この記事は英語苦手野郎が旅のネタなら勉強しながら書けるだろうとどうにか書いている記事です。この記事の日本語版はこちらで公開中↓✍
I was all set to visit Rebun Island, also known as “the floating island of flowers” in Hokkaido, Japan.
But plot twist: the ferry was canceled due to crazy strong winds… noooo!
I had planned everything around getting to Rebun Island—booked my hotel in Wakkanai (the northernmost city in Japan) and all.
So there I was: no ferry, no island, but still staying in Wakkanai.
Couldn’t make it to Rebun, but hey—I could still check out the northernmost point of Japan, right?
So that’s what I did!
This is the story of how I spontaneously road-tripped from Nayoro to Wakkanai by rental car and discovered the magic of northern Japan 🚗✨
- What’s Rebun Island?
- Rebun Island is Only Accessible by Ferry
- Bifuka Sturgeon Aquarium
- Michi-no-Eki Bifuka (Bifuka Roadside Station)
- Reindeer Tourist Farm
- Cape Noshappu
- Wakkanai Dome
- Get Your “Certificate of Arrival at Japan’s Northernmost Point” at Wakkanai Station!
- The Northernmost McDonald’s in Japan 🍔
- The Northernmost Ramen Spot!? Mamiya-do (Check if they’re open!)
- Souya Hills & the “Scallop Road”
- Cape Souya – The Northernmost Point of Japan
- Our Rebun Island Ferry Got Canceled… So Here’s Our Last-Minute Wakkanai Adventure Route!
What’s Rebun Island?
I really wanted to go to Rebun Island.
So, what kind of place is it?
Rebun Island is Japan’s northernmost remote island, located about 60 km off the coast of Wakkanai in the Sea of Japan. It’s part of the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park and is famous for its nickname: “The Island of Flowers” 🌼
Over 300 kinds of alpine flowers bloom across the island!
Rebun Island is Japan’s northernmost remote island, floating 60 kilometers west of Wakkanai in the Sea of Japan. It’s part of the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park, and is nicknamed “The Island of Flowers”—with over 300 species of alpine plants blooming all over.You can spot wild seals, eat some of the best sea urchin (uni) of your life…
And just the fact that it’s the northernmost island in Japan makes it feel like the edge of the world—super romantic and adventurous!
I really wanted to experience it all for myself!
Cape Sukoton, Rebun Island
Rebun Island is Only Accessible by Ferry
So here’s the thing about Rebun Island—it’s only reachable by ferry.
You’ve got two options:
- From Wakkanai (Japan’s northernmost city)
- Or from Rishiri Island, its neighboring island.
We had planned to take the ferry from Wakkanai.
The tricky part? You won’t know if the ferry is running until 5:30 AM on the day.
…Yeah, it’s kind of a gamble.
And guess what—we were staying in Nayoro, not Wakkanai.
(We totally over-packed our Hokkaido itinerary—classic us. 😂)
To catch the 10:00 AM ferry from Wakkanai, we had to leave Nayoro by 6:00 AM.
…assuming the ferry was even going to run.
So we woke up early, packed everything, and checked the ferry status at 5:30 AM…
The sky was cloudy—not terrible!
We were thinking, “We might just make it!”
And then… the verdict.
<< Canceled due to strong winds >>
＼(^o^)／
And so there we were—6AM, fully packed, with absolutely nothing to do.
We were 100% ready to go… and 100% stuck.
So we rage-napped (yes, that’s a thing), panic-bought breakfast at Seicomart (Hokkaido’s legendary convenience store 🧡), and slowly made our way to our hotel in Wakkanai.
Our plans were wrecked, but hey—that’s part of the adventure, right?
Bifuka Sturgeon Aquarium
Located inside Bifuka Island Park, this quirky little sturgeon aquarium is tucked behind the roadside station.
The tanks are packed with sturgeon—like, way more than you’d expect.
Not something you see every day… honestly kinda wild 😂
I swear I’ve never seen that many sturgeon in one place. Might’ve set a personal record 😂
You can even feed them!
You can try feeding the sturgeon too!
