Japan | Blue Lapis Road

RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.25

Day 11 (2/2).

When people mention “Sapporo” many will immediately think of beer. Established in 1876 as Kaitakushi Brewery (Pioneer Brewery, 開拓使麦酒醸造所), Sapporo Beer is the oldest Japanese beer. It was the pioneer period when the Meiji government raced to settle on the Island of Hokkaido ahead of the expanding Russians. A regional government known as Kaitakushi (開拓使) or Hokkaido Development Commission was set up in Sapporo to oversee the island’s pioneer development . Reference to the northern Pole Star, a red star is used as the symbol of the Kaitakushi. This Kaitakushi red star appeared throughout the old Hokkaido, from building facades such as the Sapporo Clock Tower to bottle labels of Sapporo Beer.

After visiting the Former Hokkaido Government Building, we made our way to the Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール博物館), the historical brewery about half an hour walk from Sapporo Clock Tower. We have decided to spend the last few hours of our trip to learn more about beer making in Hokkaido. We also planned to fill our stomach at the museum’s Beer Garden with a Genghis Khan or (Jingisukan, ジンギスカン) lunch. Not sure if it has anything to do with Mongolia, the Genghis Khan is a local Hokkaido dish serving grilled lamb and local vegetables on a special round grill. Perhaps in reference to the lamb eating custom of Mongolian soldiers back in the prewar years, Genghis Khan (Jingisukan, ジンギスカン) has become a popular local dish after a sheep farm was set up in Hokkaido in 1918. The first Genghis Khan (Jingisukan) restaurant opened in Tokyo in 1936. Decades after Genghis Khan restaurants continue to flourish in Hokkaido. For our 2019 Hokkaido trip, a hearty meal of grill lamb and draught beer at the historical brewery of Sapporo Beer offered us a satisfying closure.

On our way to Sapporo Beer Museum, we passed by Sapporo Factory (サッポロファクトリー), a shopping and entertainment complex housed in a former brewery of Kaitakushi Brewery, the predecessor of Sapporo Beer.

The building of Sapporo Factory was renovated and converted into a commercial complex in 1993.

At Sapporo Factory Hall, there is a small exhibition house that tells the story of beer making in Hokkaido. The Kaitakushi star can be seen at the small exhibition house.

We arrived at Sapporo Beer Museum after another 15 minute walk from Sapporo Factory.

Visitors gathered at the entrance to wait for the museum to open its door.

An enormous brew kettle greet all museum visitors at the entry hall.

On display are some of the earliest beer bottles from the late 19th century.

No matter how the label design has evolved throughout the past century, the star of Kaitakushi remains as a visual focus.

The evolution of marketing posters reflects the social and cultural changes in the past century.

Since 1966, the Beer Hall at Sapporo Beer Museum has been a popular restaurant serving the Mongolian barbecue Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan is self served on a special round grill.

We ordered different kinds of lamb meat.

Not to be missed were the special draught beer at the Beer Hall.

The bear sculpture in the gift shop reminded us of the wilderness of Eastern Hokkaido.

After the hearty lunch, we walked around the museum ground for a bit.

Until it was time for us to pick up our backpacks at Cross Hotel and headed for New Chitose Airport. This concludes our 11-day Hokkaido journey.

* * *

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)

January 8, 2020 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: サッポロビール博物館, サッポロビール株式会社, bear, beer, brewery, chimney, 開拓使, factory, Genghis Khan, hall, Hokkaido, Japan, Jingisukan, Kaitakushi, pioneer, Sapporo, star, 北海道 | Leave a comment

FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.25

Day 11 (1/2).

Maybe it was the city’s grid road system, or the influence of Massachusetts Professor William Clark who came to set up Sapporo Agricultural College and whose teaching “boys, be ambitious” has become a motto for not just Sapporo but the entire Hokkaido, or the pioneer heritage developed in the 19th century when Japanese came to settle on this northern island of native Ainu, or an ambience generated by the many Western buildings in Downtown Sapporo, Sapporo does to a certain extent resemble the United States of America. Looking at some of the city’s most well known buildings, such as the Clock Tower (時計台) and the Former Hokkaido Government Office (北海道庁旧本庁舎), a strong sense of Western touches reveal a pristine version of the American dream enrooted in the Japanese soil over half a century before the end of WWII.

It was the last day of our Hokkaido journey. We had half day of time before leaving for the airport. Leaving behind our luggage at Cross Hotel, we headed two blocks west to the forecourt of the Former Hokkaido Government Office. Nicknamed the “red brick building”, the American Neo-Baroque building has housed the seat of Hokkaido’s government for over 80 years. Through its display of artefacts and old photographs, the Former Hokkaido Government Office is a popular attraction for tourists to get a brief understanding of Hokkaido’s history.

The famous Sapporo Clock Tower reminded us of the American Midwest.

Nicknamed the “red brick building”, the American Neo-Baroque building has housed the seat of Hokkaido’s government for over 80 years.

The building has gone through a few renovations throughout history until the current red brick appearance.

Inside the building, the beautiful wooden staircase is one of the biggest features of the architecture.

The wooden details of the stair at the Former Hokkaido Government Office.

Not the most ornate wooden stair, the building interior reveals a certain simplicity and rawness of the pioneer era.

The building was the seat of Hokkaido for over 80 years.

For us, old photographs in the building which told the pioneer story of Sapporo were perhaps the most interesting display.

The “pioneer” train carriage was once filled with the dreams and stories of the early Japanese pioneers in the nation’s wild wild west.

* * *

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

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)

January 3, 2020 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: clock tower, government, heritage, History, Hokkaido, Japan, Kaitakushi, pioneer, Sapporo, Tower, 札幌 | Leave a comment

MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

Day 10 (6/6).

To end our Sapporo foodie day, we decided to get up Mount Moiwa (藻岩山, Moiwa-yama) for the famous night view of the city.

From Susukino, we hopped onto Sapporo’s only streetcar towards “Ropeway Iriguchi” station.

Sapporo’s only streetcar line has trains running clockwise and counterclockwise in a loop.

After getting off the streetcar, we didn’t bother to wait for the connection bus, but instead, we took 10 minutes to walk up to the Mount Moiwa Ropeway station.

Nagasaki, Kitayushu and Sapporo are considered the three new greatest urban night views in Japan.

The cable car slowly left the Mount Moiwa Ropeway station.

Our cable car passed by a white Buddhist stupa halfway up. Built in 1959 to commemorate peace after World War II, the Sapporo Peace Pagoda supposedly housed some ashes of the Buddha, a gift given by India to the Emperor of Japan in 1954.

Another cable car passed by in the opposite direction.

We arrived at the observation deck on Mount Moiwa right at the magic hour just before dusk.

At 531m above sea level, Downtown Sapporo was right below us.

The Koibito Sanctuary (Lover’s Sanctuary) atop Mount Moiwa is a popular photo spot.

After Mount Moiwa, we returned to the vibrant Susukino.

Known as one of the most famous entertainment districts in Japan, we came to search for a late night meal.

In an alleyway, we picked Haruka Ramen (ラーメン悠) for our late night meal.

The owner must be a fan of hard rock and metal music. The small ramen shop is decorated with t-shirts, badges and album covers of rock bands.

We knew it was unhealthy to have late night meal, but we just couldn’t leave Sapporo without having a bowl of Sapporo ramen.

* * *

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

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)

January 1, 2020 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: ラーメン悠, Buddha, Buddhist, 藻岩山, Haruka, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Koibito, Moiwa, Mount, night, pagoda, ramen, restaurant, ropeway, sanctuary, Sapporo, streetcar, stupa, Susukino, 北海道, 札幌 | Leave a comment

SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE, Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

Day 10 (4/6).

Just a stone throw north of Nijo Market (二条市場), a local artisan chocolate maker has become very popular in recent years . Claimed to be “from bean to bar”, the shop of Saturdays Chocolate includes a small workshop display area where chocolate bars are made. Wrapped in beautiful papers that represent the origin of the cacao beans used, all chocolate bars are made with cacao beans of single origin and cane sugar. Chocolate snacks and drinks are also available at the cafe in the shop.

