There are 3 routes to the top and two of them use gondolas (lifts). Wondering how we should go up and thinking that coming all the way to Hokkaido to do mountain climbing, using a gondola seems like cheating, I decided to use the pure route without one.
We drove to the entrance. The entrance was at a height of 750m, so the actual height we were climbing was 558m. And it was a straight track. To be honest, it was more like trekking rather than mountain climbing but for my wife and I, who do not exercise regularly, it turned out to be a hard enough climb (Yes, to me it was proper mountain climbing!) According to the morning weather report, it was supposed to rain the next day, so it was cloudy. I thought it was a bit disappointing not to have clear sky but some locals told me later that the sun would be too strong and we would be sweating like pigs if it had been sunny at this time of the year, so we were lucky.
After signing our names in the visitor book at the entrance, we left. At the beginning, we were talking and joking together but after 10 minutes or so, a gap started to open between our children and us. The children kept walking ahead of us. But we could not give up then, so we kept our pace and walked step by step. At a certain height, we started seeing Mt Iwanuopuri, massive in scale behind us. As we were walking up, Mt Iwanuopuri got lower and lower. Being encouraged by that, we kept going by having a break now and then.
There are quite a few bears in Hokkaido and some live in Niseko where nature has not been spoiled yet. Among some local climbers, we saw some carrying bells to scare bears away. When our children disappeared out of our sight, my wife was worried they would be attacked by bears. However, I did not have time to worry about others: I had to worry about myself, whether I was going to make it to the top or not. Not even sparing a thought for their parents, the children were there at the top looking a bit bored from waiting.
At the top, we saw Yoteizan. We could not see it until we got there because it is right behind the mountain we were climbing. Without a cloud, it was towering up grandly. We did think about climbing Yoteizan instead but we gave up after checking that it would be an all-day walk and would need proper preparation. Watching it from there, I thought Yoteizan was not a mountain to climb but one to watch from a distance. Taking a few family shots at the top, we decided to go back quickly because it was quite windy. It took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to go up and 1 hour and 10 minutes to come down.When we got back to the car park, we had some rice balls for lunch and decided to hop in an Onsen somewhere to relieve our worn out bodies. Around Niseko, it is a volcanic area and I heard that there are lots of famous Onsens and you can be satisfied whichever one you hop in. Driving around deciding which one, I saw a “Koikawa Onsen” sign at a Japanese style inn and went in to use the Onsen only.
Not knowing anything about this Onsen, we just went in but the car park was full even though it was daytime on a weekday. The inn was an old wooden building and you could easily guess it had been there for a long time. At the entrance, we saw a lantern with a print of “Japan Secluded Hot Spring Association”. At the end of the wooden corridor, straight from the entrance, there was the Onsen. In it, the bathtub was yellow. A lot of hot water was coming out of a tap and when I saw it closely, I saw some particles of iron in it. No wonder the water was brown. Because of the amount of iron contained in the water, even the tiles of the bathroom were brown. This indicated that the source of the hot water was spring. Beside the outdoor bath, there was a waterfall. Surrounded by the woods and looking at the waterfall, it was very pleasant. In winter, it would be even better with snow added to the scene and just imagining it, I felt great. While I was in the water, more and more people joined us.When I got back home, I checked this place on the internet. It was the oldest Onsen in the area and for people who are mad about Onsen, it is one of the best Onsens in Hokkaido. After 3 nights of using a bath in modern hotels, it was nice to experience an old real Onsen. Feeling refreshed inside and outside, we went back to Hakodate.
★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/
(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955
No comments:
Post a Comment