Category: Japan
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Nemuro Peninsula: a day trip
One of my goals while in Japan is to visit the extreme points. On the Nemuro Peninsula lies Cape Nosappu, Japan’s easternmost point. Here is a sample itinerary for visiting this spot as well. Where to stay If you don’t have much free time on your trip and have decided not to hire/rent a car,…
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Cape Tachimachi: Looking at Honshu from Hokkaido
Located in the southernmost point of Hakodate, Cape Tachimachi is an excellent place to look over the bay to Honshu, Japan’s main (and largest) island. The name “Cape Tachimachi” has an interesting origin. The original name in Ainu means “the place where you stand and wait to hunt fish”. The Japanese have shorted meaning this…
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Hoppogensei Flower Garden: Horses and Hokkaido Flowers
Near Japan’s easternmost point on the Nemuro Peninsula lies Hoppogensei Flower Garden. I recently visited it during my trip around the peninsula. Hoppogensei Flower Garden is a relatively untouched area of land that features two things: horses and plants native to Hokkaido. In Japanese, “Hoppo” means northern, precisely what you will find here. While many…
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Oronko Rock: Overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk
Situated on at the edge of the town of Shari on the Shiretoko Peninsula, Oronko Rock sits overlooking the harbour. In fact you even have to go through an opening in a rock to get to the Aurora Cruise, which goes to the northeasternmost point in Japan. Oronko Rock sits very close to the town…
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Furetoi Observation Deck: Over the Okhotsk Coast and Shiretoko Peninsula
Just down the road from Koshimizu Genseikaen lies the Furetoi Observation Deck. As the name suggests, here you are able to observe something: Japan’s Okhotsk Coast and the nearby Shiretoko peninsula. Without further ado, please feast your eyes on these sights: Side note, the mascot for this area is a seal because this is where…
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Koshimizu Genseikaen: One of Hokkaido’s ‘primeval flower gardens’
If you visit the Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido in the east, one of the best places to go is the Genseikaen, or “primeval flower garden”, near Koshimizu. Koshimizu Genseikaen is a beautiful natural park that stretches on a thin piece of land between Lake Tofutsu and the Okhotsk Sea. A genseikaen (原生花園) is an area…
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Farm Tomita: Hokkaido in Bloom
When you hear the name Hokkaido, what do you think of? Milk? Cheese? Ice cream? Vegetables? Skiing? Mountains? Snow? Do you think of the summer flowers? If you want to go somewhere where there are fields upon fields of blooms in summer, look no farther than Farm Tomita in Nakafurano. Farm Tomita: A Working Flower…
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Tanbo Art Rice Field in Asahikawa, Japan
If you are ever in Asahikawa (Hokkaido, Japan) and want to see something interesting, slightly to the north is an art installation that changes every year. Rather than using the medium of clay, stone, paints or other traditional artistic matierls, JA Taisetsu has created a field where rice is the medium of choice. The Tanbo…
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R Hotels Inn: Review of a Japanese Business Hotel (Asahikawa, Japan)
About R Hotels Inn R Hotels Inn is a business hotel that welcomes Japanese and international business travellers. At the time of writing, it seems that the Asahikawa location is the only one they have, so it is not a chain. On the ground level is a small parking lot. They also have a garage…
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Almaz #205: A private, quiet place in Sapporo (Japan)
About Almaz #205 Almaz #205 is an apartment in Sapporo’s Higashi-ku Kita 23-jo area. This flat is one of about 13 apartments in the building, although only #205 is available for rent from Booking.com. As the number suggests, the room is on the second floor at the end of the hallway. You check in on…
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Cape Nosappu: Japan’s easternmost point
Located on the far eastern side of Hokkaido, Cape Nosappu is Japan’s easternmost point. One of my missions during my year-long trip of Japan is to visit all of the most extreme geographical points in the country. As of writing I have been to the northeasternmost point. Nemuro The largest town and gateway to Cape…
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Aurora Cruise: Cruising to Japan’s Northeasternmost Point
Shiretoko peninsula, home to the Shiretoko UNESCO Natural Heritage site, is Japan’s northeasternmost point. There are no roads or other ways to get there, so the only way to see that is by taking the Aurora Cruise from Utoro. Getting a ticket at the Aurora Cruise Ticket Office Aurora Cruises is a tour company that…
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Shiretoko Village: Hotel Review (Utoro, Japan)
About Shiretoko Village Shiretoko Village is a ryokan-style (Japanese inn) hostel and hotel with an onsen approximately 1 km from the centre of Utoro, a village in the Shiretoko UNESCO Natural Heritage Park. It sits partially up a hill in a forest away from other buildings and hotels. Shiretoko Village offers beds in dorms, individual…
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Shiretoko Goko: Hokkaido’s UNESCO Natural Heritage Lakes
Shiretoko (from the native Ainu siretok meaning “end of the Earth”) is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site located on Hokkaido’s northeasternmost peninsula. Not only does it have one of the richest, most integrated ecosystems in the world (especially the interplay between marine and alpine terrestrial ecology), not only is this the southernmost place in the…
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Hokkaido University Botanic Garden: Sapporo’s Green Sanctuary
The Hokkaido University Botanic Garden, situated in the city of Sapporo, offers a tranquil retreat for those interested in nature and botany. Established in 1886, Hokkaido University Botanic Garden is the second-oldest botanical garden in Japan and the oldest in the “modern” style. This garden provides an opportunity to escape the city’s hustle and explore…
