interNATIONAL PARKtours - Group Walking Tours to National Parks and Natural places in Australia and Overseas. Enjoy walking tours and holidays with experienced andknowledgeable guides.

Experience the autumn colours, seasonal food and interesting walks on a new journey to Hokkaido’s mountains, lakes and peninsulas. Hiroko Kobayashi has designed this tour to the northernmost Japanese island at a special time of the year.

Your tour begins with a flight from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to Asahikawa on Hokkaido. After forest walks, you can soak in the tubs of Shirogane onsen, a Japanese hot spring resort above the Biei River.

In the centre of the island, the volcanic mountain ranges are protected by Japan’s largest national park, Daisetsuzan. Cable cars allow access to moderate walks and autumn hues on Mt Asahi. Further south, enjoy the hidden treasures of Hagoromo Falls and Lake Shikaribetsu surrounded by white fir and spruce.

At Lake Akan, forest and mountain walks contrast with an Ainu fire festival and an afternoon cruise to view Marimo, rare algae that form into beautiful green balls. World Heritage listed Shiretoko Peninsula offers forest and lakeside walks, remote fishing villages and possible sightings of the rare Japanese Black Bear. Travelling via the Notsuke Peninsula, enjoy boardwalk strolls through the fascinating Kiritappu wetlands. Your tour ends with a flight back to Haneda from Kushiro airport.

Hiroko leads both our tours to Japan in 2011, a cultural discovery of Japan’s central island, Honshu, and a tour of autumn delights to Hokkaido. Based in Brisbane, she consults to tourism bodies and companies, promotes ecotourism in both Australia and Japan, and is a Director of the Japan Ecotourism Society.