Why Japan?
I have joined a 6-day pilgrimage trip to Shikoku from 9 to 14 October. Hence, instead of returning to Hong Kong after the Northwest Passage, I decide to spend the gap time looking for foliage in Hokkaido.
September 21 Sapporo
I must be exhausted and managed to sleep on the 12-hour flight to Taipei. After a 3-hour transit in Taipei, I continued my journey to Sapporo which I visited in ?. I took the train to the city centre and stayed in Hotel Gracery opposite the station. I bought a 10-day Hokkaido train pass for 33,000 yen. Everything was settled and I went to bed after 8 pm.
September 22 -23 Sounkyo
I got up after 4 am after a good rest. So I set off before 8 am for Asahikawa where I took a local train to Kamikawa followed by a bus to Sounkyo (890 yen). The scenery of the 12.4-mile Sounkyo Gorge flanked by 100 meter high forested cliffs is impressive. I arrived at my destination around after 11:30 am. As I could not check in at Sounkyo Kankou Hotel till 3pm, I took a local bus departing at 12:50 pm with three stops at Ginga Waterfall, Obako and Taisetsu (450 yen). I met two ladies from Hong Kong on the bus. We went to the lake but there was nothing to see. We later discovered we should have got off at Obako for a close-up look at the gorge by the Ishikari River. On the way back, I got off at the Ginga Waterfall (350 yen). Here I got a good view of both the Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls. I walked 2km back to Sounkyo. The scenery is not impressive. After checking in, I spent time in the onsen which is good for my hip and back problem.
I got up very early the next day and was ready to visit Mt Kuro (1984m). Visitors can take a cable car to the fifth station followed by chair lift to the seventh station for 3,300 yen return. The cable car begins to run at 6 am. I was on the 6:20am cable car and reached the seventh station after 7 am. I was lucky as the weather was good. I watched clouds rolling in the Sounkyo Gorge and the sea of clouds over the mountain range. I began my ascent after 7:15am. While an average hiker takes about an hour to hike 1.7 km with an ascent of 452m to the top of Mt Kuro. Given my hip problem, I walked slowly and struggled to climb over the stony path. I thought of giving up at one point. Anyway, I was thrilled to reach the top just before 9:30am. I loved the tranquility and warm sunshine and could spend the whole day there. But as the weather could change quickly, I had to pull myself up and began the descent which was slightly easier. But I had to be cautious with descent to the seventh station.
I also followed a 360-m path to the Amaryo Falls viewing platform before taking the chair lift. While sitting on the chair lift, I realised I had left my walking poles before getting on the chair lift. The staff told me to get back to pick up my poles. I therefore had a free scenic ride! Before taking the 3:20 pm cable car, I had a quick lunch as I was hungry and thirsty. I was tempted to hike to see the Momiji Falls known for the foliage. But after walking for 20 minutes, I decided not to go. I was afraid I might have already done too much.
September 24 Abashiri & Lake Notoro
My second destination was the Lake Notoro to see “coral grass”. I took the 7:50am bus to return to the Kamikawa station and waited for almost two hours for the 10:24 train to Abashiri. Then I waited for over an hour for a bus to Lake Notoro (640 yen) which would depart after 1:30pm. By the time I reached the hotel Kagaryi by the grass field, I was able to check in. The traditional Japanese guesthouse is most comfortable. After leaving my bag in the room, I headed to the field which is opposite the guesthouse. I went to the onsen before having a sumptuous dinner at 6 pm. What a treat!
September 25 Shiretoko National Park
I set off after having a big breakfast at Kagaryi. The bus at 8:53 am took me to Abashiri train station. The train departed at 10:20 am and arrived at Shiretoro-Shari station around 11 am. I caught a connecting bus to Utoro Onsen at 11:15 am (1,650 yen). I originally booked Shiretoro Village which is 15 minutes’ walk from the bus station. On arrival, I found I could not walk with two small but heavy backpacks. Hence, I simply went to stay at the Bon’s Home with good reviews close to the bus station. The owner is very helpful and polite. I ended up paying 7,800 yen for accommodation, breakfast and dinner. On reflection, I thought I had made a good decision as I lost no time to start my exploration. Once I put down my backpack, I returned to the bus station to take a bus to the Natoinal Park (1,400 yen for a bus ticket).
Shiretoko National Park a World Heritge Site covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula with an area of 386 sq km at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido. Most of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat. It has an estimated population of 500 brown bears. It is also home of many birds such as Steller’s sea eagle and white-tailed eagle, and marine animals such as spotted seal, orca and sperm whale. It has a hot springs waterfall called Kamuiwakka Falls.
I arrived at the entrance of the Five Lakes just before 1 pm. I had to pay 250 yen for taking the 3-km Five Lake trail and attend a mandatory briefing on safety measures to be taken to protect brown bears as well as hikers. I began the hike just before 1:30 pm. At Lake No 3, I met a nice couple from Hong Kong who kindly gave me a lift to the visitor centre instead of taking the scheduled bus. As a result, I had time to take a 2-km trail to see Furepe no Taki Falls near the Visitor Centre. I took the last bus at 4:45pm back to Utoro.
In the evening, I joined a 2-hour night wildlife trip. I saw a bear, plenty of deer and a fox. I had a great day!