Most shops in Nijo Market (二条市場) were already closed in the late afternoon as we headed to Saturdays Chocolate.

Warm lighting, wooden porch, pot plants and a chocolate bar sculpture make up the shopfront of Saturdays Chocolate.

The shop interior is filled with a relaxing ambience.

A feature table right by the entrance showcases the shop’s variety of chocolate bars.

A fake monkey and cacao bean form the centrepiece on the feature table.

The wrapping paper of each bar is inspired by designs from the origin country of the cacao beans.

There is also a cafe in the shop offering chocolate drinks and snacks.

Display at the seating area introduces the origin countries of the cacao beans.

After purchasing a few chocolate bars, we ordered a chocolate drink and sat at the seating area to take a relaxing break.

* * *

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

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)

December 29, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: cacao, chocolate, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Sapporo, Saturday, 北海道, 札幌 | Leave a comment

KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

Day 10 (3/6).

During our Hokkaido trip, we visited three works by Japanese architect Tadao Ando (安藤忠雄): the Chapel on the Water in Tomamu, the Hill of the Buddha in Makomanai Takino Cemetery, and in Sapporo, the Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan (北菓楼札幌本館). The Japanese confectionery store is housed in the two-storey brick masonry building that was once the first library (北海道庁立図書館) and the first ever art museum in Hokkaido. Then, after being used as an archive of public records, the most recent renewal by Tadao Ando opened the building to the public once again. Ando’s team has done a great job in preserving the masonry structure and interior features of the original building such as the elegant stair at the building corner. They also created an airy atrium space with white cross vault ceiling and large bookcases on the upper level to remind visitors the building’s history as a library. Today, the lower level serves as a flagship store selling Kitakaro’s confectionery while the upper level is a popular cafe.

The historical library building (北海道庁立図書館) is a beautiful piece of architecture dated to 1920’s.

The original masonry facades are well preserved.

Little contemporary touches give new life to the former library building.

The main entrance of the confectionery shop, a glazed box attached to the side of the history building, presents a visual contrast to the original structure and suggests a sense of respect to the heritage building by not mingling a “fake antique” with the old.

The original stone stair is well kept. It leads visitors up to the cafe on the upper level.

This stone stair has become a popular photo shooting spot for visitors.

The ground level is occupied by the confectionery store. Here visitors can appreciate the white vaulted ceiling overhead and the airy atrium.

The red brick walls are well preserved, while the new vaulted structure is completely detached from the old masonry facade.

From the upper level visitors can appreciate the variety of the colourful boxes of sweets available.

The interior design of the cafe is inspired by the building’s former use as a library. Bookcases are used as feature walls that stand out from the white surroundings.

The cafe is popular with both locals and tourists .

It is pleasant to dine in such an airy environment with super high ceiling.

Spaghetti with scallop in cream sauce. The cream sauce is surprisingly light but rich in scallop flavour. The cream sauce has the subtle sweetness of the fresh scallops.

This is Kitakaro’s Special Omelet Rice. What lies underneath the layer of fresh and soft omelet is a combination of rice and Hokkaido beef. It is served with a rich sweet sauce. This dish might look simple but the combined aromatic flavor from the fresh Hokkaido ingredients is really remarkable.

The famous cream puff with smooth and silky cream that melts in the mouth, leaving behind a milky aftertaste that lingers.

Hokkaido is famous for its lavender fields in the summer. Just like Ando’s Hill of the Buddha, lavender is used at the Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan (北菓楼札幌本館) to give some pleasant colours to the historical structure.

* * *

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

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)

December 27, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: Ando, Architecture, confectionery, design, Hokkaido, Honkan, Japan, Japanese, Kitakaro, Sapporo, sweet, Tadao, 北菓楼, 北海道, 北海道庁立図書館, 本館, 札幌 | Leave a comment

MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

Day 10 (2/6).

Not far from the Maruyama Park, we arrived at an old wooden house with white sidings and red shingles. This is the original Morihico Coffee established in 1996. Now, Morihico has become one of the most successful coffee shop brand in Sapporo. Despite all the new and sleek shops in other areas of the city, we preferred to visit the original Morihico Coffee: home made pastries and home roasted coffee in a mellow timber house covered with lush green ivy in the old Maruyama neighborhood.

Timber signage of Morihico Coffee mingles with the lush green ivy.

Located in an old timber house in Maruyama, the origin shop of Morihico Coffee has been around since 1996.

The coffee shop seems like a small barn house in the countryside somewhere in the North America.

The signage, ivy and fire wood go well together.

The shop is two storey high with most seating on the upper floor.

The lower floor is dominated by the cafe counter.

Though small, the upper floor is well lit with natural light through the lush green ivy.

Everything in the cafe look vintage.

Interesting artwork on the wall.

Interior decorations at Cafe Morihico.

Signs on the wall remind tourists of the cafe etiquette.

The homemade pastries were delicious and fresh.

The coffee was good as expected.

We had an enjoyable breakfast at Cafe Morihico. We were quite impressed and purchased a pack of coffee when we left.

* * *

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

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)

December 26, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: cafe, coffee, 珈琲, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Morihico, Sapporo, 北海道, 札幌, 森彦 | Leave a comment

HOKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 ), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

Day 10 (1/6).

Under the Meiji Government, the Hokkaido Development Commission was established in 1869, and the pioneer movement in Japan’s northernmost and second largest island, Hokkaido, officially began. The Japanese pioneers brought over their living culture, farming techniques, and faith of Shintoism. Emperor Meiji in Tokyo enshrined three deities Ōkunitama, Ōkuninushi, and Sukunahikona as the deities of Hokkaido reclamation (開拓三神) to support the pioneer movement. These deities were then moved to Sapporo from Tokyo. The shrine housing these Shinto deities was first named as Sapporo Shrine, and then in 1964 renamed as Hokkaido Shrine (北海道神宮) along with the enshrinement of Emperor Meiji into the same shrine. Today, the 150-year Hokkaido Shrine continues to play a crucial role in the lives of the locals, from New Year celebration to wedding ceremonies. The shrine is also a popular spot for hanami (花見), the spring cherry blossom festival. To start off our second last day of the trip, we spent a peaceful morning at the Hokkaido Shrine in Maruyama Park (円山公園) while most shops and cafes had yet opened for business.

In the shade of magnolias, maple, oak, Japanese Judas, and cherry of Maruyama Park, we arrived at the Torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine (北海道神宮).

2019 marked the beginning of the Reiwa era (令和) and the accession of Emperor Naruhito (徳仁).

Before entering the main shrine complex, we arrived at the first shrine building called Kaitaku Jinja (開拓神社), the pioneer shrine.

We washed our hands at the chozuya (手水舎) before entering the main shrine.

The current Hokkaido Shrine was restored in 1978, after a fire destroyed the earlier structure in 1974.

Inside the main complex, we arrived at the courtyard in front of the main shrine.

Just like many Shinto shrines around Japan, the main shrine of the Hokkaido Shrine is a beautiful timber structure.

We had a quick peek into the main shrine as we left our offering coins and clapped our hands at the entrance veranda.

We also picked up an O-mikuji (御御籤) or sacred fortune slip from a wooden box.

There are a number of racks for visitors to leave behind their undesirable O-mikuji (御御籤), as well as wooden ema (絵馬), or wooden plaques with written wishes.

After the main shrine, we paid respect to the other small shrines before leaving the shrine complex.

* * *

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

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)

December 26, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo | Tags: 開拓三神, Hokkaido, Japan, Maruyama, Naruhito, Reiwa, Sapporo, Shinto, Shintoism, Shrine, torii, 北海道, 北海道神宮, 徳仁, 札幌, 令和 | Leave a comment

SOUP CURRY NIGHT, Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.23

Day 9 (2/2).

