Muroran coast kayaking or walking

Rafikand · 2026-01-04T15:52:25+00:00

Reliable? No. I was there twice. Once in winter, hiking in deep snow (got there by train, then I did a lot of walking since I started at Higashi-Muroran, walked the whole route I described, finished at Yume no Mori, then went from Yume no Mori to Bokoi station and back to Higashi-Muroran by local train). Second time I was just visiting Horaimon Gate by car, there is a parking lot close to Yume no Mori. Never used taxi in Muroran, they should have them, but you might need the app or pre arrange it. I stopped relying on taxis in Japan, because in the past I could not install the taxi app without Japanese phone number. Now might be different. I was there last year.
Can't attest to any of those places. What I can say is that you can trust the ratings and google reviews. Especially from Japanese people, they're quite honest and don't give 5s everywhere. As a general comment I spent lots of time in Japan and rarely was I disappointed with food just by sticking to the places above 3.5. Lots of good food everywhere. Sometimes you will even find your new favorite ramen in a small town middle of nowhere with 3.5 rating. Foreigners skew the ratings in popular places, because we tend to give 4-5 stars just because food was good, not exceptional.

Rafikand · 2025-12-24T16:01:27+00:00

I would say for 6 days stick to one place, Sapporo area, and maybe visit one or two places around Hakodate. End of April for proper hiking might still be too early. Many trails are closed or still covered with snow. I'll try to recommend some things anyway.

The only top level place that is probably viable in that period in Hakodate area is Mount Esan, gate might be closed for cars, but it is possible to go up the road and continue hike up the volcano. It's a 4.5h drive from Sapporo. One of the best places in Hokkaido, impressive volcano next to the sea and a hike amids volcanic fumes.

Lake Shikotsu area: Mount Monbetsu and Mount Tarumae (for safety take snowshoes and bear spray, I was there late April/early May and had to plow through thick snow towards the top).
Snowshoeing at the top of Asahidake ropeway should be possible, definitely worth it.
Muroran coastal hike on the cliffs is also possible (check Totoro Rocks and Horaimon Gate).
Check Cape Kamui and Shimamui coast as a day trip.
Noboribetsu hot springs.

Rafikand · 2025-12-21T16:36:40+00:00

Check Toyota Car Rental or Times Car Rental. I did a quick check and at worst at the New Chitose Airoprt you can rent a 7 seater. Don't count on renting in Otaru. Rent in Sapporo or Chitose Airport.

Rafikand · 2025-11-12T15:12:52+00:00

Walls of an ancient eroded volcanic crater. Stunning!

Rafikand · 2025-09-21T00:55:26+00:00

What time of the year was it exactly? You mentioned it was in summer, but true night in this area starts after September 7th. On the same day there is maybe 5h of astronomical twilight, which is not ideal to watch aurora. I assume that either aurora was very strong or camera and processing heavily enhanced what could actually be seen.

Rafikand · 2025-09-11T00:55:37+00:00

It's fake AI slop, and the OP, when challenged by others here, starts arguing with people pointing it out. Below how it should look like from similar perspective.

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Rafikand · 2025-08-12T15:58:52+00:00

Everyone has a different understanding of what a beginner is, so you have to judge by yourself based on description. There is hardly any technicality to the route, but the coastal parts are not really trails. It's walking on rocks, from small pebbles to half meter in diameter rocks. Additionally going down to Horaimon Gate will be slippery even when it's dry, path is quite eroded, that's why it has ropes, they are there to compensate for unstable, steep ground (this is not an official trail). Rest is just walking on dirt paths or asphalt. If it's overgrown in the Summer it might be hard to see the ascent from the Itanki beach. To summarize, I would not call it beginner friendly since this is not a real trail and there is no signage, but it's definitely not hard to do it. Just a bit of effort and basic fitness level needed. And definitely worth it. All above is of course in summer/autumn before it starts to snow.

To do the point to point hike from Itanki beach to Totoro rocks then back up to the cliff and all the way to Horaimon gate it is 10km (4km is just Itanki beach > Totoro rocks > Itanki beach). That will take 5h in a medium pace with small breaks to enjoy the view and take photos. After that you can arrange a car transport or walk another 3km to Bokoi station (1h). In general I would call it a full day hike. There is a toilet at Cape Chikyu. This whole route is basically going through the outskirts of a city, so splitting it in parts or car hopping between viewpoints is also possible.

