FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖), Kushiro (釧路), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.20

Day 6 (1/3).

During our Hokkaido trip, it was hard not to get up early when sunrise happened daily at around 3:30am.  An early start to the day allowed us to enjoy the refreshing beauty of Hokkaido’s volcanic landscape under the morning mist.  To enjoy the most of Lake Akan before leaving, we took a morning walk before breakfast.  By the lake, we passed by the  pier where staff were preparing passenger boats for the first tourist cruises of the day.  Behind the pier a small trail led us into a forest towards the famous hot mud pools known as bokke.

In front of our hotel, Lake Akan was blanketed with mist in early morning.

At the tourist pier, staff were preparing the passenger boats for the first cruises of the day.

Behind the pier, a small path led us into the lakeside forest.

The path ended at a series of hot mud pools known as bokke (bubbling mud).  The area around the bokke remains relatively warm and snow-free in winter, when the rest of Akan is covered in a metre of deep snow.

Occasionally, we saw people standing in the icy water of Lake Akan.

We soon realised the people in the water were actually fly fishing.  We later found out that Lake Akan is the most popular venue in Japan for fly fishing.

A recreational fisherman approached us and spoke to us in Cantonese.  It was his 18th consecutive year making fishing trips to Lake Akan.  We followed him to a narrow path beyond the tourist trail.

Further into the path, we could see dozens other fishermen in the lake.

As well as the majestic Mount Oakan (雄阿寒岳) at the back.

Standing in the water of Lake Akan and fishing in front of the volcano must be a fantastic experience.

At this hidden location beyond the tourist trail, we could enjoy the perfect volcano view along with the fishermen.

As the sun rose, the mist began to retreat.

Minutes later, the fog almost disappeared completely.

Along the lake, there were a number of hotspring where boiling water came out from the ground and flowed into the lake.

On our way back to the hotel, we passed by a number of hotspring streams.

The hotspring footbath (弁慶の足湯) at the trailhead attracted hikers to rest their feet after their walks.

Ten to fifteen minutes on the road took us to Lake Onnetoh, a small lake where Mount Meakan (雌阿寒岳) and Akan Fuji stood along with their perfect reflection.

We hiked up a nearby hill to enjoy the scenery of Lake Onnetoh and the two stratovolcanoes.

After Lake Onnetoh, our journey in Eastern Hokkaido had come to an end.  We were ready to move on to Central Hokkaido.

 

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Introduction
HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP, Hokkaido (北海道)

Day 1 – from Tokyo to Shiretoko Peninsula
Day 1.1 TSUKIJI OUTER MARKET (築地場外市場)
Day 1.2 ARRIVAL IN SHIRETOKO, Utoro (ウトロ)

Day 2 – Utoro
Day 2.1 SHIRETOKO FIVE LAKES (知床五湖)
Day 2.2 UTORO FISHERMAN’S WIVES CO-OPERATIVE DINER (ウトロ漁協婦人部食堂)
Day 2.3 FUREPE FALLS (フレペの滝)

Day 3 – Rausu
Day 3.1 RUSA FIELD HOUSE (ルサフィールドハウス)
Day 3.2 JUN NO BANYA (純の番屋)

Day 4 – Rausu
Day 4.1 MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳)
Day 4.2 FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡)

Day 5 – Lake Mashu & Lake Akan
Day 5.1 SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖)
Day 5.2 MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈)
Day 5.3 SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖)

Day 6 – On the road from Lake Akan to Furano
Day 6.1 FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖)
Day 6.2 TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝)
Day 6.3 ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野)

Day 7 Furano & Biei
Day 7.1 LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.2 FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.3 BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.4 PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.5 NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス)

Day 8 – from Furano to Otaru
Day 8.1 CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾート トマム)
Day 8.2 HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園)
Day 8.3 SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽)
Day 8.4 RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽)

Day 9 – Yochi & Sapporo
Day 9.1 NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市)
Day 9.2 SOUP CURRY NIGHT

Day 10 – Sapporo
10.1 OKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 )
10.2 MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店)
10.3 KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館)
10.4 SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE
10.5 GOTSUBO OYSTER BAR(五坪)
10.6 MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠)

Day 11 – Sapporo
11.1 FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎)
11.2 RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社)