Rishiri & Rebun - mid-September

Hi all.

Has anyone visited the islands in mid-September ?
I understand July/August are generally the best times to visit, but what about mid-September ?

Does it tend to rain a lot and/or foggy ?

Also, are fresh sea urchins still available in September ?

Thank you.

September in Rebun (and probably Rishiri as well) is the second sunniest month of the year, but also the second rainiest. This means that it is a month of relatively large weather fluctuations. Temperatures range from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, which is relatively comfortable, but you may better prepare for the cold and rainy weather. After the Silver Week in September, it is completely off-season, but until then, there is no problem for normal sightseeing.

In September, there are not many flowers (not necessarily none at all), Rishiri is probably more visible than in July and August (of course, it is possible that you cannot see it at all), and there is no snow in Rishirisan until the first snowfall).

As for sea urchins, the season for Ezo-bahun sea urchins is over, but I believe that northern sea urchins (Kita-murasaki) are still available.

Thanks frog1954.
September seems like a 50-50 thing weather-wise - really depends on luck.
No bafun uni is a bit of a put off as I love it more than murasaki uni lol.
Let me reconsider my travel plans then, otherwise it will have to be another year.

Generally speaking, if August, which week of August is best for weather and also food ?
Early or mid or end August ?
Seeing the flowers is secondary for us, but would love to catch good photos and especially of Rishirifuji from Rebun.

Thanks again.

Hi, lifesucketh

Below is the weather forecast for Rebun (Kafuka) each 10 days.

https://www-data-jma-go-jp.translate.goog/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_...

The longest daylight hours are in mid-April, when the temperature is around 5°C. There is a reasonable amount of sunshine in August, and the sunshine hours get longer towards the end of the month.

The best season for Rebun is said to be June (June is actually the hardest month to book a hotel), but the sunshine hours are relatively short in June.

We traveled to Rishiri for three nights and Rebun four nights, from August 19th to 26th, 2020, Except for the rain on the 19th when we arrived at Rishiri Airport, it was sunny or cloudy, and the summit of Mt. Rishiri was always visible. I think this was quite lucky. Although the sea urchin was almost out of season, we were able to eat it at the hotel and in a restaurant.

If you want to see Mt. Fuji, it is recommended to stay in Tokyo and go to see it on a day trip on a good day, but Rishiri and Rebun are basically not a place you can go on a day trip, so you need to get a hotel, and popular hotels are almost full from June to August, so you need to book several months in advance, and if you don't book the flight well in advance, it will be very expensive, so it is almost impossible to go when you just want to.

It's quite difficult to say when is the best time to go. No matter when you go, there is always a chance of bad weather. There is no time when it is definitely sunny in Rishiri and Rebun.

In June, the weather is often a little bad, but if it is sunny, it is very comfortable and you can see Mt. Rishiri with snow remaining. The weather is often better in late August than early August, but if the weather worsens, the chances of heavy rains increase. The Bafun-uni may be gone by the end of the month.

So Rishiri-Rebun is a difficult tourist destination. It takes quite a long time even from Sapporo, and there is a good chance that the weather will be bad when you get there. According to the owner of a coffee shop on Rebun Island, tourists who come for a short tour (by ferry from Wakkanai) are shaken around on the ferry and feel like throwing up, can't see anything on the island because of the fog, and are put on a bus and taken around, and then return by ferry again, so they think they will never come again.

Personally, Rishiri-Rebun is one of my favorite places. I think it's in the top five in Japan. The best way to see Mount Rishiri beautifully while you're there is to extend your trip. I think it's better to stay for five nights if possible, or at least three nights.

I'll write the URL of the accommodation we stayed at in 2020.

Rishiri

RERA MOSIR

http://www.maruzen.com/tic/oyado/

Rebun

Pension Uni

https://pensionuni.main.jp/reservation/

You can see that there are quite a few vacancies from late August.

That is a very informative and useful reply frog1954.
Many thanks indeed.