Highlights
- Adventure and Personal Growth
- Character and Confidence Development
- Professional Guidance to Self Reliance
- Travel and Multicultural Experience
Overview
At Iwanai Onward Summer Camp we thrive to deliver character development experiences through exposure to thrilling but challenging activities. Our hikes are long but beautiful, our mountain biking is safe but requires effort, our see kayaking is designed to train the body and the mind while observing the beautiful views our surroundings have to offer.
Our adventures encompass the Niseko-Shakotan National Park and greater South Western Hokkaido, Japan. Our program utilizes these pristine landscapes on foot, by bike and sea kayak.
The preservation and upkeep of the wilderness is the mark of every adventure.
All of our courses are administered in English, providing non-native speakers with a secondary educational opportunity and native speakers with a language sanctuary. In pursuit of pushing boundaries, we accept students with all levels of English ability.
Our staff is fully committed to supporting the students who have taken on this extraordinary challenge.
For our bigger more challenge seeking campers we even have solo adventures and expeditions.
Iwanai is located in Hokkaido, Japan, approximately 2 hours from Sapporo and about 2.5 hours from Sapporo New Chitose Airport. We encourage participants to make their own way to Iwanai, as navigating is a valuable skill to develop. For those traveling from other parts of Japan or from abroad, we can arrange a group pick-up from the airport on the morning of your first day. Please contact us for more information.
6-18 yo
From June 13 to August 28, 2026
1 week
From $2,500
Max 18 campers
Co-Education
Shared
Activities
SEA KAYAKING
Pack up your dry-bag and partner up on your tandem sea kayak to explore the Shakotan Peninsula or Raiden coastline. Each kayak tour will test your endurance as you break through waves to discover a forgotten Hokkaido coastline. Your day will be filled with blue-green water, abundant marine life, waterfalls and dramatic cliff faces plunging into the ocean. Take in this sea-level perspective of the island before heading deep into the mountains for your next adventure.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Carving through Hokkaido’s imposing landscape are some of the most comfortable cycle touring conditions in Japan. Remaining relatively cool throughout the summer months, minimal traffic, wide and quiet roads and moderate climbs makes exploring Hokkaido by bike an excellent experience. Our bike tours will take you to natural hot springs, push your limits over mountain passes and include stops at local sights and landmarks.
HIKING
Experience the rugged Hokkaido frontier while you trek your way through stunning mountains. valleys. plains. and coasts. Typically starting from the Niseko hot-spring group, our moderate course will take you over several mountain passes reaching limits of 1,211m in elevation. What this course lacks in elevation is made up for with a rugged atmosphere and challenging terrain. Learn to take things one step at a time and count on each other to the end of the trail.
SURVIVAL
Our wilderness survival training will give you a chance to learn and practice survival skills in context and face and overcome the challenges of surviving the wild. Learn to make a fire from flint, purify your water and make an improvised shelter for the night. Learning these potentially life-saving skills will give you a greater appreciation of the luxuries of modern living.
CAMPING
Sometimes getting back to Iwanai requires a night or two of wild camping. Whether we are deep in the mountains or exploring the coast, Hokkaido offers a variety of excellent public campgrounds that we utilize on nearly every execution. Students are expected to help set up camp for the night and take turns preparing dinner for their teammates. What better way to enjoy the Hokkaido summer!
SOLO
Take a break from the constant stimuli and distractions of modern life, and allow yourself to recharge and reset. Under the supervision of our guides, participants will have the chance to go solo. With only the necessary provisions, students will have the opportunity to spend a designated period of time alone in the wilderness. Being alone in nature can offer numerous advantages, both for one’s physical and mental health. Reduce stress, improve your mood and reflect on life.
Dates & Pricing
Dates:
Camp 1 (North): June 20th – June 26th.
Camp 2 (North East): June 27th – July 3rd.
Camp 3 (East): July 4th – July 10th.
Camp 4 (South East): July 5th – July 17th.
Camp 5 (South): July 18th – July 24th.
Camp 6 (South West): July 25th – July 31st.
Camp 7 (West): August 1st – August 7th.
Camp 8 (North West): August 8th – August 14th.
Price: 400,000 Yen per person (Aprox. $2,500 USD)
From June 13 to August 28, 2026
From $2,500
Language lessons
We teach by exposure, no sitting lessons but actual communication skills.
Schedule
Summercamp Scheduled ActivitiesColumn 1
Day 1: Introductory games
Day 2: Mountain Biking
Day 3: Kayak Training/Beach day
Day 4: Hiking
Day 5: Sea Kayaking Adventure
Day 6: Survival Circuit
Day 7: Final goodbyes
Night Activities:
– Daily Bonfire
– Star Gazing
– Mindfulness/Yoga
– Games, singing and story telling
Accommodation & facilities
Our camp is designed to bring as much of a natural experience as possible, that is why we camp in tents at the local camp site, which provides a variety of services, from hot showers, to Japanese tech toilets, while still being in a super natural environment.
We do have a services hut available for cooking and having breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Our activities are mainly hosted on different sites across the island, we shuttle the kids and the equipment to each of the activities sites, where we provide all the safety equipment necessary.
Reviews
Iwanai Onward Summer Camp (Hokkaido, Japan)
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Q&A
Our team of professionals works together to ensure everyone’s safety management is always on site overseeing the activities to ensure a premium experience.
Our hired staff is greatly experienced in guiding costumers both in winter skiing activities and summer activities in kayaking, mountain biking and hiking, all the activities we do take place on previously scouted sites and chosen according to the kid’s ages, which helps us greatly to avoid major accidents, we focus more on prevention, but our team is perfectly capable of acting in emergency situations.
As most of our staff is foreign to Japan, it is mandatory for us to do a background check for our hired staff to get the visas, on the other hand for our volunteering staff, we work with a platform that does a background check for us and we also personally assess each volunteer, as kids safety is our primary concern.
Our staff is constantly being trained in water rescue, CPR, mountain rescue and in the use of the equipment we have, for our volunteers we do a week training program to teach them all they have to know regarding the equipment use and the safety measures we have in place.
Our staff is from all over the world, we do not see race or nationality, but kindness of heart, preparedness and willingness to teach and work with children, our camp is open to any and all kids that want to join, and the focus is to teach the kids everyone is the same when we are in the wild and unbound from societies grip.
We allow people to call home in the evening or use their phone as a camera, but we don’t allow game playing or YouTube during the day.
