Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 38


Weekend 38: July 23 - 24, 2022

Day 264: July 23, 2022

Saturday - Rainy Day Rest Day

We woke up to a rainy morning. Sadly, we had to postpone our road trip with Teacher Kanda later. 

It's a rainy day in Rumoi City

To make the day productive, I studied Japanese the whole morning. I completed some lessons in Duolingo and Kawaii Nihongo. 

Wolf Store
Wolf Crepe visits Rumoi City

No Crepe No Life

After lunch, my wife and I went to Rumoi Shinkin to withdraw money for our monthly family allowance. Along the way, we stopped and tried the strawberry banana crepe of Wolf Store, a traveling food truck parked beside the pachinko in front of the bank. 

Grocery in COOP Rumoi
Grocery in COOP Rumoi

From there, we went to COOP to buy groceries and ingredients for our Yakiniku dinner which in a way was the highlight of our 264th day here in Japan. 

Here are some photos of our awesome yakiniku dinner:






We didn't stay up late today. We cleaned up our dining area and rested before calling it a day. Hopefully, tomorrow's weather will be on our side so that we may proceed with our initial road trip plan with Teacher Kanda. 

Day 265: July 24, 2022

Sunday - Obira Road Trip with Teacher Kanda

It's a windy and cloudy morning. According to the weather forecast, it would not rain today so it only means that our road trip to Obira with Teacher Kanda would push through today. 

Obira Roadtrip with Teacher Kanda

Teacher Kanda picked us up from our home at around 11:30AM. 

First stop: Karakure 

Ella enjoying the view while waiting for her order

Our order in Karakure

Our first destination is Karakure in the town of Obira. I ordered the kamonanban, my wife tried the kashiwa soba, Teacher Kanda had the moli soba, and Ella chose the sweet soba crepe. We also tried the hot cocoa and the cake which are both very delicious. 

Obira Roadside Station

Inside Obira Roadside Station


After eating, we drove to Obira Roadside Station Nishinbanya. There, I got my third Michi-no-eki stamp for the stamp rally. We also bought some locally grown corn and also tried the soft cream. 

Just next to the roadside station is the Hanada Family Fisherman's Lodge / Hanada Family Banya which is just beside the roadside station. To enter, we paid 400 yen per adult and 150 yen for Ella. 

Inside Hanada Family Fisherman's Lodge

Teacher Kanda explains what is inside Hanada Family Fisherman's Lodge

Can you guess what part of the Hanada Family Fisherman's Lodge this is?

During our visit, Teacher Kanda patiently explained to us each corner of the lodge. That made us appreciate the place more. We headed back home at around 4PM wrapping up day 265th and my 38th weekend here in Japan.

Overall, it was a memorable 38th weekend. My family and I got to travel to different destinations and got to know Teacher Kanda more too. We are looking forward to bonding with her more in the future.


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Location: Obira, Rumoi District, Hokkaido, Japan

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