Japan Diaries 4: Week 99
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Week 99: September 18 – 22, 2023
Day 686: September 18, 2023
Monday – 3-Day “Respect for the Aged” Road Trip D3
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| I woke up early and headed to the parking space at 3-6 Iriecho to get Ruru so that we could pack our stuff and hit the road. |
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| Stay@Kushiro |
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| Today is the last day of our "Respect for the Aged" road trip |
Today marks the final day of our 3-day "Respect for the Aged" road trip. We woke up to a foggy Kushiro City. When we left our accommodation - Stay@Kushiro, we were driving in what seemed like the town in Stephen King’s The Mist.
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| Quick stop to buy breakfast at Seicomart along Route 44 |
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| It's a very foggy morning |
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| Kushiro City manhole cover |
Since it was a bit challenging to drive with 0 visibility, we chose to stop by the Seicomart along Route 44 at Toyoodorinishi near the eastern edge of Kushiro City. We decided to buy food for breakfast and kill some time with hopes that the fog would lift.
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| It was still very foggy on National Road 44 |
Well, it didn’t. Regardless, it lessened, and I was able to see the car 15 feet away. For today’s itinerary, we intend to visit the municipalities that we missed yesterday, with Nemuro City being at the top of our list. The plan is to drive straight to Nemuro City (根室市) and then visit the towns that we skipped on our way back.
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| Nemuro City manhole cover 1 |
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| Nemuro City manhole cover 2 |
It was a 1-hour and 45-minute drive from Kushiro City. We arrived at our first stop, which was Nemuro Roadside Station, at around 9 AM.
These are the places that we visited in Nemuro City:
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| Nemuro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Swan 44 Nemuro |
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| Nemuro Roadside Station stamp |
🔶 Nemuro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Swan 44 Nemuro
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| Lake Furen Observation Deck |
🔶 Lake Furen Observation Deck
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| Onneto Bridge |
🔶 Onneto Bridge
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| Nemuro Izumo Shrine's torii gate |
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| Nemuro Izumo Shrine |
🔶 Nemuro Izumo Shrine
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| Meiji Park |
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| Silo Plaza inside Meiji Park |
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| Nemuro Pokemon manhole cover - Alolan Vulpix and Mr. Rime |
🔶 Meiji Park
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| Cape Nosappu |
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| We finally visited the easternmost point of Japan |
🔶 Cape Nosappu
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| Hoppokan |
🔶 Hoppokan
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| Nemuro City Northern Territory Museum |
🔶 Nemuro City Northern Territory Museum
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| We're back on National Route 44. This time we're heading to the town of Hamanaka |
We wanted to explore more of Nemuro, but we were pressed for time as it was past 11 when we left Cape Nosappu. Our next stop was the town of Hamanaka (浜中町). It is known as the town of Lupin III.
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| Hamanaka manhole covers |
These are the places that we visited in Hamanaka:
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| Hamanaka Station |
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| Inside Hamanaka Station |
💎 Hamanaka Station
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| Hamanaka Town General Cultural Center |
💎 Hamanaka Town General Cultural Center
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| Kiritappu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Kiritappu Shrine |
💎 Kiritappu Shrine
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| Lupin III Street |
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| Pub Fujiko |
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| Jigen's Bar |
💎 Lupin III Street
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| Hamanaka Wetland Center |
💎 Hamanaka Wetland Center
We left Hamanaka at around 1 PM. We decided to skip the other towns and drive straight back to Kushiro City (釧路市), where we started today's road trip, as we hadn’t explored it yet. It was 2:30 PM when we arrived.
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| Kushiro City manhole cover 2 |
These are the places that we visited in Kushiro City:
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| Starbucks – Kushiro Tsurumibachi |
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| It's a coffee break for Team Nicerio |
⭕ Starbucks – Kushiro Tsurumibachi
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| Shinkushiro River as seen from the Starbucks store across the street |
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| Shinkushiro River |
⭕ Shinkushiro River
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| 2nd Street Showa Store |
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| Inside the 2nd Street Showa Store |
⭕ 2nd Street Showa Store
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| Tottori Shrine's torii gate |
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| Tottori Shrine |
⭕ Tottori Shrine
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| Tottori Centennial Museum |
⭕ Tottori Centennial Museum
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| Kushiro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Akan Tancho no Sato |
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| Kushiro City Pokemon manhole cover - featuring Alolan Vulpix and Decidueye |
⭕ Kushiro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Akan Tancho no Sato
From the roadside station, we started our 320+ kilometer drive home. We will pass through the scenic Route 273 and Route 39. Sadly, it was already nighttime and we won’t be able to appreciate the view. What we saw instead were dozens of deer and foxes loitering near the road.
