[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 9 April 2017]
Day 5 – 11 December 2016, Sunday
This morning, after another splendid breakfast buffet, we reluctantly checked out of the hotel at 8:50am and proceeded to our first sightseeing activity at Shiretoko National Park, which was just a 10-minute drive away. We were here to see the Maiden’s Tear waterfall, aka Furepe no taki. It is the alternate programme for winter because the usual itinerary, Shiretoko Five Lakes, are closed from December to March. However, due to the heavy snowfall in Hokkaido two days ago, our trekking path to the waterfall was impeded and we progressed slowly.
Reiko led the way and we followed. The further we walked, the deeper the snow got. At first, it was ankle deep, then it was calf deep. After emerging from a clearing, we encountered an open area where the path was lost in the blanket of white. Reiko surveyed the landscape and ventured bravely forward. However, she soon assessed that it was foolish to go any further because the snow was simply too deep and might get even deeper the further we went, and it would take a long time to get to the waterfall and back again. Anyway, the falls are likely to be frozen because the Maiden’s Tear waterfall is not voluminous like Oshinkoshin, but rather, the flow is a fine stream, much like a maiden crying with her tears streaming down. So we proceeded no further and just posed for photos in the knee deep snow before making our way back slowly.
On this day, we were also not lucky enough to spot any wildlife in the national park. Along the way, Reiko pointed out to us deer prints in the snow but we didn’t see any deer in real life. Reiko later showed us photos from her previous trips here where she managed to spot deer. In the photos, the sky was blue and everything was so much more beautiful. But it can’t be helped, because this is nature and we cannot control the weather or the animals.
Back at the gift shop, we thawed out for a while to regain control of our fingers before departing at 10:26am. We then arrived at the Shiretoko National Park Visitor’s Centre at 10:55am. Here, Reiko brought us on a tour of the exhibits and she explained more about Shiretoko as a protected area where wildlife intervention is kept to a minimum. The locals try to preserve the sanctity of the place as much as possible, and that is the true value of Shiretoko as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’m happy to hear that so much emphasis is placed on conservation and preservation of nature. Tourism is great because it allows for more people to see and experience the beauty of the place, but it should never come at a cost of degenerating and altering the natural environment and habitat of the wildlife there.
After that, we left Shiretoko and headed towards the west. At 12:20pm, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the middle of somewhere. It was a steamboat/hot pot lunch with lots of seafood – crab, oyster, abalone, prawn, beef and vegetables. Finally, we got to eat some crabs. For this trip, I was expecting the meals and hotels to be good because of the “premium” price that we paid to Dynasty Travel, which is higher than what most other travel companies charge for a tour package to Hokkaido. So far, it had been acceptable but not exceptional. Today’s hot pot was not bad but it was rather rushed as we had less than an hour to enjoy it. But it was especially comforting in the cold -6 degrees Celsius weather. Honestly, it doesn’t make much difference if it is -3 or -10 degrees Celsius – it is still freakin’ cold!
Before I had really finished my food, we were told it was time to leave. Along the way to Abashiri, it snowed quite heavily at some parts, but luckily, we had some sun and blue skies in the afternoon when we reached the Okhotsk Ryo-hyo museum at 1:39pm.
Okhotsk is located in far east Russia, and the Sea of Okhotsk is surrounded by Russian territories with the exception of Hokkaido to the south. The Sea of Okhotsk is a rich fishing ground and a valuable area with oil and gas reserves. Abashiri is a popular destination where cruise boats go out to sea to witness the spectacular drift ice floating from the Sea of Okhotsk all the way to Hokkaido. The sea ice typically reaches the coast of Abashiri between January and March, and the peak period is during February. It is quite an impressive sight, with the entire sea covered with giant blocks of floating ice. The icebreaker ships are even equipped with drills to bore its way through. However, as it was only December when we visited, the ice had not drifted to Abashiri yet so we did not go on the icebreaking cruise.
