29/07/2018 / Last updated : 07/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Tsugaru Peninsula　津軽

Day 40, October 2016, Today we will tour the Tsugaru Peninsula. There was rain in the night or rather early this morning but my nocturnal peregrinations were not inconvenienced. This morning, there are many camper vans in the car parks. One of them is especially swish and I see some people get the guided tour. We have can coffee and left-over bread. This is the first time we have not been fully prepared for a meal. D. wants to wait until the michi-no-eki vegetable stalls open so we hang around. I walk across the road over to the sea. There is a small, pointed island with the ubiquitous shrine just […]

10/06/2018 / Last updated : 06/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Northern Fisheries Museum and Hakodate town walk　函館

Day 37, October 2016, The morning breaks cold and damp but the weather is fine as we eat breakfast with a superb view of Hokuto and the sea. By the time we finish and are preparing to pack up, very ominous clouds appear over the mountains. Within 10 minutes, it is pouring with rain. We delay the clearing up and packing and wait for the worst to blow over. Eventually we check out of the Kijihiki campsite and descend into Hakodate but it is raining solidly again, so we go to an art museum. This is very disappointing, as the exhibition is very small and of limited interest. A few […]

15/04/2018 / Last updated : 05/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Kiritappu – Kombu – Kushiro City　霧多布

Day 23, September 2016, Cape Kiritappu Wake up to a bright, sunny morning in Cape Kiritappu with panoramic views of the beautiful, blue bay dotted with small boats harvesting Kombu (Kelp seaweed). After breakfast (coffee, toast and yogurt – what else would you want?) We walk to a nearby lighthouse where the view of the ocean from the cliffs is magnificent. Rakko sighting – sea otter There are lots of cormorants and gulls but we are amazed to see a Sea Otter (Rakko). At first, we thought it was a seal but on closer inspection, through binoculars, we could clearly see it clashing shells together on its chest in classic […]

12/04/2018 / Last updated : 05/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Shunkunitai-Cape Nosappu-Cape Kiritappu　春国岱

Day 22, September 2016, Shunkunitai From Betsukai-cho we travel on to Shunkunitai. After parking in a nondescript car park, we find a nature centre hidden in the trees. It’s a tourist spot, but they don’t seem encourage casual visitors. At the nature centre, which has a view out over the salt marshland, we get directions on how to get to the place clearly visible below us. This clear, we retrace our steps, a little, and set out along the inevitable wooden walkway over the marsh. We have a large expanse of open water on our left and, across the sea of reeds and sandy scrub, to our right the sea itself. […]

05/04/2018 / Last updated : 05/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Shiretoko Cruise-Kamuiwakka Hot Falls　知床クルーズ

Day 19, September 20016, Shiretoko Cruise Warm weather and we breakfast under the trees. I am happy to see a black, red headed woodpecker. We drive down to Utoro port and book a long cruise to the end of the peninsular. The boat is more crowded than expected as lots of bus tour people arrive just before we sail. I find the cruise itself disappointing as this was supposed to be one of the highlights of this part of the trip. We cruise some way from the shore so the chance of spotting a bear is remote. I scourer the coastline with binoculars but see little in the way of […]

27/02/2018 / Last updated : 03/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Wakkanai, Cape Souya the Northern Most Point of Japan　稚内、宗谷岬

Day 11, September 2016 On our way to Wakkanai we visit Cape Noshappu, to say we have been there and there appeared to be no other reason to go. Wakkanai In the fish market of Wakkanai, whole salmon, very large fish were on sale for 3000 or 4000 yen. I was surprised to see street signs in Japanese, English and Russian but apparently there are a lot of Russian fishing boats trading on this coast. We take the opportunity to have a bath in a large onsen (hot spring) by the port. The bath is on the second floor and is busy with families as it is the weekend. ＊ […]