DAY 24 EXPENSES
[withdrew 60,000Y]
756Y box of 4 daifuko
4200Y return bus ride in nikko
555Y lunch at conbini
2440Y ramen dinner
95Y puff
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 22
we didnt opt for the hotel's breakfast just to save money so we crossed the street and had yoshinoya instead. my unagi don was quite good. generous thick slab and i almost finished the entire bowl of rice. this is sth i only do in japan cos rice is too nice and precious here. we took Limited Express to Hachinohe before changing to Shinkansen. our Shinkansen had cute pokemon pictures printed on its body. kawaii!
sought help frm the tourist information centre upon reaching Sendai. this lady fluent in english was very helpful in suggesting places of interest. after dumping our luggage at Dormy Inn, we took the one day pass for the Loople Sendai.
1st stop: Aoba-dori Ave/Ichibancho, two main streets of Sendai City and the center of fashion and culture of Sendai. had lunch at Banjar where he had a really unique Banjar set and i had a pretty average omelette rice. i badly wanted the baked rice. shld have gathered sufficient courage to ask for it in japanese/gesture-speak. sigh.
2nd stop: Zuihoden Mausoleum which enshrines the founder of the Sendai-Han, Date Masamune. located among a grove of cedar trees, the building was constructed in the luxurious style of Momoyama architecture and displays items used by three generations of the Date family. it was an expensive 450Y admission (after 100Y discount) but we decided to just go for it. it was a long climb up and we rushed to the nearest aircon facility upon reaching the top. it happened to be a museum show-casing the dug out items frm the burial sites of the Lords. we also stayed for a movie showing how they exhumed and reburried the Lords body and reconstructed the site.
3rd stop: Site of Sendai Castle which is basically non-existent cos the entire castle got destroyed save for a remaining wall. but there was a great view of the entire city frm the top so it was still worth it afterall.
4th stop: Sendai Mediatheque is a creative site for art and culture, much like our Esplanade. we went for the only free exhibition on level 5 and tried to appreciate art. tobias wondered why art was mostly about naked women and i tried to act pro by providing oral commentary on each painting. who says art is universal?
caught the last bus back to the station and tried to find a place for dinner. was directed to Herb Sendai, restaurant Rikyu, which is famous for Gyutanyaki (grilled beef tongue). its a dish made frm thick slices of charcoal-grilled beef tongue and is served with barley rice and oxtail soup. i got their set and thought the ox tongue was delicious. tobias tried abit but after spotting blood on my plate he got grossed out. for someone who likes her steak medium, i totally can stomach ox tongue. he later got his dinner at 7-11. poor thing. bathed in the onsen before turning in.
we didnt opt for the hotel's breakfast just to save money so we crossed the street and had yoshinoya instead. my unagi don was quite good. generous thick slab and i almost finished the entire bowl of rice. this is sth i only do in japan cos rice is too nice and precious here. we took Limited Express to Hachinohe before changing to Shinkansen. our Shinkansen had cute pokemon pictures printed on its body. kawaii!
sought help frm the tourist information centre upon reaching Sendai. this lady fluent in english was very helpful in suggesting places of interest. after dumping our luggage at Dormy Inn, we took the one day pass for the Loople Sendai.
1st stop: Aoba-dori Ave/Ichibancho, two main streets of Sendai City and the center of fashion and culture of Sendai. had lunch at Banjar where he had a really unique Banjar set and i had a pretty average omelette rice. i badly wanted the baked rice. shld have gathered sufficient courage to ask for it in japanese/gesture-speak. sigh.
2nd stop: Zuihoden Mausoleum which enshrines the founder of the Sendai-Han, Date Masamune. located among a grove of cedar trees, the building was constructed in the luxurious style of Momoyama architecture and displays items used by three generations of the Date family. it was an expensive 450Y admission (after 100Y discount) but we decided to just go for it. it was a long climb up and we rushed to the nearest aircon facility upon reaching the top. it happened to be a museum show-casing the dug out items frm the burial sites of the Lords. we also stayed for a movie showing how they exhumed and reburried the Lords body and reconstructed the site.
3rd stop: Site of Sendai Castle which is basically non-existent cos the entire castle got destroyed save for a remaining wall. but there was a great view of the entire city frm the top so it was still worth it afterall.
4th stop: Sendai Mediatheque is a creative site for art and culture, much like our Esplanade. we went for the only free exhibition on level 5 and tried to appreciate art. tobias wondered why art was mostly about naked women and i tried to act pro by providing oral commentary on each painting. who says art is universal?
caught the last bus back to the station and tried to find a place for dinner. was directed to Herb Sendai, restaurant Rikyu, which is famous for Gyutanyaki (grilled beef tongue). its a dish made frm thick slices of charcoal-grilled beef tongue and is served with barley rice and oxtail soup. i got their set and thought the ox tongue was delicious. tobias tried abit but after spotting blood on my plate he got grossed out. for someone who likes her steak medium, i totally can stomach ox tongue. he later got his dinner at 7-11. poor thing. bathed in the onsen before turning in.
