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Adventures focusing on sustainable lifestyles practiced in northern Hokkaido. Enjoy forest bathing, try local cuisine, and meet a deer hunter
Hokkaido Tourism Organization
On this tour, we visit three towns in Hokkaido that are making efforts toward sustainability and discover how they aim to create a more sustainable society. You’ll experience relaxing activities in spectacular natural surroundings, cultural interactions with local people, and delicious food made with local ingredients.
You’ll take a walk in the fresh morning air of the Hokkaido forest to gather twigs and branches from Sakhalin fir trees used to make essential oils, then relax with the aroma oils that you made. At an aromatherapy tearoom, you’ll practice yoga and make personalized herbal tea with Chinese herbs.
You will also make your own chopsticks and try your hand at leatherworking using deer skins. The chopstick-making experience takes place in Shimokawa, a town blessed with abundant forest resources and designated as one of Japan’s “Cities of the Future.” You’ll make your chopsticks with timber offcuts using the kan’na, a traditional Japanese woodworking tool. During your leatherworking experience, you’ll interact with a deer hunter and her family in the village of Nishiokoppe, learning about their eco-conscious lifestyle and their efforts to appreciate the preciousness of life while hunting.
Another treat on this tour is the chance to savor tasty dishes made with local ingredients. On the first day, you’ll have a healthy, locally sourced dinner at a quaint restaurant, eating with the chopsticks you made yourself. On the last day, you’ll enjoy uniquely delicious milk with your farewell lunch at a local farm in Takinoue town that gives top priority to the welfare of its cows.
How to get there
Meeting point: JR Nayoro Station. Fly from Haneda Airport to Asahikawa Airport (about 1 hour 35 minutes) and take the airport bus to JR Asahikawa Station (about 40 minutes). Bus departure times are adjusted to flight arrivals. At Asahikawa Station, transfer to the JR Soya-honsen to Nayoro Station (about 1 hour 30 minutes).
6 Higashi Ichijo-minami, Nayoro-shi, Hokkaido
