Weekend 82: May 27 – 28, 2023
Day 572: May 27, 2023
Saturday – Flower Festival Road Trip Part 1
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| Off on the first part of our "Flower Festival Road Trip" |
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| Motokawa-cho Coin Operated Car Wash |
It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, we set out from Rumoi City at 7:40 AM for Asahikawa City (旭川市), where Ella had a doctor's appointment. Before hitting the road, we decided to clean our car, Ruru, at the 24/hr Coin Operated Car Wash near our place due to tough bug stains on its windshield from our previous trips.
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| Nakane Dermatology Clinic |
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| We left Ruru at the parking lot of AEON Mall |
Our first stop was Nakane Dermatology Clinic in Asahikawa City, where Ella had a scheduled appointment. Afterward, we headed to AEON Mall, next to the Asahikawa JR Station, where we parked our cars. Before exploring the mall, we went to Barber Plage at Heiwa Shopping Street for haircuts.
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| A brief visit to Asahikawa JR Station before going back to AEON Mall |
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| Lunch at Pepper Lunch inside AEON Mall |
Despite the bustling crowd at the barber shop, I didn't mind waiting for nearly two hours. Once done, we returned to AEON Mall to explore, shop, and have lunch at the food court. Team Nicerio attends the Takikawa Nanohana Festival 2023
After satisfying our appetites, we drove to the Ebeotsucho District of Takikawa City (滝川市) for this year's Takikawa Nanohana Festival. The yellow flower, rapeseed in English, is a staple in Japanese cuisine. At the festival, we were mesmerized by the colossal yellow field of nanohana, which was unlike anything we had ever seen before.
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| We had a photo with the mascot - Jingi River |
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| Second Street Takikawa |
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| We bought several maternity dresses for my wife during our visit |
Our next stop was the Takikawa Roadside Station, a hub of food stalls and local products. However, our focus had now shifted to shopping for baby Kai in 2nd Street Takikawa. We had so much fun selecting baby clothes that we didn't even notice the time.
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| We had a brief stop at Cocowa in Hokuryu |
We left Takikawa City at around 5:30 in the afternoon. On our way home, we stopped by Cocowa in Hokuryu (北竜町) to buy some groceries. Eventually, we arrived home safely at around 7 PM. We turned in early for the night, knowing we had a big day ahead with the Flower Festival Road Trip Part 2. Our first destination was a three-hour drive away, so we wanted to be well-rested and ready for the journey.Day 573: May 28, 2023
Sunday: Flower Festival Road Trip Part 2
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| Flower Festival Road Trip Part 2 |
Team Nicerio in Shibazakura Takinoue Park
Our first stop was Shibazakura Takinoue Park for the Takinoue Shibazakura Festival 2023, where we were welcomed by a sea of pink shibazakura. The flowers, also known as pink phlox, were a sight to behold. It was amazing to witness such a beautiful display of nature.
From there, we visited these places in Takinoue:
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| Fairytale-themed decoration on Liberty Bridge |
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| Liberty Bridge |
🩷 Liberty Bridge
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| Sakuru River |
🩷 Sakuru River
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| Shokutsu River merging with Sakuru River |
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| Ella as Pikoro - Takinoue's mascot |
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| We rested here for a bit before heading to our next destination |
Our next stop was the city of Mombetsu / Monbetsu (紋別市) on the eastern coast of Hokkaido. These are places that we visited in Mombetsu:
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| Oyama Summit Park |
🦀 Oyama Summit Park
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| Kogenji Hon-do |
🦀 Kogenji Hon-do
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| Mopetu Falls |
🦀 Mopetu Falls
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| First Generation Garinko displayed at Kaiyoken |
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| Okhotsk Tokkari Center (Seal Land) |
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| Inside the roadside station |
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| Snack break at 711 Yubetsu |
To wrap up our trip, we drove to the town of Yubetsu (湧別町) to check out the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Festival at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park. Before that, we first stopped by one of the 711 convenience stores in town to buy some snacks. Though we arrived just as the festival was ending, we still managed to take incredible photos and videos of the beautiful tulip fields before leaving.
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| Ruru leaked radiator fluid when we gassed up at Engaru |
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| The insurance company sent a tow truck to get Ruru and bring him to Rumoi City |
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| We walked more than a kilometer to Engaru Station |
However, on our way back, we were greeted with an unfortunate event. When we gassing up in Engaru (遠軽町), I discovered that the coolant in Ruru, our car, had leaked, and we couldn't drive it back home. We immediately contacted our car insurance, and they sent a tow truck to bring it to Yellow Hat in Rumoi.
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| We boarded the Taisetsu Limited Express Train heading to Asahikawa Station |
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| We had an opportunity to rest on our way to Asahikawa City |
Thankfully, my supervisor was quick to help us plan our return trip home, and we were able to take the last train from Engaru Station to Asahikawa JR Station before riding a taxi to Rumoi City. Speaking of which, we walked about 1.6 kilometers from the gas station to Engaru JR Station to catch the last train.
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| Asahikawa Station |
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| We rode a taxi back home from Asahikawa. We spent about 31,000 yen |
From Asahikawa Station, we rode a taxi to Rumoi City. All in all, we spent more than 31,000 yen on our trip back home from Engaru. Thankfully, it will all be reimbursed by our car insurance company.
Despite the unexpected developments, we're grateful that we got to experience three flower festivals and visit new places. It's also a good thing that our car insurance will cover our expenses. All in all, it's been a memorable day, and we've already visited 90 out of 179 municipalities in Hokkaido.Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Week 82
Japan Diaries 4: Day 572
Japan Diaries 4: Day 573
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