Day 21
we woke up early and enjoyed dormy inn's breakfast. this time it was different. each person was given a japanese set with grilled stuff and alot of interesting japanese dishes, all contained in cute little boxes aside frm the usual spread of buffet stuff. after breakfast we checked out and lugged our luggage to Noboribetsu (again).
the station master recognised us because we were here only about 10 hours ago, and helped us reserve our subsequent train tickets as well as sell us the Jidai Mura tickets at a discount. we got onto the bus bound for Jidai Mura and came across a thai couple who tried to speak english to the bus captain, who was apparently not conversant in english. we helped them out and they were rather grateful, and we secretly wondered how rich they must be as the thai living expenses are much lower than in japan.
after getting off the bus before we even reach Jidai Mura, we heard some loud roaring from the entrance gate. it turned out to be a funny bespectacled man dressed in samurai suit greeting all the passers-by in a loud, grand, samurai way. when we asked for a picture together, he drew his katana and posed menancingly with Grace, who looked like a timid kitten beside him. even after we entered the village, we could still hear him roaring and greeting everyone who came after us.
Grace was enthralled by the unique layout of the village which gave it a rustic ancient Japanese feel, and we felt as if we were in a Japanese warring states movie set. everything was designed to resemble those during the Edo period, and there were people dressed in Ninja suits and Samurai suits that tried to draw the tourists' attention to their stalls and shows.
[Noboribetsu Date Jidai Mura is an authentic reproduction of an Edo period (1603-1867) village based on historical research. it includes 94 wood-framed buildings]
we rushed to our first destination, the Ninja house to watch the first performance of the day. there were lots of people queuing up for the show, mostly taiwanese and hongkong tourists. even after getting into the show venue and sitting down, the loud hk tour guide was still shouting instructions and introductions to his group members in cantonese, completely oblivious to the presence of other tourists and the Japanese. it took a while before the show started, as more tourists were streaming in and the place was not big enough to accomodate everyone. then everything went pitch dark and there were thundering sounds in the background. with a good combination of lighting and sound effects, the cast pulled off a great action show that demonstrated the stealth and fighting skills of the Ninjas, and there were plenty of hard core fighting scenes which were way better than the dance-like sparring of some of the chinese martial arts movies we see nowadays. everybody applauded the Ninjas after the show and many threw coins wrapped in a sheet of white paper to the stage, in a Edo-fashioned way to reward the cast for a job well done.
we were both exhilarated by the show and happily went on to the next one at the Cultural Theatre. at the entrance, there was a lady dressed up in a funky samurai suit with her hair seemingly hair bald in the traditional samurai way, and the whole combination simply looked hilarious. she turned out to be the host and the main comedian for the show, and she was really really funny. despite our limited japanese proficiency, she managed to make the show highly entertaining to all the non-japanese speaking people. and to make the show even more hilarious, she actually invited a Sri-Lankan tourist onstage to perform with them in the skit. it was a great half hour show and we came out of the theatre laughing and feeling really good.
the third show at the Main Theatre was not nearly as entertaining as the second one. it was a full 35mins drama with plenty of dialogues which only the Japanese audience could catch. i managed to understand only about 40% of the story, and poor Grace was staring with a blank look on her face half the time, and was yawning towards the end, looking helplessly at me half the time. the plot was actually rather funny and the acting skills of the cast were good. but it was a pity we couldnt appreciate the finer parts of their humour which drew plenty of laughter from the Japanese crowds.
after the show, we went to the only temple within the compound, a temple dedicated to a gigantic zhao1 cai2 mao1. accordinging to the instruction board, to make a wish, you have to lift your left hand to your ear, close your eyes and make a wish, and then left out a loud "MEW!" for your wish to come true. we did that without making a wish, just for the fun of it. there was also a horror path behind the temple, much to our surprise as the cats outside looked rather cute, and Grace was reluctant to go in until a whole bunch of kids rushed in before us. the kids became our "shield", and they bore most of the scary things that came popping out from nowhere so we were left untouched. we were perplexed as to why they would want to create such a scary path our of cats until we saw the introduction in front of the temple, which stated that the temple was founded after some creepy cat ghost haunted the vacinity a few hundred years ago.
it was a pity that due to technical faults, we couldnt watch the movie at the Samurai garden, and as we were rushing to the Hell Valley, we couldnt stay for the outdoor Ninja performance as well. so after taking a few pictures around the village and taking a peek inside the Ninja museum, we boarded the bus bound for Hell Valley.
