As mentioned in my previous post, driving in Hokkaido is nothing short of convenience. As the places we visited were mostly outside of the main city, having a car to transport eight of us seemed to be a better option to explore around. But, if you decided to do the same, do get ready to burn a hole in your pocket. The toll fee here, could be as higher that the petrol fee. For instance, driving from Asahikawa to Sapporo which was around 140 km apart, the toll was 3900 yen. Quick conversion that gave you MYR 150. Petrol fee that cost around 140 yen per litre, seemed be relatively cheaper in pale comparison. Regardless, this is not to discourage from driving here. All costs in Japan are generally on the higher side.
Yours truly with our rented Toyata Alphard, at one of our home stays.
Lake Toya
After four hours drive from Asahikawa, we checked in at Yutorelo Toyako which was within vicinity from the large lake. It looked so fancy from the inside and it only came to my realisation that this was the most expensive stay throughout our trip, 48000 yen for two Japanese-style rooms, with one private toilet each. We had a quick rest before having dinner nearby, Muroran Yakitori, a decision we almost regretted. The food was great; the pork skewers were a delight and the grilled squids were nyum. We were turned off by the waitress who was adamant for each of us to order a drink and warm water didn't count. Unsure it was a scam for tourists who couldn't comprehend Japanese but we were hungry after a long drive so we just went along with it. It was showering mildly as we exited the eateries but it didn't stop us going to the lake to catch the fireworks show with boat service available to have closer look. We didn't think the show would go on due to the rain as some of the fireworks were actually covered by the clouds.
Our stay in Lake Toya.
Almost felt like staying on high end hotel at this lobby
These pork skewers were such delish!
I felt I would miss out if I don't have this in Hokkaido
Fireworks show at Lake Toya. Only from May to October.
Yukata was provided in the room and we took this opportunity to have our Japanese style family portrait. The place included onsen as one of its facilities. Didn't manage to persuade the whole family to join me for the Japanese experience, two of my brothers and I found our way to the public bath. Undressed ourselves, we found warmth as we dipped into the hot pool of 40 degree Celcius in the cold rainy night. I went for another round of bath in the morning before we went for a walk at the lake. The weather was still on its grey side of the day and the lake water was quite clear as I can see the bottom from the edge. There were some footbaths provided along the walkway. Had herring fish (tasted sweet) for lunch before dropping by Toya Volcanic Eruption Memorial Park. The buildings here were left abandoned after eruption of nearby Mt Usu in the year 2000. Dam was built to prevent mudflow to the town in the event of future potential eruption.
Me in yukata before onsen session.
There was segregation between male and female public bath, obviously.
Lake Toya, volcanic caldera lake with Nakajima Island in the middle
Sweet herring fish for lunch
Abandoned buildings after Mt Usu eruption in 2000
One storey of this block was buried by the mud
Dam that shall protect the nearby community. As of date, Mt Usu is still an active volcano.
Noboribetsu
Forty minutes drive away from Lake Toya is the town of Noboribetsu, which is famous for its onsen resorts. In fact, it was claimed to be the largest hotspring town in Hokkaido. However, we didn't find ourselves dipping into any of those pools as the primary attraction here was the Jigokudani, or Hell Valley, with the sulfurous smell of steams vented from the body of mother earth. It was free to enter. There was Bear Park nearby in which we skipped. We overlooked there was Snow Monkey Park though the best time to visit is during winter season when tendency of the monkeys to have their public bath is higher.
Visible steam, totally not odourless smell from this valley
A little tracking brought us to Oyunuma Pond
Cute signage of the toilet. Men's was on the right.
Spotted few of these devils statues around town
Shiraoi
Our next homestay was just another thirty minutes away in the suburb of Shiraoi and I must say, it was the best stay yet and I wasn't sure if any other place can top it, with affordable rate of course. Toshi, I believe, that's the name of the owner and his wife, a loving looking elderly couple, patiently explained whereabouts in the house despite of their limitation to speak in English. They talked to an app on their phone in Japanese and showed us the translation. Sometimes the app would pick up their words wrongly and they needed to repeat themselves. The house came with its own onsen and their yard was beautifully decorated. There was a steam room but couldn't be fixed due to obsolete technology which meant high repair cost. The yard seemed to be a nice place to have a bbq and the next thing you know, they have the bbq set, too. Coincidentally, it was Shiraoi Port Festival and we could hear the fireworks from our place. By the time we made it there after our BBQ session, the festival has ended though.
Self check-in device. It even came with sound level meter.
Private onsen.
Japanse style yard.
