Sea urchin is a delicacy in Japan and my wife loves it. The little (but expensive) packs sea urchin roe as sold in supermarkets, some you might find bearing the product origin of “Rebun” (礼文産). Where it is – an island all the way in the northernmost tip of Japan, the area is famous (at least in the country) for producing some of the highest quality sea urchins. Wouldn’t it be nice to try these fresh? And there the base of the summer trip is set, to hit the best seasons for these.
Rebun Island (礼文島) is actually part of the Rishiri-Reibu-Sarobetsu National Park (利尻礼文サロベツ国立公園), in northern Hokkaido (北海道・道北). So apart from high quality seafood, the area has plenty of places worth visiting for the nature-lovers. Together with Rebun, we’d also be travelling to the sister island, Rishiri (利尻), home to the 1000 metres Mount Rishiri (利尻山) which rises all the way from the island’s shores; as well as Wakkanai (稚内), the northernmost point of Japan, mandatory for a “been there, done that” claim.
