Rishiri is famous for its central conical mountain, sometimes called Rishiri-Fuji.  The mountain rises to nearly 5000 feet and can be easily seen from 50 km away along the Hokkaido west and north coasts.
 
 

4 AM is too early even for most fisherman. A woman with her cart was among the first tending to morning chores.
 
 

We stayed at the Rishiri Marine Hotel, the large central building shown here. Sea birds nest congregate in the hill behind the hotel, making a steady stream of squealing sea bird calls. They are far enough from the hotel to add to the ambience without being annoying. A good thing, because they persist day and night. The hotel is comfortable and pleasant, and the staff was kind to us.
 

This fellow buzzed his small boat in and out of the harbor from midnight through the dawn hours. I haven't the slightest idea what he was doing, but it seemed serious. When he saw me take this picture of him outside of the breakwater, he shouted something to me in Japanese, which I did not understand, although it sounded gruff. I smiled and waved, a standard practice for out-of-place photographers. Anyplace in the world, photographers intent on taking pictures easily pass as mentally retarded.