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Joined 2018
Hiroshi K.
Available Areas
Hokkaido, Shiretoko / Abashiri (Living), Other Hokkaido Locations
Languages
English
Response Time
20 hours on average
Availability Updated
3 days ago
Tour Categories
About Tour Guide Hiroshi K.
I used to be a high school English teacher at the public high school in Hokkaido. I retired from an English teacher 6 years ago and I got a license of the national government licensed guide interpreter. I live in a small city named Abashiri, which is located in the eastern part of Hokkaido island, Japan and very rich in nature. Abashiri is surrounded by natural beauty such as lakes, rivers and mountains. I like to go hiking in the mountains near our city all year round. In spring, we can see beautiful peaks crwoned with remaining snow, in summer there are a lot of alpine flowers, in autumn we can see gorgeous autumn colors and in winter we can enjoy snowshoeing in the small mountains on sunny days and seeing beautiful Okhotsk Sea covered with drift ice. I would like you to enjoy walking in the forests while hearing birds singing. I hope you will have a chace to enjoy some of them. I can help you spend wonderful time here.
Abashiri offers you not only natural beauty but also some interesting museums which specialize in northern minorities such as Ainu, Inuit and Eskimo. Also, there is a drift ice museum where you can touch some drift ice in the very cold room (-15 degrees Celsius) even in summer. You will have a great time visiting those small museums.
Important
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.
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Northern Peoples and Drift Ice in Abashiri
Exciting visit to the local museums specializing in the culture of Northern Peoples and Drift Ice Museum. Abashiri, located in the east of Hokkaido, has some unique museums which give you opportunities to learn about the culture of the Northern Peoples and drift ice covering Okhotsk Sea in winter.
Mt.Meakan Hike, Active Volcano Hike in Hokkaido
There are two mountains named Mt. Akan in the Akan-Mashu 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 breath of the earth by walking near the crater of Mt. Meakan and enjoy the distant view of beautiful Mt.Oakan from its top.
Mt.Nishibetsu Hike, Enjoy Alpine Plants in Hokkaido
Enjoy the hike at Mt. Nishibetsu with lots of beautiful alpine flowers and relaxing time at Mt. Nishibetsu hut located at the trailhead. If we have time after our hike, we can stop by Lake Ura-Mashu Observatory to view Lake Mashu's mysterious blue color of the lake water called Mashu Blue. We can also make a short stop at Kaminoko Ike to see its amazing color of the pond water or at Sakuranotaki waterfall to see salmon swimming up the river during the summer.
Mt. Mokoto Hike Surrounded by Natural Beauty in Abashiri
Mt. Mokoto is located in the eastern part of Hokkaido. It is not so high and you can enjoy walking on the trail well-maintained while listening to birds' singing. Also you can look at the beautiful lake named Lake Kusharo, which is the largest crater lake in Japan. Mt. Mokoto is very famous for its view from the top and fresh underground water. Enjoy having some coffee or tea with this water at the top.
Mt. Musa Hike, Peaceful Walk in the Forest in Hokkaido
Mt. Musa (1005m) hike, which gives you a quiet, peaceful time while walking in the forest in Nakashibetsu town, Hokkaido. You can see magnificent view of Mt.Shari (one of the 100 best mountains in Japan), a vast expanse of Konsen plain, a distant view of Odaito sandbar from its peak and you can enjoy listening to many birds chirping if the weather is fine.
Reviews
Yu ching L.
Mt.Meakan Hike, Active Volcano Hike in Hokkaido
“Great experience with Hiroshi”
We had a wonderful hike to Mt Meakan with Hiroshi who was very friendly, kind and went out of his way to ensure our safety and comfort, even lending us his poles and gaiters which came in so useful. Along the way he educated us on the alpine flora and fauna and provided tidbits about the geographical area. He ensured we had sufficient breaks and provided snacks so we did not find the hike too strenuous and were able to enjoy the experience and splendid views. Don’t hesitate to book with Hiroshi, you will be in safe hands!
Hiroshi K.
(6 reviews)Thank you for your kind words, Yu. I had a great time walking with you, too!! The hike was so great at first with a beautiful day, but you ended up getting wet due to the bad weather on our way back to the trailhead. I was worried that you might have got a cold. I was so sorry about it. Please feel free to contact me any time when you want to have another adventure. Hokkaido, especially eastern part of Hokkaido including Abashiri, Obihiro and Kushiro areas, is rich in nature and offers you great opportunity to enjoy exciting outdoor activities. I strongly recommend you visit here in late March, so you can experience unusual activities such as snowshoeing or walking on the coastline while looking at gorgeous views of Shiretoko mountain range. Thanks again, Yu and Seng. I could have a quality time there with you. Hiroshi
Karl Z.
Hike at Mt.Meakan Breathing Fresh Air in a Virgin Forest.
Customized
“Great experience! Very nice hike and trip planing ”
Since I contacted Hiroshi, he always made big effort to plan a perfect trip, with possible plan B or C if weather conditions were bad and asked about my preferences. So I can clearly say that the trip was planned for me and my taste. I knew what i had to expect, what i should prepare for and where Hiroshi could help. The weather conditions weren't perfect with wind and rain so that the day before we switched to plan B, hiking mount motoro, where the hike had better wind coverage from trees and was shorter to be able to walk back if necessary. The view was just stunning!!! Amazing, best time conditions for taking nice pictures. A bit cold and bit cloudy but we were so good prepared we didnt bother at all. At the summit we enjoyed a hot coffee with picnic lunch and had the first snow of the year, yet we still were good prepared and enjoyed it! Short time later it was a bit sunny again and even ate an ice cream at the start/end of the hike. You have to love hokkaido in autumn. On our Journey to the hike and back we did visit some nice observatorie points which was an amazing extension as we had plenty of time because of the shorter hike. At the end for me it wasnt plan B, if was an A+, huge congrats and thanks to Hiroshi. Can only recommend him!
Hiroshi K.
(6 reviews)Hi Karl Thanks for your kind words. I also had a great time walking with you. (The weather wasn't perfect for the hike, though.) We changed our original hike plan to plan B and I think we made a better choice because we could have extra time to visit another place, Lake Mashu. What a wonderful view we could see there. As I told you during our hike, there are many exciting places to visit around Abashiri. I'm looking forward to seeing you here again and having another hike to enjoy breathtaking views. Please let me know any time if you want to get more information about Okhotsk area. Thanks again for contacting me, Karl. Hiroshi
Melissa W.
Shiretoko Walk Feeling the Breath of Spring
Customized
“The best guide”
Hiroshi is the nicest, most knowledgeable guide we've ever had. We are a couple travelling through the Shiretoko area and as we didn't drive, our request were out of the ordinary. As well as needing a guide through the national park, we also needed transportation included. Hiroshi was very accommodating in our needs. He went above and beyond for us, had coffee and homemade bread prepared which we are so touched by. The day was perfect and we are so glad we had met him and had him as our guide. We hope to meet him again one day.
Hiroshi K.
(6 reviews)Hi Melissa & Joe Thanks a lot for your kind words, Melissa. I also had a great time with you two. It's a bit too warm for a nature tour, but we're lucky to see so many Hokkaido deer while walking and driving. Please come to Hokkaido again and enjoy its natural beauty. Hokkaido gives us gorgeous views and natural habitats for many wild animals and birds. I believe it is a paradise for you, especially for Joe. Let's have another Origami folding paper time together!! Many thanks, Hiroshi
