Untouched Japan
Welcome to the winter wonderland

Eastern Hokkaido
Frigid Experience Tour
8 Days with English-speaking Guides

Tour Overview
The tour offers the Japanʼs ʻdeepestʼ adventuresthat take place in the Japanʼs most unspoiled
area, “East Hokkaido”. Since its special
geographical position, the Sea of Okhotsk side ofHokkaidoʼs coast is the southernmost place where
seasonal ice floes arrive in winter, which causes
great impacts on the climate, culture in the area.
The temperature in winter sometimes drops
under minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Letʼs find out how people survive in such extreme
environment and try to enjoy and co-exist with it.
Immerse yourself in wonderful snowy and icy
worlds without worrying about anything! Jump
into the sea of ice floes, snow-shoeing in theforests, and canoeing down the rivers.
Our expert guides will help you experience thebreathtaking landscapes, incredible bio-diversity,and very rare natural phenomenon that all canbe observed without travelling long from thetemperate zone. If youʼre lucky, you might
encounter very rare wildlife, such as
red-crowned crane, Stellerʼs sea eagle.
Tours available: January ~ MarchTrip Wows
Experience the extreme cold weather,which sometimes under -30 degrees Celsius
Learn how the local people enjoy the harshenvironment
Unique activities, such as Ice Floes Walking
with the dynamic background of Shiretoko
World Natural Heritage Site
Able to observe rare wildlife, such as
red-crowned crane and Stellerʼs sea eagle
Savoring the finest quality Hokkaido
seafood, vegetables, and local sakeUnique ecosystem
Shiretoko Peninsula
Shiretoko is a 70 km long, narrow peninsula jutting out into the Sea of Okhotsk, arange of 1,200 to 1,600 meters mountains form the backbone of the peninsula, 200
high treacherous cliffs are aligned along the coastline, which makes it inaccessible fromthe land.
The place is a habitat for 36 land mammals, 22 marine mammals, and 285 species ofbirds confirmed. Among them are world widely recognized rare species, such as
northern sea lion and sperm whale.
Shiretokoʼs best-known animal is the brown bear with one of the highest population
densities in the world. Other rare species include Blakistonʼs fish owl, and blackwoodpecker.
As such, the fact that many wild animals can live within such a small area is largely dueto Shiretokoʼs unique connection to the sea, rivers, and forests. Drift ice comes toShiretoko in winter carry large volume of ice algae which create zooplankton plentifully,
which then feed salmon fry. The salmon begin travelling in early summer and returnback to Shiretoko after wandering the ocean for several years. Then, they go up therivers, serve as food for carnivores, such as brown bears and eagles.

Route MapDay 1Asahikawa Airport to Sounkyo

Day 2Sounkyo to Kitami

Day 3Kitami to Abashiri

Day 3

Day 1

Day 4

Day 2
Day 5Day 4Abashiri to Utoro

Day 5Utoro to Teshikaga

Day 6Day 7

Day 6Teshikaga to Akano Onsen

Day 7

Akanko Onsen to Kushiro

Day 8Kushiro to Kushiro Airport

Durations: 8 days 7 nights
Activity: Winter sports/ Wildlife watching/ Canoeing/Hiking
Intensity: Easy

Day 8

Accommodations
Five nights of accommodation at handpicked hotels

Stay at various types of accommodations –Japanese traditional Hot spring inn, Luxury hotel resort, etc.

Enjoy the local Hokkaido ingredients throughJapanese traditional course meal

Take a break and enjoy the scenic view during
hot springs and saunas

Detail requests available

Guides and staffs
Experienced English speaking guides with
abundant local knowledge
Interpretation, camaraderie and other supports
from our guides
Experts and local hospitality staffs provided

Well relationships with the local connections
Quick response against unexpected events(One-stop tour operator)

Day 1

Day 3Day 2

Day to Day - 01
Day 1 - Meet our guests at Asahikawa Airport
Our guide will pick you up at Asahikawa Airport, move to Sounkyo by chartered car.
After dinner, we will have an orientation meeting. Sounkyo is a popular winterdestination located in one of the coldest places in Hokkaido at north of Daisetsuzan
National Park. Nevertheless, the town offers a very unique and fantastic event withso many huge ice sculptures, ice dorms, colorful illuminations and fireworks, which
will make you get hot. For those who want to have a sip, there has a ice bar thatoffers tasty local sake. Cheers!
Highlights – Sounkyo Onsen Ice Fall Festival

