Hello everyone from Hokkaido!
Over the next 4 days, Torii and I will be travelling to some beautiful places in
Eastern Hokkaido and sharing some of our adventures with you.
So, let’s go!
We’re currently in Abashiri in Northern Hokkaido.
Today we’ll be heading out on the Aurora to the Sea of Okhotsk
which is the southernmost point in the Northern Hemisphere where you can see drifting sea ice.
Hopefully we can get some nice shots for you.
Departing from Abashiri Port, the Aurora Ice Breaker Ship is one of the best and easiest
ways to see the drift ice.
The tour is about an hour long and ships run daily from late January to early April.
While there is heating inside the ship, make sure you rug up (dress warm) as it is really
cold out on the deck.
Also in Abashiri is the Abashiri prison museum.
Opened in 1890, Abashiri Prison was once Japan’s most notorious prison
because of the dangerous criminals held there.
The prison is now a museum that exhibits original and replica buildings,
giving visitors an insight into the daily life of prisoners
as well as the harsh conditions in which they lived.
So some of the prisoners at Abashiri Prison were used as laborers
to construct a major road linking Abashiri to another area called Asahikawa
This here is an example of what the temporary lodges looked like.
They were able to be dismantled, moved and reassembled as construction progressed.
To be honest it's a little bit creepy with all the mannequins lying here
But it does give you an insight to what life was like for the prisoners.
One of my favourite parts of the museum is the Central Guard House which consists of
five corridors, known as the five radiated wings, all connected to a central guard hut.
In this corridor, we have the solitary confinement rooms, also known as "The Hole"
where prisoners who were particularly troublesome during their time here
would be locked up and forced to think about their actions
with minimal food, water, light, and blankets, even in the freezing cold winter.
The Central Guard House plus each prison cell were carefully designed to make it impossible
for inmates to escape, except if you’re this guy, Yoshie Shiratori who famously escaped
from prison 4 times, including Abashiri Prison.
Also at the museum is the Bangaichi Shokudo Diner where visitors can enjoy an
authentic prison meal which is surprisingly delicious.
How's prison food? If this is prison food it's actually really good.
Right now I’m on Lake Abashiri which is frozen about 70cm deep.
One of the popular things to do here during the winter is to go ice fishing for some small
fish called wakasagi.
Wakasagi is native to the lakes and estuaries of Hokkaido.
If you don’t have your own equipment, you can always rent or join an ice fishing program, like we did.
After ice fishing, we hung around to take some photos before heading to another beautiful lake, Lake Akan.
Lake Akan is another spot where you can go ice fishing, plus try a range of other activities.
Nearby is Ainu kotan or Ainu village where there are around 30 shops and restaurants
where you can browse and buy different hand made crafts, and even try traditional foods
of the indigenous Ainu people who have lived in Hokkaido for centuries.
Every winter, a free festival takes place on Lake Akan from February to March.
Visitors can take part in a range of activities, enjoy a spectacular fireworks display, and
see traditional performances and ceremonies.
Every winter, whooper swans fly south from Russia and gather on the banks of Luke Kussharo.
Attracted by the warm water of the naturally occurring hot springs along the shoreline,
these beautiful birds, along with the incredible scenery, make for a spectacular sight indeed.
Another famous location is the Otowa Bridge.
Accessible only by car, this is a great spot to see a natural phenomenon called diamond dust,
and if you can brave the cold, the early morning gathering of the red-crowned cranes.
It’s -16 degrees (celcius), 3:30 in the morning.
We were going to get here at 4 but lucky we changed our minds 'cause
Look how many people there are here already.
Sunrise isn’t ‘til six o’clock so I guess now we wait.
The red-crowned crane, or Tancho as it is known in Japanese has long been considered
by the Japanese people as a symbol of peace, longevity and happy marriage.
If you miss seeing them from the bridge, you can also find them at the
Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary in Kushiro.
Entrance is free and the best time to see these majestic creatures is during feeding
hours, where they can gather in the hundreds during peak season.