Japan Diaries 4: Day 586

Day 586: June 10, 2023

Day 586: June 10, 2023

Saturday – Daddy & Ella Road Trip 1: Asahikawa

Today was supposed to be the day of Ella's Undoukai/Sports Day, but the rainy forecast forced the school to postpone it until Monday. Despite the change of plans, Ella still had to attend classes until 11 AM. In the meantime, I took care of some housekeeping tasks, eagerly awaiting her return.

Here's my breakfast for today
Here's my breakfast for today

Father and Daughter Road Trip 1
Father and Daughter Road Trip 1

Once Ella was back home, we quickly prepared ourselves for a trip to Asahikawa City (旭川市), marking our first Father and Daughter Road Trip here in Hokkaido. Our main objective was Ella's appointment at Nakane Dermatology Clinic, but to our disappointment, we discovered that it would close at 12:30 PM, and with our estimated time of arrival at 1:15 PM, it became clear that we wouldn't make it in time.

Ubun Junior High School
Former Ubun Junior High School 

Recreating one of the scenes in "First Love"
Recreating one of the scenes in "First Love"...

First Love filming destination
... and another one.

Nevertheless, we decided to make the most of our outing and explore Asahikawa City together. Our itinerary included several noteworthy places. First, we visited the Former Ubun Junior High School, a site steeped in history and filled with intriguing stories. 

Ubun Shrine's torii gate
Ubun Shrine's torii gate

Ubun Shrine
Ubun Shrine

We then proceeded to Ubun Shrine, a serene and sacred place where we took a moment to reflect and offer our prayers.

Kamui no Mori Park
Kamui no Mori Park

Inside the WakuWaku Egg Indoor Playground
Inside the WakuWaku Egg Indoor Playground

Inside the WakuWaku Egg Indoor Playground

Kamui no Mori Park's famed Owl Head
Kamui no Mori Park's famed Owl Head

Next on our list was Kamui no Mori Park, a picturesque spot that allowed us to immerse ourselves in nature's beauty. The tranquil atmosphere provided the perfect backdrop for meaningful conversations and shared laughter. 

Asahikawa Mall West Store
AEON Asahikawa West Store

We explored the mall a bit and we played the UFO Catcher at the arcade a few times. (We didn't win anything though)

Early dinner at McDonald's
Early dinner at McDonald's

KitKat Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
KitKat Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

Eager to satisfy our appetite, we headed to AEON Asahikawa West Store, where we ordered food at the McDonald's inside the mall. To our pleasant surprise, we stumbled upon a delightful collaboration between KitKat and Baskin Robbins in the grocery section. Unable to resist the temptation, we eagerly purchased this special treat.

As the day drew to a close, we made our way back home, arriving around 6 PM. It was undeniably a memorable father-and-daughter bonding experience, one that I eagerly anticipate every weekend. The joy of exploring new places, sharing moments of laughter, and creating lasting memories with Ella is something I cherish deeply.

Read more:

Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 84
Japan Diaries 4: Day 587
Ubun Shrine
Kamui no Mari Park
10 Things to Do in Asahikawa
10 More Things to Do in Asahikawa City

Location: Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Follow my Official FB Page

The Backpack Adventures

Please Follow my Family FB Page

Book your hotel thru KLOOK

Klook.com
Subscribe and get updated with the latest travel articles of The Backpack Adventures

Popular posts from this blog

National Shrine of St. Padre Pio - Batangas

Image
Located in Barangay San Pedro in Sto. Tomas in the province of Batangas, the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio is a pilgrimage site dedicated and inspired by Saint Padre Pio. National Shrine of St. Padre Pio National Shrine of St. Padre Pio History The shrine initially started out as a bamboo and nipa chapel back in 2003. Then on November 7, 2005, a 1.6-hectare agricultural land was donated to the Archdiocese of Lipa by a generous couple. A year later, another generous individual donated 200 square meters of land to provide the right of way to the site. This land would be the site of the new chapel and later on the Shrine of St. Padre Pio . The salakot like roof as seen from the bell tower Devotees hanging handkerchiefs dipped in the Well of Hope or Bukal ng Pag-asa  St. Padre Pio welcomes the pilgrims to the shrine Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry - National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio St. Padre Pio belltower St. Padre Pio painting A relic inside the Reli...
Keep reading