Meals

Dinner: Japanese/ Western buffet (Hotel)

HotelHotel Taisetsu (Japanese style room, hot spring)Day to Day - 02
Day 2 - Curling experience in Kitami
Move to Kitami and try one of the popular winter sports here, curling at a venue
where many Japanese Olympians have trained. The Hall houses 3 curling sheets thatmeet Olympic standard. You will learn it is a great fun and not easy than you might
think. Kitami is a BBQ town and the citizens love it very much. There are about 60
BBQ restaurants. Letʼs discover the food culture of Kitami and learn how the residents
enjoy such harsh environment. Stay at Northern Arc Resort which offers
opportunities for multiple winter adventures.
Highlights – Curling experience, Yakiniku BBQ

Act.

CurlingMeals

Breakfast: Japanese & Western buffet (Hotel)
Lunch : Yakiniku (BBQ restaurant)
Dinner: Local seafood & meat cuisine (Hotel)

Hotel

Northern Ark Resort (Western room)

Day to Day - 03
Day 3 – Fat bike riding in Northern Ark Resort
Northern Arc Resort provides a wonderful 3km course which is designed exclusivelyfor fat bike riding so that even beginners can enjoy it safely. The excitement andthrills of biking on the fluffy snow downhill is what the ride is all about. It also offers
fantastic views in all directions. Then move to Abashiri, visit Abashiri Prison Museumand learn about how the Japanʼs northernmost prison runs and operates prisoners.
Stay at Abashiri which is a port city that faces the Sea of Okhotsk. It is well-known
for freshly caught seafood, such as scallop, oysters.
Highlights – Fat bike riding, Abashiri Prison MuseumAct.

Fat bike riding (2 hours)
Intensity: Easy (★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ）Meals

Breakfast: Buffet (Hotel)
Lunch: Prison meals (Abashiri Prison Museum)
Dinner: Local seafood (Local restaurant)

Hotel

Route-inn Abashiri (Western style room)

Day 4Day 5

Day to Day - 04
Day 4 – Crusie the sea of Okhotsk with ice floes
The boat moves through the ice field, making dynamic sounds of the huge icesclashing as it goes. Seasonal ice floes bring a lot of benefits to the land. During the1-hour cruise, passengers can observe ice floes up close from the cabin and learn
how the seasonal ice floes affect the areaʼs nature and ecosystem. If you are lucky,
you might encounter harbor seals and Stellerʼs sea eagle.
Highlights – Drift Ice Boat TourAct.

Drift Ice Boat Tour (1 hour)

Meals

Breakfast Buffet (Hotel)
Lunch: Seafood Ramen (Restaurant)
Dinner: Japanese-style seafood (Hotel)

Hotel

Shiretoko Village (Japanese style room)

Day to Day - 05
Day 5 –Ice floes walk & Shiretoko Five Lakes snowshoeing
Put on a dry-suits and jump into the cold water covered with ice floes! Itʼs notjoking. The air temperature is -15 degrees Celsius and the water temperature is 2 ℃. Is this Cold? Nope. The guide gives you a warm rubber suit and teaches you
how to enjoy the tour safely. This will be an absolutely once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After lunch walk around the Shiretokoʼs signature Five Lakes wearing snowshoes.
Stay at Kawayu Onsen which maintain one of the finest hot springs in Hokkaido.
Requirements: Participants must be at least 140 cm in height and 100 kg or lower in weight
Recommended Season: February-MarchHighlights – Ice floes walk, Five Lakes snowshoeingAct.