After Yoichi and Otaru, it was time for us to head towards Sapporo (札幌), the capital city of Hokkaido. With a population of close to 2 million, Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido. Like much of Hokkaido, Sapporo was occupied by indigenous Ainu tribes until the latter half of the 19th century, when migrants from Mainland Honshu settled in the area to cultivate the land and establish early settlements under the order of Emperor Meiji. In 1876, American professor William Clark was hired to establish the Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University). During his short spell in Sapporo, Clark made a significant impact on the academic and economic development of Hokkaido. Clark’s motto to his students, “boys, be ambitious!” could best describe the adventurous cultural identity of Sapporo citizens. Compared to other regions in Japan, Sapporo is relatively new. The city has emerged into a bustling urban centre in just a few generations and has become the fifth largest city in Japan. Hosted Asia’s first Winter Olympics in 1972 and the annual snow festival that draws thousands of outside visitors, Sapporo has gained significant international popularity in recent decades. As the official gateway and transportation hub of Hokkaido, Sapporo is also well known as a foodie destination, due to the fact that all of Hokkaido’s agricultural produce and seafood would eventually end up in this city at some point.

The adventurous spirit of the city coupled with the abundant natural resources of Hokkaido form the basis of Sapporo’s culinary culture. The popular soup curry originated from Sapporo in the 1970s is one of the best examples. This innovative fusion of East Asian broth, Southeast Asian curry and fresh Hokkaido vegetables and meat turned out to be a great success story. By 2000s, soup curry has become a signature dish of the city. There are many restaurants in Sapporo offering soup curry. We chose Suage, a very busy curry restaurant popular with both tourists and locals alike.

From Otaru to Sapporo, the train passed by the turquoise Ishikari Bay (石狩湾) to the northeast.

The lovely scenery of Ishikari Bay (石狩湾) was our last open views to the sea for this trip.

We soon arrived at the railway station of Sapporo.

Crab meal is a big attraction for many tourists coming to Hokkaido.

On our way to our hotel, we passed by the Clock Tower (時計台), a historical landmark built in 1878.

At Odori Park (大通公園), the Sapporo TV Tower was lit up in a romantic way.

We picked Suage for a soup curry dinner.

We had to wait for about half an hour in order to get a table.

The restaurant was causal and most visitors were pretty young.

The soup curry was very delicious.

All ingredients in the soup curry came from local farms

On our way back to the hotel, we passed by the Norbesa and its eye catching Ferris wheel on its roof.

We walked a bit of the covered arcade and called it a day.

* * *

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

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)

December 24, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Sapporo, Uncategorized | Tags: clock tower, curry, dinner, Hokkaido, Japan, Otaru, restaurant, Sapporo, Suage, TV Tower, 北海道, 札幌 | Leave a comment

NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.23

Day 9 (1/2).

In recent years, the demand for Japanese whisky has skyrocketed worldwide, as many believe they have become the best in the world. The hype originated from 2001, when Whisky Magazine honored Nikka’s 10-Year Yoichi as its “Best of the Best. Global interest continues to grow as Japanese whisky continued to pick up international awards, including the world’s best whisky award given to Suntory’s Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 by Whisky Bible in 2015. The story of Nikka whisky began in 1934 when Masataka Taketsuru (竹鶴政孝) established his distillery in Yoichi, a location in Hokkaido that Taketsuru believed would best resemble the conditions of Scotland, the home of the famous scotch whisky. For the locals, Nikka Distillery in Yoichi is better known for the story of Masataka Taketsuru and his Scottish wife Rita, which has been retold in 2014 by a popular TV drama Massan made by the national broadcasting company NHK.

Born in 1894 in Takehara Hiroshima to a sake brewing family, Taketsuru traveled to Scotland in December 1918 and enrolled in University of Glasgow to study organic chemistry, and also took apprenticeship at various distillery facilities. In January 1920, he married Jessie Roberta Cowan (Rita) despite opposition from both families. In November 1920, they moved back to Japan and was hired by Kotobukiya (now Suntory) to set up Japan’s first malt whisky distillery known as Yamazaki Distillery (山崎蒸溜所) in Shimamoto, Osaka. Suntory refused to move the facility to Hokkaido, where Taketsuru believed was more similar to Scotland. As a result, Taketsuru left Suntory and established his own distillery in Yoichi with Rita in 1934. Nowhere is better than Nikka Yoichi Distillery to learn more about the story of Taketsuru and Rita, where their house and office were preserved and put on display at the distillery museum. The self guided tour of the facility allowed us to check out the buildings for various processes of whisky distillery, houses and offices of Taketsuru and Rita, a museum housing historical artefacts of the facility, and a tasting house and souvenir shop.

It was just a short walk from Yoichi JR Station to the distillery. The facility main gate was already full of visitors when we arrived at 9:15am.

A sign of “Nikka Whisky” was erected for photo backdrop for visitors.

The facility is consisted of a number of historical buildings.

Coal fire is still used to heat up the old copper stills at the distillery.

Staff keeps on adding coal into the furnace.

Yoichi Distillery is claimed to be the last remaining facility still using coal fire for their whisky stills.

Old buildings at the facility have been converted into exhibition areas to tell the story of whisky making.

Display of oak for making of traditional wood barrels.

A few wood barrels are put on display for visitors to take photos.

The former residence and office of Taketsuru and Rita were well preserved.

Former residence of the Taketsuru couple.

Barrel warehouse

Entrance into the museum building.

One of the two tasting areas in the museum.

The story of Masataka and Rita Taketsuru was told in the museum with artefacts and photos.

At the end, we had a chance for a free tasting with three glasses of alcohol: single malt Yoichi, Super Nikka, and Apple Wine. We could choose to add ice, water or apple juice to the alcohol.

After a delightful visit of Yoichi Distillery, we returned to Otaru to pick up our backpacks and moved on to our final destination, Sapporo.

* * *

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

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)

December 22, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Otaru and Yoichi | Tags: coal, 竹鶴政孝, distillery, 蒸溜所, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Masataka, Massan, Nikka, Rita, still, Taketsuru, whiskey, whisky, Yoichi, 北海道, 余市 | Leave a comment

RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

Day 8 (4/4).

After a brief rest at the hotel, it was time for us to find a place for dinner. We wanted to go for somewhere causal and take a break from seafood meals. We picked Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店), a famous fried chicken restaurant popular with both tourists and locals alike. Started in 1957 as an okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) shop, Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店) has evolved into a causal restaurant specialized in Hanshinage fried chicken. The golden fried chicken is what most visitors would opt for, but the restaurant also offers local snacks and sashimi. After a tasty meal, we took a stroll around the city before returning to the hotel.

There was a queue in the vestibule when we arrived at Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店). We were lucky to get a table less than an hour before it closed.

We ordered fresh clam sashimi as appetizer.

And of course the delicious half fried chicken. The thin and crispy fried skin of the chicken was fried to perfection.

Outside of Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店), we were surprised to see a series of street stalls ranging from eateries to carnival games.

Despite the rain, many locals came out to have fun on the street.

The booths were all catered for the local community.

For adults, snacks are always popular.

We walked through the street of booths.

A booth of masks ranged from animation characters to traditional theatre figures caught our eyes.

We exited the pop up market street and made our way to our hotel.

The streets were decorated with traditional lanterns but somewhat quiet.

We walked past a few historical buildings dated from the heyday of Otaru.

The small city has a good mix of Western and local styled buildings.

Upon reaching our hotel, we decided to stroll along the canal for a bit.

All shops had been closed. The heritage buildings along the canal serve only as a pretty backdrop for tourists.

At last, we reached our hotel, a building with a dominant touch of Western architecture at the turn of century.

* * *

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

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)

December 15, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Otaru and Yoichi | Tags: なると, canal, 若鶏時代, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, market, Naruto Honten, night, Otaru, Wakadori Jidai, 北海道, 小樽 | Leave a comment

SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

Day 8 (3/4).

