Category Archives: _Asia_

Shoulder Season

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I had made it into Asahikawa on a rainy Sunday afternoon. After a bit of exploration I called it a day and moved over too doing laundry and getting set for the  coming  days.

On Monday I took the train out to Furano – a town famous for its skiing in winter and the lavender fields in summer – and not much else in between. The city sits in nice surroundings – and I can certainly see how this could be a nice place on a warm summer day – though right now it was  just  the wrong season … with souvenir and local product shops being the only available attraction. I made it back to town earlier than anticipated, so put in a visit at Asahikawa’s city museum with an excellent exhibition on the Ainu people, the indigenous people of Northern Hokkaido.

From Hell to Heaven

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I stayed volcanic today, making my way from one hotspring town to another – Noboribetsu-Onsen. I made it here midday and continued straight for the main attraction – the hell valley (Jigokudani Valley). From here I followed an intricate network of walking trails from viewpoint to viewpoint, via some hotspring pools and ponds (Okunoyu pool and Oyunuma pond) back to town for spicy Emma Ramen.

After lunch I continued walking, now discovering some of the trails, I had not covered so far yet (and more good views). Eventually I got to my hotel – and it was finally time, to actually try the hot waters  of Noboribetsu Onsen in the hotel’s grand bath – great to warm up and very relaxing.

By ship through a Caldera

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This morning it was already time to say good-bye to Hakodate and jump on a Hokuto Limited Express train (the Japanese version of an intercity train), heading for Toya; here it was onto a local bus for Toyako-Onsen. After a quick ramen lunch,  made my way to the shore of Lake Toya, a volcanic caledera lake, taking in the views of  Nakajima Island. As there was not much else to do, I decided to do the kitschy ship tour on the lake (in a castle-shaped ship): out to the island and back with more great views – now including town and Mt.Usa.

From here it was on to the visitor center of the National Park with its Volcano Science Museum – providing an overview of Mt.Uso, its eruption history, the aftermath and the preparatory work that is done to mitigate some of the impacts of an eruption – overall another excellent and interactive museum. From here it was on to my accommodation – and into a jukata and then a hotspring pool.

On to Hokkaido – Exploration in Hakodate

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It was time to say good-bye to Honshu, a quick trip on the Hokkaido Shinkansen got me through the Saikan Tunnel and on to Shin-Hakodate and then – via local train – to the port town of Hakodate. After getting organized (picking up my Hokkaido rail pass, arranging other tickets, etc.) I made my way to Goryokaku Fort – a star-shaped fort, completed in 1866 that played in important role in the Battle of Hakodate towards the end of the Boshin War in June 1869. As part of my visit I also had a visit to the reconstructed Office of the Magistrate (destroyed in 1871, re-construction completed in 2010) for another trip back in time.

From the fort it was on to the nearby Goryokaku Tower for a view from top – to a) confirm the fort is indeed star-shaped and b) get a view of town, Mt. Hakodate and the surrounding higher mountains.

Northern History

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Today it was back to the realities of traveling (life is hard – isn’t it?) … the same shuttle got me back into town – and after dropping my big bag at my new hotel, I continued to Jomon Jiyukan – the former site of a neolithic dwelling of the Jomon people … today part of the museum and one of the “Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan” UNESCO World Heritage.

From here it was back into town for a quick ramen lunch and then on to Aomori’s excellent historic museum – giving an overview from the Jomon days up to today – with a focus on the 19th and 20th century.

 

Snow and Sulphur

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The weather forecast for today was – well – a mess … rain and rain, with a bit of … more rain. Not a problem for me though, as I had booked a stay in a proper onsen resort in the mountains. A shuttle bus got me from sea level about 900m higher and truly into the mountains  with meters of snow from the winter still next to the road.

I spent the day taking a very welcome break from traveling – soaking in the hot water, reading, enjoying good food and just relaxing.

At Lake Gosho

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I was unsure, on what to do today; but then, going through my guide book and the tourist map, I saw recommendations for a handicraft center about 20min out of town. So far, I had discarded this one as too far out (without car)… but, as I checked now, there was a direct bus going there from right in front of the hotel. So – here I went … the center was interesting, though left a souvenir shop aftertaste. From here I decided for a walk over to Tsunagi-Onsen,  with stops at an old Iwate farmhouse (open to the public as sort of mini-museum), a viewpoint over the lake and a small botanical garden. I got into Tsunagi-Onsen in time for lunch – before heading out to explore this small spa town.