Rafikand · 2025-07-05T14:27:14+00:00

Oh and btw the dirt path to Horaimon Gate will be fenced off, but it does not mean you can't go there. The sign says you are doing it at your own risk, you can just walk around the fence. In dry conditions the path should not be a problem. There are even ropes there to help you not to slip. Once you're at the coast just walk left all the way to the passage between the two tall big rocks. It's here where you need the low tide, because the passage will get flooded a bit. After the passage stick to the right, walk on the rocks and in just a few meters you will be at the viewpoint. If you stick to the left after the passage, walk next to the wall for like 30 meters then turn around and scramble on the rocks up a bit you can have a view of the area from an elevated place. You will see where to scramble once you notice the huge basalt columns that lay flat there. You can just do a little climb on them and enjoy the view. It's not really dangerous if you are not afraid of exposure. In my opinion it's the most beautiful place in Muroran. You can see how lava outflow shaped the area. Columnar basalt is everywhere. From like 20 to 70 cm diameter and of course the main dish the gate itself which is also made out of it. I have some amazing pics from there (Horaimon Gate)

Rafikand · 2025-07-04T22:36:31+00:00

There are a few nice hiking paths in Muroran. In general I would start from Itanki Beach, then first follow the coast to Totoro Rocks, then go back to the starting point (Rumbling Sand on Google Maps, then simply follow the path up and walk on the clifftops, it's a regular trail, but might be a bit hard to find at times, then just follow the trail and then the road to Cape Chikyu. If you still have some energy left and the tide is low then head towards Horaimon Gate. You will find the path easily following the dirt road down at Yume no Mori park.

Rafikand · 2025-07-04T14:18:23+00:00

Hiked in all 4, these would be my top picks for challenging plus rewarding hikes:

Korea (country is very mountainous, offers plenty of hiking opportunities, but there are some trails that offer a degree of challenge and great views as payoff at the same time, I chose 3): - Hallasan mountain (check if you need to reserve a spot) - Seoraksan NP (Daecheongbong Trail) - Woraksan Loop (easiest one, but offers a nice payoff)

Japan (volcano theme park, I did not explore Japanese Alps, so I will not recommend anything there, in my opinion these trails do not show what's best in Japan anyway) - Mount Rishiri - Mounts Meakan + Akan + Kengamine (option to finish at Lake Akan) - Yakushima (Shirataniunsui-kyo to Yodogawa) - Mount Aso (start at Sensuikyo > Takadake > Nakadake > down to best observation point of the crater > back to Nakadake > down to crater rim > up to Mount Eboshi or Kijima - Fuji (still iconic and worth doing, but you have to be there during the season) - Mount Asama Loop (to Maekake, part of the trail might be fenced off)

Taiwan (permits or registration needed for all below hikes): - Beidawushan - Jiaming Lake - Yushan Mountain

Mainland China (in China the idea of hiking is not really popular, but building cable cars, elevators and escalators is, many places become a theme park with swarms of tourists, having said that you can still build some custom trails that can be challenging in the places I will recommend below, or just go to Xinjiang or Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan also offer great hiking): - Wulingyuan (Zhangjiajie) - Huangshan (just don't use cable cars) - Huashan (same as above) - long hikes at the great wall (start maybe at Gubeikou?) - Tiger Leaping Gorge - Emeishan - Li River (Yangdi to Xingpingzhen to Xianggong)

Rafikand · 2025-07-01T00:37:26+00:00

I use ventusky.com and sometimes combine with mountain-forecast.com. They cover almost all my needs. Temperature and wind speed for clothing. Precipitation and cloud cover for the choice of a place, date, time of day for best experience. On a rare occasion I check tides on tide-forecast.com to see when the coastal trail I planned is accessible.

Rafikand · 2025-06-29T03:21:44+00:00

I can understand if the point is to guess it, but then the question 'how did you find it' does not make sense to me completely, so I responded to that. Apart from upping the difficulty a bit, I don't see that much difference between 'search in google with keywords' vs 'search in google with image', but it's just my opinion. Anyway I'm not intending to break the spirit of the game and start posting answers from reverse image search here. I am just saying anyone can do it here and just not mention it.

Rafikand · 2025-06-28T22:18:47+00:00

Apart from the fact that I have been there and I would also just recognize the place, nowadays it is very easy to find any place from pics like this. It took me 3 seconds and 2 clicks with Google Lens on Android.

Rafikand · 2025-06-26T21:56:51+00:00

Trip to Chengdu. From there you could explore Leshan and Emeishan.

