Is there book in English on hiking trails? My internet searches have a many japanese language hits. Will tourist offices have maps and descriptions?
I cannot really tell about English books ... Tourist offices have maps and descriptions, but I think most will be in Japanese. You might come to Hokkaido, Sapporo and go to one of the large bookstores (like Kinokuniya next to the Station or Junkudo in Oodori) and find maps that can suit you (specialized mountain hiking maps in Japanese contain information such as hours of walk between the main posts, bear warnings, temporary shelter, water, etc.). You can go to a large sports shop and you will find them, too. If you by chance find an English guide or map at your home country, that's fine- but if you don't, I think it is better to do some research by going to a good bookstore in Tokyo or Sapporo in order to purchase maps and guides in Japanese and have it parts of it translated at tourist information centers in Hokkaido. Some of the hiking courses seem like easy treks; however it might turn out to be deadly ones when the weather changes.
Edited: 9 years agoIf you post your intended destination, I can post some basic descriptions for you (as Japanese is my native language and I know Hokkaido).
Edited: 9 years agoThank you for the great advice.
Contributor
3,036 posts
110 reviews
166 helpful votes When are you coming and where are you going???
Several of us locals are avid hikers and can advise!
Also there is a New Zealand guy who guides hiking tours . His name is Leon and he goes by the name of Hokkaido Bush Pig! Look for him on the Net, he leads all levels of hikes - some easy overnighters and some monster treks for good distance hikers. He supplies tents and cooking stuff.
Many tour offices here have walking information, but mostly geared to Japanese tourists and they are mainly gentle 1 or 2 km strolls around a beautyspot.
Another place to look at is this website
http://www.hokkaidoexperience.com/
But yes, if you get here to Hokkaido and go to Sounkyou or Furano or Niseko or Akan - the local tourist offices will have hiking trail maps.
Tell us where and when and we'll tell you our favorite hikes! I
Amanda
Very kind posting. thank you.
We are traveling about 3 weeks starting Jun7. The itinerary includes: Shiretoko, Akan, Sounkyo, Asahidake onsen, & toya The itierary is flexible. About 3 days per place. We are renting a car.
Any advice on favorite day hikes is welcome? We exercise daily but we are not fitness junkies and would not be the ones racing to the peak or doing technical climbing.
I have seen the hokkaido bush pig website...and will look again to see what is being offered now that we are getting serious about planning.
check out Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan
-:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-
This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.