Asahidake & Sounkyo Gorge

- We got up and got ready and left the air bnb and drove along a scenic route to an area called the Daisetsuzan National Park.
- On the way we stopped at a flower farm and ate some fried potato dumpling things (sort of like vetkoek around a potato) and spanspek.
- We then went to see Mount Asahidake (we didn’t climb all the way up). We went up the cable cart and walked a loop around the area. It was very pretty with the autumn colours starting to show.
- We had a lunch of croquettes made with potato and pork, which were yummy.
- We then drove a couple hours to check into our hotel called Taisetsu hotel. It was very cool and different. Had a number of onsens. We stayed 2 nights at that hotel.
- The next morning we headed to the cable car just down the road from the hotel. We got the cable car and chair lift up and then hiked up to the top of Mount Kurodake. It was quite a lot of climbing but so worth it at the top. We climbed down and had some delicious ramen for lunch.
- We then had a quick drive to see Ginga and Ryusia falls, which were very beautiful. We then drove a bit further on to see Obako (a rock formation that showcases the gorge's unique columnar jointing geology, which resembles traditional Japanese folding screens (byobu)).
- That night, we went to see the Miraculous Illuminate festival (an event that uses projection mapping and interactive lights to transform the natural autumn foliage of Momijidani Valley into a magical experience).
- Al, Caity and Badge used the many onsens while staying at the hotel, which was a cool experience. I used my thermometer to check the temperature of the onsens to determine which ones I could go in (which was one or two of the much cooler ones).Read more