04/12/2022 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Diasetsuzan Kurodake　大雪山黒岳

Kurodake Ropeway　黒岳ロープウェイ A cool, cloudy morning. Most people have left by the time we emerge to surprise the deer browsing nearby. We set off to hike Daisetsuzan Kurodake. Sounkyo Onsen is where we board the ropeway to whisk us up to the chair-lift station so we can begin our ascent. One ticket will cover a round trip for both. The ropeway ride is a brief 7 minutes but affords some splendid views of yellowing beech trees and the Sounkyo gorge. Then the chair-lift to the 7th. station of Kurodake (about 1500m) this doubles as a ski lift in winter. It skims you along close to the ground and is a […]

01/12/2022 / Last updated : 16/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Daisetsuzan National Park – Tokachidake Area　大雪山国立公園十勝岳

September ’22 Michi-no-eki Biei Shirogane Biruke　道の駅美瑛白金ビルケ Here, the car park is adjacent to the michi-no-eki ’Biei Shirogane Biruke’ proper, so appears to be almost a shachuhaku annex. Certainly, there were overnighters in double figures. The facilities are adequate, but no rubbish bins are provided. Even though there are vending machines there are no bins for bottles and cans. This irresponsible trend seems to be widespread since our last visit to Hokkaido. Even convenient store ‘Seicomart’ have stopped providing bins outside their stores. Blue Pool　青い池 We start the day by visiting the nearby Blue Pool/pond (Aoi Ike). This is a mineral-rich, probably acidic, pool that has killed the trees where it […]

11/02/2020 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Lake Toro, Onnenai Visitor Centre at Kushiro Wetland 　塘路湖、釧路湿原

June 2019, Takkobu Auto Camp A good night at Takkobu Auto Camp. This is an excellent campsite with good cooking facilities but nothing fancy. In the morning, when we emerge, we are virtually alone. All the other campers have left. The weather is still murky but not actually raining. A chill wind is blowing. Early in the morning, the sky was alive with swallows and swifts. By the time we leave however only a few stray birds are still swooping about. Over the speaker system comes an announcement that a bear has been sighted in some area. The police, local officials and hunters are searching for it. Please be careful. […]

09/02/2020 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Cape Kiritappu, Tsuruimura　霧多布岬、鶴居村

June 2019, Kiritappu A cold, grey, cloudy morning but no real rain. Our plan is to visit Kiritappu. Due to the weather, we avoided the campsite for last night but still want to revisit this headland. On our way to Kiritappu, we spot several deer on a hillside and a very pretty young fox on the road ahead. This small fox abandons the middle of the road at our approach and hides under the large Fuki leaves on the verge. We can see its nose and bright eyes as we crawl past. We stop at Akkeshi Gourmet michi no eki which is apparently famous for its food – number one […]

25/08/2019 / Last updated : 20/03/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Timber Wolves at Asahiyama Zoo 旭山動物園

Day 7 September 2016, Today is zoo day, so we drive back towards Asahikawa. This involves driving down the long valley of rice fields that stretch to the wooded hills that rise sharply on either side. Tacky tin buildings, farm house and sheds dot the fields. There are also many abandoned structures too. Some of these completely collapsed presumably by the weight of winter snow. Asahiyama Zoo The zoo is well signposted and there are many large car parks. Asahiyama zoo is famous, at least in Japan, for the ingenuity of some of its enclosures. This zoo attempts to shows the normal behaviour of the animals. Impossible, of course, in […]

11/12/2018 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Naruko-kyo　鳴子峡

Summer 2018, Michi-no-eki Sannai was a good spot for shachuhaku (sleep in a car), very quiet, away from the main road and a reasonable toilet. Ten vehicles share a large parking area with us. Naruko-kyo Before viewing Naruko-kyo gorge, our first stop of the day was to be a geyser. When we arrived we thought the entrance fee a bit steep so we turned around and made for Narukokyo. This gorge is an important scenic area for Miyagi prefecture and to give it its due it is a dramatic landscape. We listened to Ospreys (birds not the infamous American aircraft) calling from the pines perched on the crags. I was […]

15/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Aomori museum of Art　青森県立美術館

summer 2018 As Honda is closed today we have time to kill, and decide to visit Aomori museum of Art. This is set in a large park and, we note, one crafty cyclist has been using it as a campsite. Chagall and Munakata Shiko On display are four vast Chagall works – theatre backdrops – well you can form your own opinion. The museum also featured work by native Aomori artists, notably Munakata Shiko whose work I was familiar with. This collection impressed me and I left with a higher opinion in his work and, after learning something of his life, the artist himself. Nara Yoshimoto’s cartoon dogs and girls, […]

20/09/2018 / Last updated : 07/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Sanriku -Tsunami devastation -Kitayamazaki viewpoint　三陸

Day 46, October 2016, A noisy morning as shachuhaku(sleep in a car) people are early risers and the Sunday drivers are making an early start at michi no eki Shizukuishi Anekko. The takoyaki stall holders are setting up preparing for a busy day as we leave the michi-no-eki (road station), heading for the Iwate, Sanriku coast. Not taking the highway apparently only adds 20 minutes to the drive, so we opt for that. This turns out to be not particularly spectacular after the scenery we have become accustomed to. At one point, I feel I could be driving through Germany or Austria just the buildings are not so cute. Sanriku […]