Hell Valley looked much more appealing in the daytime than last night. there were a lot less bugs and the scenery was beautiful, with the green trees and the blue sky. the sulphuric smell was overwhelming as well. we didnt go down to the valley itself for fear of stinking up our clothes, so we just took a few pictures before heading off to 7-11 to grab our lunch. this time we were not nearly as lucky, and out of the 2 lucky dips we had, we only managed to grab one can of coffee worth 200 odd yen. then it was a long 2hr train ride to Hakodate.
we had the option of staying one night at Hakodate but we chose to travel straight to Aomori instead as it seemed more logical to travel at night than during daytime. as we had barely 15mins before the subsequent train departs, i had to sprint towards the nearest tourist information centre to enquire as to whether or not shiroi kobito biscuits would be sold at Narita airport. the lady said that it'll be unlikely, so i had to run to the nearest Kiosk that sold it, grab two boxes, then run back to the train again. Grace tried one of the biscuits and they were certainly tasty, but may not be worth S$0.80 each. after another 2hr ride on the Super Hakcho Limited Express, we reached Aomori.
the weather was better than expected, not as hot as Kyushu or Kansai, and our hotel was relatively close to the station. the twin room was not overly spacious but adequate and the twin beds were of single bed size, at least we had a comfortable night's sleep.
we woke up early and enjoyed dormy inn's breakfast. this time it was different. each person was given a japanese set with grilled stuff and alot of interesting japanese dishes, all contained in cute little boxes aside frm the usual spread of buffet stuff. after breakfast we checked out and lugged our luggage to Noboribetsu (again).
the station master recognised us because we were here only about 10 hours ago, and helped us reserve our subsequent train tickets as well as sell us the Jidai Mura tickets at a discount. we got onto the bus bound for Jidai Mura and came across a thai couple who tried to speak english to the bus captain, who was apparently not conversant in english. we helped them out and they were rather grateful, and we secretly wondered how rich they must be as the thai living expenses are much lower than in japan.
after getting off the bus before we even reach Jidai Mura, we heard some loud roaring from the entrance gate. it turned out to be a funny bespectacled man dressed in samurai suit greeting all the passers-by in a loud, grand, samurai way. when we asked for a picture together, he drew his katana and posed menancingly with Grace, who looked like a timid kitten beside him. even after we entered the village, we could still hear him roaring and greeting everyone who came after us.
Grace was enthralled by the unique layout of the village which gave it a rustic ancient Japanese feel, and we felt as if we were in a Japanese warring states movie set. everything was designed to resemble those during the Edo period, and there were people dressed in Ninja suits and Samurai suits that tried to draw the tourists' attention to their stalls and shows.
[Noboribetsu Date Jidai Mura is an authentic reproduction of an Edo period (1603-1867) village based on historical research. it includes 94 wood-framed buildings]
we rushed to our first destination, the Ninja house to watch the first performance of the day. there were lots of people queuing up for the show, mostly taiwanese and hongkong tourists. even after getting into the show venue and sitting down, the loud hk tour guide was still shouting instructions and introductions to his group members in cantonese, completely oblivious to the presence of other tourists and the Japanese. it took a while before the show started, as more tourists were streaming in and the place was not big enough to accomodate everyone. then everything went pitch dark and there were thundering sounds in the background. with a good combination of lighting and sound effects, the cast pulled off a great action show that demonstrated the stealth and fighting skills of the Ninjas, and there were plenty of hard core fighting scenes which were way better than the dance-like sparring of some of the chinese martial arts movies we see nowadays. everybody applauded the Ninjas after the show and many threw coins wrapped in a sheet of white paper to the stage, in a Edo-fashioned way to reward the cast for a job well done.
we were both exhilarated by the show and happily went on to the next one at the Cultural Theatre. at the entrance, there was a lady dressed up in a funky samurai suit with her hair seemingly hair bald in the traditional samurai way, and the whole combination simply looked hilarious. she turned out to be the host and the main comedian for the show, and she was really really funny. despite our limited japanese proficiency, she managed to make the show highly entertaining to all the non-japanese speaking people. and to make the show even more hilarious, she actually invited a Sri-Lankan tourist onstage to perform with them in the skit. it was a great half hour show and we came out of the theatre laughing and feeling really good.
