Day 629: July 23, 2023
Sunday - Sibling Road Trip 2 – Flower Parks and Blue Pond
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| Sibling Road Trip 3 |
Today was another exciting road trip adventure for us. Our destination this time was Kamikawa Subprefecture, located in the central part of Hokkaido. We started our journey from Rumoi City at 9 AM, and our first main stop was the town of Nakafurano, although we made a few stops along the way to make the long drive more enjoyable.
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| First stop: Totoro Pass in Fukagawa City |
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| We didn't miss the chance to take a group picture with Totoro. |
Our first stop was at the outskirts of Fukagawa City (深川市), where we parked at Totoro Pass Parking Area. We took a walk to the Catbus, which was a delightful sight. It was my second time visiting this interesting landmark. The first time that we visited Catbus was on September 10, 2022.
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| Hoshinofurusatoo Bridge |
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| Hokkaido Kannon / Dai Kannon |
We then made a quick stop at Ashibetsu Roadside Station in Ashibetsu City (芦別市) to use the toilet, and I couldn't resist checking out the Hokkaido Kannon / Dai Kannon from the Hoshinofurusatoo Bridge.
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| Nakafurano as seen from Hokuseiyama |
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| The smell of lavender filled the air, so this place was quite relaxing for us |
After our short break, we continued our drive to Nakafurano (中富良野町), around 30.5 kilometers away. Once there, we visited some fantastic places, including the beautiful Hokuseiyama Lavender Garden, the Tomita Melon House, and Tomita Farm.
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| Lunch at Tonton Tei |
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| Itadakimasu! |
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| Sagariyaki set meal |
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| Katsukare |
By the time we left Nakafurano, it was already past noon, and the next stop was Kamifurano (上富良野町). We decided to have lunch at Tonton Tei and tried their famous Sagariyaki set meal. The meat was incredibly tender and delicious, almost resembling wagyu, but it was pork.
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| Tokachi Mountain Range - Kamifurano town |
Once our hunger was satisfied, we continued our exploration of Kamifurano. We visited Hinode Park and didn't miss its picturesque Lavender Garden. Last time we visited, Hinode Park was still mostly covered with snow, so we were only able to see a small part of it. This time, we came at the best time to see the lavender in full bloom. We were also able to take pictures of the Kamifurano Pokémon manhole cover and the Kamifurano colored manhole cover installed in the park.
From there, we made our way to Biei (美瑛町), where we had planned to visit the Shikisai No Oka flower field. However, my sister felt overwhelmed by the flower fields, so we decided to skip it this time. Instead, we stopped at Roadside Station Biei Shirogane Birke. My sister, daughter, and I collect roadside station stamps, so we made sure not to miss it.
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| Family photo time! |
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| Tastes like soda |
Our road trip didn't end there, though; we continued to Shirahige Waterfall and, before leaving, checked out the Shirogane Shrine. These places were breathtaking, and the natural beauty of Biei was truly captivating.
As the day was coming to an end, it was 5 PM when we left Biei. The timing worked out well, as we still had daylight on our drive back home to Rumoi City. It was a relief compared to our drive the previous day when exhaustion made me nearly fall asleep at the wheel.
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| Quick grocery at COOP in Rumoi City |
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| Car wash before heading back home |
We arrived in Rumoi at around 7 PM, and since we had the energy to spare, we decided to go to COOP to buy some groceries. I also took the opportunity to wash our car, Ruru, at the coin-operated car wash at the Suzuki dealership in Motokawa-cho.
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| Sibling nomikai |
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