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Published: October 23rd 2009
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In preparation for our trip, Glenn and I went to the Japan National Tourist Office in Toronto for some information. When we mentioned we were going to Hokkaido, the lady said “Why??? It’s just like Canada!!!”.
Hokkaido is considered one of the last frontiers of Japan. There are no less than 5 National Parks on that one island so there is a lot of nature and not a very many people on most of it. In this way, it is like Canada. The scenery is more like the west coast of Canada except the mountains are only in the 6000 ft range. When we got there, we were hoping to see the autumn foliage to remind us of a little of home. Unfortunately, they had a very warm fall and the trees were still green with only the occasional red and orange hues peeking out.
If you should go to Hokkaido, I recommend renting a car. We really enjoyed the freedom of going where we wanted on our own schedule. The transportation system is good but not always convenient. Our trusty steed was a 1300cc black Honda Fit and we still miss it. Before we went to the car
rental office at the airport, we had already decided I would drive first because I had some experience with from my Ireland trip with Shel,. Well, when the rental lady saw me get behind the wheel to drive, her jaw dropped to the ground. She was quite shocked that a woman was going to drive when there was a MAN to do it! Between the non English speaking staff and the gender role bias, we finally felt what we had been anticipating since we arrived in Japan……..Culture Shock!!!!!
Hokkaido was a great week of our trip. It was day to Tokyo’s night with its mountains, lakes, hot springs and natural beauty. First, we flew from Tokyo to a port town called Kushiro. On Day 2, we drove to Lake Akan. Then we went to Sounkyo Onsen/Spa in Daisetsuzan National Park via a scenic route. That was followed by a short stay in Sapporo. Our final destination on Hokkaido was Hakodate via Noboribetsu Onsen. It was a busy week but it was full of exciting new experiences!
Highlights/Lowlights:
- Outdoor BBQ in Kushiro. On our first evening in Hokkaido, Glenn and I went for a stroll along the
waterfront and discovered a long tent filled with Japanese people and charcoal grills. With a lot of gesturing and a few English words thrown in, we bought some food tickets and headed over to the stalls to select our dinner. Oysters, sardine like fish, asparagus wrapped in bacon, fatty pork, skewers, potatoes, green chili peppers, and some big honking snails! Taking pity on us, the staff sat us down and put our food on the grill for us. The meal was delicious! The food was so fresh that it didn’t need any seasoning at all!!!
- Seeing the Red Crested Cranes. They are the official bird of Hokkaido and are a national symbol of Japan. It’s hard to believe they were nearly extinct a few decades ago!
- Boat Cruise on Lake Akan and seeing Marimo. Lake Akan is beautifully situated with mountains and forest around it. Marimo is a round ball of green algae called Duckweed. It is only found in a few places in the world as it requires a unique set of conditions to grow. It takes about 200 years for marimo to reach the size of a baseball.
- Driving the scenic route
Dinner on the Grill
Look Mom.....no hands!! through Akan National Park. When we left Lake Akan, we took the scenic route through Akan National Park. It took us by Lake Mashu (considered one of Japan’s most beautiful lakes and one of the world’s cleanest), Lake Kushiro (one of Japan’s largest mountain lakes), and Bihoro Pass (a gorgeous scenic outlook).
- Hiking up Mt. Kurodake (1950m/6500 ft). While we were in Sounkyo Onsen, we took a cable car and a chairlift to the 7th stage and hiked 2 hrs to the summit. Daisetsuzan is the largest national park in Japan and has lots of trails. It was a shame we only had time to do one!
- Staying in a Japanese Style Tatami Hotel Room. While it wasn’t something we enjoyed, it certainly was something new. When you first walk into the room it has the tatami mats on the floor ( you have to take off your shoes before you step on them) and a low table with a couple of cushions to sit on. There may be a couple of armchairs/chairs and a small coffee table also. The room attendant will set up your bed at a predetermined time while you are at dinner.
Dinner's on!!!
Oyster, snails, shrimp and green chili peppers When you return from dinner, you will find a thin mattress/cushion on the tatami floor with a small pebbly filled pillow and a duvet to sleep on. If we thought the mattresses were hard before, they were soft as clouds compared to these Japanese beds! Also, if you are someone who likes to flop on the bed for a rest during the day, you will be out of luck. Glenn was not happy when his choices were a hard chair or the hard floor!
- Using a Public Bath for the first time. Thank goodness the guidebook came with instructions on the proper protocol for this event. I don’t think I could have managed without it. As it was, I had to watch other people to remind me of the proper steps. They probably thought I was a stalker!!! In the end, it wasn’t so different then a spa we would go to at home except you have to clean/shower yourself before you go into the public hot spring pool and everyone is naked!!!
- Sapporo brought us a few happy memories. That was the city where we tried the Toyoko Inn for the first time and loved
it! It was not a five star place by any means but for value it can‘t be beat. It offers clean modern rooms with free high speed internet access, free internet computers in the lobby, great locations (usually walking distance of train stations), free breakfast, cheap coin laundry, cheap vending machine drinks and snacks, free coffee and tea and all this for less than $100 Cdn(with tax). Need I say more??!!!! We had a wonderful Tempura Set Lunch at a little place next to the hotel where we were treated like royalty. Lastly, we are not usually museum people but we really enjoyed the Historical Museum of Hokkaido. It was very interactive and explained a lot about the native Ainu culture. Great place for kids. Yes, I’m talking to you Brenda!!!
- Visiting Noboribetsu and experiencing Hell’s Valley and having a foot bath in a hot spring river. On our way from Sapporo to Hakodate, we stopped in Noboribetsu Onsen which is one of Japan’s most famous spa towns. There is a lot of thermal activity in Japan and they take advantage of it when it’s there. You will find spa towns all over Japan. Hell’s Valley is a
Lake Akan Boat Cruise
So beautiful with the mountains and forest all around! place with bubbling mud, smoking hot lakes and hot spring running rivers. While we only took pictures of the first two, we were able to enjoy the foot bath in a relaxing casual atmosphere right beside the river. It was hard to drag ourselves up and out of the water to get back into the car to drive another few hours!
- While we were in Hakodate we had a live (we picked him/her out ourselves!) 1.7kg crab for dinner, it only cost us $120!!!! It was enough to feed 4 people! I’m still full from the crab and it’s been 3 weeks!!! We had the freshest sushi I’ve ever tasted in Hakodate because that’s what they do there!!! We did laundry at the Toyoko Inn. It’s very exciting when it’s the first time you get to do laundry after 2 weeks of travelling and it only cost $4 to wash and dry a load. Sweet …..in more ways than one!!!
In Hakodate, we exchanged our vouchers for Japan Rail Passes and reserved seats for all our upcoming trains. The next week we’d be travelling on Japan Rail time…..choo choo……….
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F Kiessling
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Wow ....
Thanks for the stories ... keep them coming. Love, Fée