was really glad to know you had a good luck to be able to see beautiful views of Lake Mashu, a small pond called 'Kaminoko-ike',or God's Child Pond in English and rare birds including cranes during the rest of your tour. Please let me know anytime when you need some information about eaastern Hokkaido. I'm looking forward to hearing from you !! Thanks again for your kind words and say hi to David and Cezanne for me. Hiroshi
Hiroshi is an excellent and knowledgeable guide around the Abashiri area. He’s very communicative and worked with me to research and schedule a tour to fit my interests so don’t feel limited by the tour description on Triplelights. He was a gracious host. We ate the best oysters I have ever tasted near Lake Saroma. His English is very good, both written and spoken
Thank you for your kind comments, Craig. I'm happy to know you really enjoyed your stay in Abashiri. December is not the best time to visit Abashiri, but we did have a great time visiting scenic spots, water birds observation and drift ice museum. Especially, having delicious oysters WAS a high-light for me, too. Please come and visit Abashiri again and have more memorable experiences with me. Thanks again for visiting Abashiri. Hiroshi.