Weekend 98: September 16 – 17, 2023
Day 684: September 16, 2023
Saturday – 3-Day “Respect for the Aged Day” Road Trip D1
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| Day 1 of our 3-Day “Respect for the Aged Day” Road Trip |
It’s a beautiful day today, marking the start of our 3-day “Respect for the Aged Day” Road Trip. To make the most of our journey, we woke up around 4 AM for final preparations and to ensure an early departure from our home in Rumoi City.
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| Driving through National Route 39 |
We left at approximately 5:25 AM and headed straight to Kitami City (北見市) on Hokkaido's eastern side. It wasn’t our first time visiting Kitami; we had previously explored the city during a road trip in September 2022. This time, Kitami City would serve as our base for the day. Since check-in at our accommodation wasn’t until 3 PM, we had plenty of time to explore the city and its surrounding towns.
In Kitami City, we visited:
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| Kitami Roadside Station / Michi no Eki Onneyu Onsen |
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| 300 yen for a bag of freshly harvested onions |
🕓 Kitami Roadside Station
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| Karakuri Cuckoo Clock Tower |
🕟 Karakuri Cuckoo Clock Tower
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| Nakayoshi Park |
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| Brunch at Nakayoshi Park |
🕔 Nakayoshi Park
After enjoying brunch at Nakayoshi Park, we left Kitami and proceeded to Oketo (置戸町), a picturesque agricultural town we were visiting for the first time.
In Oketo, we visited:
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| Oketo Shrine's Torii gate |
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| Oketo Shrine |
🌳 Oketo Shrine
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| Oketo Poppo Picture Gallery |
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| Inside Oketo Poppo Picture Gallery |
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| Some of the artworks that are displayed inside the gallery |
🌳 Oketo Poppo Picture Gallery
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| Oketo Station Ruins |
🌳 Oketo Station Ruins
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| Oketo Town Local Museum |
We also stopped by the Oketo Town Local Museum, but unfortunately, it was closed. With no other choice, we bid farewell to Oketo and headed to our next destination: Rikubetsu (陸別町), famously known as one of the coldest towns in Japan.
In Rikubetsu, we explored:
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| Statue of Kansai Seki |
⛄ Statue of Kansai Seki
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| Rikubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aurora Town 93 Rikubetsu” |
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| Team Nicerio at Rikubetsu Roadside Station |
⛄ Rikubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aurora Town 93 Rikubetsu”
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| Galaxy Express 999 Train |
⛄ Galaxy Express 999 Train
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| Rikubetsu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Rikubetsu Shrine |
⛄ Rikubetsu Shrine
Before leaving Rikubetsu, we treated ourselves to a delicious chocolate soft cream. Our next stop was the town of Tsubetsu (津別町), which wasn’t initially part of our itinerary. However, since it was still early, we decided to make the detour.
In Tsubetsu, we visited:
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| Tsubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aioi” |
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| Tsubetsu Roadside Station's kumayaki |
🌴 Tsubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aioi”
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| Aioi Tetsudo Park / Aioi Railway Park |
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| A preserved snow plow train is displayed here |
🌴 Aioi Tetsudo Park / Aioi Railway Park
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| Tsubetsu Wood Crafts Museum Kinos |
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| Inside Tsubetsu Wood Crafts Museum Kinos |
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| Team Nicerio visits the Tsubetsu Wood Crafts Museum Kinos |
🌴 Tsubetsu Wood Crafts Museum Kinos
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| Tsubetsu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Tsubetsu Shrine |
🌴 Tsubetsu Shrine
By 3 PM, we left Tsubetsu and headed to the final town on our original itinerary, Kunneppu (訓子府町).
In Kunneppu, we visited:
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| Kunneppu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Kunneppu Shrine |
🪲 Kunneppu Shrine
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| Pocket Park |
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| Team Nicerio at Pocket Park |
🪲 Pocket Park
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| Kunneppu History Museum |
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| Kunneppu History Museum was closed when we arrived |
🪲 Kunneppu History Museum
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| Sanji Park |
From Kunneppu, we returned to Kitami City. Before checking in, we made a quick stop at Sanji Park to see the preserved D5025 steam engine on display.
