From there, we continued to the village proper to visit the Akaigawa Shrine. We followed our family tradition of paying respects, offering prayers, and making wishes. After that, we drove and revisited the Akaigawa Roadside Station where we ate breakfast. We also took a photo of the Akaigawa Pokémon manhole cover that was installed outside the roadside station.
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| Driving through National Road 393 going to Kutchan |
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| Kutchan (倶知安町) |
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| Enjoying the view of Mt. Niseko-Annupuri while driving around Kutchan |
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| Theodor Von Lerch Statue |
After eating, we continued our drive south. Our next stop is the town of Kutchan (倶知安町). We made a quick stop at Lerch Memorial Park. This park is named after Theodor von Lerch. He was a major general in the Austro-Hungarian Army and was a trailblazing alpine ski instructor who introduced skiing to Japan.
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| It's time to hit the road again! I can't believe my wife is the one doing all the driving here in Hokkaido. |
We then visited the Kutchan Shrine, where we also did our family tradition of paying respects. We didn’t stay long in the town, and we would still return to Kutchan later because this is where we booked our accommodation for the day.
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| Next town: Kyogoku (京極町) |
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| We had fun posing as Yu-kun and Sui-chan-Kyogoku's mascots. |
We then drove southeast, going to the town of Kyogoku (京極町). Our first stop was the Kyogoku Roadside Station / Roadside Station Meisui no Sato, where my daughter and I got our first new roadside station for this trip. We also tried the fresh spring water that they offer for free. When we found out that it was from the nearby Fukidashi Park, we didn't waste time heading there.
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| The bridge leading to the central part of Fukidashi Park |
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| Trying the water from Fukidashi Park's famed spring |
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| Fukidashi Park Springs |
Our next stop in Kyogoku was Fukidashi Park. The park is popular for Fukidashi Park Springs. Locals and visitors would come here to get spring water. Of course, we did not miss the opportunity to taste the spring water. In a way, I was hoping that the water had miraculous secret properties that would make me immortal, if not live longer.
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| Kyogoku Hachiman Shrine's torii gate |
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| Kyogoku Hachiman Shrine |
Before leaving Kyogoku, we made a stop at Kyogoku Hachiman Shrine to pay our respects, offer prayers, and make a wish—a tradition we’ve embraced on our travels. Upon arriving, I was taken aback to find the steps leading to the hilltop shrine buried under deep snow. For a moment, I considered turning back, but the thought of leaving one of our travel goals incomplete—visiting the main shrine in each municipality—gave me the determination to continue. It took nearly half an hour to climb up and back down, but thankfully, I made it safely and felt a sense of accomplishment for persevering.
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| Driving through Route 97 going to Makkari |
We had planned to tour the towns of Kimobetsu and Rusutsu, but it was nearly 3 PM and we still had several towns and a village to visit, so we decided to forego the towns and head to the village of Makkari (真狩村), which was closer to our lodging for the day.
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| Mt. Yotei didn't hide in the clouds, so we didn't miss the chance to take photos with it as our backdrop. |
In a way, this only meant that we were going on a Mt. Yotei 360 drive. Speaking of which, we finally saw the full beauty of the mountain for the first time on this trip near Makkari. We didn’t miss the chance to take photos and videos with it as our backdrop. It was truly a sight to behold.
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| Mt. Yotei as seen from Route 97 |
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| We made a stop at Makkari 711 to buy some snacks. |
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| Makkari Kasen Park |
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| Makkari River |
Our first stop in Makkari was the 711 inside the village, as my wife was craving the 711 Strawberry Milk. From there, we drove to Makkari Kasen Park but could not explore it due to the snow. Regardless, the view of Mt. Yotei from Route 97 in the middle of town was amazing.
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| Makkari Roadside Station |
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| There is a stuffed bear inside the Makkari Roadside Station. |
From there, we drove to Makkari Roadside Station / Roadside Station Makkari Flower Center to get the roadside station stamp for the Hokkaido Roadside Station Stamp Rally.
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| Makkari Shrine's torii gate |
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| Makkari Shrine |
Before leaving the village, my daughter and I visited Makkari Shrine to pay respects, offer prayers, and make wishes, which are part of our tradition.
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| Niseko Bridge |
From there, we drove to the town of Niseko (ニセコ町). We first went to the Ostrich Arishima 2nd farm in Niseko on the outskirts of town, but were disappointed to see no ostriches, as it was still winter season and the ostriches aren't allowed to roam the farm yet.
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| Niseko Annupuri Gondola Lift |
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| We wanted to ride the lift up, but found out that it was about to close for the day, so we decided to come back tomorrow instead. |
We then drove to the other side of town to try to go up Mt. Annupuri via the gondola. Sadly, we arrived 10 minutes too late for the last boarding time, so we decided to return tomorrow instead.
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| Niseko Kaributo Shrine's Torii gate |
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| Niseko Kaributo Shrine |
From there, we drove to Niseko Kaributo Shrine to pay respects, offer prayers, and also make a wish as part of our tradition.
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| Niseko Roadside Station |
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| Shopping for fresh produce at Niseko Roadside Station |
We didn’t want to waste the opportunity, so we modified our itinerary again. This time, we visited some of the places that are scheduled for tomorrow, like the Niseko Roadside Station / Niseko View Plaza Rest Area, where we got another roadside station stamp for the Hokkaido Roadside Station Stamp Rally. Aside from the usual stamp, we bought a lot of potatoes at the roadside station as they sell them for cheap.
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| We passed through the Niseko Bridge again. |
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| Q Fox GMG Hotel |
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| We were given Room 102 |
Before leaving town, we passed by the beautiful yellow Niseko Bridge again. There were other locations in Niseko that we wanted to explore, but they were still closed for the winter season, so we chose to check in at our day's accommodation, the Q Fox GMG Hotel on the southern outskirts of Kuchan.
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| Finally! It's time to rest. I'm really proud of my pregnant wife for being able to drive the whole day without complaining. 😆 |
We were probably not used to driving long distances anymore, as we were pretty much drained. After unpacking our luggage, we only wanted to take a nap before eating dinner, but the nap turned into a full 12-hour sleep, which pretty much ended the 1st day of our road trip.
Overall, we managed to visit three new towns and one village. We also got to revisit the village of Akaigawa for the first day of our 3-day Birthday Road Trip. I’m excited to see what other places we’ll visit in the next two days.
Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 74
Japan Diaries 4: Day 517
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