Mountain Summer

Sometimes a place is so captivating that it provides inspiration to update a long forgotten blog.  Visiting such a place combined with a short hiatus between classes & whalaa!  A post update after 2.5 years!  

First of all.  We are still here!  We love Japan and Okinawa and our request to extended our stay was approved.  

Secondly.  

After three years living and traveling in Japan and we found our "spirt home."  Sapporo, Daisetsuzan..Hokkaido.  If we could retire anywhere in Japan.  Unanimously, it would be here.  Home to the largest National Park in Japan and replete with outdoor activities and some of the most delicious and fresh food in all of Japan.  

We were so enamored, that not even two months after our first visit, and less than 2 weeks after we

climbed Mt Fuji, we found ourselves boarding another plane bound for Sapporo.  Our goal this time,  to complete the Grand Traverse.  A 7-9 day

hike across several mountain ranges in the park.    

Spending A Beautiful Night at Urassahi Campsite 

Notice the steaming vents on the right side.  Many of the mountains in Japan including Mt. Fuji, are active volcanos. Cool!

Top of Asahi Dake for the 2nd time this summer.  Much better view this time!

Heading to our campsite for the night.  Just beyond the snow patch.  A couple guys hiked skis up the entire steep climb up for this

Sunset from Kurodake the night before the storm

Mother Mountain weather did not approve our passage.  On day three in the mountains, we were forced to descend at Kuro Dake as not one but two typhoons heading directly toward us would soon make hiking conditions perilous.

We encountered these happy hikers the morning the typhoon started announcing it's presence

Suddenly, we were without a plan retreating to the lively city of Sapporo as the first typhoon hit.  Drowning our sorrows in delicious bowls of miso ramen and liquid gold (Sapporo Beer,) we stuck our noses in the world wide web to figure out plan B.

Hokkaido Specialty, Miso Ramen

Hokkaido Specialty @ Sapporo Beer Factory Museum

After much deliberation.  We concluded that we would head South.  Away from the weather and toward an area of Hokkaido we did not get to see much of on our first visit earlier in the summer.  The following is the remainder our trip.  In picture form.  One photo per location.  

Hakodate 

Hakodate is the Southern most port city in Hokkaido and is know for it's fresh seafood.  We climbed up "Mount" Hakodate to take in the Michelin 3 star rated view from the top.  It was beautiful.  But crowed!  99.9% of the 200-300 + tourists crammed on top paid to take a tram ride up and down and missed out on my favorite part of the evening, the hike up and down.  A much more peaceful experience than waiting in a line squeezed between loads of tourists waving camera phones in the air snapping pics at the top.

Next Stop: Lake Toya

While waiting for a bus to our campsite for the next couple of days, we ate the famous "Ghengis Khan"  dish of Hokkaido at a restaurant.  Upon seeing our need of tutelage, this helpful woman showed us how to cook the massive pile of raw vegetables and lamb meat in the dome shaped pan at our table.

Last stop: Noboribetsu

Noboribetsu is famous for it's natural hot springs.  This photo shows "Hell Valley."  10,000 gallons of hot water come from the natural hot springs outside of the town per day!  Incredible to hike through and see all the hot pools, lakes & geysers.   Not to mention bathe in 8 varieties of different types of water at one of the most famous onsens in all of Japan.