Travelling is an amazing experience; don’t get me wrong, it can be very tiresome. It can entail waking in the wee hours to catch a flight or walking long distances with a back-breaking weight (if you are a backpacker like me) however, for most the rewards far surpasses the struggles.
My inspiration behind seeking far-away lands is discovering myself in the midst of the unknown. I am usually the kind who falls into monotony quite easily. I can appreciate beauty, but seeing the same sights day in and day out, my mind tends to get blinded by the activities of the waking hours. It no longer registers the wonders that constantly unfolds around me. Travelling refocuses my mind, as I strive to make sense of my new surroundings and tend to see things and places in a new light. As such, I have come across new perspectives and even solutions to the ever-throbbing issues of my mind while in a new place, staring at things that must be mundane for many.
There is a freedom in walking through an unknown town or hiking an unknown terrain. It bestows on one, their fate (if you believe in such a thing) and at the same time etches a piece of the place onto one’s soul. Places are like lessons.
Our trip to Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Hiroshima came into effect when we decided to move out of Japan. It was like making the most of our time here while we still could. The months preceding had been full of hard work; me at my language school, learning Japanese and him, in his office, trying to put in his best efforts. It was time to give rest to work and head out for play.
Disclaimer: The experiences shared here are the outcomes of our decision, it may not be the best way and price to experience the places.
We started our trip by flying to the North first: Hokkaido. People say Hokkaido is a sight to see in any season. The winters are snow white; as thick snow covers most of the landscape and ushers in a large number of tourists for ski and other snow-related activities. Whereas spring; which begins a bit later than the rest of the country brings the lulled landscape back to life with its beautiful cherry blossoms. The temperatures during this time are still below the comfort level for most of us. By the time summer starts most of the snow is melted and it gives way to blooms and blossoms of wildflowers across most of its landscape. Having enjoyed spring in Tokyo and Kyoto, Hokkaido seemed to be the best destination to head to. It is a perfect place to head to when temperatures in Tokyo range closer to ’40s and the mucky heat makes your clothes stick like another layer of skin. During this time, this perfect summer haven has temperatures in the 20s and can still send a shiver down your spine with a gust of cold mountain wind.
Day 1: It is still early in the day when my alarm rings at 6:30. I turn it off and roll back onto the soft warm bed. He (pressed by habit) gets up even before it starts ringing and is nudging me to wake up (I have a human alarm clock 🙄). The courses of action that follows next are habitual: tea, news, breakfast for me, followed by a shower and getting ready to leave. I still have to pack my bag for the trip, as the evening before laziness got the better of me and I decided to go with the flow. Packing for this trip is gonna need special care, I have to pack for the cool weather of the North followed by the warm weather of the South; mountains and beaches. Putting everything I would possibly need along with my other valuable travel companion: camera, we head out.
Our flight is from Narita airport, Tokyo on a Saturday afternoon. To get to the airport we use the shuttle bus that picks up passengers from two stop: Shinonome Shako and Tokyo station, for merely 1000 yen/person. After getting to the airport way early, gobbling down my favorite power-meal: onigiri (rice balls with various kinds of stuffing) from the Conbini (convenience store) and getting the boarding passes printed, we are next to the boarding gate.
By this point, I am a bit worried because my backpack weighs just a little over 7 kg and the airline staff seems to be weighing bags of every passenger and charging them with another 2000 yen if the weight exceeds the limit. In my mind, I am battling over the issue of, which item to get rid of, if the need arise and the staff asks me to pay as well. Would it be the kaftan and the extra pair of shorts I packed or, the beautiful blue sandals I bought on a trip to Thailand? It can be a tough choice you see. Luckily, when our turn comes the staff lets us pass without charging anything. The day was saved,🙂 no parting with my already limited supply of clothes.
We land at New Chitose airport in the evening. After taking a bus and a Subway to the city, we finally walk through the sparsely crowded streets of Sapporo to our hotel. The streets seemed to be lined with hostess bars; beautiful girls dressed in seductive clothes are looking out at us through life-size posters. Once we are done checking-in at the hotel we head out for the evening, the restless energy accumulated by sitting through the flight, bus, and subway making us wanting to go out. We decide to eat a local delicacy: Jingisukan; named after the mighty Genghis Khan. It is locally procured lamb and other vegetables grilled over a small stove, eaten with soy and salt. If you are a meat-eater, this is a must try. The satisfaction of grilling the thin slices of lamb to the perfection of your taste buds is simply too appealing to miss. If you like you can combine it with the beer that bears the place’s name: Sapporo beer. With our bellies full and head a little high up in the clouds we head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is the day I have been looking forward to a lot. We will travel to Cape Kamui (or better known as Kamui Misaki).
Day 2: Getting to any place in Japan needs planning (if you aren’t planning on driving), however, it needn’t necessarily be difficult. The day before, with my ‘almost’ conversational Japanese, I had successfully figured out the easiest way to get to Kamui by talking to a very helpful concierge. We could either take a Chuo Bus to Kamui from the Sapporo station in the morning; it runs once a day or, we could take a train from Sapporo to Otaru; the trains being more frequent, and then board a bus from Otaru eki-mae (in-front of the station) to Kamui which runs 4 times a day. We decided to go with the later and got to Kamui around mid-morning after almost 2.5 hours of journey.
