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Previous to this journey to Hokkaido I used to be informed time and time once more that the top of June was the most effective time to go to as there was no wet season there. Which will have been true but it surely definitely didn’t imply there was no rain. Removed from it because it rained partially on most days of our 5 night time keep in Japan’s most northern principal island. Fortunately it wasn’t heavy sufficient to spoil the journey in any manner and my primary American buddy and I loved a busy six days of mountaineering, native delicacies, sightseeing, and ingesting in quite a lot of locations dotted across the island. That is the (condensed) diary of our six day highway journey to Hokkaido…
Day 1: Lower than a month after visiting him in Seoul and I used to be once more with Ethan having met up at New Chitose Airport early afternoon. We have been quickly in a rental automotive driving east with a boot stuffed with bottled water provides in the direction of our vacation spot of Obihiro. With no lodging booked for the entire journey we have been simply pondering that we may roll up wherever we like and get some sort of room! Improper! We tried about seven or eight lodges and all of them stated there was no room on the inn! Subsequently we gave up on Obihiro and drove on in the direction of our final vacation spot however not earlier than we had sampled a few of the native type miso ramen.
A photograph of our sleeping HQ taken the morning after!
There have been just a few different automobiles within the automotive park once we arrived there late night following a fairly nervy drive at nighttime (whereby 5 or 6 foxes crossed our path) by means of a gravelly highway. Extra particulars right here.
Day 2: In addition to sleeping within the automotive, one of many spotlight of this journey was climbing Mount Meakan which is 1,499 metres tall.
It turned out to be a 5.5 hour climb (and descend!) of very contrasting terrain with forest within the decrease elements while the higher reaches have been very rocky. As its an lively volcano there have been additionally some emissions of sulphur fumes within the neighborhood of the rim that are speculated to be pretty poisonous.
There was to a be an actual heart-in-the-mouth second in the direction of the top of our descent because the split-second that we noticed our first bear signal we heard an animal coming our manner on the boardwalk and froze pondering that it would really be one of many bears we sort of wished to see. It turned out to only be a reasonably large canine but it surely didn’t half give us a short shock. Extra particulars right here.
Day 3: After an evening in a lodge in Obihiro we drove on to Furano to go to Lavender Park. While elements of the realm didn’t look too dangerous it was a bit disappointing as not all of the flowers have been fairly in bloom.
As we have been leaving there we realised that this was not even the principle place we had meant to see! As an alternative, that was a bit additional down the highway at Farm Tomita the place the flowers have been way more pleasing on the attention.
Farm Tomita was full of individuals and an actual vacationer lure with eating places and memento outlets galore together with particular lavender flavoured merchandise resembling milk, cheesecake, lemonade and ice-cream. The latter was very nice and we ate that as we walked on to our subsequent vacation spot a brief distance away.
There is just one station in the entire of Japan beginning with the letter ‘L’ and that’s Lavender Farm which is a seasonal station and one which I’d wished to go to for a very long time since discovering such data. Extra particulars right here.
Provided that Hokkaido’s principal metropolis is sort of 50km away from New Chitose Airport we didn’t really go to Sapporo on arrival like most individuals presumably do. It wasn’t until our third night time that we arrived within the metropolis for an evening out.
We stumbled upon Aji no Karyu; a ramen restaurant which featured in one of many late Anthony Bourdain’s TV reveals.
I plumped for the butter miso ramen which in impact noticed me pay ¥100 greater than Ethan only for a nob of butter to be added!
Day 4: The rain was pretty relentless as we spent just a few hours at Shikotsu-Toya Nationwide Park climbing Mount Tarumae. It didn’t take us too lengthy in any respect to have some fantastic views wanting again over the Lake Shikotsu with the mountains within the background.
This seven kilometre hike was fairly a pressure on our legs and a battle at instances battling towards the aches and pains in addition to the wind and rain. Extra particulars right here.
Day 5: Our first port of name was a close-by strolling path weaving its manner by means of a course on Mount Konpira and Mount Nishiyama. These lively volcanoes erupted as lately as 2000 and the consequences on the realm have been fairly devastating because the ensuing mudflow washed away a bridge and severely broken the bottom flooring of native buildings. There wasn’t a soul in sight as we freely wandered across the remnants of the catastrophe within the Konpira Crater. The city was evacuated within the wake of this most up-to-date eruptions and it was fascinating to view this ghost city up shut.
The path ultimately took us up a slippery volcanic ash path to Yu-kun crater which was shaped by the eruption in 2000 and is a mysterious emerald inexperienced colored pond. Extra particulars right here.
Previous to our arrival within the space of Lake Toya neither Ethan or I have been unaware of the volcanic lava-dome that’s Shouwa-shinzan till we drove by it with a glance of bewilderment on our faces. Intrigued by it, we set off to see it up shut by way of the Usuzan Ropeway as much as the crater rim stroll. It’s laborious to consider that this miracle mountain appeared out of the earth following the eruption of Mount Usu in 1943.
As we travelled 1,370 metres within the cable automotive we may look down on this comparatively new mountain which is designated as a particular nationwide pure monument.
There have been only a few vacationers or hikers on the crater and the views in all instructions have been fairly superior. There was the lava dome and crater basin on one facet, Mount Yotei within the distance forward and the beautiful Volcano Bay on the opposite facet. Extra particulars right here.
Monday night time soccer matches are extremely uncommon in Japan however miraculously there was one going down at Sapporo Dome which was someplace I actually wished to go to.
As a non-sports fan Ethan was much less enthused however nonetheless accompanied me for the beers and the ambiance. Watching with an American was really enjoyable. Prior to now I’d have in all probability have hated to listen to on-the-field motion described in such a unique approach to how us Brits seek advice from the attractive recreation. Extra particulars right here.
Soup curry is one other delicacy in Sapporo and we discovered a spot to have that after the match earlier than going for just a few beers and cocktails.
Day 6: Our remaining morning in Hokkaido was spent strolling across the streets of Sapporo with Ethan accountable for the itinerary. First up was the nineteenth century Clock Tower…
…adopted by the 147 metre excessive Sapporo TV Tower.
Far extra spectacular was the previous Hokkaido Authorities Workplace Constructing; a neo-baroque brick constructing constructed in 1888.
We met up for lunch at Nemuro Hanamaru sushi restaurant Rina; a former pupil of mine who was learning in Sapporo at the moment.
We needed to get to the airport after lunch however there was simply sufficient time for a dessert at a close-by place the place Rina had a really elaborate and indulgent Yubari melon parfait.
There have been extra candy treats on provide on the airport mid-afternoon the place we visited Royce Chocolate World. Royce is a kind of chocolate manufacturers which is a well-liked memento for anybody visiting Hokkaido however hardly ever ever seen anyplace else in Japan. Extra particulars right here.
My primary American buddy and I parted methods after that however have been reunited in Hokkaido lower than a yr later for a snowboarding journey in Niseko which was very totally different to my first encounter with Japan’s most northern principal island. It actually did really feel fairly totally different to the remainder of the nation, and doing a highway journey there with Ethan stays one among my most memorable journeys in Japan.
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