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Hokkaido

September - October 2023
Our first trip to Japan. We're taking a bike tour with friends from Hawaii and Michigan. Read more
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  • TravelerHokkaido
    1
    Day 1

    Haneda Airport

    September 28, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We had a smooth flight to Haneda on a Boeing Dreamliner 787 with JAL. The food and service were excellent. The bathrooms were so roomy and fancy, complete with a bidet and a full-length mirror, that I had to take pictures. Our seat neighbor was a very cute boy 21 months old who was so happy and loved to laugh out loud. There were also two babies directly behind us who wailed in unison. We're enjoying curry bowls as we wait for our connecting flight to Chitose.Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    1
    Day 1

    Ready for take off at HNL

    September 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Made it to the airport in plenty of time. Found an open space to relax and eat a little Japanese-inspired airport food before the long flight ahead. Pretty tasty.

  • TravelerHokkaido
    Day 2

    Humidity

    September 29, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Anyone who knows me, knows I easily get cold. I'm not one of those people who's relieved to find an air conditioned spot. Well, in Tokyo I AM that person. It started with my curry bowl, and the sweating hasn't ceased. Our connecting flight is delayed. I'm tired, I'm hot, and I can't sit still. Ripping off my compression socks, jumping in the shower, and sinking into cool sheets cannot come soon enough!Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    Day 3

    Herding Cats

    September 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌨 18 °C

    Getting 18 people out the door is no easy feat. We had a late meal and good night's rest after arriving in Chitose Friday night. Saturday breakfast was another smorgasbord of fish, rice, potato salad, and pickled condiments. In preparation for our first ride, the group gathered in the hotel parking lot and proceeded with an impromptu session of standing yoga poses before folding ourselves into two vans with limited legroom to be transported to the bikes 40 minutes away to Sapporo city limits.

    When we arrived, bikes were distributed, and we spent the next hour adjusting seat heights and moving gears around to accommodate our individual needs. Then we rode exactly one block to a convenience store where we created a long line for the bathroom, marveled that an electrolyte drink would be called Sweat (and looked like it too), and bought snack bars for extra sustenance. Gary got spaghetti. It was nearly lunchtime when we started our ride.    Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    2
    1
    Day 3

    "Shakeout" Bike Ride in Sapporo

    September 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Fall colors are not in full bloom yet, but some winked at us as we tested our wheels on a long bike path in the city of Sapporo banked by trees. A small area under a bridge showed off a series of square patches filled with flowers.

    The last photo shows a couple of guys in our group when we crossed over train tracks by walking our bikes up and over a bridge and back down the other side. Gary was tempted to ride his bike down the ramp, but thank goodness he resisted the impulse, and there were no mishaps!    Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    Day 3

    Hokkaido Ramen

    September 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Yummy lunch of ramen and gyoza Hokkaido style. The noodles were fluffy and fresh, the broth unbelievably tasty. The lunch counter was packed, but the workers did their thing, got the food out quickly, and made it look effortless. We were happy.Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    1
    111
    Day 3

    The Wildlife Hotel

    September 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After lunch, we drove 3 hours into the mountains to Biei in Kamakawa-gun where the temperatures are cooler. There was reshuffling of seats as everyone jockeyed for leg space. We laughed the entire ride, chatting about our aches and pains. One of our guys is Cramp Man, because his muscles seize up from not getting enough electrolytes and not being able to stretch his legs enough on the bike. His Thera-gun eventually came out of its case, and we each took a turn soothing whatever tight spot we had with it. It was so good. I decided Ima get one when I get home!

    When we arrived at our ryokan, we were greeted first by a cute little mouse scurrying behind umbrellas in the lobby, then as we encouraged it back out through the front sliding doors, a beautiful red fox made an appearance and hung around waiting for food scraps. In our room, we were welcomed by a beetle and traditional tatami mats. A kaiseki spread of crab, shrimp, scallop, meat in a simmering stew, tofu, egg, a whole variety of pickles, plenty rice, and a mildly-flavored sponge cake roll for dessert welcomed us in the dining room.    Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    54
    Day 4

    Our First Ever Onsen

    October 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Other people in our party were in the know and wore their robes and slippers to dinner last night. Not only were we clueless that people hang out all over the hotel in their robes (possibly with nothing on underneath 🫢), but we had no idea what the protocol is for visiting and using the onsen. We were too tired after dinner to find out. But this morning, we gave it a whirl. Sitting in an outdoor onsen is quite lovely, innit?Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    3
    Day 4

    Perfection...'Til It's Not

    October 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    By the end of our spectacular downhill ride, the clouds started to gather darkly, being lit up intermittently with bright flashes that were followed by low rumbles. As the wind picked up, it was clearly escorting the once distant storm to our doorstep. We headed to town to seek cover, but again, it's not so easy to quickly get 16 riders at different paces on the same page, even when we're all witnessing the coming storm. At literally the very last moment, we found a place to stash our bikes, avoid getting drenched, and felt slightly more protected from the loud thunder claps that made us jump.

    Since hopping on the bikes, there have been a number of glitches in their performance. On day one, the motor on Gary's e-bike stopped working and hasn't been functional since. Others have experienced dropped chains, all varieties of squeaks, a broken gear shifter, and worst of all, handlebars that malfunctioned (jerked violently to one side), causing the rider to crash into the bushes. After the storm passed, Gary and I, along with another couple and one of the guides, decided to ride back up the long downhill stretch we'd completed in the morning to return to the ryokan while others were shuttled back in a van in small groups after shopping in town. Gary and I borrowed the e-bikes of other riders and were prepared to fly up the hill based on our experience in Greece. Well, let me tell you, these bikes are far different from the ones we had in Greece. As expected, Gary did zoom ahead, but I huffed and puffed and still couldn't keep up with anyone despite maxing out the pedal assist at level 5. Meanwhile, Gary had his on level 1. Now I know Gary's a fine athlete, but even he shouldn't be able to outrun an e-bike at max speed. To test it, we switched bikes. Yahoo, I'm not a pathetic wimp after all. It was indeed the bikes. One was marvelous, and one was a dud. I think the bike vendor did a very poor job of ensuring the soundness of every bike on this trip. This is really surprising because in every other sector here, we're finding business owners and workers to be extremely service-oriented.    Read more

  • TravelerHokkaido
    1
    1
    Day 4–9

    Dodging Dragonflies

    October 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We had the perfect weather for biking this morning. It was overcast and cool but not too cold. The entire route through the Biei/Furano district was flat or downhill. We passed fields of onions, beets, and asparagus and hillsides of trees cultivated for lumber. With wildflowers of every color lining either side of the bike path, we communed with clusters of dragonflies, kaleidoscopes of butterflies, and clouds of grasshoppers. Their heavy, winged bodies collided with our shoulders, thighs, and even cheeks. It looked more like Spring than Fall and was pure delight.

    For lunch, we enjoyed a dish of chicken biryani with spicy curry that was made even better with a local pilsner, Upopo.

    The beautiful body of vivid blue water is aptly called Blue Pond and gets its color from the natural underground minerals.

    The funny-named but stunning Waterfall of the White Mustache is just a few steps from our ryokan.

    You can see in the last photo that we embraced the culture of wearing our robes to dinner, only to discover that we were seated on the ground. Yikes, good thing we wore another layer underneath! Gary figured out that he could get up from the table by shifting to his knees first, then doing a modified burpee to hoist himself up, all without flashing the room. It was quite the performance.    Read more

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