That was a busy week. Now, back to the pictures.
After arriving on hilly Rebun, the ferry boards before returning to Wakkanai.
The port holding the smaller fishing boats that provide food year-round for the island's residents. Even on a cold winter morning such as this, captains were removing the ice and heading out for sea.
The southeast coast of Rebun facing Rishiri, which looked more like Olympus on this cloudy day. The road follows the perimeter of the island has buildings on either side, making it one infinite, small-town "main street." Due to our visit during the off-season, nobody was manning the shops or restaurants, and it seemed more a ghost town than tourist destination. This, of course, was our preference.
Behind the ferry port was a winding road that we walked for an hour or so. Not knowing exactly where it was leading - and having amended our travel plans to be less demanding, not caring - we went on until coming to this fork. Momoiwa was the tall hill we'd read of and hoped to reach in order to get some great pictures of the surrounding terrain.
To our surprise and amazement, this was the first sight after ascending the 1km incline: a steep cliff sliding into the ocean. To get an idea of the slope's magnificent size, the tiny wooden barricades stabbed in to prevent avalanches are about as tall as an adult human. The travel guides mentioning Rebun's southwestern coast did it no justice. It is a breathtaking feat of nature, with a palette to match.