It was raining with occasional thunderstorms all the way from the Hill of the Buddha to Otaru. After a week on the road, we finally arrived at Otaru (小樽), the port city at Ishikari Bay roughly half an hour of train ride from Sapporo. For many Japanese and East Asians, Otaru has become famous after the 1995 hit movie “Love Letter”. Directed by Shunji Iwai (岩井俊二) and starring Miho Nakayama (中山美穂), “Love Letter” was filmed entirely in Hokkaido, particularly in Otaru. After the film, The little port city Otaru has become a cultural destination.

We dropped off our bags at the hotel, returned the Toyota near the railway station, and found our way to Sankaku Market (三角市場) for a seafood lunch.

Situated near Otaru Station, Sankaku Market (三角市場) is very popular for tourists and locals for fresh seafood.

The market sells seafood from all over Hokkaido.

The market has only one narrow aisle and shops at both sides.

Some shops also offer seafood snacks or lunch.

We chose the most popular eatery in the market, Takinami Restaurant, where there was a long queue of visitors at the door.

Seafood appetizers

Sea urchin, crab meat and prawns with rice, and crab miso soup

Despite the rain, we made a brief visit to the canal area of Otaru.

We didn’t stay long at the canal because of poor weather.

Instead, we dropped by the Otaru Art Base: four historical buildings were preserved and converted into art exhibition spaces.

Built in 1923, Takahashi Warehouses was turned into the Stained Glass Museum.

Most of the stained glass windows on display were manufactured in England in the 19th and early 20th century.

These stained glass windows were preserved from churches that got torn down.

In the heydays, there were 25 banks supporting the economy of Hokkaido. One of them was Mitsui Bank (三井住友銀行). The Neo-Renaissance building symbolizes the prosperous years of Hokkaido.

The former lobby and reception counter are splendid.

Former conference room

Former vault.

Other than the history of the former bank building, there was also an art exhibition in the building.

After checking out the Art Base, we returned to the hotel and finished the slide of Yubari (夕張) cantaloupe purchased from the market.

* * *

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

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)

December 13, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Otaru and Yoichi | Tags: canal, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, market, Mitsui Bank, museum, Otaru, Otarugeijutsumura, Sankaku, seafood, stained glass, 北海道, 小樽, 三角市場, 三井住友銀行 | Leave a comment

CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

Day 8 (1/4).

Many people acknowledge the harmonic relationship between buildings and nature in Japanese architecture. Taking the site’s natural context as design inspirations and the dominating factor for spatial arrangement is popular among modern Japanese architecture, where buildings are sometimes configured according to the site terrain or to a unique relationship with a natural element such as a feature tree or a water body. This respect to nature is quite apparent in the works of Tadao Ando.

On our way to Furano, we tried visiting Ando’s Chapel on the Water but failed to get in because of a private wedding taking place. We decided to return once again when we left Furano. To ensure entry, we managed to arrive at the official time for visit: 06:30 to 07:15. Getting to the chapel in Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム) at 06:30 meaning we had to leave our hotel in Nakafurano at 5am.

We made it to Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム) on time for the 6:30 visiting time slot for Ando’s Chapel on the Water.

We were surprised to find that at least 30 people were already waiting for the staff in the waiting lobby. We were soon led out to a path leading to the concrete enclosure of the chapel.

We walked along the concrete wall of the chapel until reaching an opening into the inner court.

Once we got into the inner court, we finally had our first glimpse of the beautiful chapel architecture and its famous cross in the water.

The entry path continued to the back corner of the chapel, where a flight of stairs led us up to the small semi enclosed platform dominated by the cross concrete members.

From the platform we followed a spiral staircase descending down to the main chapel space.

Used for wedding ceremonies, the chapel is simple and elegant. The prime focus for all visitors is the view of the cross and water pond, which takes the place of the traditional altar piece.

The enormous opening can be shut with the hydraulic powered sliding door.

Once the door is shut, the sound of the moving water would be shut off from the interior.

The staff demonstrated the closing and opening of the sliding door for us.

Once the door was opened, the interior was filled with the sound of moving water again.

The exterior scenery was peaceful and calming. The boundary between the interior and exterior didn’t seem to exist.

We could sit there for a long time just to take in the peaceful scenery and calming sound of water and birds. We could imagine how the scenery might change in different seasons.

To exit, we followed the spiral staircase to the lower level, passed through a circular space and left the building from its side.

Outside the building, we could see the frame structure housing the track for the sliding door.

Just like the Church of Light, visiting an early work of Tadao Ando is always touching and inspiring. Taking the effects of light, reflections, sounds and water to formulate the spatial qualities of the architecture, seeing his buildings has always been a spiritual experience for us.

* * *

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

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)

December 10, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: Ando, architect, Architecture, トマム, church, Hokkaido, Hoshino, Japan, Japanese, resort, Tadao, Tomamu, water, 北海道, 星野リゾート, 水の教会 | Leave a comment

NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス), Furano (富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

Day 7 (5/5).

After rolling hills of wheat fields and floral farms, it was about time for us to leave Furano. Before calling it a day, we decided to end the day with a final touch of fairytale like fantasy. Hidden in the forest adjacent to Prince Hotel Furano, the Ningle Terrace is consisted of fifteen shops housed in small fairytale like timber houses. These houses are more than just cute eye candles. Each shop is occupied by a local craftsman selling his or her unique handicrafts. Owing to the power of the famous scriptwriter Sou Kuramoto (倉本聰), the Ningle Terrace has become another attraction in Hokkaido related to his creative talents. Used as the film set for one of Kuramoto’s work, deep in the forest Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計) has become a pilgrimage site for his fans.

It was our final evening in Furano. We decided to sought after a magical finale.

Before entering the forest of Ningle Terrace, we stopped by the interesting gift shop selling products related to Sou Kuramoto (倉本聰).

15 shops make up the beautiful Ningle Terrace.

The atmosphere of the Ningle Terrace was quite romantic with the lighting.

Deep in the forest stands Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計), a filming place for one of Sou Kuramoto’s (倉本聰) work.

The interior of Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計) looks quite surreal.

Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計) wasn’t full, but it was impossible for us to find a seat at the central communal table.

At Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計), the central communal table is reserved for coffee lovers who wish to grind their own beans and make their own coffee.

Other than coffee, we also ordered a light dinner to end our day at Coffee Mori no Tokei (珈琲森の時計).

* * *

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

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)

December 8, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: ニングルテラス, coffee, craft, 珈琲森の時計, forest, Furano, handicraft, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Mori no Tokei, Ningle, shopping, Sou Kuramoto, terrace, 倉本聰, 北海道, 富良野 | Leave a comment

PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

Day 7 (4/5).

Famous for its rolling hills and agricultural fields under the shadows of Taisetsu (大雪山系) and Tokachi Range (十勝連峰), Biei has long been known for its beautiful rural scenery. Throughout the years, Biei has been a popular filming location for television commercials, TV shows and music videos. To promote tourism, local officials have designated two driving routes: Patchwork Road and Panorama Road for exploring some of the best scenery of Biei. These two routes bring visitors to meander between rolling hills and wheat fields and arrive at various lookouts, viewing towers, and parks. With the aid of a tourist map and road signs, we managed to drive along these two routes to explore the area causally.

Just a stone throw away from Bi.Ble restaurant, we made a brief stop at Tree of Ken and Mary (ケンとメリーの木). This poplar tree appeared on a 1973 Nissan Motor TV commercial, and has since then become a popular site for local visitors.

Known as a major attraction on the Patchwork Road, the pyramidal lookout at Hokusei-no-oka Observatory Park (北西の丘展望公園) offers visitors a 360 degree overview of the surrounding landscape.

At Hokusei-no-oka Observatory Park (北西の丘展望公園), a man-size raccoon sculpture greeted all visitors among the vending machines.

Some tourists preferred to visit Sanai no Oka Observatory Park (三愛の丘展望公園) by cycling.

In June, the fields surrounding Sanai no Oka Observatory Park (三愛の丘展望公園) are covered in lush green wheat.

Wheat field near Sanai no Oka Observatory Park (三愛の丘展望公園).

Chiyoda no Oka Observation Deck (千代田の丘見晴らし台) situates away from main roads and receives only a handful of visitors throughout the day.

