Japanese visitors returned to Hokkaido on Saturday from a shortened trip to two of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan due to expected bad weather.

"The nature was fantastic and it was an enormously valuable experience," said Mamoru Takahashi, a 79-year-old Tokyo resident who with 43 others, including government officials, arrived at the port of Nemuro in eastern Hokkaido. The trip began on Tuesday.

The excursion — part of a trial project aimed at building trust and resolving the long-standing territorial dispute between the two nations — to sightseeing and other spots on Kunashiri and Etorofu islands was initially scheduled to run through Sunday.