Leaving the icy north behind; Hokkaido to Tokyo


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Asia » Japan » Hokkaido
January 17th 2020
Published: January 18th 2020
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Keeping an eye on our recoveries, Furano became a point of relative convalescence interspersed with light snow hiking. P2 felt underdone energy wise, so there would be unfinished snow business after the trip.







The last time we were here the temperatures were in the mid thirties, the sun rising at 3:30am. Contrasting it to January, it was crusty snow underfoot and minus 13 to 15 Celsius in the morning. Our bodies were certainly under different stressors.









The landscape transforms completely and it’s very relaxing to simply look at in the wintery state. We thought our colds had improved enough to meet 2018’s trip feature, Shingo-san, a café owner, cycle guide, and jack of all trades, as is common in the Hokkaido community. Luckily, the dress code of the cool days had been a covered nose and mouth, in

line with sickness protocol when you are regularly spluttering. P2 was content to seek out a snowy temple that morning for photography, whilst I went off to see what had happened at our first snow shoe place, the old Furano-Shi golf course.









Recent google map searching showed it had since relocated to 11km from Furano, and the possibility of a ‘picnic garden’ and separate areas being created on the lower slopes piqued my interest. Accessing it via the Old Prince hotel, next to the same derelict pink bus of four years ago (now housing someone’s ski gear), I followed some snow shoe prints up through the trees, to hopefully get a view. A view of the forest and a nearby ski run was the reward, with the nearby ski run looking suspiciously new.









I retraced my steps down toward the road using GPS, then veered parallel to the road toward the New Prince hotel, finding the exact same row of trees we’d passed that was planted in the ‘picnic garden’. Fresh dense snow covered everything, and the snow shoeing was slow and sweaty work, even at minus 5. I reached a bridge with conflicting ‘ no-go’ signage but no obvious roping off, which may have referred to the gully. Fairways had been partly planted out, but the breadth of the golf course loss (and whether snow shoeing was
indeed OK when it was unused space) remained uncertain.







It was time to turn back to make our afternoon train rendezvous with Shingo-san. The 1.38pm wanman train service took us to Biei, and Shingo-san reliably turned up. This time he had a friend in tow, a cycle event organiser who’d come from Yokohama for ‘research’ for the May 2020 Tokachidake mountain bike ride. We were handed a brochure

of her tending to some bike maintenance aspect, as she was introduced as ‘very famous’.









We were first taken to the Biei shrine. This ‘power spot’ has many heart shaped symbols in its architecture indicating relationship strength and success. Taking a leaf and lesson out of Shingo-san’s lead, we removed our hats, approached the alter, bowed (ojigi) twice, clapped twice then finished with a single bow. The manouvere was preceded by a rowdy shake of the rope and gong, and silent well wishes made.







Deft at the wheel, he then drove us up to one massive icicle that we’d seen the resultant lake of in summer. The Blue Pond was made as an unexpected lake used for water management methods, and we pulled in to it downhill after our Tokachi climb, the upper mountain road open only up to November. Upstream from the Pond is Shirohige waterfall, where water emerges from a rock face and combining with minerals takes on a blue colour.









If there’s a time to see it, winter is it and it surpassed all other icicles ever seen. Just as we pulled up however it was selfie-city, the bridge full of tour bus visitors. Within fifteen minutes, aside from a young couple in wedding regalia staying in preparation for having photos, the bridge was deserted.







Following a few side roads with low snow walls back to Kamifurano, we finished up standing exactly as we had in summer, where I tried to save my deflating tyre, at the famous Roller coaster road and Kamifurano sign. We had obscured Tokachidake views, but it was so very quiet.







The appetite for dinner came back, and we spent the last evening at Fukinotou being served as
usual some authentic Japanese fare. The obedient dog I had seen chef-san walking the previous day looked on in a side alcove of the restaurant as we ate. With such desirous eyes, the kitchen smells were good.







Minus 13 Celsius and another broken sleep brought this leg of the Hokkaidō travels to a close. The sky was cloudless and a stellar mountain day would surely be ahead for those staying.









Our transferring to Onuma-kooen ended up being a mix of north then south bound travel. Options presented to us by the JR attendant at Furano a few days before included substitute buses to Sapporo, and 7-8am starts. Whilst disparity existed between the Hyperdia website we’d relied on and JR, we found that piecing an itinerary together ourselves via Asahikawa would be easier. The local 9:58am from Furano was a three carriage wonder that day and so began the seven hour journey.









Fourty five minutes of ‘shopping time’ for lunch and dinner, at the Aeon mall in Asahikawa station, evaporated with quick selecting but a lengthy
‘plastic double bagging things’ check out process. As P2 exclaimed, when you’re in a hurry, the process is always slow.