the third show at the Main Theatre was not nearly as entertaining as the second one. it was a full 35mins drama with plenty of dialogues which only the Japanese audience could catch. i managed to understand only about 40% of the story, and poor Grace was staring with a blank look on her face half the time, and was yawning towards the end, looking helplessly at me half the time. the plot was actually rather funny and the acting skills of the cast were good. but it was a pity we couldnt appreciate the finer parts of their humour which drew plenty of laughter from the Japanese crowds.
after the show, we went to the only temple within the compound, a temple dedicated to a gigantic zhao1 cai2 mao1. accordinging to the instruction board, to make a wish, you have to lift your left hand to your ear, close your eyes and make a wish, and then left out a loud "MEW!" for your wish to come true. we did that without making a wish, just for the fun of it. there was also a horror path behind the temple, much to our surprise as the cats outside looked rather cute, and Grace was reluctant to go in until a whole bunch of kids rushed in before us. the kids became our "shield", and they bore most of the scary things that came popping out from nowhere so we were left untouched. we were perplexed as to why they would want to create such a scary path our of cats until we saw the introduction in front of the temple, which stated that the temple was founded after some creepy cat ghost haunted the vacinity a few hundred years ago.
it was a pity that due to technical faults, we couldnt watch the movie at the Samurai garden, and as we were rushing to the Hell Valley, we couldnt stay for the outdoor Ninja performance as well. so after taking a few pictures around the village and taking a peek inside the Ninja museum, we boarded the bus bound for Hell Valley.
Hell Valley looked much more appealing in the daytime than last night. there were a lot less bugs and the scenery was beautiful, with the green trees and the blue sky. the sulphuric smell was overwhelming as well. we didnt go down to the valley itself for fear of stinking up our clothes, so we just took a few pictures before heading off to 7-11 to grab our lunch. this time we were not nearly as lucky, and out of the 2 lucky dips we had, we only managed to grab one can of coffee worth 200 odd yen. then it was a long 2hr train ride to Hakodate.
we had the option of staying one night at Hakodate but we chose to travel straight to Aomori instead as it seemed more logical to travel at night than during daytime. as we had barely 15mins before the subsequent train departs, i had to sprint towards the nearest tourist information centre to enquire as to whether or not shiroi kobito biscuits would be sold at Narita airport. the lady said that it'll be unlikely, so i had to run to the nearest Kiosk that sold it, grab two boxes, then run back to the train again. Grace tried one of the biscuits and they were certainly tasty, but may not be worth S$0.80 each. after another 2hr ride on the Super Hakcho Limited Express, we reached Aomori.
the weather was better than expected, not as hot as Kyushu or Kansai, and our hotel was relatively close to the station. the twin room was not overly spacious but adequate and the twin beds were of single bed size, at least we had a comfortable night's sleep.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Day 18/19/20
i woke up at 4am but it was already bright. looked like 8/9am already. went down for breakfast but it was overcrowded with hongkies and japs so we decided to pack the luggage first before trying our luck later. breakfast was fine but i didnt have much appetite. the japanese uncle nxt to us striked a conversation with us and asked if we were part of the rude and noisy hongkies. it is an outright insult to associate us with them man.
settled breakfast and made our way down to hokuryu for sunflowers. it involved a jr train ride then a 30min bus ride to the fields but it was really pretty. it was a long walk up (cos the fields were on a hill) and we went to a hall near the sunflower fields just to check it out. there was an uncle who tried to hand us a number card while talking enthusiastically to us. we realised tt there was a scissors, paper, stone competition and decided to just take part for the fun of it.
the first round involved going up to the front and competing with some random lady. winners were separated frm losers. in the second round, winners were arranged in two lines and pitted against each other. we both got through the first round but i lost to a little girl. tobias won the second round but lost to an old granny in the third. but it was okay cos we both got a 300Y voucher which we later spent on a delicious soft cream cone which has hints of sesame, sunflower seeds, and chestnut in it!
took lots of pictures at the flower fields. at the end when we wanted to take a photo together in the best spot, there were hongkie couples hogging the place with their tripod stands and pro cameras, doing shots which involved trying a green beach hat while ripping off a few petals of the sunflowers at the same time. they really were hogging the best photo spots. it was quite exaggerated cos they even brought props - a green sun hat and a stuffed toy bear.
left hokuryu and started our journey towards noboribetsu. had a stop by sapporo where we went and grabbed our favourite desserts. we bought a C cup and a F cup (new product) but i liked C cup (original) better. got a box of 5 rum puffs and another interesting orange dessert. pigged out on the train. the rum puffs were totally overflowing with filling. and boy were they heavy. each rum puff is probably 2.5 times the weight of the singapore beard papa. no kidding. there was filling oozing frm everywhere i suspect they probably pump it in frm different openings just to make sure its bursting.
