Asahikawa American English Conversation School
Travel Log
Road Trip along the entire coastline of Eastern and Northern Hokkaido
2005 August 11 thru 16
旅行日誌
道東、道北の海岸一周廻り
I finally got everything done and am ready to go on that drive that I’ve been planning on since Golden Week. As you may remember, during GW, I drove along the entire coastline of the southern Hokkaido pan handle. It took 5 days and 4 nights to do it. You can read about it by clicking here. You can see the photos I took by clicking here. This trip, I intend to do the rest of the coastline of Hokkaido, starting at Tomakomai again, but this time going towards Shizuani 静内 instead of Muroran 室蘭 like I did during GW. With my van all packed and my travel plan on paper, I set out at 10:15 to start the journey. It was already about 27 degrees C when I left the parking lot by my classroom. I got on Route 12 and after filling up my gas tank in Daiba, it was on towards Iwamizawa 岩見沢. As I continued to drive, the temperature continued to rise. By the time I changed to Route 235 near Iwamizawa, the thermometer said 32 degrees C. I love to drive down the highway on a hot summer’s day with the windows down and the stereo blaring, but today I had to sissy out, role up the windows and turn on the AC cooler. It was that hot. It’s hard to believe that only 6 months ago the whole place was covered with snow and ice. Same story every year. Anyway, it was sunny with fluffy white clouds all the way until I got close to Tomakomai 苫小牧. Then the sky got gray and the temperature dropped about 9 degrees. Of course the weather along the coast changes much faster than the weather inland does, so this was no big surprise. My only hope is that it wouldn’t rain because it is not easy to take good photos in the rain. Before I actually got into Tomakomai, I had to change to Route 235 and head towards Shizunai 静内. As I continued down Route 235, it changed from cloudy to overcast and then to foggy. And I do mean foggy. By the time I got to Urakawa 浦河町,the fog was so thick that I had to turn on my headlights and drive very slow. My impression of Urakawa is very positive. The town's main street has been completely redone and is very modern and clean looking. It reminds me of the main street in Biei 美瑛. I had already driven 282 kilometers today and it was about 19:00 so I decided to stop and stay overnight in Urakawa. They don’t have an official roadside rest station 道の駅 but I found a public toilet that is open 24 hours near the fishing port and I parked my van there and got ready to spend the night. I walked around the fishing port and the main street of town a little bit and then did some shopping at the very nice super market there. I wasn’t planning to do any real cooking so I bought bread, cheese and ham, and of course beer. Ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I’m on the road. When I have time and the weather is nice, I will make a pot of stew or soup or curry, but it’s all in one pot. Keep it simple. Clean up is easy too. But not today. Parking right next to a public toilet is not a good place to cook. After I ate a few ham and cheese sandwiches and drank a few beers, I ventured back into town, only a few blocks away, to try some of the yakitori やきとり at the little place that I had walked past earlier on my way back from shopping. It was really delicious and the people were friendly too. I doubt if the people who live in Urakawa see very many non-Japanese-looking-people in their daily lives, but a least they don’t act shocked. I really like this little town. I will come again sometime. After my midnight snack of BBQed chicken skewers, I walked back to my van, turned down the seats and got ready to go to sleep. Lights out at 25:00. See the photos from days one and two.
