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Morning activity entailed a walk along the Akan Lake, which sounds nice and relaxing but little did I realise that the day’s temperature was -2 degrees!

My warmest winter down jacket wasn’t enough, so the hotel was kind enough to lend me some of theirs.

Once all rugged up the crisp air was quite refreshing, your body feels so pure with all that oxygen going into your lungs.

I’m sure the walk is lovely when it’s a little warmer. I would love to come back around August to do some longer trekking.

Water around this part of the lake was warm. Apparently, it’s the hot spring coming through from underground. 

Here’s the view of our hotel from distance. A real prime location as you can see.

We were treated to a room with a view, a panorama of Akan Lake.

We were given 10 minutes to check in and get changed into more respectable attire for a business dinner.  

And, here is the banquet, yes this was for one person and yes that is only the entrée. I couldn’t keep up with the food that came in so this is the only pic sorry!

My favourite dish of the night was the stewed flounder, so tender you can eat everything, and of course, individually steamed rice is my weakness too.

We stayed in New Akan Hotel Shangri-la.

No, it is no way related to the internationally famous hotel chain.

A keen observer in our group pointed out that the hotel must have been around longer, for it to be still operating under this name.

It was a really nice accommodation though, rooms traditionally Japanese style and spacious.

The thing that I was most looking forward to was the hot spring bath located on the rooftop, heaven. (photo courtesy of New Akan Shangri-la Hotel)

More exciting part of the day was approaching, cruise on Akan Lake.

The only thing was that it was so cold for May! Luckily, seats on the boat were heated so we were able to enjoy the cruise comfortably.

During the cruise, we made a short stop at an island in the middle of the Akan Lake to see some Marimo Exhibits.

Before coming to this part of Hokkaido, all I knew about Marimos were that they were just large moss balls that fascinated many Japanese people and are made into lots of merchandise for some unknown reason.  

Apparently, there is more to it than that but I won’t bore you with the details. You’ll just have to go there to learn for yourself!

Or go to the good old trusted Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo

After lunch and 5 min free time (you will need to make time for any airports in Hokkaido, great place for shopping!!!), we were off to do some sightseeing.

We went in the midst of the swine flu scare but we were not scared as you can see: No buildings, no people, no civilisation.

We briefly stopped at Tokachi Wine factory.

I knew Hokkaido was famous for wine but I’m not much of a winery person, so I am not sure this is recommendable place to visit. I do remember seeing lots and lots of wine as you can see.

Hi there, Ume again with another gastronomic trip.

This time, I went to the Eastern part of Hokkaido, famous for ice breaking cruise at Abashiri and Lake Akan National Park.

This part of Hokkaido is for nature lovers but no skiing on this trip.

If you do NOT like civilization this part of Japan is for you!

In the morning, we flew to Obihiro Airport (am not sure why, I can only assume that flights to Kushiro was full).

By the time we arrived, it was already time for lunch!

Lunch was Tokachi Wagyu beef sirloin steak set (phew! That was a mouthful).

I wasn’t aware that Tokachi Wagyu was famous but it must be as Tokachi area is so famous for dairy products!

Steak was done all medium rare, tender and moist.

There were a couple of pieces that stayed in my mouth for longer than I would have liked but I’m not complaining!

Day Two – Shiretoko 5 Lakes, Furepe Waterfall and Akanko

Just a short drive from Utoro you will find yourself in the Shiretoko `5 Lakes’ district. All 5 are impressive in their own subtle way but the one thing they all share is their high reflective quality of the water. One may mistake the reflection for the real thing!

It’s an easy walk from one to another, with walks taking as long as 2 hours. From time to time these walks are closed due to sightings of Brown Bears. The best way to avoid a meeting a bear is to hang a big brass bell of your backpack as this is meant to be a deterrent. So don’t be alarmed if you are walking anywhere in the Shiretoko area and hear faint bells in the distance, it’s a safety measure!

From here I traveled to Furepe Waterfall, about 15 minutes drive away. I really felt like I wasn’t in Japan anymore. Guess that my image was always of a busy and concrete country but in Hokkaido is the complete opposite.

It’s another easy drive from here down to Akan where I stayed one night in a traditional ryokan. One thing that you can notice as soon as you step out of the car, is a strong sulphur smell.  It’s amazing actually just how quickly you get accustomed to it! `Me-Akan’ is an active volcano located just outside Akan city which emits a bright yellow sulphur gas.

One of the most famous things about Akan is that in AkanLake you can find what is called `Marimo’ which is perfectly formed balls of moss at the bottom of the lake. They are no small either, more like the size of a fit ball. Souvenir shops that everything from key rings to ear wax pickers with this figure.

Whilst walking around in in Akan I came across this little monkey in the shop front. He is tied up but seems to be a point of interest in this town.

Whilst in Hokkaido I found it fascinating to spend some time looking around an Ainu Kotan `AinuVillage’.

It is located just on the outskirts of Akan. `Ainu’ is the name of the native Japanese people, who mainly live in Northern parts of Japan. When walking through the village I was met by extremely friendly people more than willing to explain a bit about their culture

The owl is the protector of the village and therefore being a very sacred animal. While the village sleeps they are watching over it for predators and able to alert when danger is approaching. The most amazing craft that I saw in this village were the statues of Ainu people that had been hand carved out of tree trunks. The attention to details is astonishing and I had to do a double take to check if they were in fact alive! I’m sure you can understand with these images!

This is just a taste of what adventures are to be had if you can make it to the Eastern side of Hokkaido. It is a very accessible area which is a perfect opportunity to tap into this culturally rich and lusciously green island!

Thanks for taking this journey with me. Look out for my next blog coming soon!!!

Sakura

One of the best trips I have to say in my time in Japan was getting up to the Northern area of Hokkaido, around Memambetsu, and then driving to the edge of Shiretoko National Park then back down through Akan to Kushiro. I definitely recommend driving as the public transport is very limited. The island is easy to drive around too, well sign posted with an abundance of wide straight roads.

I drive along the coastline from Memambetsu to Abashiri and Shari before arriving at Utoro. Utoro is located at the bottom of ShiretokoNational Park. I stayed at great ryokan ` Kitakobushi’, which had a lavender onsen, massive buffet and spacious rooms with picturesque views of the ocean.

Out my window was a fishery which caught thousands of salmon each morning. Boat after boat docked, unloaded the hordes then sailed back out. This area is especially famous for crab so I was very excited to hit the buffet and see the crab legs piled up for eating!!!

Endless goodness!!!

I think one thing that I will always remember about this ryokan was when we checked out. One of the staff waited for us to get in our car and as we drove off, she bowed and stayed at a 90 degree angle until we were out of sight! Customer service is second to none in this country.

Hokkaido is being increasingly popular for its flower fields. If you are able to make it to Furano in Spring, you will be touched by vast fields of mauve for as far as the eye can see. They even have lavender goods, ranging from more common products like perfumes and pouches for your drawers to the more unusual like ICECREAM!!

Whilst driving between Abashiri and Utoro, I just stumbled across this beautiful and immaculately placed flower field.

Even though Niseko in Hokkaido is probably the most famous city to visit in Winter to ski for Aussie’s, areas like Furano, Rusutsu and Shiretoko are fast becoming Spring and Summer destinations perfect for the families, independent travelers or groups.

During Summer in Japan (June to October in Australia) we offer a great 4 Day Trip of Eastern Hokkaido, so please contact us at Travel Japan for further detail!

This is just the beginning for this trip of mine so please keep an eye out for the second part `Day Two’ as I continue my way along the coast than inland!!

Sakura