[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 5 February 2017]
Day 4 – 10 December 2016, Saturday
This morning, I woke up at about 6:30am. When I pulled open the curtains, I was greeted by the marvellous view of Lake Akan (阿寒湖) in front of me. It was a rather gloomy morning and the distant end of the lake was still obscured by fog and the early morning mist. I could imagine what a splendid view it must be in summer, and how nice it would be to sit in front of the window and sip hot matcha tea while enjoying the view.
Breakfast was good as usual, with a delectable spread of Western and Japanese food. Besides milk and soft serve ice cream, Reiko had also recommended us to try the red beans in Hokkaido, as they are especially large and sweet compared with the ones elsewhere. Very yummy!
After filling our tummies, we ventured out of the hotel to take some photos by the lake. It had started to snow very heavily again. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was going to be a record-breaking day of snowfall in Hokkaido. 65cm of snow fell in Sapporo alone – the heaviest snowfall in early December for 30 years. The heavy snow would cause chaos as hundreds of flights were cancelled and thousands of stranded tourists were forced to sleep at the airport. In fact, shortly after we returned to Singapore, there was another bout of heavy snow and more flight cancellations, so we were really lucky to have avoided being caught amid the disruptions.
At 8:35am, we set off from Lake Akan in an easterly direction towards Lake Mashu (摩周湖), about 53km away. The drive was very scenic and it didn’t feel long when we arrived at 9:30am. Lake Mashu is a crater lake and it is said to be the clearest lake in the world. In 1931, the transparency of the lake was measured at 41.6m, making it the clearest in the world, after beating Lake Baikal’s (Siberia) 40.5m. Today, the transparency has been reduced to around 20m.
Lake Mashu is often clouded by fog, which adds to its mysteriousness. Indeed, when we were there, it was misty but there were small pockets of sunshine when the sky cleared briefly and we had a decent view of the lake. We went up to the observation deck above the gift shop and had an unobstructed view of the lake, but it was super cold as there was nowhere to hide from the strong winds. Like Lake Akan, the beauty of Lake Mashu was diminished by the fog and cloudy skies. However, the trees surrounding the lake were all covered in snow and the intricate web of tree branches in disparate patterns provided a stunning sideshow, accentuating the lake’s beauty.
After one hour, we departed Lake Mashu and went to the nearby Mt. Iō (硫黄山), just a 23-minute drive away. The name Mt. Iō means “sulphur mountain”. It is an active volcano and yellow sulphur deposits can usually be seen on the mountain slopes. However, as it was winter, snow had covered the yellow sulphur deposits but we could still see the smoking sulphurous vents emanating from the ground and smell the distinctive ‘rotten eggs’ whiff in the air. In normal times, tourists can go quite close to the vents but on this winter day, the snow was too thick so we didn’t venture forward and just observed from a distance.
As there wasn’t too much to see, we only spent about 40 minutes at Mt. Iō before moving on to our lunch destination, Lake Kussharo at Sunayu (砂汤). It was just a 13-minute drive and we arrived at 11:40am.
Lake Kussharo is another crater lake, even larger than Lake Akan and Lake Mashu combined. It is so large that it feels more like an ocean rather than a lake, with the illusion helped by the strong waves lapping onto the shore. It reminded me of the lakes that I visited in Tibet, which were huge as well.
Sunayu is famous for the white swans that gather here. The surface of the lake freezes in winter but the edge of the lake here at Sunayu does not freeze because there is a natural hot spring at the lakeside. Thus, it forms a bath exclusively for the swans and they congregate here to enjoy the hot spring water. However, they were apparently all on holiday somewhere and not a single white swan was to be seen. There were some ducks though.
As there was only one restaurant here at Sunayu and other tour groups too, we waited a long time for our turn, only having our lunch at 12:30pm. It was a hot plate style, with lots of vegetables and pieces of salmon, as well as sashimi and tempura. It was not bad, something different for a change.
At 1:18pm, we departed Sunayu and drove towards Shiretoko Peninsula. As we hugged the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, we witnessed real, powerful waves crashing into the shoreline. It was quite a majestic sight. At 2:50pm, we arrived at Oshinkoshin Falls for a brief stopover.