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| Guesthouse Ichibangai |
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| Saw this beautiful statue of a mother and her child along Kita 1-jo Dori Street |
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| 2nd Street Kitami |
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| Inside 2nd Street Kitami |
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| I filled up Ruru's tank at the nearby Apollo Station. |
We checked in at Guesthouse Ichibangai around 6 PM. Conveniently located near the train station in central Kitami, the guesthouse served as a comfortable base for the night. Our day didn’t end there, though, as we visited 2nd Street Kitami in search of good deals. From there, we filled our tanks at the nearby gas station before heading to our accommodation for the day.
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| Katsutoku Kitami City |
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| We ordered the tonkatsu set meal |
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| Itadakimasu! |
Finally, before returning to Guesthouse Ichibangai and calling it a day, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Katsutoku. This is one of the best places that we have had tonkatsu.
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| Back at Guesthouse Ichibangai |
Overall, today was a day full of memories. We were able to visit 4 new towns for our Hokkaido 179 travel goals. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow has to offer.
Day 685: September 17, 2023
Sunday – 3-Day “Respect for the Aged” Road Trip D2
It’s another beautiful day, and like yesterday, we woke up early to ensure we could visit all the places on the itinerary I created. Admittedly, my second-day itinerary was very ambitious. In summary, the plan was to drive from Kitami City to Shiretoko Five Lakes National Park in Shari, then head south to Nemuro City before ending the day in Kushiro City. The entire route covered 430 kilometers, and I had hoped to visit all the towns along the way.
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| Good morning, Kai! |
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| Checking out of Guesthouse Ichibangai |
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| We had a good night's sleep at Guesthouse Ichibangai. |
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| Kita 1-jo Dori Street |
Realizing it was impossible to achieve everything, we decided to end the day wherever we were by 4 PM. We checked out of Guesthouse Ichibangai at around 7:20 AM to begin the second day of our three-day road trip.
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| Day 2 of our 3-Day “Respect for the Aged” Road Trip |
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| Breakfast to go at McDonald's along National Route 39 |
Before leaving Kitami City, we stopped at a McDonald’s along National Road 39 for breakfast. We were surprised that there were already plenty of customers this early.
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| Bihoro Station |
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| Team Nicerio visits Bihoro Station |
Our first stop was the town of Bihoro, where we revisited Bihoro Station to see the newly installed Bihoro Pokémon manhole cover. It was a brief visit before we continued to our next town for the day, which was Ozora. Although we had visited Ozora during a road trip last September, this time, we focused on the Higashimokoto area, which was formerly its own town.
In Ozora, we visited:
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| Higashimokoto Shrine's torii gate |
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| Higashimokoto Shrine |
🌸 Higashimokoto Shrine
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| Roadside Station “Nonky Land Higashimokoto” |
🌸 Roadside Station “Nonky Land Higashimokoto”
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| Next stop: Koshimizu |
Next, we drove north to the town of Koshimizu, a scenic agricultural town we were visiting for the first time.
We visited these places in Koshimizu:
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| Koshimizu Shrine's Torii gate |
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| Koshimizu Shrine |
🐮 Koshimizu Shrine
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| Koshimizu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Hanayaka-Koshimizu” |
🐮 Koshimizu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Hanayaka-Koshimizu”
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| Hama-Koshimizu Station |
🐮 Hama-Koshimizu Station
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| Furetoi Observation Deck as seen from the train station |
We had planned to visit the Furetoi Observation Deck, but since baby Kai was sound asleep, we decided to skip it and save it for another time. Our next destination was the scenic town of Shari, the town with the most activities on my itinerary.
