Hiked for two days along part of the 700 km Michinoku (Pacific) Coastal Trail in Sanriku Fukko (reconstruction) National Park. People stay away because of the destructive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Tag: Japan 2018
Undersea Bullet Train
Rode this beauty through the 33.5-mile Seikan undersea tunnel from Hokkaido to Honshu.
Hill of the Buddha
Visited The Hill of the Buddha in a cemetery south of Sapporo. Architect Tadao Ando surrounded a stone Buddha, below the head, with a lavender-covered hill. Ando’s concrete is gorgeous: I’d joyfully live in a home with concrete floors, walls, and ceilings
Daisetsuzan National Park
Hiked through Fall colors above the tree line in central Hokkaido’s Daisetsuzan National Park.
Eastern Hokkaido National Parks
Posted Snapshots: Eastern Hokkaido National Parks.
Snapshots: Eastern Hokkaido National Parks
This past week I’ve briefly visited the three most easterly national parks on the island of Hokkaido, Japan: Kushiro-Shitsugen, Akan Mashu, and Shiretoko. Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park Kushiro-Shitsugen is Japan’s largest wetland, famous for its Japanese red-head cranes. A JR (Japan Rail) line runs along the edge of the wetlands, with several stops. I decided to… Continue reading Snapshots: Eastern Hokkaido National Parks
Prison Museum
Paused my journey in Abashiri, a town on the Sea of Okhotsk, to explore a museum of prison buildings. Some buildings date back to the early days of Japanese occupation of Hokkaido. I can add this to my list of the wonderful open-air architectural museums
Shiretoko National Park
Hiked above clouds in Shiretoko National Park on the northeastern edge of Hokkaido. If I went further I’d be in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Russian Kuril Islands. Over 10 days I’ll head for Tokyo. Today, I’m 980 miles and 15 hours by slow trains and bullet trains.
Kawayu Onsen Station Footbath
Soaked my feet in the hot spring footbath at Kawayu Onsen Station (Akan Mashu National Park) while waiting for the first train to arrive at this station since the September 6 earthquake. I was the only person to board the train.
Caldera in a Caldera
Hiked up Mount Kamui, the caldera in a caldera I saw from a plane two days ago. At the top, a young guy from Kitami, Hokkaido shared his lunch with me (filled, steamed buns) and took this picture of me clutching my hat. He then ran back down.