got to noboribetsu and managed to secure train tickets just before the jr counter closed. the counter staff was quite surprised we were getting return bus and train tickets cos it was close to 8pm already and he was expecting us to spend the night there. noboribetsu is a famous hot spring location so it was filled with tourists. we reached hell valley and caught the oni hanabi at 8.30pm.
jigoku dani, or hell valley, is really an explosion crater and the remnant of an active volcano known as Kasayama tt erupted nearly 10,000 years ago. Encompassing an area of 11ha, gas and steam vents and pools of boiling water can be found in numerous places throughout the valley, giving this boiling, bubbling landscape the nickname "the inferno where demons dwell".
there was this old granny who pushed her way up to where we were standing and exclaimed that hell valley was a volcano and it was spewing smoke so it could erupt anytime. plenty of other comments frm her which made tobias very irritated. rushed out after the hanabi to catch the last bus out to the train station. our train got delayed and dormy inn komatomai turned out to be quite a long walk frm the station so we ended up checking in real late. still, he convinced me a short session at the onsen would do me good and it did. my knees felt much better.
DAY 20 EXPENSES
2040Y bus ride to hokuryu
105Y drink
2250Y ramen lunch at shantouka
735Y 100Y shopping
Day 19
we left kushiro for minami-chitose and dumped our luggage in one of their coin lockers before heading to sapporo to kill time. we went back to the old government building again but this time it wasnt filled with beautiful sakura flowers. brought back memories of the mega and only fight we had last yr over sth really stupid and trivial. walked more until we reached odori park. there was some kind of festival going on and different brands of beer occupied portions of the park. the thing abt japanese ppl is they drink beer anytime. even now as im blogging this on the limited express train at 15:59, the two men behind us are enjoying their beer. the park wasnt as pretty as what we saw previously bcos the flowers in bloom this season isnt really very impressive. i like the multi-coloured tulips we saw last year.
found the large Daiso which covered 5-storeys. it was a chore to work through every level and before long i got a little bored/tired. we upped our pace a little and reached the 1st storey to find two neoprint machines. encouraged by our first neoprint attempt at a random 100Y shop along the way to furano, we decided to try this one. it costs 200Y but still a far cry frm the S$8-10 they charge in singapore. took time to figure out the special effects which allowed us to appear in the same photo twice, rotate our previous photos and allow our faces to appear in random fruits/aliens. damn fun. decorating the pictures took damn long too but it turned out super nice. im very pleased with it.
had lunch at ikkokudo which really had the old-style ramen diner feel. ordered a shoyu and a spicy-miso ramen and it was scrumptious. felt really good to be stepping out into the cool sapporo climate too. i love hokkaido's weather. just not sure how cold winter will turn out to be. the helpful ramen chef told us abt another hanabi (firework festival) on tonight at 8pm but we were going down to outlet so had to give this a miss. but we did manage to catch a glimpse of it on the train ride frm minami-chitose to asahikawa.
went down to chitose outlet mall bcos they have this summer fiesta special sale frm 1800-2100. it was really huge and there werent alot of crowds but i guess we werent so up to raiding outlets already cos we passed alot of shops without even taking a look inside. there were supposed to be fu2 dai4s on sale during that special period where they throw in a buncha items and just sell it at a fixed price. but we only saw one store offering tt. mayb we shld have been more proactive in asking the info counter abt where exactly we can get those goodie bags. ended up with a jap outift consisting of a black long sleeved outer piece and a white slip for just 1050Y (barely S$14) - a total steal. and i also saw asics going for like 8000Yish when i bought mine in singapore for S$200! will get a pair of asics right before i leave for home.
on the train ride to asahikawa we were reminiscing the days tt had passed, complaining abt how time seems to fly when u're enjoying it. sometimes i think we're kinda greedy - cos 28 days in japan is already alot to some but it'll never be sufficient for us i guess. and knowing tt we dont have too many opportunities to take long trips like these in future once we start work or have a family makes it abit sad. ohwell but at least we got to experience this.
DAY 19 EXPENSES
2520Y 100Y shopping
280Y rum puffs
1995Y ramen
1050Y top from outlet
Day 18
we were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful breakfast spread at royal inn. they had okonomiyaki, pizza, buns stuffed with egg/tuna/potato salad filling, apple/cinnamon rolls, croissants, soups and a whole japanese food section which we didnt explore. it was so good we ate quite a bit and was late to pick up the car frm toyota.
we got a grey vitz this time. and it seemed to be rather fuel efficient cos the display panel still showed full tank even after running for over 100km. we secretly hoped tt there was sth wrong with the display cos we need to return the car on a full tank. unfortunately, the meter dropped at some point along the way and we ended up spending 3250Y to get 18 litres of petrol.
