We said goodbye to our seaside home and drove south to the city of Kushiro for its Ainu culture, famed marimo balls and red-crowned cranes. Our first stop in Kushiro was in Ainu Kotan Village next to Lake Akan at the tiny rustic restaurant Poronno serving traditional Ainu cooking. Although the Ainu are the indigenous […]
Japan
Hokkaido, Part VI: Shiretoko & Rausu
We were all bundled up for our guided hike this morning through the Shiretoko Five Lakes region inside the Shiretoko National Park. Because of its remote location Shiretoko is home to many endangered species, and the goverment takes great pains to protect it. From May 10 to July 31, during peak brown bear season, an […]
Hokkaido, Part V: Shari & Shiretoko
Sadly, we had to say sayonara to the beautiful Auberge Kita No Dan Dan hotel this morning for the drive east to the town of Shari. Coastal route 244 took us to Kitahama Station, the train station closest to the drift ice that comes from Russia across the Sea of Okhotsk in the winter. The […]
Hokkaido, Part IV: Asahikawa & Abashiri
Time for some city life. Our next destination would have been too long of a drive from Biei, so we stopped off at Asahikawa, Hokkaido’s second largest city, for its famous zoo and shoyu ramen. The Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa is one of Japan’s most famous due to its unique enclosures, which allow visitors to […]
Hokkaido, Part III: Furano & Biei
Today we drove northeast to farm country. The farther we drove the sight of cars and buildings gave way to rolling green hills, stretches of vegetables in the making and the most unbelievable flower farms. Our first stop was at Hakone Dairy Farm for a lesson in cow milking. Realizing how time consuming it […]
Hokkaido, Part II: Noboribetsu & Lake Toya
We picked up our rental car today complete with an Audrey Hepburnish-voiced GPS navigation system advising us to “take a break” when we drove for two hours without stopping. Yet another reason why we love Japan. The nicest rental car employee on the planet patiently guided us through our route and even calculated tolls for […]
Hokkaido, Part I : Sapporo & Otaru
Put on your comfy pajamas, pop a big tub of popcorn and settle down with your favorite beverage for our next travel series — Hokkaido. My travel installments are usually broken down by country, but given the size of Hokkaido and the length of time we spent here I felt that it deserved its own […]
Japan, Part VI: Kyoto and Osaka
The peace and quiet of early morning is priceless, especially when sightseeing. On our last day in Kyoto, I was the sole beneficiary of an entire block of cherry blossoms just by waking up a couple of hours before everyone else. So worth it. I eased my way through the streets of Gion, enjoying […]
Japan, Part V: Kyoto (東京)
We dragged our feet this morning, sad to leave our beautiful machiya behind for our next home, the Kinoe ryokan. A ryokan is a Japanese inn where guests are pampered and served multi-course dinners and breakfasts en suite. In hindsight, a ryokan that accepts children probably should have been a red flag, since the luxurious […]
Japan, Part IV: Kyoto (京都)
After taking it easy the day before we were all set to go hard again. We set out early to beat the crowds at one of Kyoto’s iconic sights, Kinkaku-ji Temple, or Golden Pavilion. This Buddhist temple is popular for its gold plating and reflection in ‘mirror pond’ and the gorgeous surrounding landscaping. Despite […]