Aerial view lush green soybean hills landscape
Lush green soybean fields blanket undulating hills carved by winding roads.

The Lovely Soya Hills

This pristine white path not far from Wakkanai is a popular destination. Let’s discover an unusual landscape.

Cape Soya Hills (宗谷丘陵), at the northernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago, is a periglacial landform: a geographical type characterized by gently undulating terrain. The altitude of the valleys varies between 20 and 400 metres.

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

The cape and the hills of Soya

Formed by repeated freezing and thawing of the ground, the terrain took its present form 20,000 years ago, at the end of the Ice Age. The hills, once covered in dense forest, were ravaged by a series of wildfires in the middle of the Meiji era (1868–1912) and no trace of the trees remains.

The unusual landform was designated as a Hokkaido Heritage site in 2004. Today, Wakkanai’s Soya Hills are popular for offering visitors an exotic ambiance with landscapes resembling Iceland or Siberia.

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

Cape Soya Farm is home to over 2,800 Soya Black Cattle that graze quietly in the hills. The powerful winds of Wakkanai are used all year round to generate electricity from 57 wind turbines.

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

Visitors to the region come to enjoy the scenic beauty, but the newest and greatest attraction is the white walking trail through the hills.

White Path「最北の白い道」

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

Covered in crushed scallop shells, these 3 kilometres of winding trail are known as the “white path” in relation to its dazzling contrast with the verdant landscape.

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

The route was laid in 2011. Asphalt was soon discarded by the municipality for a material that blends in with the surrounding landscape: scallops, a Wakkanai speciality.

In any case, the recycling of shells that had seemed to be a problem for the little town killed two birds with one stone! The empty shells are crushed and used for paving, as is customary in some rural parts of Scotland and New Zealand.

Soya Hills
Soya Hills

This immaculate walking trail, built from scratch by the locals, has quickly become the must-see attraction of Soya Hills.

And for more awesome content about Japan, follow Jordy Meow on Instagram ! 🎵

Who Am I

Jordy Meow
This is me!

I am Jordy Meow, a French photographer based in Tokyo. I explore offbeat places in Japan.

Instagram

Fierce Shisa guards high, Colors dance 'neath azure skies, Ryukyu spirit shines. 高く見守るシーサー、 色が青天に踊る、 琉球の魂。 #offbeatjapan #japan #okinawa #shisa #ryukyu #culturalheritage #vibrantcolors
Water's whisper falls, Moss and leaves embrace the stones— Autumn's quiet grace. 水音囁く、 苔葉が石抱く— 秋の静けさ。#SereneWaterfalls #NatureWhisper #MossyGathering #EtherealGlow #WabiSabi #OffbeatJapan #Japan
Circles in blue skies, Whispers of a future dream, Alien hues fade.  青い空の円、 未来の夢の囁き、 異星の色消える。 #offbeatjapan #japan #abandonedarchitecture #futuristicdesign #urbanexploration #architecturelovers #decaybeauty
Turquoise whispers Echo through the caverns' heart— Sunlit secrets bloom. 青いささやき 洞窟の心に響く— 陽の秘密咲く。 #cavebath #onsen #japantravel #offbeatjapan #hiddenjapan #serenebeauty #turquoisewaters #naturelovers
Shadowed hues murmur Through fog-kissed windows aglow— Whispers of the past.  影色の声 霧の窓が灯す— 過去の囁き。  #offbeatjapan #japan #hiddenbeauty #urbanexploration #forgottenplaces #moodyinteriors #wanderlust
Palm trees whispering, Blue skies embrace the lone dome, Nature's quiet guard. --- ヤシの木がささやく、 青い空が孤独なドームを抱きしめる、 自然の静かな守護者。 --- #offbeatjapan #japan #okinawa #urbanexploration #abandonedplaces #naturalbeauty #architecturelovers #wanderjapan
Vast blue ocean blooms, Whispers of a pine tree stand— Sky's gentle embrace. 広大な青い海、 松の木が立つ囁き— 空の優しい抱擁。 #Shibazakura #HitachiSeasidePark #tranquilviews #naturebeauty #bluehues #offbeatjapan #japan
Emerald whispers, Guardians in moss embrace, Silent peace abides. エメラルドの囁き、 苔に抱かれた守護者、 静けさが満ちる。#offbeatjapan #japan #jizo #nature #spirituality #emeraldgreen #serenity #buddhism