From Chiyoda no Oka Observation Deck (千代田の丘見晴らし台), we were impressed by the surrounding scenery.

Cattle roamed freely on a green slope near Chiyoda no Oka Observation Deck (千代田の丘見晴らし台).

We stopped by one of the many rolling wheat fields.

Some fields had yet occupied by farmer’s crops.

Large crows stood at the ridge of the hill to search for food.

Like Tuscany of Italy, Biei is largely covered with green rolling hills.

With 15 hectares of land, Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘) is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Biei.

Again we were too early to see the full flower blossom at Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘).

The supposedly colourful hills of Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘) were mainly green.

Despite heavily edited, the poster reveals what all tourists want to see when they come to Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘).

A fox family were running around the Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘) while we were ther.

The hay man welcomes every visitor at Shikisai No Oka (四季彩の丘).

* * *

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

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)

November 6, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: Biei, Chiyoda no Oka, 美瑛, Furano, Hokkaido, Hokusei-no-oka, Japan, Ken and Mary, Panorama, Patchwork, road, Sanai no Oka, Shikisai No Oka, 北西の丘展望公園, 北海道, 千代田の丘見晴らし台, 四季彩の丘, 三愛の丘展望公園 | Leave a comment

BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

Day 7 (3/5).

Driving north from Farm Tomita in Nakafurano (中富良野) brought us to Biei (美瑛町) in half an hour. We followed the GPS to look for Bi.Ble, a French restaurant that caught our attention while we researched for the trip. Recommended by a guidebook, we were attracted by Bi.Ble’s dishes made from local ingredients, its pleasant timber interiors, and its picturesque setting surrounded by wheat fields. The entire compound is consisted of four buildings: a culinary school and a staff/student dormitory occupying two former school buildings, a new one-storey hotel and a new restaurant facing a wheat field. With the aid from GPS and Google Map, we didn’t have trouble finding the place and arrived at Bi.Ble at around 11:30am. We didn’t make a reservation, and were lucky to get the last table available. Other than the seafood of Shiretoko, dining at Bi.Ble to sample some of the best ingredients from Furano and Biei turned out to be one of the most remarkable meals we had throughout the trip.

Occupying the former Hokuei Elementary School, the Ecole Hoteliere Etude is a culinary school affiliated with Bi.Ble Restaurant.

It is green everywhere in Biei, even the school building.

Across from the school building stands a minimalist building cladded with green metal panels. This new addition to the school complex serves as a hotel with several guestrooms facing the wheat field.

Each hotel room has a decent window.

Each room enjoys the view of the picturesque wheat field below.

Bi.Ble Restaurant is located at the far end of the compound.

Biei is well known for its high quality wheat and flour. In July, the wheat would turn yellow. By August, the wheat would be ready for harvest.

The first things that greeted our arrival at Bi.Ble was the famous bakery and its fireplace.

Almost all tables in the restaurant had been reserved. Came without booking, we arrived just in time to sit down at the last available table facing the wheat field.

Beyond the wheat field lies the distant volcanic mountain ranges of Daisetsuzan and Tokachi, whose ashes produce the highly fertile soil of the area.

Perhaps the easiest way to appreciate the taste of Biei is to sample the simplest and purest ingredient of all, freshly baked bread made from the wheat of Biei.

Appetizers made with local pork and produces decorated with a touch of nature.

The dining experience at Bi.Ble was a fusion of French culinary techniques and Japanese aesthetics with the palette of Hokkaido.

From the local volcanic soil, even the most ordinary ingredients like carrot and potato tasted better.

Each dish was like a minimalist painting to us.

Each dish came in small portions, but it ended up quite a filling meal after all the courses.

A fine dessert to ended a special meal.

After visiting the lavender farms and floral fields of Furano, Bi.ble has given us another brilliant way to appreciate what the unique landscape of Central Hokkaido has to offer.

* * *

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

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)

October 4, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: Architecture, bakery, Bi.Ble, Biei, bread, cuisine, culinary, 美瑛, farm, food, French, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, lunch, produce, restaurant, steak, wheat | Leave a comment

FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

Day 7 (2/5).

Known as one of the most popular attractions in Hokkaido, Farm Tomita (ファーム富田) is probably on every visitor’s itinerary when traveling in Central Hokkaido. Situated in front of the beautiful Tokachi Mountain Range, the highly popular tourist attraction began as a humble farm back in 1903. Not until 1958 when lavender was first planted in Farm Tomita for its essence. After 1970, lavender farming had gone through a gradual decline due to its low profitability. In 1976, a photograph of Tomita’s lavender fields appeared on a popular calendar published by JR, the national railway of Japan. This calendar photo had completely changed the fate of Farm Tomita, converting it from a sleepy farm unknown to the public to a popular tourist attraction acclaimed to the entire nation. Other than checking out the floral fields, visitors also come to purchase all kinds of lavender products, from hand soap, essence oil, perfume, and even food products.

We arrived at Farm Tomita at around 9am, less than half an hour after its opening time. The farm was already packed with groups of visitors, and even the parking lot was almost filled up. Given we came a few weeks out of peak season, we could imagine how busy it could become in late July.

Compared to other farms in the area, Farm Tomita is quite well organized.

Other than lavender, Farm Tomita also has a variety of floral fields to attract visitors, including the vivid Autumn Field where flowers would remain until the first frost.

In the Spring Field, Iceland poppies, oriental poppies, and chives offer visitors a beautiful scene prior to the lavender season.

The Spring Field was full of life.

With flavour of onions and garlic, Chive flowers can also be used as herbs.

Iceland poppies are hardy perennial found in many parts in the world.

Just like our earlier encounters, the lavender had yet reached their full bloom at Tomita.

But that wouldn’t discourage visitors to pose for photos in the lavender fields.

The scent of lavender filled the air.

The sloped lavender field is the favorite photo spot for many visitors coming to Tomita.

We could imagine the layers of purple waves in a few weeks’ time.

Many love to stand in the rows of lavender for photos.

Somehow the sloped terrain of the field was perfect for appreciating the layering lavender.

Other types of lavender had yet developed their buds.

A number of houses in the farm contain displays of old distillery tools.

As well as information on essence extract process.

At Tomita, many souvenirs are made with lavender essence, including bathing soap.

Not as famous as Yubari (夕張) Melon, Furano Melon is nonetheless the must-have snacks for tourists coming to the farm.

After a relaxing stroll in the farm, it was time for us to bid farewell to Tomita and moved on the the nearby Biei.

* * *

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

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)

September 23, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: farm, flower, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, lavender, melon, Nakafurano, Tomita, 北海道, 富良野 | Leave a comment

LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

Day 7 (1/5).

Coming to Furano in summer without checking out its lavender farms is like going to Lisse in the Netherlands in spring without visiting Keukenhof Garden to see blooming tulips. Various types of lavender can be found in Furano, and each has its bloom time between late June to early August. The peak tourist season is mid July when popular lavender farms would be packed with visitors. Lavender was not our main purpose of the trip, so we didn’t plan our visit according to the peak bloom time. In fact, we came a few weeks too soon when the flower farms were much less crowded than their peak season. As expected, while most lavender plants were not yet in full bloom but the violet colour were beginning to show from the buds.

Tadao Tomita started cultivating lavender in 1958, but considering stopping in 1976 because they failed to make lavender profitable. Fortunately, a photographer came by his lavender farm, took a photo of his lavender field and published the photo in the calender of the national railway company (JR). That immediately led to a big surge of tourists flocking in to see Tomita’s lavender fields. Since then, lavender tourism had become part of Furano’s identity and never looked back. As lavender was picking up the steam, a local visitor suggested Tomita to start making potpourri and other lavender products. These lavender souvenirs and tourism itself have been able to sustain the lavender farms, while Tomita gradually expanded the farm with more tourist facilities. Since then, other lavender farms flourished in Furano after Tomita’s success. Before visiting Tomita Farm, we first checked out two smaller facilities in Nakafurano: Choei Lavender Farm and Saika no Sato Lavender Farm.