List of Festivals in the Philippines: April

Image
Do you want to witness and be part of the exciting and colorful cultural activities in the Philippines in this month of  April ?   Please check out the list of popular fiestas or festivals happening this April . Rodeo Masbateno Festival Location:  Masbate City, Province of Masbate Details:  The festival is celebrated every 9th to 14th of April. Its highlights are the bull riding competition, lassoing, 2-4 carambola, and bulldogging. This festival showcases the "cowboy skills" of the Masbatenos. Kangayedan Festival Location:  Pagudpod, Province of Ilocos Norte Details:  The festival is celebrated every 22nd to the 26th of April. Its highlight is the parade of cultural dances. This festival's objective is to safeguard the ecological beauty from destruction and also to renew the vow of the townspeople to replenish and protect the environment.  Butanding Festival Location:  Donsol, Province of Sorsogon Details:  The festival is celeb...
Keep reading

Munting Buhangin Beach Camp - Batangas

Image
Located in the municipality of Nasugbu in the province of Batangas, Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is one of the few privately owned resorts in the area that doesn't really require memberships for visitors to enjoy. Munting Buhangin Beach Camp Munting Buhangin Beach Camp Details Although Munting Buhangin Beach Camp doesn't have white sand to boast, it's quite an isolated place which makes the resort stand out. Its light brown sand, sprinkled with different kinds of shells, is cleaned daily by the dedicated staff of the resort. Sadly, during my visit, a broken piece of glass buried in the sand gave one of my toes a deep cut but I know that it's just a rare case (no one needs to be fired) and nobody wanted that to happen. Munting Buhangin Beach - Nasugbu, Batangas  One of the best places to go camping...  ...or rent nipa huts and treehouse You might want to try kayaking here too Going up: parking / Going down: beach Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is ide...
Keep reading

Gifu Castle - Gifu

Image
Located in the city of Gifu in Gifu Prefecture, Gifu Castle ( 岐阜城 )  is a mountaintop castle that stands as one of the symbols of the city.  Gifu Castle  ( 岐阜城 ) Gifu Castle History Built by the Nikaido Clan during the Kamakura Period sometime between 1201 to 1204, Gifu Castle was once called Inabayama Castle by its original owners. It was a formidable castle which overlooks the surrounding countryside of then Mino Province. On September 13, 1567, the castle and its defenders under the leadership of Saito Tatsuoki of the Saito Clan came under siege by the numerically superior army of Oda Nobunaga.  Gifu Castle - Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture Gifu Castle as displayed at Mt. Kinka Ropeway Station Make sure to get some brochures at Kinkazan Ropeway Station We rode the ropeway up Mt. Kinka Despite its strategical and strong position on top of Mt. Inaba, the castle still fell to the hands of Oda Nobunaga due to his cunning strategy of sending in si...
Keep reading

Ilocos Sur Adventure: Vigan City

Image
Our adventure today takes us about 400 kilometers northwest of Kilometer 0 in Manila. Vigan City , the capital of Ilocos Sur, was recently converted into a component city last January 21, 2001. Aside from that, Vigan was also listed as one of the World Heritage Sites in the Philippines by UNESCO. Vigan City Vigan City details So what's unique with Vigan City ? Imagine yourself living during the Spanish Colonial days when the kalesa (horse-drawn carriages) rules the cobblestone streets and century-old houses, not buildings, conquered the landscape. Vigan City offers you the same colonial-era backdrop minus the people walking around with DSLRs and GoPros. Team Nicerio visits Vigan City Vigan City details Vigan City was earlier known as "Ciudad Fernandina" during the Spanish Era. However, the origin of the city's name is said to come from different sources. Some say it came from the Chinese word "Bee Gan" or beautiful shore. While others say that it came...
Keep reading

Cavite Adventure: Tagaytay City

Image
Tagaytay City Tagaytay City details Our adventure today takes us about 55 kilometers south of Kilometer 0 in Manila. Tagaytay City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the province of Cavite. Taal Volcano as seen from Tagaytay City Known as " The Country's Second Summer Capital ", Tagaytay City 's proximity to Manila makes it a frequent destination for those who are on a budget adventure or those who are just escaping the city life. Tagaytay City 's unique blend of beautiful scenery and semi-temperate climate makes tourists and adventurers come back for more. My friends and my old ride Since my wife and I live near Tagaytay City , we have the convenience of going there anytime we want to. I, for one, have been to Tagaytay plenty of times and experienced a lot of memorable things there. The most unforgettable one that I have was when I experienced zero visibility when I drove through a very thick mist that blanketed the city during ...
Keep reading