In Shari, we visited:
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| Shari Roadside Station |
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| Team Nicerio visits Shari Roadside Station |
🐻 Shari Roadside Station
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| Shari Shrine's torii gate |
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| Shari Shrine |
🐻 Shari Shrine
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| Road to the Sky Observatory |
🐻 Road to the Sky Observatory
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| It's fun exploring Hokkaido with your friends |
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| Road to the Sky |
🐻 Road to the Sky
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| Oshinkoshin Falls |
🐻 Oshinkoshin Falls
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| Roadside Station “Utoro-Shirietoko” |
🐻 Roadside Station “Utoro-Shirietoko”
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| Shiretoko World Heritage Center |
🐻 Shiretoko World Heritage Center
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| Shiretoko Five Lakes National Park (Short Route Course) |
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| Ni Lake or 2nd Lake |
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| Shiretoko Goko Lakes |
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| The scenic wooden walking path of Shiretoko Five Lakes |
🐻 Shiretoko Five Lakes National Park (Short Route Course)
After completing the short route course at Shiretoko Five Lakes, we drove through the scenic Shiretoko Pass and made a brief stop at the Shiretoko Pass View Point. The view was lovely, but unfortunately, Mt. Rausu was hidden in the clouds.
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| Next stop: Rausu |
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| Mt. Rausu hid behind the clouds |
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| Shiretoko Pass View Point |
The Shiretoko Pass View Point is located on the boundary between Shari and the town of Rausu, making it the first place we visited in Rausu.
Other stops in Rausu included:
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| Rausu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Shiretoko-Rausu” |
🦅 Rausu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Shiretoko-Rausu”
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| Rausu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Team Nicerio visits Rausu Shrine |
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| Rausu Shrine |
🦅 Rausu Shrine
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| Seicomart Fujimi |
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| We got the inari sushi and some bottled tea |
By the time we finished visiting Rausu Shrine, it was already past 5 PM. Realizing we wouldn’t have enough time to visit the remaining towns on our itinerary, we decided to cut the trip short and postpone the third-day itinerary to revisit the missed towns. Before leaving the town, we grabbed some food at the Seicomart Fujimi in the heart of the town.
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| Driving to Kushiro City from Rausu |
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| We made another stop at Seicomart - Nakachanbetsu in the town of Shibecha to buy coffee and have a toilet break |
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| Stay @ Kushiro |
On the way to Kushiro City, we made brief stops to refuel and grab snacks. We arrived in Kushiro at around 8 PM and checked in at Stay @ Kushiro, an old house turned into a budget rental. While affordable, it has clearly seen better days and is best suited for travelers on a tight budget.
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| Urutora Shokudo |
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| I ordered the butadon set, which was highly recommended |
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| Itadakimasu! |
Before ending the day, we drove to Urutora Shokudo for dinner and enjoyed a satisfying butadon meal.
Overall, the first two days of our “Respect for the Aged” Road Trip were exhausting but incredibly fun. While we couldn’t stick to the itinerary, we revisited three municipalities in Hokkaido and explored eight new ones. I’m excited to see what the final day of our adventure will bring!
Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Week 98
Japan Diaries 4: Day 684
Japan Diaries 4: Day 685
Kitami Roadside StationKitami Roadside Station Revisited 2023
Nakayoshi Park
Oketo Shrine
Oketo Poppo Picture Gallery
Rikubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aurora Town 93 Rikubetsu”
Rikubetsu Shrine
Tsubetsu Roadside Station / Roadside Station “Aioi”
Aioi Tetsudo Park
Tsubetsu Wood Crafts Museum Kinos
Tsubetsu Shrine
Kunneppu Shrine
Pocket Park
Sanji Park
Roadside Station “Nonky Land Higashimokoto”
Koshimizu Shrine
Koshimizu Roadside Station
Shari Roadside Station
Chinju Shari Shrine
Road to the Sky
Oshinkoshin Falls
Roadside Station “Utoro-Shirietoku”
Shiretoko Five Lakes National Park
Shiretoko Pass View Point
Rausu Roadside Station
Rausu Shrine
Hokkaido Manhole Covers
Hokkaido Pokémon Manhole Covers
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