Bihor Pass and Lake Kussharo 36km

We woke to rainy morning, so we relaxed for a few hours in the nice facilities at our onsen campground. We hit the road about 9.30am and slowly made our way to Bihor pass, a 500 mt climb. As we started the climb it was raining lightly, by the time we reached the top of the pass it was wet, completely clouded in and blowing a gale. We decided to wait and see if the weather would clear as there was a very nice, spacious roadside shopping and viewing area with a huge sitting area. The view was apparently spectacular, but today the clouds never cleared. We continued on down into the caldera and soon hit the lake shore. We found a campground right on the lakes edge, near a peninsula jutting out into the lake. It was misty and damp and very Japanese. After setting up camp we walked around the peninsula through beautiful oak and elm forest. Before heading back to camp we had a soak in the hot waters of a natural rock pool onsen beside the lake.Read more