Category: Travel

Eastern Hokkaido is home to many lakes, such as Lake Akan, Lake Kussharo, Lake Abashiri, and Lake Saroma.
Among them, Lake Mashu is a volcanic lake and is known as the clearest lake in Japan.
It is said that the visibility can reach up to 41.6 meters, but currently, it is about 20 meters. It is one of the famous attractions in Eastern Hokkaido.

This nostalgic journey aims to revisit the destination of my first overseas trip in 2005.
That year marked my first time traveling abroad, my first visit to Japan, and my first trip to Hokkaido.
The first place I stayed overnight was at Lake Akan in Kushiro.
In Kushiro, I had two main goals: to enjoy ice cream near the Kushiro Japanese Crane Reserve and to visit Lake Akan Onsen Street.

Comfort Hotel Kushiro, a business hotel near JR Kushiro Station.
The hotel offers a simple free breakfast and is affordable, making it suitable for business travelers.
However, there are many hotels near JR Kushiro Station.
If you prefer a more substantial breakfast, you might consider Kushiro Royal Inn.

Lake Nukabira is home to many arch bridges.
This time, I made a special trip from Obihiro to Lake Nukabira just to see the vanishing arch bridge – Taushubetsu River Bridge
By the way, if you plan to visit this bridge, remember to bring a telephoto lens, preferably 200mm or more.

Tired of seeing lavender everywhere?
There are many types of lavender, but most are either deep purple or light purple.
At the Colorful Scented Hill, there’s also a very light-colored lavender, which is white lavender.

The Japanese movie “Poppoya” is quite an old film.
I only remember the actors Ken Takakura, Ryoko Hirosue, and Ken Shimura.
Then there’s Ken Takakura, working on the snow-covered platform, eventually lying down on the platform buried in snow. The storyline is quite touching.
This time, I visited Ikutora Station, which is the main setting “Horomai Station” in the movie.

I had read about Miyama Pass in books a long time ago, but didn’t have much of an impression.
This time, I happened to pass by, so I decided to stop and take a look~
The famous attraction here is this Ferris wheel.

If Farm Tomita is my top summer destination in Hokkaido,
then Hinode lavender garden definitely ranks second…
Having visited before.
I already had a good impression of the park.
This time, my fondness for it has grown even more~

I visited Northwest Hill Observatory Park many years ago.
Revisiting this place is quite interesting.
Especially for these words, these ears of corn…
“Incredibly Delicious”

In 2009, I planned to visit Zerubu‘s Hill.
but I didn’t do enough research and couldn’t find it, so I didn’t go~
This time, I was driving myself and accidentally passed by, so I stopped to take a look~
I remember the first time I saw Zerubu‘s Hill was in 2005 when I came to Hokkaido with a tour group, viewing the scenery from the tour bus… and it was through the glass window.
At that time, I thought: Wow~ so beautiful~
(It was my first time traveling abroad, so I was easily amazed…)