① Shiretoko Ice Floes walk (90mins)
Intensity: Easy (★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ）② Five Lakes Snowshoeing (3hrs)
Intensity: Easy (★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ）Meals

Breakfast: Buffet (Hotel)
Lunch: Local seafood (Local restaurant)
Dinner: Japanese course meal (Hotel)

Hotel

Kawayu Onsen Kinkiyu (Japanese style room)

Day 6

Day 8Day 7

Day to Day - 06
Day 6 – Experience active volcanoes, scenic lakes and ainu culture
Lake Kussharo is Japanʼs largest caldera lake with thermal hot springs dotted aroundthe lake where you might see unique natural phenomenon, such as diamond dust,
frost flower, etc. Taking a dip in a natural hot spring with whooper swans which will
be an unforgettable memory. Mt. Io is a sulfur mountain with many hot springs andvolcanic vents creating an awe-inspiring scenery. Lake Mashu is a wonderful bluelake sometimes described as “Mashu Blue”. Before stay at the hotel in Akanko Onsen,
we will take you to the special place around Lake Akanʻs forests where onlyauthorized Ainu guides are allowed to enter. You will learn their way of thinking
about the world and the deep association between the natural world and personalphilosophy and culture.
Highlights – Whooper swans watching, Mt. Io, Lake Mashu, Ainu culture experience
Act.

Mystic forest walking tour (Indigenous Ainu guides)
Intensity: Easy (★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ）Meals

Breakfast : Buffet (Hotel)
Lunch: Traditional Ainu cuisine (Restaurant)
Dinner: Local Cuisine (Local restaurant)

Hotel

Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga(hot springs, rooftop hot baths, sauna)Day to Day - 07
Day 7 – Ice Fishing & Steam locomotive riding through the wetland
Try ice fishing on Lake Akan! The target is wakasagi, or Japanese pond smelt. Thefish is tiny but the thrill of sensing the small tugs of the fish at the lake bottom iswhat the ice fishing is all about. After fishing, savor your tasty catches at arestaurant. After that, move to Kushiro city by riding a steam locomotive throughthe Kushiro Marshland. It is the only railway which pass through a national parkeither a wetland in Japan. Since the wetland maintain a very unique ecosystem, you
may see various types of wildlife such as red-crowned crane, white-tailed eagle,Stellaʼs sea eagle and Ezo deer.
Highlights – Ice fishing, Wakasagi lunch, Steam locomotive riding, Kushiro wetlandAct.

Ice Fishing (2 hours)
Intensity: Easy (★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ）Meals

Breakfast : Buffet (Hotel)
Lunch: Deep fried Wakasagi (Restaurant)
Dinner: Local special grilled seafood (Restaurant)

Hotel

Kushiro Prince hotel (western style room)

Day to Day - 08
Day 8 – Meet the beautiful red crownded crane and learn about the preservation
Enjoy a special breakfast at Washo market which can make your own original rice
bowl! Kushiro is a coastal city where well-known for delicious fishery and people
here usually enjoy finest seafood cuisine. Create your special dish with
communicating with the fishermen. After that, meet beautiful red crowned cranes at
Akan town before heading to Kushiro Airport. Red crowned cranes once listed asendangered animals. They used to be living in the deep wetland but can be easily
observed during winter since of lacking food. You can explore how local people act
on preservation in the last few decades.
Highlights – Original rice bowl, red crowned crane observationAct.

Red-crowned crane observation

Meals

Breakfast : Original rice bowl (Washo market)
Lunch: Local cuisine (Restaurant)

Tour Overview
Locations : East Hokkaido, Sounkyo, Shiretoko Natural World Heritage Site, Akan Mashu
National Park, Utoro, Kushiro Shitsugen National Park
Main Activity : Activities and experience under extreme cold conditions
Difficulty : 1/5 (Very easy)
Pax : Minimum 6 Max 10

Tour dates recommended:
January to March

Price : For each person
JPY ¥ 382,200 〜Organization Profile

Organization name: Akan Adventure Tourism Co., Ltd.
Head Office: 2-6-20 Akanko Onsen, Akan-cho,
Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido, JAPAN
Establishment: April 2, 2018
Repressentative Director: Masayuki Onishi
Capital: ¥ 400 million
Our works: Organization of accommodations, meals, sightseeing, activities and transportations
Entertainments development and promotion
Development and management of adventure tourism based tours and programs
For any inquiry, please feel free to ask via tour@akanat.co.jp