Since it was a very long drive and it was also raining, we made numerous stops to stretch, eat, and even get a few minutes' worth of nap. We got back home a little past 11 PM.
We didn’t have the energy to unload our stuff, so we just called it a day after changing clothes. That wraps up our 3-Day “Respect For The Aged” Road Trip. Tomorrow, it’s back-to-work day, so see you guys!
Day 687: September 19, 2023
Tuesday – Rumoi
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| Rumoi High School 9.19.23 |
It’s back to work for me after our 3-day vacation. Today is cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon, according to the weather forecast. Regardless, I still biked to Rumoi High School as I was almost late because I enjoyed bonding with my son.
Here’s my workload for today:
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| Class with Matsuda-sensei |
2nd period – Sports L7 P1 @ 1-34 of Matsuda-sensei
4th period – Researching about Jobs @ 1-1 of Matsuda-sensei
5th period – Open Campus demo class with Matsuda-sensei
After the 5th period, I trained Kanon and Nodoka for the speech contest. I’m proud of what they have achieved in such a short period, as they were able to memorize more than half of their speech and also take notes, and improve on the pronunciation of the words that I corrected last week.
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| Topic for today: My Unforgettable Food of Autumn |
After work, I went to Asuka for our bi-monthly Rumoi English Conversation Club. Our topic for today was “My Unforgettable Food of Autumn”.
Day 688: September 20, 2023
Wednesday – Rumoi
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| Rumoi High School 9.20.23 |
Instead of my usual business trips, I’m back at Rumoi High School today. It’s a windy Wednesday, so I decided to skip biking to work.
Here’s my workload for today:
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| Class with Matsuda-sensei |
3rd period – Dear World: Bana’s War L7 P3 @ 1-56 of Matsuda-sensei
4th period – Dear World: Bana’s War L7 P3 @ 1-34 of Matsuda-sensei
Like yesterday, I trained Kanon and Nodoka for the speech contest after classes. Overall, there were some improvements from yesterday.
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| Jabba Laundromat |
That evening, my family and I drove to Jabba Laundromat to have our clothes dried. After that, we headed to COOP to buy groceries.
Day 689: September 21, 2023
Thursday – Embetsu
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| Embetsu Agricultural High School 9.21.23 |
It’s a sunny 19-degree Thursday. For today’s visit school schedule, I’m heading to Embetsu Agricultural High School. It’s my 14th visit for the School Year 2023 – 2024. For this trip, I used my 1-day Moekko Free Ticket.
Here’s my workload for today:
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| Class with Sasaki-sensei |
2nd period – Present Perfect @ 2A of Sasaki-sensei
3rd period – Present Perfect @ 2B of Sasaki-sensei
4th period – Useful Expressions @2nd year of Sasaki-sensei
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| Who would be relaxed with that kind of smile? |
After work, I spent some quality time with my kids. It’s the perfect way to relax and unwind, and I’m really grateful for moments like this.
Day 690: September 22, 2023
Friday - Rumoi
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| Rumoi High School 9.22.23 |
Good morning, everyone. It’s a sunny but cold day today. I’m usually off to a business trip on Friday, but today I’m reporting for work at Rumoi High School.
Here’s my workload today:
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| Class with Matsuda-sensei |
1st period – Sports L7 P1 @ 1-34 of Matsuda-sensei
3rd period – Dear World: Bana’s War L7 P3 @ 1-34 of Matsuda-sensei
6th period – Sports L7 P1 @ 1-56 of Matsuda-sensei
After work, my family and I drove to Ebata Dental Clinic for my dental appointment. I didn’t get to take any photos since I was a bit preoccupied, but it was really nice seeing Dr. Ebata again after a long time.
Overall, I'm happy that we spent Monday on the road visiting new municipalities like Nemuro City and Hamanaka. As for work, this week, I only visited Rumoi High School and Embetsu Agricultural High School this year. As always, those visits were very fulfilling.
Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 99
Japan Diaries 4: Day 686
Nemuro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Swan 44 Nemuro
Nemuro Izumo Shrine
Meiji Park
Cape Nosappu
Hamanaka Station
Kiritappu Shrine
Lupin III Street
Starbucks – Kushiro Tsurumibachi
Tottori Shrine
Kushiro Roadside Station / Roadside Station Akan Tancho no Sato
Hokkaido Pokémon Manhole Covers
Japan's Awesome Manhole Covers
A Guide to Collecting Eki Stamps
10 Things to Do in Nemuro City
10 Things to Do in Hamanaka
10 Things to Do in Kushiro City
10 More Things to Do in Kushiro City
Moekko Free Ticket 15th Season
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Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 98
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Japan Diaries 4: Week 100
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 100
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