I woke up with the sun at about 5:00. Lucky for me the toilet was right next door. I walked over to the concrete retaining wall that prevents big waves from washing the town away and took some photos of the men in fishing boats pulling up kelp seaweed. Yes, that’s right. There were dozens of boats within my line of sight from the top of the wall and they were all doing the same thing. I know most Americans don’t eat much seaweed, but the Japanese and Koreans and other cultures do. Personally, I like it very much. In Japanese, kelp is called Konbu 昆布 and is used in many ways. I like all of the ways in which it is prepared. I got out the one burner gas stove and boiled a pot of water to make 2 liters of tea. Then it was on the road at 6:20. As I was driving towards Cape Erimo 襟裳岬, it got very foggy again. I had to slow down and turn on my headlights. I thought to myself, ‘I hope it’s not like this the whole day. I won’t be able to see anything, or take any good photos.’ To my surprise, as I was driving along Route 336 it cleared up. Completely! The weather along the coast is weird. It can change in an instant. Taking advantage of the good sunlight, I was able to take some interesting photos of the kelp seaweed harvesting in progress. First, a small one man boat goes out and the guy uses a long pole with a hook at the end to pull up the long think strands of kelp and then drag them into his boat. When his boat is full, he goes to back the harbor or even the nearest beach where a crew of between 2 and 5 people await his arrival. These people on the shore have a small truck with a small mechanical crane attached to it, and they use a net and a heavy rope to haul the very heavy kelp wad up from the boat and into the back of the small pick up truck. When the boat is empty and the mini pick up is full, the boat heads back out to sea, and the truck heads to a specially prepared flat graveled area where the truck people take the kelp, one strand at a time, and lay it out flat on the gravel, in the sun to dry. There are hundreds and hundreds of people who do this. Not just in this area, but all up and down the coastline that I traveled today. I seems to be the main industry of this coastal area. As I proceeded towards Cape Erimo 襟裳岬, it again got very foggy. In fact, when I finally arrived at Cape Erimo, it was packed in with fog. I did manage to take some photos, but you can’t see very much. Today’s final destination is Nemuro 根室 so I kept driving along the coastline road. Along the way and not far from Cape Erimo, I saw a dead baby deer on the road that had been hit by a car. This is what we call ROAD KILL in the USA. The weather would change from foggy to overcast, but it never got very clear and sunny again during the drive. I even saw 5 young guys trying to surf the waves at one point along the way, but the waves were never big enough. As I was driving along the final leg to Nemuro, I discovered that the roadside rest station 道の駅, was about 15 kilometers outside of the city center. What!?! That’s no good. I want to feel the magic of the city. So, I continued on. As I arrived in Nemuro, I found a supermarket where I could stock up on food and drink. My next objective was to find a place to camp for the night. I drove down to the fishing port and discovered a Japan Coast Guard Station. Cool! This is the safest place in the city. I know, because I was in the US Coast Guard for 5 years from 1995 until 1980. My next mission was to find a public bath so I could clean up my stinky body. I can go one day without a bath, but two days is stretching it. Today, I hit the jackpot. Just a few kilometers from the Japan Coast Guard Station, I found a public bath called Minato Yu みなと湯、or Harbor Bath in English. It only cost 370 yen, and it had a sauna, outdoor hot tub and various other tubs including my favorite, the cold tub. What a relief! Clean and comfortable again. After I was finished with my bath, I drove back down to the Japan Coast Guard Station and parked my van right in front of the 2 boats at the station. Then, I typed this blog for the past two days while breathing in the warm salt air and dreaming of days gone by. What an excellent two days this has been. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Lights out at 22:00. Total driving distance today, 282 kilometers. See the photos from days one and two.
I woke up with the morning sun at about 5:30 and immediately had to relieve my bladder. Unfortunately, there was no toilet nearby so I just let it hang out and whizzed away. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to take a number 2. The weather was warm and sunny, so I was able to get some good photos of Nemuro Harbor. After washing my face, I was back on the road. I still had some tea leftover from yesterday morning so I drank that while I drove. Today’s objective is Utoro ウトロor somewhere near there on the beach. First stop was at Cape Nosapu 納沙布岬. It was getting more and more foggy as I got closer to the cape. All along the way there were signs along the road that that said “Give ‘em Back! The 4 Northern Islands. 返せ！北方領土. And “The 4 islands are Japanese Territory! 四島は日本の土地！ In fact, even on the top of the Nemuro City Hall 根室市役所 There was a very big sign written in both Japanese and Russian that said the same thing. Wow! That’s the official party line I suppose, but how does that make Russian visitors to the city feel? I know that a lot of Russian ships stop over in Nemuro so they must have seen the signs. Anyway, when I got to Cape Nosapu, it was very foggy. I managed to take some photos but you can’t see much. There isn’t much to see really, and the place smells terrible! There is a lot of backed up stagnant water in the little coves that dot the cape. PU! One visit to this place is enough. After that less than satisfying experience, I was back on the road again, this time headed for Shibetsu Town 標津町. However, stupid me, I missed my turnoff at Attoko 厚床 and ended up driving all the way back to Akkeshi 厚岸! What a dope! However, one good thing about it, I found a new vantage place from which to see the city, and I also say a big van or should I call it a small bus, with Asahikawa number plates on it that had two big curtains in the back window of it with Ichiro’s face on it. I am a big Ichiro fan too, and I’m also from Seattle, so I left one of my website business cards under the wiper blade of the front window of the bus. I hope they take a look at this website because they will be able to see this picture that I took of their bus. Anyway, after that, I had to drive all the way back to Attoko 厚床 so I could get onto Route 243 and then 244 that goes to Shibetsu Town 標津町. It was hot and sunny again today on the inland roads, and again I was a big sissy and turned on the AC cooler. Actually, I was getting sunburned on my right arm so closing the window was necessary. I finally reached Shibetsu Town while seeing some nice ocean views along the way. I even stopped by the beach and ate some food. However, some nasty flies attacked me and they even bite! Ouch! When I got to Shibetsu Town, I switched to dead-end Route 950 so I could drive out onto the Nopu Peninsula 野付半島. It was a rather long drive, but very beautiful too. Unfortunately, I saw a dead baby fox by the side of the road that some car had hit. We call it ROAD KILL in the USA. A crow was wasting no time at making a meal of it. Some people drive way too fast and are not able to avoid hitting the animals. Speed Kills. After I got back to the mainland, I got on Route 335 and headed towards Rausu 羅臼. The scenery was very nice along the way. When I got to Rausu, I drove up to the top of the highest hill and took some great photos of the town and harbor below. From Rausu, it was onto Route 334 which takes you up and over Shiretoko Pass 知床峠. As with last time, the higher I climbed up the hill, the foggier it got. I even saw several people on bicycles riding on the same road. Maybe I could have done that 20 years ago, but not today. Nowadays, the longest bicycle ride that I can take is about 60 kilometers and mostly on flat roads. If only I were young and slim again. Dream on. When I came down on the other side to Utoro ウトロ, it was hot and sunny. Yeah! Time to stop at the local grocery store and get some cold Sapporo Classic All Malt beer, ice and some food and go look for a nice beach to camp on. As I was driving away from Utoro towards Shari Town 斜里町 I saw many people camping along the roadside and on various beach areas finally I found what I was looking for. It is a public camping beach with a toilet and running water at a place called Hamakoshimizu Maehama浜小清水前浜. Try saying that quickly 3 times in a row without making a mistake. I got there at about 16:30 and the place was packed. I managed to find an open parking space at the very far end on the east side. There was a long strip of cement there, kind of like a sidewalk, so I backed my van up to it and stopped the engine. I opened the back door and got out my big folding net chair that even has a vertical leg rest attached to it, grabbed an ice cold beer and watched the ocean and the people as the sun slowly sank in the west. Ah! This is what summer is all about! As it got dark the other people continued eating and drinking until late at night, I was falling asleep in my beach chair, so I decided to pack it up and sleep in my van instead. However, I was too tired to properly set up the van in camping car mode and feel asleep in an odd position on the reclined passengers seat and rear seat. At about 2:00 am, I woke up and stepped outside to take a leak. The starry sky was absolutely clear so I got out my folding beach chair again and did some star gazing for about an hour. It was magnificent. There are no big cities anywhere for miles around and the amount of stars that I could see was astounding. In fact, the very very distant star groups looked like clouds. I guess that’s why they call it the Milky Way 天の川. I saw dozens of shooting stars 流れ星 and other objects moving through the sky. All of them appeared to be manmade satellites 人工衛星 but who knows for sure. As a bank of fog started moving in from the ocean and blocking my view of the stars, I went back inside my van and fell asleep again. I woke up again at about 5:30. I drove a total distance of 394 kilometers today. See the photos for day 3.
I woke up at about 5:30 and sat in my beach chair for a while watching all of the campers who are also fishermen standing out in the ocean up to their waists and not catching any fish. Finally, I packed up and got back on the road at about 6:30. Today’s objective is to get as far as Wakkanai 稚内. Of course I will stop at Cape Soya 宗谷岬 and buy a sticker that I can put on my car. Cape Soya is significant in that it is the Northern most point in Japan. At least until the Russians give back the 4 disputed Northern Islands, if they ever do. My first stop after leaving the beach behind was in Shari Town 斜里町 at a self-service gasoline station. Self-service gasoline stands are relatively new to Japan. It used to be illegal to pump your own gas. Now, you can pull up to the pumps, put cash or a credit card directly into a machine next to the pumps and do it all without ever having to see another person. Very convenient. After paying about $30 dollars for less than 30 liters of gasoline, I was back on the road again headed for Abashiri 網走 on Route 244. Since I had just been this way only 2 weeks ago, I did not go back again to see the Cape Notori 能取岬 or Lake Saroma サロマ湖. However, I did include the photos of these