Run by the municipal government, the Choei Lavender Farm offers visitors in town the first glance of this year’s lavender.

The ski lift of Choei Lavender Farm would operate between late June to August.

Up on the slope at Choei Lavender Farm, we could see the lush-green lavender plants standing in front of the distant mountains.

A small area of Choei Lavender Farm, was dedicated to white lavender.

Too bad we couldn’t take the sky lift up the slope.

We came few weeks too earlier, as most lavender plants were far from full bloom while we were there.

Despite of that, we still enjoyed taking photos of the iconic lavender of Furano.

Choei Lavender Farm consists of rows after rows of lavender plants on the slope. During full bloom, the slope would turn violet in colour.

Just a few minutes of drive from Choei lies Saika no Sato Lavender Farm, another popular farm in Nakafurano famous for lavender fields.

At Saika no Sato Lavender Farm, we stopped by its cafe for a drink.

We ordered their signature purple heart drink: lavender ice in calpris, a Japanese soft drink that is somewhat milky and vanilla flavored.

Similar to Choei Lavender Farm, we were once again too early for the lavender fields in Saika no Sato.

Depending on the type, the lavender in Saika no Sato had a slightly deeper hue of purple than the ones we saw in Choei.

While lavender might not be at its best, we did appreciate seeing other beautiful spring flowers in Saika no Sato.

The spring flowers in Furano reminded us of springtime in Toronto, as both Hokkaido and Toronto share a similar latitude of 43 degree north, and thus we could easily draw their similarities in terms of tree and plant species.

* * *

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

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)

September 18, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan | Tags: Choei, floral, flower, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, lavender, Nakafurano, Saika no Sato, 北海道, 中富良野 | Leave a comment

ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.20

Day 6 (3/3).

A sudden downpour greeted our arrival to the farming community as we left Hoshino Resorts Tomamu and entered Minamifurano or South Furano (南富良野). A long and winding road cut through fields of rice paddies, wheat and corn, and passed by rows after rows of farming greenhouses against the backdrop of Tokachi Mountain Range (十勝岳). Further afield, rolling fields of summer flowers had yet reached their peak moment of summer blossom. We could imagine that at its peak in mid July, these fields could well be covered in rainbow colours: sunflower, poppies, lilies, and most famous of all, different types of lavender. At one point, we stopped the car right by a small country road, just to taste the sweetness of nature and feel the mountain air after the rain. Mist rose from the distant mountains beyond farming fields, making a perfect and dreamy picture of Hokkaido countryside. Welcome to Furano!

Located in the heart of Hokkaido Island, Furano is (富良野) a sleepy town about 100km inland from the sea, enjoying a continental climate that sees heavy and powdery snowfall in winter. Like Niseko, Furano is a popular skiing resort in winter. During summer, Furano is a rural wonderland famous for its farmlands and vineyards, especially its rolling hills of flowers that includes the iconic lavender. Drawing large amount of Japanese and Chinese tourists, summer flowers, especially lavender, have imprinted a vivid postcard image in visitors’ mind even before they arrive in Hokkaido. For the Japanese, the works of scriptwriter Sō Kuramoto (倉本聰) have presented the beauty of Furano to everyone in the nation in the past 40 years, marking the relative sleepy town in Central Hokkaido onto Japan’s tourist map.

We stopped the car at a small country road to inhale our first breathe of fresh air from Furano.

Furano is well known for its fine agricultural produce.

Large plastic greenhouses could be seen in many areas around Furano.

No matter where in Japan, rice paddies is often the dominate landscape.

In Hokkaido, wheat is also a main staple food for noodles and bread.

In Central Furano, a complex of four retail buildings known as Furano Marche introduces local produce, snacks and souvenir for visitors and foreigners.

We got ourselves some food for a light dinner.

We got ourselves potato fries, hamburger and fried chicken (all ingredients from the region) for dinner.

From Furano Marche, we had the opportunity to try the local sweet white corn, which could be consumed raw.

In Furano, we stayed at Pension Yamasan in the village of Nakafurano (中富良野), the home of the famous lavender farms like Farm Tomita and Saika-no-Sato.

Dried lavender is used as decorations and natural air freshener.

We were free to use the dining hall for breakfast and evening television.

The common area of Pension Yamasan is full of the owner’s character.

Situated on a hill across from Mount Tokachi, Pension Yamasan offered us pleasant view of the mountain range and fields of Nakafurano.

For visitors without their own wheels, railway is their best bet for reaching the lavender farms in Nakafurano.

After the rain, Furano River was a little muddy at Nakafurano.

Despite we were a month too early to see the lavender in full blossom, other summer flowers were indeed everywhere in Nakafurano.

* * *

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

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)

August 31, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: agriculture, corn, farm, field, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Kuramoto, lavender, Marche, market, Nakafurano, pension, wheat, Yamasan, 倉本聰, 北海道, 富良野, 中富良野 | Leave a comment

TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.20

Day 6 (2/3).

From Lake Akan (阿寒湖) to Nakafurano (中富良野) where we would stay two nights to explore the rolling hills and farmlands of Furano (富良野) and Biei (美瑛), we drove by Tokachi (十勝), a subprefecture in Central Hokkaido best known for its dairy and agricultural products such as wheat and red beans. Also known as the land of cheese, some say Tokachi produces about 60% of Japanese cheese. We didn’t plan to stay in Tokachi, but did make a stop in the subprefecture’s only city, Obihiro (帯広). There was only one reason: to sample the delicious food of the region. We weren’t after any fancy kaiseki ryori or seafood feast, but simple local dishes that make use of the best local ingredients of Tokachi.

There is nothing simpler to experience the best of Tokachi (十勝) than have a cup of fresh local milk.

In Obihiro, we made a first stop to Amamuekie, a simple pastry shop housed in a cool container. Originally worked in the music industry, the husband and wife of Iwamoto family (岩本夫妻) turned their interest in nature and healthy food and opened Amamuekie.

At Amamuekie, healthy pastry made with plant based ingredients without the use of white sugar and animal ingredients such as dairy and eggs are sold, including this cocoa pound cake made with rice flour.

We picked up several items from Amamuekie, including this hojicha (green tea) biscotti, a tasty fusion of east meets west.

On our way to Obihiro, we made our second stop at Sweet Factory Green, a delightful sweets shop in the small town of Otofuke (音更町).

The cakes, chocolate and ice-cream were all so tempting.

Causal seating were provided on the lawn next to the sweets shop.

Sun was high and sky was blue, what a perfect moment to enjoy local ice-cream, a piece of fruit cake and a cup of good coffee.

Finally we arrived in downtown Obihiro (帯広), and parked our car in one of the outdoor parking lot near the main train station.

It took us a little while to figure out the correct procedure to activate the parking sensor for our stall.

Our destination, Butadon Pancho (元祖豚丼), situates right across the street from Obihiro Railway Station.

Butadon Pancho (元祖豚丼) offers just one thing in the menu: Butadon (豚丼) or pork bowl. After about 20 minutes in the queue, we finally got a small table in the small restaurant. Founded in 1933, Butadon Pancho claims to be the pioneer restaurant that offered butadon.

Originated from Obihiro, butadon is basically a bowl of rice served with several pieces of local pork, topped with sweet soy sauce and green peas. The bowl also comes with takuan (沢庵) or pickled daikon radish and miso soup. Nothing fancy, just a simple local dish but made a perfect lunch for us.

After a little over an hour on the road, we arrived at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, a vast resort compound that offers a variety of activities for visitors, from skiing in winter to hiking in summer.

The main reason coming to Tomamu was to check out the famous Chapel on the Water by architect Tadao Ando.

Unfortunately, the opening times of the chapel was quite limited. Quite often, the chapel is occupied for private wedding ceremonies. We had to leave it for another time, and moved on on our journey to Furano, where we would stay for the night.

