Hokkaido Trip (Day 2)

We awoke early in the morning: 6.30am and went to breakfast. It was a what the Japanese call Baikingu, or buffet-style. There were two tables with food; we walked down the first, scowling at the strange Japanese food on offer for breakfast (who seriously wants to eat white radishes for breakfast?). Then we discovered the second table: filled with croissants, rolls, potato wedges, sausages, bacon, etc. we were delighted.

We hopped back on the bus and were away by 8.00am. We passed by the famous Abashiri maximum-security prison, and then later the old Meiji-era's prison's gate. We arrived at a northern coast and boarded the Aurora II, an ice-breaking boat. However, our journey was impact free, the ice flows having not even made it down to Hokkaido this year (global warming was cited as the cause). We sailed straight north for about 30 minutes, before turning around and coming back. There were plenty of seagulls, though, that people delighted in feeding.

We went next to Tentozan, the Abashiri Quasi-National Park, where there was an ice museum. They had a cold room at about -15°C, into which they had placed drift ice recovered from the sea (why, I do not know). People were given damp flannels, which hardened when spun around in the chilling air. Also, in the museum, was an outdoor observation post. High on a mountain, we could see clearly for miles around, including one of the frozen lakes nearby.

For lunch, we were driven to a restaurant away from civilisation, presumably so that we couldn't escape, but were left free to sit on our own. I had crab gratin, which was delivered by a bouncy waitress. We then did a quick shop, a.k.a. sample grab, from the shop next door.

Our next stop was the highlight of the day. The Lake Mashuuko, inside the Akan National Park. We were struck by the locations beauty imediately: high up a mountain, overlooking a completely frozen lake, surrounded by snowy-mountains. It looked surreal, as if it had been a painting. Our initial enjoyment was cut short by the necessary "group photograph" by the lake, in the freezing cold air. However, after this was over, we were not simply herded back into the coach, as we feared, but were instead allowed to roam the area. It was hard to draw yourself away from the scene, however, despite the cold. Many a photo was taken.

We then drove onto lake Akan, another frozen lake. This one could walk on and there were people fishing through small holes in the ice, and riding snowmobiles. Kanashima, Notomi, James, Lauma, and I paid for a ride on a "banana boat." It looked like two inflatable bananas, side-by-side, on which up to six people could sit. We wore crash helmets and were dragged around by a rope attached to a snowmobile. We went over small bumps, and through small puddles. The second half of the journey - the return - was more adventurous, with the snowmobile propelling us into powerslides, through which, a strong grip was required to prevent falling off the banana. The others went shopping, and Katherine and Adriana found a real-life Ainu man who made a carving for them.

Our final stop of the day was to a "Cheese and Wine" producer, where we tasted a little cheese, some camembert cheese cake, and sweet, red bean soup. We then proceeded to the main shopm past there odd collections of old motorbikes, telephones, milk containers, and a photo collection of Chiharu Matsuyama, an Hokkaidan singer.

We arrived at the next hotel, where we were again greeted by a banquet. This time the main staple was crab, and lots of it: a whole hairy crab, half another crab, and two larger legs. These were eaten with the provided pair of scissors and metal prong. Some of us had fun performing "autopsies" on the creatues, though none of us could bring ourselves to eat the mushy insides.

We went to bed after another relaxing onsen session: not as many pools to choose from, but the outside one had large snow hills within arms reach. The room arrangements were the same as for the previous night.