places that I took then in this new photo gallery. After changing to Route 238 I arrived at Monbetsu City 紋別市. Not a very interesting place so I didn’t spend much time there. Back on the road and off to Esashi Town 枝幸町. This place was more interesting. There is a lake there called Kutcharo クッチャロ湖 which has an excellent campground with running water and even washing machines so you can do your laundry. No only that, but there is an excellent natural hot spring spa that costs only 350 yen to use. And use it I did. Also, there were a lot if windsurfers and people paddling around in canoes and kayaks. This is the best lake for such activities that I have seen in Hokkaido. It is very windy here. In addition to the regular windsurfing boards that have the sail attached to the board itself, some guys had a parachute type of sail that flies way up high in the sky and pulls the surfer along the water that way. Looks like fun. After taking some photos and then a nice bath, I was back on the road heading for Cape Soya 宗谷岬. The scenery along most of the way was not very interesting, being rather flat and swampy. However as I got closer to Cape Soya, things started looking better. When I arrived at the cape, there were a lot of people there. I even saw four guys riding chopper motorcycles. Cool. I took some photos and bought my sticker which I promptly put on my back window, and headed for my final destination of the day, Wakkanai 稚内. I arrived in Wakkanai at about 17:00 and drove straight to Cape Nosapu 野寒付岬. Very close to the Cape I saw a big sign that said Sea Urchin Rice Bowl うに丼 so I stopped in to have dinner. Not only did the rice bowl have sea urchin but also salmon roe, scallops and crab. Plus miso soup and pickled cucumbers. Yummy. The people who own the diner have their own website called www.unidon.net. I asked the guy behind the counter if he had made it himself, and he said yes. So, I gave him a business card that promotes this website and asked him to take a look at it. He said he would. As I left the dinner and was driving the remaining short distance to Cape Nosapu. Someone yelled out “Sensei!” 先生 I looked up and there was a family that comes to my classroom every Friday at 15:00. What are the chances of that? We talked for a few seconds until a car came up behind me at the stop sign so I had to move on. After taking a few photos at the cape, I drove around the city to see what there was to see and then drove up a big hill to get to Wakkanai Park 稚内公園 where there is a campground. When I got there at about 19:00, there was only one place left to park, so I took it. After that, I updated this blog. Total distance driven today, 434 kilometers. Lights out at 23:00. See the photos for day 4.
I woke up with the sun at about 5:30. Clear on the horizon but cloudy up above. A good chance to take some photos of the city of Wakkanai below. But first, I need to make and eat a ham and cheese sandwich. My staple food item when I'm on the road and I don't have a lot of ambition to cook anything. I put the van back into driving mode from sleeping mode and then I was back on the road. Today's objective was to find a really cool swimming beach along the Sea of Japan Coastline, and spend the entire day and night there. I found my objective. About 170 kilometers from Wakanai, and about 20 kilometers north of Haboro 羽幌, I found THE BEACH. It's at a place called Toyosaki 豊岬 in the in the village of Shosanbetsu 初山別村. This place is the best. It has a free paved parking area right alongside the black sand beach. There is a toilet and up on the hill above this swimming area is an auto camp ground with running water, a really big play area for children with a large water fountain, a reasonably priced hot spring spa hotel with a wonderful outdoor hot tub over looking the ocean which can be used by anyone during certain hours. Not to mention an astrological observation too! Talk about the ultimate in summer time fun! This is where it's at! I discovered this place at about 10:00 so I still had plenty of time to drive the 20 kilometers into Haboro and buy the necessary supplies for an overnight BBQ swim party. While I was in Haboro, I also filled up my gas tank so I would be ready for anything. By the way, the price of food at that super market was a bit high. Maybe these are special prices for all of the tourists that come through here every year at this time. After I iced down my cooler box and put all of the necessary liquids and solids into it, I drove the 20 kilometers back to heaven on earth. The sky was clear, a slight warm breeze and temperature of 28 degrees C. I was so absorbed in driving slow and looking out at the sapphire blue ocean that I almost missed my turn off. I drove back down to the swimming area and got ready to boogie. I brought a body board with me just in case there were waves of any consequence, and there were. A steady flow of 1 to 1.5 meter waves breaking close to shore in waist deep water. The perfect play ground for a loser has been surfer getting close to 50 years old. I put on a white short sleeved T-shirt, grabbed my board and was in the water. I haven't been in the ocean for several years and this felt really good. I splashed around for about 90 minutes and even caught a few short rides. Back up on the beach, I walked over to my parked van and got out an ice cold Sapporo Classic All Malt Beer and drank about half of in in the first gulp. Yummy. I sat in my folding net chair on the shady side of the van and watched the other people who also had the good sense to be here today. It was by no means crowded, and there was a lot of open space to relax in. After sitting around for about 3 hours, it was back into the water again. Only this time the wind was much stronger and the waves were not only bigger, but