DriveJapan / HikeJapan

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road construction sign
25/02/2018 / Last updated : 03/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Sarobetsu Wetland to Kabutonuma　サロベツ湿原、兜沼

Day 10, September 2016, The morning breaks bright and windy. Breakfast in our picnic spot, overlooking the bay of Shosanbetsu. We have a sort of sandwich toasting device which allows us to toast bread over the gas burner. This is very useful as it renders edible the shokupan (Japanese white sliced bread) that is all that is available in many places. On this toast, we spread a little mayonnaise, in lieu of butter (butter does not travel well), add a plastic, cheese slice, some ham, cucumber and/or lettuce, black pepper and mustard and even shokupan can be eaten with equanimity. Given coffee, yogurt and plenty of fresh air, a very […]
road sign
06/02/2018 / Last updated : 03/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Shosanbetsu- Obsevatory- Salmon fishing　初山別

Day 8, September 2016, As we moved on up Hokkaido’s Japan Sea coast, we checked a couple of michi no eki with a view to staying. The first was rubbish, second one had a big onsen (hot spring) and a rose garden but the parking spot was not good. We were a bit spoilt by 21 Century Forest. So, we pushed on to the next possibility. this was Shosanbetsu, which has an onsen and a free campsite, near an observatory. This turned out to be a lucky choice. Shosanbetsu At the Michi no eki ‘Shosanbetsu’ (R.232) we are directed to the top of the headland and there, sure enough, is […]
Torii in Hokkaido
03/02/2018 / Last updated : 16/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Ororon Line scenic road – Obira Banya　オロロンライン

Day 8, September 2016, Leaving the 21st. Century Forest campsite, with some reluctance, we head through and around Asahikawa which gives the impression of being a dull place. It is very flat with wide streets and uninteresting buildings; utterly desolate in the winter, one imagines. We head out towards the coast and Wakkanai via Rumoi along R.232 (Ororon Line – Hokkaido west coast scenic road). The illuminated street signs, as we wind our way up the coast, warn of lightening and the weather is very unsettled with sunshine and frequent showers. Obira Nishin Banya We stop to visit Old Hanada House Banya next to the michi-no-eki (road station) ‘Obira Nishin […]
giraffe road sign
07/01/2018 / Last updated : 03/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Otaru-Kami Furano- Asahikawa　小樽、上富良野、旭川

September 2016,  Day 4 Otaru Warm, sunny day on the ferry. We sit on deck and watch the wake and the islands passing by. Not a lot to do so we take a nap in the afternoon. We arrive late in the evening at Otaru which seems to be very dead town and not at all like the picturesque, snow covered, delight of memory. An altogether different end of town. After disembarking, we drive for a few minutes to a shopping complex which happens to adjoin our hotel but are unable find the entrance to the car park so we park in the hotel underground parking and check in. On […]
02/01/2018 / Last updated : 03/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Fukuoka to Maizuru,Tottori Sand Dunes 鳥取砂丘

September  2016, Day 1      Mitou SA (Chugoku Highway) We left Fukuoka around 9:30 pm. D. was already in her pajamas. Took the urban expressway from Imajuku and drove straight to the Mitou SA. in Yamaguchi Pref.. There were a lot of big trucks on the road and not much else and after Shimonoseki very little traffic at all. Arriving at the service area a little after midnight,* we don’t use our sleeping bags, just a thin blanket. It is a warm night and we sleep reasonably well. *Japanese highways are expensive but if you’re on the highway between midnight and 4 am it’s 30%  cheaper. <probably change in 2024> *Mitou […]
manekineko
07/12/2017 / Last updated : 27/11/2021 d.d Japan road trip tips

Budget Road Travel in Japan

This is a personal account of budget travel from Kyushu to Hokkaido and back. It aims to introduce, and offer impressions of, tourist sights encountered, both famous and obscure. There is also some practical advice for anyone thinking of taking to the roads of Japan and joining the Shachuhaku (sleeping in one’s car) community. The public transport system in Japan is excellent but can only take you to the more frequented places. Bus tours will take you to remote and famous places but with a lot of other people. The Road Station or Michi-no-Eki system in Japan provides, I suspect, a unique opportunity for a kind of travel that allows […]
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