Day 2: November 3, 2021
Wednesday - Bunka no Hi / Culture Day Bike Trip
On this particular Tuesday, a double dose of significance graced Japan as it marked both a National Holiday and the celebration of Bunka no Hi, which translates to Culture Day in English. As a newcomer to this enchanting land, it thrilled me to be experiencing my very first holiday here. However, Rumoi City, the place I currently call home, had no grand festivities or special events planned to commemorate this occasion. Nonetheless, I spotted a silver lining and decided to seize the opportunity to embark on an exploration of the city, thanks to the generosity of my predecessor's bike's new owner.
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| Mi casa and my predecessor's bike |
Before I left the house, I gave my omiyage (souvenir) to Sato Sensei, my neighbor who lives in from of me and is also a teacher at Rumoi High School.
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| Rumoi Information Centre |
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| Inside Rumoi Information Centre |
Before heading out, I actually researched where I want to go for today. like my previous trips, I always visit the tourism office of the city/town to get information about the city/town and also get my city/town stamp for my collection.
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| Kazumo Chan |
Therefore, from my place, my first destination was the Rumoi Information Centre. As expected, there was a city/town stamp. It's my first travel stamp for this Japan Diaries 4 series. I learned that the Rumoi Tourism Office was once a bank before it was converted to what it is now. That's why the Rumoi City mascot - Kazumo-chan was displayed inside a bank vault. Before leaving, I bought a Kazumo-chan pin and a Kazumo-chan designed facemask. As an added bonus, there were several unique-looking manhole covers near the Rumoi Tourism Centre that I took photos of for my manhole photo collection.
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| Hokkaido Prefecture Manhole Cover |
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| Rumoi JR Station |
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| Inside Rumoi JR Station |
From there, I continued to the nearby Rumoi JR Station where I got my second stamp. I explored the station a bit and took notes of the train schedules for future use.
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| Omachi - Rumoi Port |
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| Rumoi Port |
My next stop was 2.1 kilometers northwest of the station. I visited the Hato no Hito in the Rumoi Port area. There were only a handful of people around fishing and enjoying the view and in one part of the area, there were some kibune (fox) loitering around.
Since I was already in the area, I biked to Ogonzaki Seaside Park which was one of the first places that I saw while researching Rumoi City when I was still in the Philippines. After taking some pictures, I biked up the hill to Rumoi City's Umi no Furusatokan only to discover that it was closed.
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| Mt. Hiyori and the Remains of the Beacon Fire Platform |
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| Umi no Furosatokan (Community Hall by the Sea) |
While resting, I had a lengthy video call with my Japanese godfather, Mr. Toshi who gave me some tips regarding Japanese work culture and also how to survive the upcoming winter.
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| Late lunch at Sukiya Rumoi Branch |
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| Ordered some Gyudon set meal |
After the call, I pedaled back home because the new owner of the bike will pick up the bike after lunch. Since it was still early, I ate early lunch at Sukiya. I am already familiar with the restaurant as my family and I ate in Sukiya in Nara City during the 3rd day of our Japan Diaries 3 series. From there, my home was just around 10 minutes away.
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| Walked to MaxValu via Nishi 5 Go dori after returning the bike |
I was a few minutes away when the new owner of the bike called to inform me that her friend was already at my place. After helping her load the bike into her car, I went inside the house to rest and chat with my wife to share my adventures.
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| Shopping at Maxvalu and Homac |
That afternoon, I walked to Maxvalu which was about 1.6 kilometers away. I bought groceries, which were just enough to be carried back home.
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| Walking back home after grocery |
Once at home, I unloaded my groceries and then continued unpacking my stuff from the newly delivered luggage. Finally, before calling it a day, I finalized my jiko shokai (self-introduction) slides in anticipation of my work this week.
Well, that basically sums up my first holiday here in Rumoi City, Hokkaido Prefecture. Tomorrow would surely be a busy day at Rumoi High School (I hope not). See you!
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