also in a much more rapid succession than before. I had to fight my way out after each ride and I grew tired more quickly. After about 30 minutes of this nonsense, I went back to van central to rest and dry off. During the rest of the day a few people came and went and some were getting ready to spend the night here, as was I. Considering the rather large parking area for about 60 cars, there were only 7 or 8 cars parked there. A big long red van pulled up on my right side about 5 parking spaces away and a group of younger people, 5 guys and 3 girls got out and starting setting up camp for the night. These guys really had the system down. First they put up a huge roof only tent, then they got out the tables and chairs, and every thing else needed to have that at-home feeling while on the road. They even had a big keg of beer with the iced server and everything. The only thing they forgot to bring was the kitchen sink. They started drinking and cooking and having a wonderful time. About 45 minutes before sunset, I decided it was time once again to get wet so off I went back into the sea. The wind had died down considerably and the waves were slow and low. Perfect for the final swim of the day. One of the younger people who I just mentioned above also decided it was time for a little body surfing and came out to join me. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have a body board and wasn't able to cruise back into shore. I stayed out in the warm water until I watched the sun sink below the horizon. What a nice view that was. Back on shore, I was changing clothes and drying off as I was watching the sky get darker and watching Jupiter and Venus get brighter. The sky was completely clear and the stars were becoming visible. As I was standing by the seawall enjoying the view, two of the younger people, one guy and one gal walked over to me and gave me a plastic cup filled with beer. I said "Thanks" and we talked for a while. It turns out they they live in the Nagayama District of Asahikawa. Chances are I will see their big red van there again in the future. After a brief chat, I went back over the the net chair by my van and sat down to watch the sky. Before I knew it, I was out. The next thing I remember is waking up when it was completely dark and the young peoples party was in full swing next door. I felt a little cold so I converted my van to sleeping mode, got inside and turned on the engine for 20 minutes. After that it was lights out for the day. Total driving distance today, 170 kilometers. See the photos for day 5.
I woke up with the sun at about 5:30 feeling very hungry. It then occurred to me that I didn't eat anything yesterday except for a ham and cheese sandwich at breakfast. I was having too much fun swimming and getting sunburned. And sunburned I was. I looked like a poster boy for Red Lobster Restaurants. I got out my small gas stove and a helmet shaped pan for Ghengis Khan BBQ and started cooking Korean Style Beef called Purukogi. It has beef, bean sprouts, sliced carrots and bell peppers all marinated in a spicy BBQ sauce. Yummy. I ate two helpings of that. After I washed the dishes and drank plenty of water, I sat down too decide what to do with the rest of the day. The weather again today was going to be hot and sunny and swimming was a viable option. The only problem was that if I get any more sunburned than I already am, I could get ill and not enjoy the next several days. I looked in my clothing bag to see if I had brought a long sleeved shirt with me and discovered that I hadn't. Good thinking Norman. Therefore, swimming again today would not be a good choice even though conditions were perfect. With that big decision out of the way, I got back on the road and decided to slowly drive down Route 231 as far as Hamamasu 浜益 and see what there was to see. I have been up and down this road several times before, so I wasn't expecting any big surprises. I went as far as the Umi no Yado Diner 海の宿 食堂 to eat some Sea Urchin Rice Bowl うに丼. Too my surprise, the Uni was all gone so, I had to settle for the Salmon Roe Rice Bowl いくら丼 instead. No problem there. After eating lunch, I got back onto Route 231 and headed back towards Rumoi 留萌. Along the way I saw some SCUBA divers and surfers. I wanted to swim again, but I was already well done and in no need of further baking. Not only did get a scarlet sunburn, but while I was sleeping in my net chair outside of my van last night, the insects and other flying vermin had a Luau on my body. A Luau is a Hawaiian Style feast held on the beach. And feast they did. I had stings and bites from my head to my toes, not to mention a good number on my ass. This shows one disadvantage of the net chair. After I got back to Rumoi, I reluctantly turned onto Route 57 for the short drive back to Asahikawa. Part of the Expressway was open free of charge, so I drove along that portion of it for the first time. It is a very nice straight road and the speed limit was 70 kph. The free ride ended at Fukagawa 深川 and I got back onto slowpoke Route 57. Then onto Route 12 and back to Asahikawa. As I entered the Daiba area of Asahikawa, I decided to stop at the nearest car wash and get the sea salt and other grit off of my van. Then, I filled up the gas tank at Usami Idemitsu and it was back to Kagura and home sweet home. I got back home at around 16:00 and took a shower right away. It was a great road trip, but I'm a bit tired out. Total driving today, 260 kilometers. Total driving distance for the entire six days, 1961 kilometers. The price of gasoline was the most expensive part of this vacation. No photos taken on this day, day 6.
Welcome 教室の住所 営業時間 システム オリジナル教材兼学習レベル スノーマン先生 旭川
北海道 写真館 エッセイ 台本の英訳 和英翻訳 BLOG links
旭川英会話スクール
Copyright © Snowman Bei Kaiwa 1996-2006