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Published: July 13th 2016
Unlike Spring in Japan with its pink and white profusion above your head or the red and russet leaves of autumn underfoot, the summer we experienced in a few days in Hokaido and northern Honshu was marked by every shade of green from lemon lime through to deep olive and blue/green as far as the eye could see. It was lush and had a tropical feel but luckily being in the north there wasn't the humidity we felt in our brief time in Tokyo and Narita. The rice fields and other crops were well advanced and the fields filled the valley areas. Where the mountains and valleys met the creepers and thick growth looked as if they could take over.
Our idea was to break the long flight from Sydney to Helsinki and have a week exploring and relaxing in Japan so we flew onto to Sapporo after arriving at Narita. We stayed in a nice little ryokan and the next day hired a car and drove to the lovely lavender fields and gardens near Biei. It was the first time we had ever driven in Japan but I think to experience Hokkaido you would need to drive or do
a coach tour. It seems such a beautiful rural area with tracts of forest and national parks.
Our second stop was Hakodate on the coast. It is an easy city to get around by tram, so Col was in his element as we rode a few to the end of the line and back again. With its bustling morning markets next to the station, the waterfront and a restored area of old brick warehouses it reminded me a bit of Takamatsu on Shikoku. We went to the top of Mt Hakodate in the late afternoon for some stunning views of the city. However we didn't choose our hotel wisely. It was a typical business man's number and probably the worst we've ever stayed in!
The next day we caught a local train a few stops to where the new Hokkaido Shinkansen, introduced in March, starts. The tunnel under the Tsuruga Straits is the world's longest non stop rail tunnel and you can travel from Tokyo to Hakodate in around 4 hours. It was a very comfortable and fast trip as far as Sendai for us. Transferring to a small mountain train was quite a contrast as we went
into the mountains to revist Naruko Onsen where we stayed in 2005.
Our memory of this lovely little onsen town was of a bustling, busy place where the onsens were full of Japanese families plus a few western tourists. That was pre tsunami, and whilst Naruko was not affected physically and even hosted many who were homeless for months after the event, it has suffered financially from a drop in numbers of visitors. Such a shame but still the town looked the same, our onsen host was still lovely, the waters were wonderful and we enjoyed our stay - doing very little, except relaxing.
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Cathie Salier
non-member comment
Awww! Beautiful Japan - brings back lots of good memories! Enjoy the next part of your trip.