a fight broke out when tobias suggested tt i get onto the right lane cos there were less cars there. i went to the right and realised tt it was strictly for right-turns only. actually this bit of the story is quite draggy and embarrassing so i will fast forward to the part where everything became okay.
we finally ended up at lake kussharo but we viewed it at eye level so it wasnt tt fantastic. afterall, a lake is just a huge body of water right?
but at lake mashu, we drove all the way up to the 3rd observatory deck atop a mountain and the view was fantabulous. the waters of lake mashu are exceptionally clear. it reflects the surrounding mountains and even the sky so in our photos, it actually looks like part of the sky. really beautiful.
then we went to lake akan which was quite commercialised cos there were tons of souvenir shops and paddle boats around. the carpark there wanted to charge us 410Y so i decided to park at the residential area in one of the abandoned plots of land. thank God i didnt get a ticket cos the fine is really ex here. snapped a few pictures then left.
(by Tobias)
we had three options to choose from: the national japanese crane park and two different observatories for the kushiro marshlands. after checking out the respective locations on the GPS we opted for the nearest observatory which was still 70+km away. halfway through the journey, the GPS led us onto a deserted, bumpy mountain road that has no protective barriers on the side and which seemed to meander into the dark forrest endlessly. grace was freaking out and i was rather nervous myself but we trusted that the GPS wouldnt screw up on the general route so we decided to proceed with it. the roads got bumpier as we climbed further up into the mountains and on several occasions, grace almost lost control of the steering wheel due to the endless bumping. i helped her with stabilising the steering wheel and it wasnt until we saw another car in the rear mirror that we heaved a sigh of relief, as we thought that we could had very well been on a mountain road that leads to nowhere. we eyed the surrounding forrest nervously, half-expecting a bear to come crashing out of the trees suddenly, but thank God that didnt happen. after what seemed to be an eternity, we finally got out of the bumpy mountain road and we were really relieved.
it took us another half an hour's drive to reach the observatory. after we stopped the car in the carpark, we realised that a couple of bees or hornets were hovering around the vehicle, banging onto our windscreen and side windows, trying to get in. none of us was really too fond of insects, and the bees looked huge and menancing, so we decided to stay in the car and wait till they were gone. but instead, more bees came, and soon we were surrounded by 5 or 6 bees that seemed to be everywhere. after initially thought that we could have been positioned near a hive so we tried to shift the car but the bees followed us. exasperated, we had no choice but to leave the observatory. as we tried to head to the nxt observatory, we found that the bees were still following us wherever we go. we were perplexed and confused, and the bees didnt disappear until we were a few km away. sensing that a return would probably we futile, we proceeded onto the kushiro observatory which was another half an hour's drive away.
the sun was setting as we neared kushiro city. and we wondered whether we would make it in time before the sunset to the observatory. we were both angry abt the fact that we came so far and yet could see nothing because of the bees, and it would seem to be stupid for us to travel all the way without seeing any of kushiro's famous marshlands so we prayed for God to help us reach in time to catch marshlands at sunset. but we ended up caught in traffic jams and by the time we reached, the observatory had already closed. after we got out of the car, we noticed yet another bee right on our car and it flew towards us as we were atop the hill where the observatory was. shocked, we ran as fast as our legs could carry us back to our car, jumped in and started the engine. by then, it was almost completely dark and there was a drizzle so we were both feeling rather miserably, hungry and thirsty.
when we returned the car, we realised that we had travelled for over 290km in a single day, a third of which were wasted trips to the two observatories, thanks to the bees. we had a pathetic dinner at lawsons and even though the day did not end as pleasantly as we had hoped, we were grateful for the fact that God has blessed us with good weather and protected us from the mountain roads and the stupid bees. even though we didnt get to see the marshlands, we still saw the magnificent lake mashu which more than justified the long trip to and fro.
settled breakfast and made our way down to hokuryu for sunflowers. it involved a jr train ride then a 30min bus ride to the fields but it was really pretty. it was a long walk up (cos the fields were on a hill) and we went to a hall near the sunflower fields just to check it out. there was an uncle who tried to hand us a number card while talking enthusiastically to us. we realised tt there was a scissors, paper, stone competition and decided to just take part for the fun of it.
the first round involved going up to the front and competing with some random lady. winners were separated frm losers. in the second round, winners were arranged in two lines and pitted against each other. we both got through the first round but i lost to a little girl. tobias won the second round but lost to an old granny in the third. but it was okay cos we both got a 300Y voucher which we later spent on a delicious soft cream cone which has hints of sesame, sunflower seeds, and chestnut in it!