Maybe because we went first thing in the morning and they were super hungry, but the second I dropped the food in—SPLASH! Total chaos 😂It got a little intense. Not gonna lie… kinda scary lol
Michi-no-Eki Bifuka (Bifuka Roadside Station)
You can try soft serve made with sheep’s milk here! 🍦
It had a light, clean taste—not too strong or “sheepy” at all. Super easy to enjoy!
Reindeer Tourist Farm
Our ferry to Rebun Island got canceled, and we had nowhere to go.So we started poking around on Google Maps and found this quirky-sounding place: the Reindeer Tourist Farm!
Now that I think about it, I’ve seen deer plenty of times—but maybe never a real-life reindeer?!So off we went on a spontaneous reindeer adventure 😊
This reindeer had the sweetest face!
Cape Noshappu
Cape Noshappu was so windy it was actually kind of hilarious. 💨😂
Apparently it’s known as a sunset spot, too. 🌇
Cape Noshappu
Wakkanai Dome
While driving around Wakkanai, this huge arch-shaped structure suddenly appeared.Turns out, it’s a windbreak dome! 。It was built to protect the train tracks near the old Wakkanai Station, and it stretches 427 meters long.It’s kind of like a half-tunnel that people and cars can enter—used to be a wind shelter back in the day.
Obviously, we had to take a photo! 😆📸
Wakkanai Dome
Get Your “Certificate of Arrival at Japan’s Northernmost Point” at Wakkanai Station!
日本最北端到達証明書
At the Wakkanai Station tourist info center, you can get a certificate proving you made it to the northernmost point of Japan—for free! ✨If you’ve made it all the way to Wakkanai, why not grab one as a fun souvenir? 😊
Fun fact: if you collect all four certificates from Japan’s easternmost, westernmost, southernmost, and northernmost points—they form a big map when put together! 🗾✨
The Northernmost McDonald’s in Japan 🍔
The Northernmost McDonald’s in Japan 🍔
While we were at it, we also stopped by the northernmost McDonald’s in Japan—just for fun! 😂It looks just like any other McD’s inside, but knowing it’s the northernmost one? That somehow makes it way cooler. 🙌If you’re a McDonald’s fan, definitely swing by and snap a pic—it’s a quirky little travel flex! 📸🍟
The Northernmost Ramen Spot!? Mamiya-do (Check if they’re open!)
Ramen gets better the farther north you go—yup, words to live by
Their signature dish is scallop ramen, and the light, flavorful broth was seriously delicious.
Buuuut… when I checked Google Maps, it said “Permanently Closed” 😭
They might be back in business though—so definitely double-check before you go! 🔍
Good News: You can still get the scallop ramen—at Hotatei!
After doing a bit of digging, I found out that you can now enjoy the legendary scallop ramen at a place called “Hotatei”!
Thank goodness! Fellow ramen lovers, don’t miss this one—add Hotatei to your list!
Souya Hills & the “Scallop Road”
Just a short drive from downtown Wakkanai, and suddenly the view totally changes.
No buildings, no traffic lights, not even people—just hills, sky, and wind turbines.
Souya Hills felt so calm and vast—it’s hard to believe this peaceful, almost otherworldly place is at the northern tip of Hokkaido.
Souya Hills
Another must-see is the “White Road,” which is actually paved with crushed scallop shells—how wild is that?
Yep, the road is literally white! And surprisingly, it’s pretty easy to drive on too (lol).
White Road
Cape Souya – The Northernmost Point of Japan
he perfect spot to wrap up the day. On a clear day, you might even catch a glimpse of Rishiri Island!
But when we went… it was totally overcast. (Of course lol)
Cape Souya
Our Rebun Island Ferry Got Canceled… So Here’s Our Last-Minute Wakkanai Adventure Route!
- Departed from Nayoro
- Visited the Bifuka Sturgeon Aquarium (and got soft serve at the nearby roadside station 🍦)
- Checked out the Reindeer Tourist Ranch
- Cape Noshappu
- Wakkanai Dome
- Wakkanai Station (Got our “Northernmost Point of Japan” certificate!)
- Wakkanai McDonald’s – Japan’s Northernmost McD’s
- Mamiya-dō Ramen (Check if they’re open before you go!)
- Souya Hills & the “White Road”
- Cape Souya (Northernmost Monument of Japan)
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