* * *

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

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)

August 27, 2019 | Categories: Furano and Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Lake Mashu and Akan, Uncategorized | Tags: Amamuekie, Ando, butadon, cake, Church on the Water, coffee, dessert, food, Green, Hokkaido, ice-cream, Japan, Japanese, milk, Obihiro, Pancho, parking, pork, rice, road, sweet, Sweet Factory, Tadao, takuan, Tokachi, Tomamu, 元祖豚丼, 北海道, 十勝, 帯広 | Leave a comment

SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖), Kushiro (釧路), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

Day 5 (3/3).

About 60km southwest of Lake Mashu, we arrived at Akankohan (阿寒湖畔), our second destination in Akan Mashu National Park. Under the shadow of volcano Mount Oakan (雄阿寒岳), the onsen resort village Akankohan (阿寒湖畔) right by Lake Akan or Akanko (阿寒湖) is another great place in Eastern Hokkaido to experience the beauty of the region’s volcanic landscape. While may not be as crystal clear as Lake Mashu, Lake Akan, also a crater lake, is nonetheless also famous for its pure water. In fact, the pristine quality of the lake water has enabled the famous lake inhabitant, the marimo, to thrive in Lake Akan. Marimo, a rare ball-like algae, may grow up the size of a football if left untouched for centuries. Unlike Lake Mashu, Lake Akan has a much bigger human presence especially along the waterfront of Akankohan, where modern ryokans with all kinds of onsen baths, and shops, small museum, and cultural centre about the local Ainu people are established.

We stayed at Akankohan for a night to have a short visit of the lakeside onsen resort. We didn’t take the tourist cruise boat for a marimo museum visit on a small island in the lake; nor did we do a long hike up to one of the beautiful volcanoes around the lake or visit the Ainu cultural centre. We did however make a morning forest walk to the boiling bokke mud pool east of the resort village, enjoy a starry night standing on the lakeside boardwalk, and cleanse our bodies and souls in the mineral rich hotspring water of Akan.

At Akankohan, the waterfront is lined with resort hotels and docks for tourist cruise boats.

Located at the waterfront, our hotel Tsuruga Lake Akan Lodge Turano is a comfortable pet-friendly guesthouse with nice views to the lake.

Compared to other lakeside resort hotels, Tsuruga Lake Akan Lodge Turano is much more causal.

There was no hotspring facilities at Tsuruga Lake Akan Lodge Turano, we were invited to use one of Tsuruga’s other hotel’s facility. Recommended by the hotel staff, we went to Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga for its onsen facilities. During our visit, men were assigned to use the three-level bathing facilities at the lower floor while women at the 8/F outdoor infinity pool facing the lake.

It wasn’t the darkest and clearest night for stargazing, but chilling out in the cool air at Lake Akan after a hearty buffet dinner was delightful.

Clouds and fog moved quickly across the sky. Stars were still visible in between.

At Akankohan (阿寒湖畔), Mount Oakan (雄阿寒岳) has a dominant presence to the scenery.

Dusk fell upon with a soft touch of orange cast on the moving clouds.

In comparison, the artificial lights from the lakeside hotels looked overwhelmingly bright.

Various boardwalk structures extend out to the lake for small boats and tourist photos.

Last erupted in 2008, Mount Oakan is a shield volcano rises about 900m from the lake.

Swan like recreational boats looked quite out of place in the natural surrounding.

Most multi-level buildings in Akankohan are resort hotels. Behind the lakeside hotels, a shopping street lined with souvenir shops forms the main thoroughfare for the village. The entire village looks completely dependent on tourism.

Near our guesthouse Tsuruga Lake Akan Lodge Turano, the lights from the lakeside hotels looked far more overwhelming than the mighty volcano, which sat in tranquility in the background waiting for its next moment of eruption.

* * *

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

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)

August 20, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Lake Mashu and Akan | Tags: Akan, Akankohan, clouds, 釧路, 阿寒湖, 阿寒湖畔, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Kushiro, lake, marimo, Mashu, night, ryokan, star, 北海道 | Leave a comment

MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

Day 5 (2/3).

After a few hours of sleep, we returned to Lake Mashu to seek for another way to enjoy the crater lake and its surrounding landscape. This time, we took the 14.4km trail along the crater rim up to the top of Mount Mashu or Mashu-dake (857m) in a 4-6 hour walk. We read from guidebooks and online research that the scenery of Lake Mashu from the top of Mount Mashu would be very promising. At the onsen village of Mashu, we stopped by a bento takeout restaurant (ほかほか弁当) to order two rice dishes for breakfast, then headed over to Lake Mashu’s Viewpoint 1 to begin our hike.

A terrain model at the visitor centre of Viewpoint 1 gave us a rough idea of the hike, from the trailhead at the south of the crater lake to the peak of Mount Mashu east of the lake.

Soon after the trailhead, we reached the first open lookout of Lake Mashu.

The trail took us along the crater lake on one side, and open plains and distant volcanic landscape on the other.

Most of the trail ran along the rim of the crater lake with little shades.

From time to time, wooden signage indicated how far we were from our destination.

There was pretty much only one trail for most of the time. It was almost impossible to get lost.

Near the peak, we could fully appreciate the volcanic landscape of the area, including the lush green forest in a caldera next to Lake Mashu.

After the steepest section of the trail, we finally reached the summit of Mount Mashu, a small lookout that offered wonderful panoramas of the area’s volcanic scenery.

From the top, the volcanic scenery of Lake Mashu area was fantastic.

Looking west, the ridge of Mount Mashu led to the eastern edge of Lake Mashu.

Clouds were getting in with the wind but we still had blue sky for most of the day.

Looking north, we could see the eastern tip of Lake Mashu.

With a circumference of about 20km, Lake Mashu is one of the most famous lakes in Hokkaido. We stayed for 20 minutes or so at the summit all by ourselves, and began the descending journey when another couple followed our footsteps and replaced us at the peak.

Claimed as the clearest water in the world, the beautiful blue colour of Lake Mashu was simply stunning when viewed from above.

The wind was mild and the air was dry, such a perfect day for us to hike at Eastern Hokkaido.

From afar, the tiny island in the middle of Lake Mashu looked funny.

The hike would offer a different scenery if we were to visit in the autumn.

The beauty of Lake Mashu never cease to impress us, despite we were a little tired near the end of the hike.

Finally back to Viewpoint 1, the colour of Lake Mashu had changed due to the constantly moving clouds. From dawn to mid afternoon, we had fully experienced the sheer beauty of the famous caldera lake. After about 5 hours of walking, we returned to Viewpoint 1 and treated ourselves with local chocolate milk and a slide of Yubari melon (夕張メロン) , the king of Hokkaido fruit which just broke the record in May 2019 with a pair fetching 5,000,000 JPY (47,000 USD) in auction.

* * *

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

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)

August 17, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Lake Mashu and Akan | Tags: blue, hike, hiking, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, lake, lookout, Mashu, mountains, Teshikaga, Trail, volcano, water, 弟子屈, 摩周湖 | Leave a comment

SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖), Teshikaga (弟子屈), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

Day 5 (1/3).

Leaving Shitetoko behind, we drove southwest towards another natural marvel of Eastern Hokkaido, the Akan Mashu National Park (阿寒摩周国立公園). On the lush green plains, stratovolcanoes emerged from the horizon, revealing the violent past of the local geology. Hot springs, crater lakes, and stratovolcanoes define the characteristics of the area, and have led to the creation of the national park in 1934. Just 15 minutes of drive from the Viewing Platform 1 of Lake Mashu (摩周湖), we checked in at Masyuko Youth Hostel (摩周湖ユースホステル). That night, we woke up at 2:30am and drove to the Viewing Platform 1 of Lake Mashu to watch the sunrise, a famous scenic sight in Hokkaido. In the summer, the sun rises at around 3:30am in Hokkaido, leaving us little time for sleep.

On our way to Akan Mashu National Park , we could see stratovolcanoes rose from the horizon in a distance.

Masyuko Youth Hostel offered us a comfortable place for a short rest before venturing out again to watch the sunrise.

Arriving at Viewing Platform 1 of Lake Mashu, we were stunned to see a sea of clouds blanketed over the area of Kawayu Onsen (川湯温泉).

