Hotel New Oharu Kitami

... Anpanman (Japanese cartoon character) Shop'. On my map it looked all within walking distance. After half an hour of walking and then seeing a sign that said '2kms', I still persevered because I underestimated the distance and length of time it took to walk 2kms. I decided to turn back after an hour as I had to catch the damn bus...So not such a productive day. At the start of my trip, I thought..."How nice it would be to live in the ...

... When will I learn to stop following tourists? Ended up on a promontory with nice views but difficulty getting down from--45 degree slopes on both sides into valleys, where the ski paths were. And snow shoes not really built to descend, climb that type of incline. I basically had to slide down on my ass, in a split position to increase surface area and slow down, through the trees. Keeping one leg in front to try to catch the trees before I whizzed down into what could be a ...

Abashiri is famous for having the harshest prison in the country. I think the old version of it was but the current buildings are much better. I visited the prison museum which has removed the old buildings and reconstructed them in the museum so you can see what conditions were like. It was very interesting even if I did get a little spooked ...

... we continued our Hokkaido snow adventure in epic conditions for our entire stay. Despite all of the powder in bounds I spotted a few lonely tracks on a nearby mountain face which were to good to pass up. The steepest and deepest turns thus far. Well worth the hike out! We also did a day trip to a rippin' little ski area called Kamui. It was out in the middle of nowhere and Fiona and I played spot the westerner and did not see another ...

... day, we headed straightaway to the aerial ropeway which took us to about 6,000 feet where we could walk a couple of miles of trails to views of the snow-covered Asahidake peak. There had been some early snow which had begun to melt in spots, so it was a soggy walk for ill-equipped us. Still, the panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and the lowlands stretching back to Asahikawa were splendid ...

... readily reached by road, the spot is a magnet for tour buses and has a bustling tourist shop seasonally featuring Hokkaido produce. We had a delicious slice of melon as we watched the holidaymakers shop for curios. The modest access fee to the Lake Mashu viewpoint also includes access to Mount Iou, a slightly elevated volcano that last erupted 600 years ago. Dotted by bright yellow fumaroles where sulfurous steam is vigorously spewed, tt is rather stinky and surreal with its ...

... orientation given that evening in Japanese. By chance, there was a visitor there that night who was able to do some translation for us, but it sounded like much of the hiking was beyond our stamina and equipment. We settled for the easy, but rewarding short hike around several small lakes. Cutting short our planned stay in Shiretoko we decided to head to Akan National Park the next morning.

... y salmon, lo caracteristico de la zona. Y aprovechandome de todas las degustaciones de dulces (bastante poco dulces, por cierto) que dan por la calle, que para algo soy un mochilero. Tren a Sapporo, la capital y 5 ciudad de Japon en poblacion, y enlace certero y predecible con otro tren que me lleva a Wakkanai, la punta mas noroccidental de la isla, en 5 horitas. Antes paro a comprar un mapa de trekking de las islas que voy a visitar, asi como del parque ...

Realising that, with the funds dry, there would be zero possibility for le ski once we were back in Europe, Anti and I decided to try our luck in the very north of Japan. Skiing happens within a couple of hours of Tokyo, but if you're going pre-Christmas, it seems you've got to make the journey to the northern-most island - Hokkaido. The journey's a slog - 12 hours and ...

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