I’ve returned from the land of milk and cheese, having scaled 5 massive peaks without the luxury of an automobile. I’ll be writing separate chapters for each mountain, but here’s a brief outline of how things unfolded:
August 8: Ferry from Niigata to Otaru
August 9: Arrived in Otaru, hitched to Rumoi, bus from Rumoi to Toyotomi, hitched to Wakkanai, ferry to Rishiri.
August 10: Climbed Mt. Rishiri, ferry to Wakkanai, stayed at a minshuku in Wakkanai.
August 11: Train to Asahikawa, train to Abashiri, train to Shiretoko-Shari, bus to Utoro, taxi to Iwaobetsu Onsen, stayed at Kinoshita Hut.
August 12: Climbed Mt. Rausu, hitched to Kiyosato-cho, taxi to Shari trailhead, stayed in the concrete hut at the trailhead
August 13: Climbed Mt. Shari, hitched to Kiyosato-cho, train to Mashu, taxi to Akan-kohan, stayed at a minshuku.
August 14: Bus to Nonaka Onsen, climbed Mt. Meakan, stayed at the Kokumin Shukusha near the trailhead.
August 15: Hitched from Nonaka to Ashoro, bus to Obihiro, train to Tokachi-shimizu, stayed at a dirty hotel near the station
August 16: Hitched from Tokachi-shimizu to Poroshiri trailhead, stayed at Poroshiri Hut.
August 17: Climbed Mt. Poroshiri, hitched to Sapporo
August 18: Sightseeing in Sapporo, ferry from Otaru to Maizuru, bus to Osaka
The Tozan Tales 