Oshinkoshin Falls is located just beside the main road and a tunnel. To see the falls, you will need to climb a relatively short flight of steps. From the foot of the steps, all the other tour members decided against climbing up to see the falls because it was too cold and they probably thought there wasn’t much to see as it was all covered in snow. So I ended up being the only one to climb all the way up. Reiko did join me shortly after but she didn’t go all the way to the top.
The falls were split into two parts, side by side. The left side was completely frozen while water gushed down from the right side. They weren’t very tall, maybe only about 20m. As half of the falls were frozen and the surrounding areas were all covered in white snow, it didn’t feel very impressive. Nevertheless, Oshinkoshin Falls was selected as one of Japan’s 100 most beautiful waterfalls in 1990. Maybe it was ranked number 99 or 100?
After taking a few photos (Reiko and I helped each other take snapshots), we left the falls for our hotel, arriving at 3:20pm. This is the earliest we have ended our day. But it was fine because it gave us more time to enjoy our 5-star hotel, which was the best of the trip so far.
Shiretoko Grand Hotel Kitakobushi
Address: 172 Utoro Higashi, Shari-cho, Shari-gun, Hokkaido
Tel: +81-152-24-2021
Website: www.shiretoko.co.jp
The hotel décor is splendid, with a huge and classy lobby. In the lounge, there was a self-playing piano and plush sofas. Very nice. The hotel room was very big, with tatami floor and futon beds. Even the yukata was nicer in design and of higher quality than those of the previous two days. I loved that they provided hand carry baskets for you to put your barang barang when you go to the onsen. So thoughtful.
As dinner was only to be served at 6:00pm, there was time for one round of onsen soaking before dinner. Mum and dad preferred to slowly unwind and relax in the hotel room so I went alone. Coming after yesterday’s disastrous onsen experience (maybe ‘disastrous’ is too strong a word, but it was certainly below expectations), today’s one was a whole different experience.
Befitting the stature of the hotel, the onsen was large and nicely furnished. In the dressing area, there were individual lockers for you to keep your belongings securely, so you don’t just leave them unattended in a basket on the shelf. The washing area was spacious and well stocked with branded horse oil (马油) and Shiseido toiletries. It was worth it to go shower there just to use the toiletries!
马油 products are quite popular here in Hokkaido because they are supposed to leave your skin/hair moisturised. My skin did feel “oily” after using the body wash. They’re not cheap though. I saw the shops selling a 1-litre bottle of 马油body wash for about ¥2,000 (S$26), so it’s good stuff!
The onsen was located on the 8th floor and the indoor baths had large glass windows with a commanding view of the ocean outside. That gave it a winning edge already. There were two big baths – one lower temperature and one medium temperature. The lower temperature one was lukewarm and it didn’t have enough kick, but it was definitely more suitable for older folks and you could stay in there longer. The medium temperature one was really hot, but I eventually managed to submerge myself fully. There was also a sauna and a small cold bath. It was a real pity the outdoor, open-air bath on the 9th floor was closed due to bad weather, otherwise it would have been perfect to soak on a winter day like this under the stars (which would probably be obscured by clouds, but you get the point).
Nevertheless, there was still the semi-outdoor bath, which was more like a rectangular stone tub, just big enough to fit four people. It had a glass half-length panel, offering a view of the ocean and allowing the outside breeze to come in. It was too dark to see anything actually but it was super shiok because of the cool wind blowing in. You get fresh air and it doesn’t feel so hot. However, the sulphur smell of the water here was quite strong. Well, at least that means that the water really comes from the hot spring beneath the earth.
After a good soak, I rejoined my family members for dinner. The buffet spread was incredible, certainly the best we have had so far. As usual, I whacked the sashimi. The beef steak was as good as the previous nights, while the green tea, hazelnut and pomelo ice cream were fabulous too.
After a filling dinner, there was nothing else to do but to go for another round of onsen! Everyone went this time. There’s nothing more relaxing than soaking in the onsen after dinner, and this is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. That brings us to the end of day 4. Midway through the trip now!