We traveled down vía Sapporo, with a ‘short shift’ again (the incoming train was late) to get onto the Onuma Kooen bound one, and just a minute spare. Missing that connection would have cost us several hours. Settled in our seats for the four hour trip, we could relax.







Onuma-kooen conveniently has a station by a natural area, a feature always of interest to us. The Quasi National park as it’s known had entered winter mode, virtually the entire lake being frozen with islets stood proud against the white (versus watery border of summer). The local tourism folks seemed to be operating skidoo and hole-in-ice fishing tours. We left those pursuits to the selfie stick brigade, visible even at 8.45 in the morning. A wander through the park at this time of year challenges your balance, and hand rails were very much needed. The official ice cutting crew had begun nearby on some steps when we arrived at 8:30am.







Mount Komagatake revealed itself over the next few hours, the summit seen in bite sized moments. Distant clouds however began to blacken after 9am, and come half nine, moderate snow started to fall which was beautiful but had its risks. The road that leads around the lake (and began at the bridge viewpoint) proved increasingly icy when I tried a short jog. There may have been absent snow (I.e. the attached golf course, and the mostly clear town roads) but moving on foot was dangerous without having your whits about!







The hotel shuttle determined our return, and luckily it was in time for a solo outdoor onsen without a tour bus tourist in site.







Our Onuma to Shin-Hakodate transfer was well on time, and generously connected this time for the fast train to Tokyo. Snow on the ground diminished steadily, until we hit upper Honshuu, when scrawly heavy snow showers (and a near white landscape) reassured us. Strangely, seeing no snow thereafter felt like winter had ended.







Dark fell as we rolled into our connection at Omiya, then on
to Kawagoe and Shiki station in Saitama to see an old pen pal of mine. Rush hour this time certainly pushed our personal space tolerance, and even as we waited at Shiki station, the swathes of people continued, constantly.







Tokyo, and indeed all of Japan we have seen and learned of, are in a tourism boom. From the oversized suitcases unfairly crowding the aisles on the Shinkansen, disabling the frustrated food attendants trolley normal carriage to carriage movement, to increased tourist numbers maybe leading up to the Olympics, our experience this time has been noticeably different. Steeling yourself for crowds in some spots is necessary, and seeking out tranquility or nature in others is definitely on our mind for the future.









Exchanging culturally and conversationally over a delicious meal that night with Chihiro and her son was satisfying like always is. The lingering long left us arriving at our hotel on the opposite side of Tokyo however after 11pm. Positively early, if you are a Japanese businessman about to buy a night at a capsule inn maybe.







Having two (not one) days to play with was a great idea way back when it was arranged, and at at our usual haunt, Toyocho. A sleep in was vital first though, and amazingly beneficial in our compromised states. We nearly could hold it all together and not break into spontaneous coughing on the street.







Sensooji was stop one, and like predicted, was fairly chocker with visitors and school students around the middle of the day. Finding some quiet spots to contemplate the enormity and beauty in a lovely sunlit afternoon, we then headed to Kappabashi, for kitchen related shopping. Many Westerners were spotted, few yielded a smile, and after some searching, we chanced on the same shop we’d seen three years before near Tawaramachi metro. Pottery heaven.







Back to Ueno station, we organised our Keisei skyliner tickets far more easily than from the internet seemed to be, saw the lacking coin luggage storage options (all in use, you’d be lucky to get one) and before all daylight was lost, went to see the Shinobazu Pond and nearby Ueno park. Pedal boat rides were the speciality.







Finishing on a hot ramen at Daikokuya with as much chilli or ginger as you could handle was liquid medicine. Our bodies got quite the chilli shock, in a healthy way. That fuelled our packing and a decent nights sleep for a change.







With generous Tokyo time yet foul weather, the final day was curtailed in the outdoors stakes. Rain soon turned predictably but (for Tokyo) unexpectedly to light snow which, wandering along the leafy path to Meiji Jingu shrine, became heavier and heavier. A wedding procession was in full swing here, possibly at stage 1 of 10, judging from the bridal regalía worn.







Time slipped away. We gave up on a coffee overlooking Shibuya crossing, and made our way back to Toyocho to retrieve our gear. So started the haul to Ueno to catch the skyliner and thereafter Narita. Coming up at another Ueno platform, the metro had put us some distance from the Keisei station. Eventually passing through the Keisei gates, my ticket was eaten, with a short dilly dally in giving P2 his ticket. That led to us not being allowed on the Keisei train, and the smile-less trackside assistant told us firmly to go back for more tickets. Fortunately, an apologetic male attendant rushed over to us as we exited the gates, clutching the ‘eaten ticket’. We could ride, at no extra charge, on the next departure. Phew.









All was sorted. Rest from the holiday is now needed, and some health strategising for (my) unexpected acute upper neck pain and acute upper respiratory illness. Too, seeking out the tranquility in this destination that we know exists. Somewhere.


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