Looking down from Viewing Platform 1, the water of Lake Mashu appeared like a crystal clear mirror.

Claimed as the clearest lake in the world (with transparency measured at 41.6m back in 1931), Lake Mashu is a beautiful crater lake where visitors can enjoy the scenery from two viewing platforms along the crater rim. The clarity might have slightly declined in recent decades, but Lake Mashu is still nevertheless an extremely beautiful water body.

Occasionally sea of clouds would appear over Lake Mashu, but not during our visit.

Soon the sun emerged behind the distant mountains to the east.

We enjoyed moments of tranquility at the viewing platform.

Several tourists and photographers stood among us at the viewing platform to watch the sunrise.

While the sun gradually rose over the crater lake, the moon still lingered in the sky behind us.

When the sun was up, the blue water and lush green surroundings changed the ambience of Lake Mashu into a different picture.

The deep blue Mashu Lake looked mysterious and surreal, almost too beautiful to be true.

The rim of the crater lake is now covered by dense vegetation.

On the other side, clouds and fog continued to cover the foot of Mount Iō (アトサヌプリ) and the Kawayu Onsen (川湯温泉) area.

The entire Kawayu Onsen (川湯温泉) area was blanked in thick fog.

Over to the southwest we could see the stratovolcanoes near what could be the Lake Akan area.

Down in Lake Mashu, the small island stood like a feature sculpture at the centre.

The sea of clouds at Mount Iō (アトサヌプリ) and Kawayu Onsen (川湯温泉) subsided a little as the sun rose further up.

Moisture and thin mist emerged over the water of Lake Mashu. The mist moved rapidly over the water as if dancing. At one point thicker mist gathered over the small island like a cotton shield.

The mist over the island soon dispersed into thin air. As the sun reached high in the sky, we returned to the hostel for another few hours of sleep before coming back to Lake Mashu for hiking later in the day.

* * *

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

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)

August 11, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Lake Mashu and Akan | Tags: Akan Mashu, アトサヌプリ, dawn, 阿寒摩周国立公園, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Kawayu Onsen, lake, Mashu, Masyuko Youth Hostel, Mount Iō, mountain, Stratovolcano, sunrise, Teshikaga, volcano, water, 北海道, 川湯温泉, 弟子屈, 摩周湖 | Leave a comment

FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.18

Day 4 (2/2).

Whale watching was the final act of our Shiretoko experience. The 2-hour outing in the Nemuro Strait turned out to be one of the biggest highlights of our trip. Located at the eastern coast of Shiretoko Peninsula, Rausu is the most popular spot in Japan for whale watching. Depending on the season, various kinds of whales might be found in the waters just off Rausu, including minke whales, sperm whales, orcas (killer whales), humpback whales (rare), Dall’s porpoises, giant beaked whales, and several types of dolphins. In the summer months, there would be a good chance to spot Orcas, also known as killer whales. Orca is the biggest member of the oceanic dolphin family. They are highly social animals that hunt and wander the sea in pods.

After three days of poor weather, the strong wind and rough sea had finally died down despite the overcast condition over Nemuro Strait. Returned from Shiretoko Pass, we went immediately to the office of Gojiraiwa Kanko Eco Tour (ゴジラ岩観光) in Rausu to make our cruise payment, get a quick snack near the tourist office, parked our car at the dock, and followed one the three queues to get on our cruise boat.

After three days of stormy weather, the sea was calm as we were about to set sail for the whale watching cruise.

Looking back towards the dock, we could see Mount Rausu rising beyond the village of Rausu.

After seeing several black dorsal fin dolphins popped out of the sea in the first ten minutes, our boat captain received the news that orcas had been spotted by the other cruise boats ahead of us. Soon we reached cruise boats and had our first encounter with the magnificent orcas of Nemuro Strait.

While the whales roam in the water of Nemuro Strait, Stellar Sea Eagles and White Tailed Eagles rule the sky.

Lies between Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula and the controversial Russian Kunashir Island (国後島), Nemuro Strait is one of the best place in the world for whale watching.

Orcas often appear in a pod. We were fortunate to follow a pod of around a dozen of orcas, even with a few juveniles.

Sometimes, the pod would get pretty close to one of the cruise boats.

Eventually, the pod of orcas broke up into a few smaller groups. Our boat followed one of the groups towards the direction of Rausu.

Each boat followed a different group of orca.

Seeing one of the juvenile killer whales in the pod was very exciting.

In a few moments, the whales swam really close to our boat.

A few of them even swam under our boat.

From a close distance, we could truly appreciate the true scale of the orca’s dosal fin.

Some scientists can identify different orcas just by studying their distinctive dorsal fins.

For most of the time, our boat continued to follow a small group of orcas.

It was the first whale watching cruise that we ever experienced. We were grateful that the cruise turned out to be a fruitful one.

After about 1.5 hour chasing the whales, it was time for our boat to return to the dock.

The majestic Mount Rausu signified our arrival of the village of Rausu.

Most fishing boats were parked behind the sea wall at the dock.

It seemed that most fishermen were staying away from the sea for another day. Whale watching offered us the perfect finale to for our Shiretoko journey. We picked up our car at the dock, had another seafood lunch at Jun no Banya (純の番屋), and left Shiretoko altogether for our next destination: Mashu Lake.

* * *

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

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)

August 10, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Shiretoko | Tags: animal, cruise, 知床, 羅臼, dolphin, Hokkaido, Japan, killer, mammal, marine, Nemuro, orca, Rausu, sea, Shiretoko, whales, 北海道 | Leave a comment

MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳), Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.18

Day 4 (1/2).

It was the fourth day since we arrived in Shiretoko. Finally we woke up to a fine morning. Clouds gathered atop the Shiretoko Mountain Range northwest of Rausu. We had made reservations for an afternoon whale watching cruise. Our plan for the morning was to head up to Shiretoko Pass, and do a bit of hiking near Rausu Lake. It would be quite unfortunate if we were to leave Shiretoko without seeing Mount Rausu (羅臼岳).

At 1661m in height, Mount Rausu is an active stratovolcano that sits above Shiretoko Pass, the highest point on Road 334 between the villages of Utoro and Rausu. Also known as the Fuji of Shiretoko, Mount Rausu is one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains. Hiking up the volcano takes 6-8 hours round trip, but given our limited time and lack of snow crampons, we would have to leave the hike for another time.

Driving Road 334 up to Shiretoko Pass, we could see the mountains were still covered in clouds.

On our way up, we passed by several covered road sections.

It was a disappointment again when we arrived at Shiretoko Pass (知床峠) and saw Mount Rausu covered in thick clouds.

Though the weather looked quite promising down at coast of Rausu. We hoped that the fine weather would stay for several more hours so that we could embark on our whale watching cruise in the afternoon.

It was 2.3km from Shiretoko Pass to the trailhead of Lake Rausu Trail. About five minutes after we walked down the road from the parking lot of Shiretoko Pass, the clouds began to disperse over Mount Rausu. We could finally see the beautiful volcano right behind us.

Some hikers would prefer taking the bus to cover the 2.3km journey to the trailhead, but there are only four buses per day on the route.

Looking down from the trailhead, the trail began at a marsh area.

We followed a narrow path down to the trailhead of Rausu Lake Trail.

The return trip of Rausu Lake Trail would take about 3-4 hours. Unfortunately our time was restricted by the afternoon whale watching cruise. We decided to do a shorter hike by turning back at Marsh 3.

As warned at the trailhead, the early section of the Rausu Lake Trail was flooded like a swamp. Rubber boots could be rented at the Rausu Visitor Centre.

Blue Lapis Road ultramarinus – beyond the sea

Posts tagged “Japan”

RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.25

FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.25

MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE, Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

HOKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 ), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24

SOUP CURRY NIGHT, Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.23

NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.23

RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス), Furano (富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.21

ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.20

TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.20

SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖), Kushiro (釧路), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖), Teshikaga (弟子屈), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.19

FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.18

MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳), Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.18