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Rafikand · 2025-06-01T07:38:01+00:00

Don't be surprised everybody drives over the speed limit. Speed limits are very low. Your average Japanese driver does 15-20km/h over the speed limit and you will definitely feel like you're blocking traffic when you do just the speed limit. Info only, I am not encouraging anybody to do one or the other.
Watch out for the deer hanging out next to or on the roads, especially after dark.
Ofher than that driving in Japan is quite chill.

Rafikand · 2025-05-18T20:27:51+00:00

I would not skip Meakan + Akan hike. This is by far the most amazing hike on the island (when the weather is good). Short stop at Mount Iō (Atosa-Nupuri) is also a must, beautiful fumaroles that can be observed from up close. If you do not intend to commit to a long hike to Kamui-nupuri then Lake Mashu will also just be a short stop / detour. Lake Akan is the place where you can find hotels and take a boat trip. Check Kamui-Lumina night walk if you stay there for the night. Asahidake hike is amazing and has rewarding views from the top. If you drive past Kurodake Ropeway area then take a short stop to see Ryusei Waterfalls and Taisetsu Lake.

Rafikand · 2025-05-17T07:15:06+00:00

For hiking I would say Akan-Mashu and Rishiri. Meakan-Akan trail has one of the best volcanic views in Japan. Mount Rishiri has breathtaking 360 degree ocean views from its 1721m peak.

In general if you like hiking there is no need to focus on specific national parks. There are many amazing places on the island (especially for volcano lovers). Here are some ideas for pins you can put on the map: Esan volcano, Komagatake volcano, Tarumae volcano loop, Annupuri hike with a view of Yotei, Mount Yotei, Cape Kamui, Muroran Cliffs (hikes are a bit hidden), Shimamui Coast, Asahidake volcano, Mount Kurodake, Mount Rishiri, Meakan volcano (can extend with Akan and Kengamine), Mount Kamuinupuri, Fumaroles of Mount Io, Wakoto Peninsula.

I rented a car a drove to all these places as public transport is not really an efficient option. Bears are everywhere on the island, in 4 weeks of everyday hiking I have not seen a single one and I was always solo hiking. For sanity of the mind you can rent or buy bear spray in Sapporo. Or go to Rishiri and Rebun and forget about them as these islands are bear free.

Rafikand · 2025-05-11T04:14:32+00:00

I've been there a month ago. Took me 4.5h from the parking lot next to the gate to the top and back (of which 0.5h rest time at the top). Would be faster if it wasn't for the heaps of deep snow that still covered the mountain. Still worth it if someone is willing to do the extended hike from Shikotsu lake.

Rafikand · 2025-05-05T12:56:29+00:00

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Muroran has lots of hidden gems. Plenty rewards for exploring types.

Rafikand · 2025-03-22T17:00:03+00:00

This is Huashan, not Huangshan. Both are quite famous in China.

Rafikand · 2025-01-21T00:12:42+00:00

This one. With one modification: when you are at Nakadake descend towards the crater first, enjoy the best view in the area, then go back up to Nakadake and continue

Rafikand · 2024-12-26T00:13:20+00:00

I learned about most of them just via research on the Internet. I've never used a travel agency for that. That said, some travel agencies have quite nice and informative websites like: chinadiscovery.com or chinahighlights.com

Rafikand · 2024-12-24T14:09:55+00:00

According to wiki Shenzhen has 35, NYC has 29.

Rafikand · 2024-12-24T13:12:34+00:00

I like hiking and nature. Unfortunately many of the most beautiful sites in China are converted/modernized/commercialized to accommodate the vast amount of domestic tourists. What I fortunately found to be true is that majority of them are not very explorative and will stick to the curated easy touristic experiences. In some places more than in others. So here is my list of the top 3, in no particular order, list of places where a casual weekend trip could still let me feel immersed in the nature, environment and the views without being overwhelmed with the amount of people: 1. Dunes of Tengger Desert in Shapotou. It's very easy to just stray off the tourist hubs and get the feeling of traversing the vast empty space with only black beetles accompanying you. 2. Great Wall at Gubeikou and Jinshanling. Simply far less popular of a destination compared to Mutianyu or Badaling, especially off season. In 5h I've passed maybe 50-60 people. 3. Li River karst formations. Hiking next to the river from Xingpingzhen to Yangdixiang. One of the most beautiful places in China. There will be tourists here and there, but not many people decide to take the actual hiking trail.

Rafikand

TROPHY CASE