Well, it’s been over a month since I wrote my last blog write-up.
I’ll continue with my “northern Hokkaido” adventure.
Me and E. took off at around nine a.m. I bought some crap to put into my stomach and we departed (I think that’s where I ended in the last blog write-up).
The weather was cloudy that day. I don’t mind this kind of weather since I grew up in Vancouver, the rainiest place on earth. It’s much easier on the eyes if there are clouds especially when in a car for a long distance. Gas was put into the car and we got onto the highway.
It had been a while since I last traveled in this direction. Things that I noticed were the small towns in the distance. The mountains really aren’t that big compared to what you can see in North America. I also noticed some mighty impressive looking rest-stops which were probably constructed during (or right after) Japan’s bubble period. And then there were all those caution signs for deer.
Basically there really isn’t much to see besides trees and farms once you get off the highway.
The conversation with E. was mostly about life in Japan and what kind of direction we were thinking about our future (I won’t disclose too much).
At around noon, we entered our first town (I can’t remember the name of the place) and decided to get a bowl of soba. There’s something nice about going into a small soba shop next to a rest-stop that sells local products. There were two cute old ladies that were chatting away since they weren’t that busy. It’s amazing how these ladies can gab away.
The soba was good and we took off again.
Along the way, I noticed quite a few motorcycles. It seems like Hokkaido is a haven for people all over Japan for cruising. I suppose the roads are long and not too steep making it ideal for these people to sit on their seats and ride their hearts to content.
Once we reached the northern coast, we decided to check out the Ohotsuku coast line. After sitting on our asses for so long, it was nice to get out.
While the weather wasn’t the greatest for a quick step on the beach, there was something amazing about being in this spot at this time. The tide wasn’t that rough. I could step onto the brown looking sand. And then there were the giant windmills. I had never seen windmills like this in my life and they looked quite surreal like something out of a science fiction novel, due to their size.
Other things to note were the lovely tetrapods. Before leaving on this trip I had read a book by Alex Kerr, called Dog and Demons about how these giant concrete things were made to “improve” the economy.
I also noticed a small park, mostly made of concrete, along the coast. There were no people here and for good reason. It was mid-summer and the temperature was around 12 degrees. Where did the money come from to make something like this?
But I shouldn’t get too negative about things. Seeing the ocean in mid-summer from this point of Japan was certainly something. Considering the temperature in Tokyo at that time is probably in the mid-30s and the humidity is unbearable, I thought life is better up north. It was nice to be... cold in mid-summer.
The time was probably around four p.m. so we went into the town of Teshikaga. Our hostel was next to Lake Kussharo, which is supposed to be famous for its swans (depending on the season, mind you).
After going around the lake once, we realized that we couldn’t find the place. E. decided to ask someone for directions and I took a piss in a washroom next to the camping grounds, which overlooks the lake. I’ve never understood how people can camp in these kind of places. There were tents all next to each other... I always thought the whole point of camping was to get away from people. Well, I shouldn’t think too deeply about this.
We got the directions and had realized that we passed by the entrance earlier. We did thirty seconds of off-road driving and finally reached the place.
We entered and signed in. The lobby and dining area had a fairly high ceiling and there were several tables. The interior was “woody”. One customer rudely told me to close the door behind me. Well, it certainly wasn’t a Four Seasons hotel. Life goes on and I closed the door behind me.
With some time to kill before the evening’s Genghis Khan meal (this is what they call barbecued lamb in Hokkaido), me and E. decided to head on into the town of Teshikaga.
The town was about a twenty minute walk from the hostel. Walking through a quiet residential neighborhood, E. mentioned how peaceful it was and that there was not one car stuck in rush hour traffic.
I guess this town’s new claim to fame is a 100 km marathon that had started a few years ago. When a town is this small, I guess they have to think of ways to promote it.
Teshikaga is a borderline ghost town. I can’t remember passing by anyone in the three block downtown area. Most of the stores were closed and shutters were visible. We reached the Seico mart (a Hokkaido convenience store), bought some stuff and headed on back.
I was a bit quiet while eating dinner while E. chatted it up with some of the people who were staying at the hostel. They were all mostly people touring Hokkaido on their motorcycles. The small talk was mostly about where they had been in Hokkaido.
The dinner was good and it fattened me up well. Towards the end of eating, the pleasant woman in charge of the place told E. that some customers were going to go to an onsen (hotspring bath) afterwards. I didn’t want to be a poor sport and refuse and figuring that I had only a bit of time remaining before leaving Japan, I may as well tag along.
This was my second time to take a hotspring bath in nine years. Japanese people love to take them and some people really are hooked on visiting new hotsprings. I never really found the appeal of them. Get naked next to many people and sit in water that’s probably a little too hot for my taste. Well, it’s supposedly good for your skin and helps you relax.
Well, the hotspring was just as I expected. I sat in the big tub. There were many naked men next to me. And my skin felt smooth afterwards.
Back at the hostel, we drank for about an hour in the dining area. I was a bit tired after a long day and decided to hit the hay.
Well, I thought I’d be able to hit the hay but I was hit by something else. Three men snoring loudly... I got about two hours of sleeps that night.
Well, I’ll continue this in another write-up...