At the Okhotsk Ryo-hyo museum, we watched an 8-minute short film simulating the drift ice experience. We then went into a freezer room set at -15 degrees Celsius where we saw giant chunks of the actual drift ice from the sea being kept here on display. Before entering the freezer, they handed us a piece of moist towel. The idea was to show us how cold it really is. So once inside the freezer, we swung the moist towel a few times and it stiffened quickly due to the low temperature causing the water to freeze. I think it would have been quite novel to visit the freezer during summer, simply to experience the -15 degrees cold. However, by this time, we were already so used to the cold so it was quite pointless to enter the freezer.
After that, we went up to the top of the building, where there was a viewing gallery with a good view of Abashiri. From up there, we could see the Sea of Okhotsk as well as Lake Abashiri, which had already frozen up for the winter. We didn’t linger for long and left at 2:32pm because it was still a long way to our next destination. Reiko was worried that we would be late and the place would be closed because it was winter and it was already getting dark quickly.
At 4:11pm, we arrived at the Kistune Fox Village. Thankfully, they were still open for us, and we were among the last visitors for the day. Reiko hurriedly got us our entrance tickets and ushered us into the grounds. We didn’t know what to expect because Reiko didn’t tell us much about it beforehand so we went in blindly.
Turned out it was an enclosure for foxes, where the numerous foxes could roam freely around the grounds, uninhibited. Reiko told us not to touch them because they may turn aggressive, so we mostly kept our distance. However, the foxes were so friendly they came real close to us. I think they were hoping we had food to feed them. Their tails were very bushy and they looked really cute with their eyes closed. They were really adorable and they don’t look menacing or cunning at all. Pity they had to suffer from a bad rep all these years!
As the sun had set, it was dark and very cold. We spent only about 10 minutes outdoors before we retreated into the comfort of the gift shop. Hard to imagine how thick the fur of those foxes must be, in order to withstand the bitter cold and snow outside. At 4:49pm, we departed Kitsune Fox Village, arriving at our hotel at Sounkyo almost exactly an hour later.
Sounkyo Kankou Hotel
Address: Kamikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido 078-1797
Tel: +81-(0)1658-5-3101
Website: http://en.sounkyo-kankou.co.jp/
Coming after yesterday’s superb 5-star hotel, tonight’s hotel was a big disappointment. It was old-fashioned and the room décor was tired. Our room was very cramped because of the three futons. We had to shift the furniture and stack the chairs in order to make space for our luggage. Actually what dad said is true. When we travel in a party of three, we lose out because we three of us have to cramp into a room that is usually meant for two, and yet we pay the same price per person. It is not as if they give you a discount for saving on one additional room. Unfortunately, that is the way it is.
With the hotel room disappointing us so far, we did not have high hopes for the buffet dinner. The beef steak was excellent as usual but the rest of the food were so so. It wasn’t bad, just of a different standard from the one yesterday. Even the service standards seemed to be different.
After dinner, there was only one thing left to do. This was the last night we would be having onsen at the hotel, so I went for it of course. At least it was still decent. However, the interesting thing is that the outdoor onsen here is a mixed bath and we were required to wear bathing suits, which were provided. The rationale for having the mixed bath is that it allows families to enjoy the onsen together.
The outdoor bath is directly connected to one indoor bath only, while the other indoor bath is a short distance away, separated by a common public area, where you have to be clothed in order to pass through. So only one gender can enjoy the convenience of using the indoor bath that is connected to the outdoor bath. The other gender will have to use the separated indoor bath to bathe, put on their robes, then walk a short way to the outdoor bath and disrobe again. So to make it fair, there is a schedule for the connected indoor bath, where it will be for men on some days and for women on other days. The baths are gender neutral and can be switched around.
On the day of my visit, the connected indoor bath was for women, so the guys had to use the separated indoor bath. It was a bit confusing and I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t see the entrance for the allocated male indoor bath and I went straight to the outdoor bath changing room. Before entering the outdoor bath, there was a small shower with only three standing showers so I showered there, in the cold. It was only later when I met one of the other guys from our tour group and he told me that I should have gone to the male indoor bath first, when I realised my mistake. Oh well.
The outdoor bath was open air and it was very big. It was like a giant swimming pool with rocks and hot water. It was very nice to soak in the hot spring with the cold night air around us. It would have been perfect if there were some light snowflakes falling, but there weren’t any. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable way to end the day. Last night in the outskirts, we will be heading towards the bright lights of Sapporo tomorrow!