Japan 2019

Monday4thNovember

Waking up at the Iruka hotel with a view of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Let's go stretch our legs in the town's port.

The small red lighthouse catches the eye. It is a landmark for the few amateur fishermen.

This one is very proud to show us the result of his fishing.

And suddenly, it's the event! An unusual prey got caught in a trap not meant for it; the victim did not use its powerful brain and eight arms (cephalopod for purists...) to ignore the hook that was not offered to it... The unfortunate octopus will resist as best it can against its predators, but the latter will team up, three of them, to get its skin, so happy were they with their unexpected find... It will undoubtedly end up in pieces in pancake batter balls, otherwise known as "takoyaki," a very popular dish in the country. We will test it ourselves much later in this trip...  

Right next door, Oronkoiwa rock, a large rock, allows you to climb up a bit to get a beautiful panoramic view of the city.

Some touches of color with the berries of the 'tree killer' (Celastrus orbiculatus).

Next step of the day, go to the other side of the peninsula on the west coast. Alas for us, the only direct road crosses the mountains and is closed due to ice... Japan is cautious and will not take risks with its inhabitants. But we don't let ourselves be discouraged, and we take the main roads to reach our objective, which will only take an hour's detour. An opportunity to still see beautiful autumn landscapes...

So here we are now on the east of the peninsula not far from the small town of Rausu. Kumanoyu hot spring is nothing other than an Onsen in the middle of nature. We can make out the small cabin through the trees on the other side of the river.

A small waterfall is located 1 km away but the road there is also closed. So we will walk to see this small cascade...

The waterfall is a little off the road; you have to walk through dead leaves to reach the tiny waterfall.

Back to the Onsen. It is already occupied by 2 Japanese, obviously in their simplest attire... Here, you must not be shy, this is not the place for it! So we will approach in case there is still room...

The onsen is divided into two parts: the outdoor pool for men, the second surrounded by wooden panels for women. Mixed onsen are rare. Intimacy between sexes is well preserved. However, it is not at all preserved between people of the same sex since all ages mingle. But no one is there to show off and look at each other. Everyone minds their own business  . The locals, seeing us a bit lost, kindly explained all the steps (in Japanese and fortunately with gestures) to follow to enjoy the hot waters of the pools: wash completely with your soap, rinse thoroughly, and finally enter the water... burning hot!!! I am not delicate when it comes to temperature, but there, I was a poor lobster seized by the ultra-high temperature of the water!!! Fortunately, you get used to it, and you just have to alternate entering and exiting the water. Plus, a hose with cold water allows you to cool down...

The water comes directly from the ground. It is heated by natural geothermal energy via the volcanic subsoil.

We are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami evacuation signs are frequent in the region.

Lunch with a classic bento. A bento designates a tray or a compartmentalized box presented directly with the entire meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert.

From the East coast, islands from another country are visible, these are Russia and Kunashir Island!  

We leave the peninsula and stop in the city of Kitami to spend the night. It's not often you'll see so many toilet photos on this site! Enjoy!   And look closely, this one even has its own remote control! Classy!  

Dinner at the friendly Sumiyaki Aburiya restaurant with its small isolated spaces.

The restaurant's specialty is Yakiniku, which means "grilled meat." Each table, equipped with a hood, has its own small barbecue with ordered ingredients. Delicious!

The view from the hotel window.

Tuesday5November

Kitami in the early morning. We leave the city without further delay to reach the mountainous region of Daisetsuzan, 2 hours away.

The landscape with all the small mountains is superb and enhances the road to Daisetsuzan Park where snow awaits us...

We are approaching and gaining a little altitude. Snow has fallen but the roads are clear and fortunately remain open, unlike those on the Shiretoko Peninsula.  

Here we are in Asahidake, from where a cable car goes up to the Daiichi observatory. Daisetsuzan National Park is a vast park located right in the middle of Hokkaido Island.
"The name means great snowy mountains, an allusion to the 5 mountains that exceed 2,000 meters in the park." © Wikipedia

We hesitate to use the cable car because cameras broadcast the view from the observatory live... The peak is completely in the clouds, totally obscuring the panorama... While waiting for the view to clear, we enjoy the cafeteria, having a Ramen, the Japanese noodle soup.

As expected, the clouds did not clear. We fall back on small hiking trails offered on the site itself.

No snow without a snowman! Hop, a few bamboo leaves and some twigs will do the trick to create a stylish, soberly tied native...  

We won't see much of Daisetsuzan National Park, but we only planned a brief visit. We are also not in the ideal time of year for easy site explorations...

Our night will be spent in the large neighboring city of Asahikawa, where we will once again enjoy the 7/11 convenience store. Originally, these stores were open from 7 am to 11 pm, hence their name. Now, it's not uncommon for them to be open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day...

Wednesday6November

We leave Asahikawa to return to the city where we were 6 days ago: Sapporo. We have the day left to visit the city before trading our car for a plane that will take us back to Japan's main island, Honshu.

We will spend this morning high up on Mount Moiwa (Moiwayama). Access to the summit involves a short cable car ride over the orange deciduous trees...  

At the foot of Mount Moiwa, the city stretches to the horizon, separated from the mountain by the cemetery of Higashi Honganji Temple.

The ascent is very gentle, revealing the immense expanse of buildings.

The city is approaching 2 million inhabitants. So many windows for my camera to capture...  

The sky is very dark but it is kind enough to let some welcome sunbeams through in places...  

The Moiwayama Observatory.

Love locks are without limit and without borders. Fortunately, some come with their key ring in case regrets come to break the promises of a day...   

"Sapporo is the fifth largest Japanese city by population and the third largest by area." © Wikipedia

The mountain range in this sunny mist takes on timeless forms, plunging us into a mystical and mysterious Japanese land...    

In the observatory, a small planetarium with commentary in Japanese text.   Perfect nonetheless for the amateur astronomer that I am...  

Alright, let's go back down into the valley!

The cable car passes at the height of the stupa of the Peace Pagoda. It was built in 1959 by monks of the Buddhist order Nipponzan Myōhōji to commemorate peace since the Second World War.

Lunch at Waraku Sushi restaurant.

And that's it, the first part of the trip ends. We return our rental car in good condition with 1291.8 km on the odometer! We now have to take the plane that will allow us to set foot on Osaka soil again after 2 hours of flight!

And here we are on Japan's main island, Honshu, in Osaka. As soon as we arrived, we left our suitcases in the hotel we had booked a few hours earlier. We found the small Yoshinoya restaurant to end the day.

In this restaurant, ordering is done, as in many others, in front of a machine with lots of buttons and small photos, the only reliable guides to make our choice amidst all these Japanese symbols (kanjis). Once the money is inserted and the button pressed, a ticket is provided by the friendly machine, a sesame to get our meal after a few minutes by a waiter.

Tomorrow will be dedicated to visiting Osaka. A good night's sleep is therefore essential as our feet and the subway will take us to the different points of the city!