September 25 Shiretoko National Park & Kushiro
My original plan would be to take the 9:30am bus to get a train at Shari to Kushiro followed by another train to Nemuro. But when I passed by a shop offering a 3-hour boat ride at 9am to Cape Shiretoko for 9500 yen, I decided to take the cruise. The 3-hour cruise was cut short to two hours owing to strong winds and waves and I got a refund of 3000 yen. Anyway, I was pleased to see the 200-m high sea cliffs, numerous sea caves, spectacular rock formations, several waterfalls and got a glimpse of the plains, gorges and valleys, forests and plains, and mountain ranges. We also saw a bear and a school of tuna.
As the cruise was over by 11am, I was able to walk up the Oronco Rock for a panoramic view of Utoro and the sea. I took the 12:30pm bus to Shari and spent three hours waiting at the train station for the train to Kushiro. For some unkown reasons, the train went very slowly at times and eventually arrived at Kushiro half an hour late. The last train to Nemuro had gone. So I had to spend a night at Kushiro. But all the hotels were fully booked. After walking to five hotels near the station, I gave up and eventually paid 31000 yen to stay at Crown Plaza by the cruise terminal! Someone told me that they had some events for youth and all hotels were full. Ridiculous!
September 27 A Frustrating Travel Day Kushiro – Nemuro
Today was a frustrating day. I planned to take the 11:15 am train to Nemuro. Around 11 am, the board announced the train was cancelled. I asked the station staff who told me to wait for the next one at 1:25 pm. I went to a bakery and had a coffee and cake. When I planned to go to the platform, the board indicated the train was cancelled. I was told to wait for the next one at after 4pm. I returned to the bakery and waited. Nothing I could do! The train departed on schedule but was delayed when a deer ran across the track. Later it stopped again. It was 7:20 when it arrived at Nemuro (half an hour late). It was raining and I walked almost half an hour before reaching the guesthouse. The owner is a young America who was able to tell me that they had an earth quake the day before and had heavy rain for two days. As a result, they had to check the tracks and repair as necessary. I could understand the reason for the delay. But I could not understand why the railway management / staff at the control gate could not put up a board/notice in simple English informing non-Japanese passengers what was going on.
September 28 A Frustrating Travel Day Nemuro – Kushiro
I want to travel to Nemuro at the eastern end of the train line in Hokkaido. From Nemuro, I can visit Cape Nosappu located at the easternmost point of Japan. It is the earliest place in Japan to see the sunrise on mainland Japan and home to the oldest lighthouse in Hokkaido built in 1872. It is also famous for being able to see the Northern Territories including Shikotan, Kunashiri, Etorofu and Habomai Islands. I have been planning to visit these islands which are now under Russian sovereignty and have been a point of conflict between Russia and Japan. Standing at Cape Nosappu, I can understand the Japanese frustration and sorrow for losing these territories to Russia after WWII. All politics!
September 29 Kushiro – Sapporo – Otaru
I took the express train from Kushiro to Sapporo (8:32 am-12:45pm). After checking in JR Inn next to the station after 3 pm, I was able to take a train to revisit Otaru. The sun was setting and most tourists had gone. Few shops except the eateries were open. I had a deluxe seafood bowl for 4800 yen with sea urchins and toro before taking the 6:30 train back to Sapporo.
September 30 – Lake Toya & Noborebutsu
Today, I took a 2-hour train to Lake Toya which is a volcanic caldera lake. It is part of “ToyaCaldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark”. I had to take a 25-minute bus to Toyako Onsen. I enjoyed my peaceful promenade walk, taking a footbath in a hot spring before visiting the pleasant and peaceful. Mt Yoteisan was half hidden in the cloud. I visited the Toya-Usu UNESCO Global Geopark which has excellent illustrations. I took a short walk behind the museum where traces of disasters of the 2000 eruptions with damaged buildings and roads are visible. I took the 2:55 pm bus back to the train station and took a train to Noborebutsu at 3:30pm
By the time I arrived at Noborebutsu, the bus to the onsen had left. Then three other Japanese heading to the onsen asked me to join a pool taxi. I gladly jumped into the taxi and arrived at the onsen before 4:30 pm.Instead of paying 350 yen for the bus, I only paid 670 yen for a shared taxi. Wonderful. I walked quickly to the Hell Valley as the sun was setting. The landscape is impressive. I spent almost an hour in peace as most tourists had gone. I took the 6:25pm bus to the station and managed to
October 1 Biei & Furano
Today was my last day to use my train pass in Hokkaido. I took the 8am train from Sapporo to Biei via Asahikawa and then a local bus to the Shirogane Blue Pond. The pond is fairly small with a large crowd. I stayed for more than an hour before taking 12:16pm bus to Shirogane Hot Spring to see the Shirahige Waterfall with a truss bridge. Both the Pond and the Waterfall are worth seeing.
I took a bus back to the Biei train station and waited a while for the 2:19pm train to Furano which is famous for its lavender and flower fields. But the lavender season was over and it was difficult to move around without a car. At the station I discover that another local train would be leaving for Takikawa at 4:28pm and arriving at Sapporo around 6pm. This would be much faster than the route Furano – Asahikawa – Sapporo. Also I would see different areas. So I only had time to take a short walk near the station and had a drink in a nice new hostel called Tomar. the train ride was a nice surprise: the train with purple decor inside has a nostalgic feel! The sun was setting over the valley. It turned out to be a scenic train ride. Life is always full of nice surprises if one is flexible and adventurous!
