chococco
In the second half of the Golden Week, I went on a bus tour to explore Rebun and Rishiri. The guide, tour conductor, and other customers were all very nice and the tour was fantastic. We stayed at this hotel on Rebun Island. According to the guide, there are only three large facilities on the island that can accommodate over 200 people, and this hotel is one of them. It is located near the entrance of Rebun Island, right by the Kafuka Port, and has a natural hot spring. We started off with the hot spring. The hot spring on Rebun Island started flowing in 2008, so it is relatively new and clean. Even though it was a cold and windy day when we visited Cape Sōya, everyone bravely tried the outdoor bath. To my surprise, the windows of the outdoor bath were closed (but you can open them yourself). The hot spring, which was slightly hotter than usual and had no peculiar smell, felt really good. The room was a typical Japanese-style room. What I found interesting was a note that said, "Be careful as crows and seagulls may enter the room if you leave the window wide open." The guide mentioned that in the past, crows had entered through the window, and some guests found that their belongings had disappeared. So, please be cautious. The room's window offers a nice view of Rishiri Island. If the weather is good, you can see Mount Rishiri clearly. For dinner, we had a variety of seafood, including delicious sea urchin and crab with plenty of succulent meat. Breakfast had fewer options, mainly Japanese dishes. It was about one-tenth as fulfilling as a breakfast buffet in the city. However, considering that many people on Rebun Island make a living from fishing and there is no agricultural cooperative, the fact that they provided such a meal on an affordable bus tour was sufficient. The seafood for dinner was delicious. Additionally, there are only two traffic lights on the island, and we hardly encountered any cars while touring around by bus. It is a peaceful and quiet remote island. The hotel, which caters to a large number of guests, probably cannot rely solely on home-grown vegetables from personal gardens to provide meals, and it's understandable if they don't go out of their way to serve expensive fruits and vegetables. The staff waved goodbye from afar when we left and greeted us properly. That was enough. I was able to relax and enjoy my stay.