My excitement started to dwindle soon, less because of the journey but more because of the weather en-route. What started out as a light rain when we started from Sapporo had become a downpour in that side of the island. Not having an umbrella was the least of our concern; it was the wind with a speed of 8 m/s that made it impossible for anything to keep from fluttering around: clothes, hair, umbrellas, ponchos; everything fluttered along with the moving clouds. The cape being open on all sides and was shrouded with clouds. We couldn’t see more than 50 meters ahead of us.
In spite of the wind and the rain, we got to the gateway that leads to the tip of the Cape. But alas! It was closed; rationally so, as the wind could knock you down and send you flying into the sea if one’s not careful. With a feeling of having missed a glorious sight, we decided to get some food and head back to Otaru. Sometime during the afternoon on our way back, the weather started to clear out. Weather services didn’t mention anything about clear weather 🤷♂️. Looks like, I was just not meant to see Kamui after all. Maybe I will return someday to see it on a bright summer day in its glory.
Otaru is a quiet town lined with a canal that serves as it’s the main attraction and a backdrop of beautiful mountains. One can take a boat ride in the canal enjoying the views of the old buildings next to it, walk the quiet streets of the town or go whiskey tasting at the Nikka Whisky distillery. We decided to do the later and thus ended up walking around the distillery understanding the whiskey making process. The entry is free and along the way, one can learn more about the Father of Japanese whiskey and at the end, have a free tasting as well. Needless to say, it was a warm experience; pun intended.
By the time we got back to Sapporo, it was a little late in the evening. The hustle of the city center, as opposed to the quiet of Kamui and Otaru, was revealing. Being one of the biggest city in the North it receives the most tourists from all over the world compared to its neighbors. Pushing trolley suitcases in and out through the walk-signs, the crowd seems to have an unrelenting energy of its own. I felt like a naive traveler giving way to the hoards of tourist, even though I was one among them. Tomorrow, we head to Furano to see it’s beautiful lavender farms.
Day 3: Soon after my human alarm clock wakes me up, we get some breakfast and head to the Sapporo station to catch a train to Furano. The day before while we were on the train we saw an ad by Japan railways about special discount tickets, which is available only from April through October. Using this ticket (which you can buy for 6500 yen), you can have a round-trip journey from Sapporo to Furano and travel without any additional charges in Furano to see the lavender fields.
Once upon a time, these lavender fields used to be the largest source of lavender for commercial use. However, today they are mostly maintained as a tourist attraction. Every year thousands of us flock to these lands to see them in full bloom and capture their glory with our photo machines.
The ride to Furano was very uneventful. After we got to the station, we had to board another bus to Naka-Furano to get to the lavender farms. One could also opt to use the train, get off at the lavender farm station and walk to the fields; however, keep in mind that the trains are not as frequent. The state-owned fields are roughly a 15 min walk from the Naka-Furano station. The season being popular among tourist, it would be a good idea to walk to the fields if you would rather escape the road traffic.
Once we got to the fields, we were pleasantly surprised by the ropeway one can use to get to the top of the fields. It’s 400 yen/person but the excitement it brings is unmeasurable🙂. From up top, you have a beautiful panoramic view of the fields and the town surrounding it. Next door is Farm Tomita which is a popular destination because of its muskmelon edibles (in various forms) and a wide expanse of flower fields. The entry to the farm is free, all one needs is some inspiration to make good photos or a loving family to surround you on a memorable vacation picture. We spent roughly 45 mins to an hour here, taking in the beauty before heading to the next destination: Biei.
Biei is popular among tourist as a relaxing destination due to the presence of Shirogane Onsen, which is enveloped in lush green mountains on each side. In addition to this, it also has an unusually blue pond which received much of its fame after becoming a Mac wallpaper a few years back. Me being a sucker of unusual landscapes, this pond made it to my list of places to visit in Hokkaido.
We boarded the train from Lavender farm station to Biei in mid-afternoon and got to Biei station in an hour. From there, we are to board a bus to the ike (pond), which runs infrequently. The next bus being an hour and a half later, we decide to get a coffee at a nearby cafe. To our surprise, the cafe also rents out bicycles, if you would rather cycle your way to the pond. I am not much of a rider, thus we settled for a mocha instead.
When the bus came, we boarded it with throngs of other tourist making their way to the Onsen. A quick 20 mins ride and we were finally at the pond. The parking lot was filled with tour buses and private cars. The bus that had dropped us will head to the onsen and will pass by the pond again in another 40 mins. Trying to utilize our time as best as we could, we forged ahead. The pond is as magical as it seems in the pictures, the water a beautiful shade of turquoise. I, giddy at the sight in front of me, spent an hour walking around and clicking away. Needless to say, we ended up missing the return bus. Now we have to wait another hour and a half until we can catch the next one to town. Sigh!!🤦♂️
Never wasting an opportunity to explore, we decided to walk up to the Shirogane Onsen hotel & see the Shirahige waterfall located next door. The waterfall which is also known as the ‘white beard waterfall’ is a beautiful sight to catch for nature and photography lovers. I walked around a bit filling up my soul with nature and quiet until it was time to catch the bus back to Biei.
The funny thing about traveling in Japan is that, if you are in a metropolis, it will be swarming with people, easily overwhelming you. But the areas away from the city are sometimes too deserted, making you feel like “where did everyone go?”. Walking around in Biei felt like that. The streets eerily deserted, restaurants closed off for the day even though it was hardly 6 pm.
We hopped on a local train back to the civilization in Furano, where we were staying for the night. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a delicious hotpot on a shared table at the popular restaurant; ‘Kumagera’. Tomorrow we head back to Sapporo for a day and then make our way to Hakodate to see the star-shaped Fort Goryokaku. Stay tuned…