took lots of pictures at the flower fields. at the end when we wanted to take a photo together in the best spot, there were hongkie couples hogging the place with their tripod stands and pro cameras, doing shots which involved trying a green beach hat while ripping off a few petals of the sunflowers at the same time. they really were hogging the best photo spots. it was quite exaggerated cos they even brought props - a green sun hat and a stuffed toy bear.
left hokuryu and started our journey towards noboribetsu. had a stop by sapporo where we went and grabbed our favourite desserts. we bought a C cup and a F cup (new product) but i liked C cup (original) better. got a box of 5 rum puffs and another interesting orange dessert. pigged out on the train. the rum puffs were totally overflowing with filling. and boy were they heavy. each rum puff is probably 2.5 times the weight of the singapore beard papa. no kidding. there was filling oozing frm everywhere i suspect they probably pump it in frm different openings just to make sure its bursting.
got to noboribetsu and managed to secure train tickets just before the jr counter closed. the counter staff was quite surprised we were getting return bus and train tickets cos it was close to 8pm already and he was expecting us to spend the night there. noboribetsu is a famous hot spring location so it was filled with tourists. we reached hell valley and caught the oni hanabi at 8.30pm.
jigoku dani, or hell valley, is really an explosion crater and the remnant of an active volcano known as Kasayama tt erupted nearly 10,000 years ago. Encompassing an area of 11ha, gas and steam vents and pools of boiling water can be found in numerous places throughout the valley, giving this boiling, bubbling landscape the nickname "the inferno where demons dwell".
there was this old granny who pushed her way up to where we were standing and exclaimed that hell valley was a volcano and it was spewing smoke so it could erupt anytime. plenty of other comments frm her which made tobias very irritated. rushed out after the hanabi to catch the last bus out to the train station. our train got delayed and dormy inn komatomai turned out to be quite a long walk frm the station so we ended up checking in real late. still, he convinced me a short session at the onsen would do me good and it did. my knees felt much better.
DAY 20 EXPENSES
2040Y bus ride to hokuryu
105Y drink
2250Y ramen lunch at shantouka
735Y 100Y shopping
Day 19
we left kushiro for minami-chitose and dumped our luggage in one of their coin lockers before heading to sapporo to kill time. we went back to the old government building again but this time it wasnt filled with beautiful sakura flowers. brought back memories of the mega and only fight we had last yr over sth really stupid and trivial. walked more until we reached odori park. there was some kind of festival going on and different brands of beer occupied portions of the park. the thing abt japanese ppl is they drink beer anytime. even now as im blogging this on the limited express train at 15:59, the two men behind us are enjoying their beer. the park wasnt as pretty as what we saw previously bcos the flowers in bloom this season isnt really very impressive. i like the multi-coloured tulips we saw last year.
found the large Daiso which covered 5-storeys. it was a chore to work through every level and before long i got a little bored/tired. we upped our pace a little and reached the 1st storey to find two neoprint machines. encouraged by our first neoprint attempt at a random 100Y shop along the way to furano, we decided to try this one. it costs 200Y but still a far cry frm the S$8-10 they charge in singapore. took time to figure out the special effects which allowed us to appear in the same photo twice, rotate our previous photos and allow our faces to appear in random fruits/aliens. damn fun. decorating the pictures took damn long too but it turned out super nice. im very pleased with it.
had lunch at ikkokudo which really had the old-style ramen diner feel. ordered a shoyu and a spicy-miso ramen and it was scrumptious. felt really good to be stepping out into the cool sapporo climate too. i love hokkaido's weather. just not sure how cold winter will turn out to be. the helpful ramen chef told us abt another hanabi (firework festival) on tonight at 8pm but we were going down to outlet so had to give this a miss. but we did manage to catch a glimpse of it on the train ride frm minami-chitose to asahikawa.
went down to chitose outlet mall bcos they have this summer fiesta special sale frm 1800-2100. it was really huge and there werent alot of crowds but i guess we werent so up to raiding outlets already cos we passed alot of shops without even taking a look inside. there were supposed to be fu2 dai4s on sale during that special period where they throw in a buncha items and just sell it at a fixed price. but we only saw one store offering tt. mayb we shld have been more proactive in asking the info counter abt where exactly we can get those goodie bags. ended up with a jap outift consisting of a black long sleeved outer piece and a white slip for just 1050Y (barely S$14) - a total steal. and i also saw asics going for like 8000Yish when i bought mine in singapore for S$200! will get a pair of asics right before i leave for home.
on the train ride to asahikawa we were reminiscing the days tt had passed, complaining abt how time seems to fly when u're enjoying it. sometimes i think we're kinda greedy - cos 28 days in japan is already alot to some but it'll never be sufficient for us i guess. and knowing tt we dont have too many opportunities to take long trips like these in future once we start work or have a family makes it abit sad. ohwell but at least we got to experience this.
