Hokkaido countryside. Photos by Mike Malarkey
So, a day by day breakdown of what we did (mostly for my own records than your reading pleasure, so please excuse the length:
Saturday
We assembled at 12pm and then drove forever (3 hours) to Noboribetsu 登別, a touristy onsen (温泉hot spring) resort town. There, most of us overcame our fear of being seen naked (and of naked bodies in general) and entered a luxurious onsen that featured salt, iron water, and sulfur water, and a small pool of numbingly cold water. The whole experience was incredibly relaxing - the outdoor onsen in particular was a real treat. No pictures, of course.
Top left, cw: Bento dinner, dorms, dining hall, view from dining hall
After a delicious bento style dinner we drove for another hour or so to "Forest Kouzan", the Noboribetsu Nature Center, where we spent the night. The place reminded me of the various camps I've been to since elementary school. A few of us decided to go on a walk at around 9pm - please bear in mind that this place was located off an unlit road in the middle of Nature. The white lines on the road reflected bright in our eyes as we gradually adjusted to the darkness that engulfed us... we must have walked for at least an hour... it was quite surreal, an experience that I realized at the time can never be fully captured on film nor in words (not mine at least).
Sunday
River trekking
Woke up, had breakfast, and then half of us embarked on a river trekking adventure (the other half went to a foot onsen, lame)! We were all given water shoes and helmets and life jackets to put on before we sloshed our way up a river, stopping at two places with water deep enough (though not necessarily warm enough) to swim in. The bento we carried with us up the river could not have been more delicious after our arduous journey.
Success! Photo by Wilson Velasco
After we returned and showered, we returned to the bus and drove to a Hakodate University research center in Ootaki 大滝, where we spent the night. Despite being half as cheap (450 yen), the layout and facilities of this place was similar and possibly better than the nature center. With nothing to do once we arrived, some of us decided to go on a trip to the nearest combini to buy some fireworks! Fireworks/sparklers (花火 hanabi) are legal and apparently quite safe in Japan - I was shocked to find that they're sold in almost every combini and there are no restrictions on who can purchase them. Photos coming soon once I get them from Loide.
We had a good time trying out the different types of hanabi before heading back to the center to meet our 9pm curfew. The rest of the night was spent hanging out and playing beigoma, a Japanese top spinning game.
Monday
Wilson showing off his mukkuri talent
Having stayed up late the night before, most of us were exhausted and cranky and whiny on Monday morning. Our first stop was the Ainu museum, which turned out to be a hyper-touristy, artificial attempt at constructing a cultural experience. We fed caged bears, watched an Ainu music/dance performance, and then took a short lesson in playing the mukkuri, an Ainu instrument that involves holding a piece of wood between your lips and yanking on a string. It's hard. Sadly the Ainu museum was so low in cultural/informational value - I didn't learn much about the Ainu people at all.
Genghis Khan
Then we drove to Showa Shinzen (stopping first to look at Toyako) for a Genghis Khan lunch. In Hokkaido "Genghis Khan" refers to a barbeque style meal featuring lamb and cabbage/bean sprouts - oishii! Then we were taken to walk around the Usu volcano crater... the Usu volcano erupted 8 years ago, and the destruction was preserved such that tourists can marvel at the crushed cars and houses. There I also tried many exotic soft serve flavors including almond pudding, rose, lavendar, and wasabi.
And then we drove for 3 hours back to Hakodate, bringing the trip to an anticlimactic end.
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