BBQ Night in Shiraoi
Spotted this fox as we drove out at night
Sapporo/Chitose
For our very last day in the trip, we drove back to Sapporo to do last minute souvenirs shopping at Sapporo Station. I bought almost a hand carry luggage size of food snacks back. Generally, any purchase that is beyond 5000 yen can be tax free for tourists and the items will be sealed and can only be unwrapped upon departure from Japan. We checked in our place at Chitose before returning our car. The place seemed to be run by Mainland Chinese and apparently there were lots of Malaysians have stayed there before.
Last morning in Hokkaido. This photo was taken at 5am local time.
We arrived at the airport rather early, around 3 hours before our scheduled 9.30am flight back to Malaysia but most of the shops would only open at 8am. Our flight was retimed several times due to congested air traffic which apparently caused by military aircrafts. We waited in our plane for another hour upon boarding before finally taking off, leaving the Land of the Rising Sun.
Pikachu wonders where to next.
Hokkaido has shown me another side of Japan, the serenity and peace and still doesn't lack of the hospitality of the locals, despite of the minor incident at the airport though that situation can't be helped. I started to miss the vending machines or the mouth watering milk ice cream of Hokkaido. I see myself to return for different season.
Generally people will think of cherry blossoms when it comes to Japan. As a matter of fact, April is said to be the best time for it. However, visiting Hokkaido in the month of July, or may be early August is to witness different kind of blooming. There are a number of lavender fields across northern of Hokkaido but most famous is the one in Furano, or possibly the nearest to Sapporo which is about 2 hours drive away. For this next leg of journey, we rented a car for the ease of transporting as next few pitstops are scattered around the prefecture. Train can be still an option for intercity travel but personal car will give you more flexibility, with higher cost definitely.
Electronic bidet toilet would be the second thing when you ask me about Japam
I booked our car through tabirai.net and the confirmation was almost instant without any booking fee. No credit/debit card details was required. I was actually hesitant at first whether my booking did go through but afterwards I read that most of the car rentals sites in Japan rely on trust and honesty with their customers and hence, no prepayment for each booking. Surely enough, as we arrived at Times Car Rental in Otaru, we have our car ready, 8-seater Toyota Alphard. For the course of four days, the rental was 87, 320 yen (MYR 3313), insurance included. That excluded petrol and toll. We have a quick inspection on our car before commencing the journey further north. For Malaysians, international driving license is required, with a fee of MYR 150 (as of July 2019) and validity of one year.
Furano
Upon our arrival our arrival at Furano, we passed by Choei Lavender Farm and Nakafurano Flower Park and we decided to drop by. The hill was filled with multi-coloured flowers in which I didn't know their names with purple lavenders occupied the top of the hill. There was a chairlift that cost 400 yen for return trip to the top, alternative of walking up the slopy hill. Despite of the cloudy weather, the view from the top was still mesmerising, overviewing the green peaceful flat land of Furano. Not far from the park is the renowned Tomita Farm. The site seems to be more established with ample parking spaces, eateries and souvenirs shop. Obviously, there was more crowd at this farm compared to the previous park. The scale of the farm was way much bigger but it was unfortunate that the cloudy weather earlier progressed to shower hence we couldn't cover much. These farms were free to enter.
These green fields reminded me of Sekinchan
This is to use the chairlift to the top. Alternative is to walk up the hill.
Slowly ascending...
Posing against the magnificent serene view of Furano. There were few mountains in the background which were hidden by the clouds.
This park was smaller than Tomita Farm but not less charming. Minimal crowd allowed us to pace ourselves enjoying the flowers.
One of the sections for Tomita Farm
Lavender-flavoured Ice Cream to conclude our visit at the park
Asahikawa
Another hour drive away is the city of Asahikawa. Upon settling down at our stay, it was already dark and it was time for dinner. After much of searching, we decided to dine at one of the izakayas, which now I know it meant Japanese pub. That explained why the other customers were talking so loudly at the place because, essentially, that's what people do at the pub. We ordered hotpot and I found myself enjoyed grilling the squids.
Found this place through AirBnB. Japanese style home with only one toilet, with separated shower room.
Beef tongue. Nyums
Grilling squids. This wasn't my intended order but it turned out just as well.
The highlight of this part of Hokkaido was Asahiyama Zoo. The zoo was clean and the animals diversity was commendable; from penguins to seals; from monkeys to hawks, you name it. The park was accessible with 820 yen for adults. There was a crowd that was fascinated by "orang utan", native to our country. We strolled around the zoo for about three hours before driving off to another destination.
King Julian detected in Japan, and his clan
I think this was the first time I saw this species, and reminded me of Monkey character in Kung Fu Panda
Reindeer in the north, though Christmas duty was still months away.
I guess Ghost decided to retire here after Game of Thrones ended.
This polar bear was chilling at the edge after swimming around in front of the visitors
This penguin seemed to be going solo.
Trivia question: Can you tell the difference between emperor and king penguin?
You are able to see the animals up close, even when they are within their enclosure, like the seal here