DAY 19 EXPENSES
2520Y 100Y shopping
280Y rum puffs
1995Y ramen
1050Y top from outlet
Day 18
we were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful breakfast spread at royal inn. they had okonomiyaki, pizza, buns stuffed with egg/tuna/potato salad filling, apple/cinnamon rolls, croissants, soups and a whole japanese food section which we didnt explore. it was so good we ate quite a bit and was late to pick up the car frm toyota.
we got a grey vitz this time. and it seemed to be rather fuel efficient cos the display panel still showed full tank even after running for over 100km. we secretly hoped tt there was sth wrong with the display cos we need to return the car on a full tank. unfortunately, the meter dropped at some point along the way and we ended up spending 3250Y to get 18 litres of petrol.
a fight broke out when tobias suggested tt i get onto the right lane cos there were less cars there. i went to the right and realised tt it was strictly for right-turns only. actually this bit of the story is quite draggy and embarrassing so i will fast forward to the part where everything became okay.
we finally ended up at lake kussharo but we viewed it at eye level so it wasnt tt fantastic. afterall, a lake is just a huge body of water right?
but at lake mashu, we drove all the way up to the 3rd observatory deck atop a mountain and the view was fantabulous. the waters of lake mashu are exceptionally clear. it reflects the surrounding mountains and even the sky so in our photos, it actually looks like part of the sky. really beautiful.
then we went to lake akan which was quite commercialised cos there were tons of souvenir shops and paddle boats around. the carpark there wanted to charge us 410Y so i decided to park at the residential area in one of the abandoned plots of land. thank God i didnt get a ticket cos the fine is really ex here. snapped a few pictures then left.
(by Tobias)
we had three options to choose from: the national japanese crane park and two different observatories for the kushiro marshlands. after checking out the respective locations on the GPS we opted for the nearest observatory which was still 70+km away. halfway through the journey, the GPS led us onto a deserted, bumpy mountain road that has no protective barriers on the side and which seemed to meander into the dark forrest endlessly. grace was freaking out and i was rather nervous myself but we trusted that the GPS wouldnt screw up on the general route so we decided to proceed with it. the roads got bumpier as we climbed further up into the mountains and on several occasions, grace almost lost control of the steering wheel due to the endless bumping. i helped her with stabilising the steering wheel and it wasnt until we saw another car in the rear mirror that we heaved a sigh of relief, as we thought that we could had very well been on a mountain road that leads to nowhere. we eyed the surrounding forrest nervously, half-expecting a bear to come crashing out of the trees suddenly, but thank God that didnt happen. after what seemed to be an eternity, we finally got out of the bumpy mountain road and we were really relieved.
it took us another half an hour's drive to reach the observatory. after we stopped the car in the carpark, we realised that a couple of bees or hornets were hovering around the vehicle, banging onto our windscreen and side windows, trying to get in. none of us was really too fond of insects, and the bees looked huge and menancing, so we decided to stay in the car and wait till they were gone. but instead, more bees came, and soon we were surrounded by 5 or 6 bees that seemed to be everywhere. after initially thought that we could have been positioned near a hive so we tried to shift the car but the bees followed us. exasperated, we had no choice but to leave the observatory. as we tried to head to the nxt observatory, we found that the bees were still following us wherever we go. we were perplexed and confused, and the bees didnt disappear until we were a few km away. sensing that a return would probably we futile, we proceeded onto the kushiro observatory which was another half an hour's drive away.
the sun was setting as we neared kushiro city. and we wondered whether we would make it in time before the sunset to the observatory. we were both angry abt the fact that we came so far and yet could see nothing because of the bees, and it would seem to be stupid for us to travel all the way without seeing any of kushiro's famous marshlands so we prayed for God to help us reach in time to catch marshlands at sunset. but we ended up caught in traffic jams and by the time we reached, the observatory had already closed. after we got out of the car, we noticed yet another bee right on our car and it flew towards us as we were atop the hill where the observatory was. shocked, we ran as fast as our legs could carry us back to our car, jumped in and started the engine. by then, it was almost completely dark and there was a drizzle so we were both feeling rather miserably, hungry and thirsty.
when we returned the car, we realised that we had travelled for over 290km in a single day, a third of which were wasted trips to the two observatories, thanks to the bees. we had a pathetic dinner at lawsons and even though the day did not end as pleasantly as we had hoped, we were grateful for the fact that God has blessed us with good weather and protected us from the mountain roads and the stupid bees. even though we didnt get to see the marshlands, we still saw the magnificent lake mashu which more than justified the long trip to and fro.
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