Rebun Island
Japan · Asia
About
Rebun Island (礼文島, Rebun-tō; Ainu: Repun) is an island in the Sea of Japan off the northwestern tip of Hokkaidō, Japan. The island sits 50 kilometres (31 mi) off the coast of Hokkaidō. Rebun stretches 29 kilometres (18 mi) from north to south and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from east to west. The island covers approximately 80 square kilometres (31 mi2). Rebun Island is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Rishiri Island, and the two islands are separated by the Rebun Channel.
Rebun Island is known for its alpine flowers and the 8-Hour Hiking Course which runs from one end of the island to the other, north to south. The hiking course can be broken into two sections, known as the 4-Hour Hiking Courses. Rebun Island is home to a chashi, or hilltop fortification of the Ainu people. The highest point on the island is Mount Rebun (490 metres (1,610 ft)). The island is part of the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park.
Fossilized remains of long-finned pilot whales that are now extinct in the North Pacific have been excavated on Rebun Island, and remains of funerals for orcas, possibly referring them as Repun Kamuy (God of Sea/Offshore) have been found as well. Rebun Island is also the site where the last reliable record of the extinct Japanese sea lion came from in 1974.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.