Japan Diaries 2: Day 6

Image
Day 6 May 22, 2018 Kyoto Adventure (Day 3) Good morning Kyoto! We woke up to another great weather, perfectly suited for our planned third day of adventure in this historic city of Japan .  Speaking of adventure, today would be the first time that we'd use our Kyoto City Bus One-Day Pass which we bought two days ago. We didn't use it yesterday as our itinerary focused on a walking tour around Kyoto Station . The itinerary that I crafted today is aimed for us to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kyoto as possible. So far, we already managed to visit three since our arrival in Kyoto two days ago.  Nishi Hongwanji's Amidado-mon Since the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kyoto are mostly temples, we did not exert effort to wake up very early as temples usually open at 8:30AM. To start the day, we took our breakfast in our Air BnB residence instead of eating out (to save money). We also reviewed our itinerary for today and contacted our friend Gil about our ...
Keep reading

Kimono Forest - Kyoto

Image
Located in the Arashiyama Station of the Keifuku Randen Tram Arashiyama Line in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City, in Kyoto Prefecture, Kimono Forest is a collection of cylinder-shaped pillars with beautiful Kimono designs that lines up the station which gives it an artistic design. Kimono Forest Kimono Forest History Kimono Forest was installed as part of the station's renovation in 2013. Its name came from the forest-like cluster of kimono designed pillars. These kimono displays consist of traditional Kyo-yuzen style textile patterns. The Kyo-yuzen textile used in the Kimono Forest was created by Kamedatomi which is a textile factory with a history that dates back to the Taisho Period.  Each pillar stands 2 meters high and is covered with acrylic fiber to protect the designs from moisture.  The pillars are also equipped with LED lights to give the "forest" a magical and dramatic look at night. There are about 600 kimono pillars installed in the Keifuku Arashiyama Station .  ...
Keep reading

Mount Kinka Ropeway - Gifu

Image
Located in 257 Senjojikishita, Gifu City in Gifu Prefecture, Mount Kinka Ropeway  ( 金華山ロープウェー )  also called Kinkazan Ropeway is an aerial lift line that brings visitors to the top of Mt. Kinka . Mount Kinka Ropeway  ( 金華山ロープウェー ) Mount Kinka Ropeway History Operated by the Gifu Kanko Sakudo , Mt. Kinka Ropeway opened in 1955. The ropeway gate or the station at the foot of the mountain is built in the vicinity of Gifu Park while the summit station was built around 320 meters on top of the mountain. The ropeway line has a distance of 599m or 1966 feet.  Mt. Kinka Ropeway - Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture Welcome to Kinkazan Ropeway Inside Kinkazan Ropeway Station Check out that map of Gifu Castle Riro-chan, Kinkazan's mascot The gondolas have a passenger capacity of 46 people per cabin. It operates at a speed of 3.6 meters per second which means that a one-way trip takes approximately 3-4 minutes. Riding Mt. Kinka Ropeway is not free though. Chec...
Keep reading

Shercon Resort and Ecology Park - Batangas

Image
Located in Mataas na Kahoy in the province of Batangas, Shercon Resort and Ecology Park is fast becoming a popular destination for those who are escaping the hustle and bustle of the Metro. Shercon Resort and Ecology Park Shercon Resort and Ecology Park Details Shercon Resort and Ecology Park 's location in the highlands of Batangas offers visitors a picturesque panoramic view of Tagaytay and Taal Lake. This serves as a perfect backdrop for selfies and weddings.  Panoramic view of the resort's most famous pool Welcome to Shercon Resort and Ecology Park What's great about this resort is its affordability. Its P250 entrance fee for adults and P150 for kids 4-7 years old combined with the scenic beauty of the place gives other resorts in Batangas a run for their money. One can also rent cottages ranging from P800 - P2000. You can check these out in the RATES section of this article. Visitors may also choose to stay overnight. This is highly recommended if you ...
Keep reading