Weekend 105: November 4 – 5, 2023
Day 733: November 4, 2023
Saturday – Culture Day 2023 Road Trip D2
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| Good morning! Time to start the 2nd day of the Culture Day 2023 Road Trip |
We woke up to a cloudy day, but according to the weather forecast, it will turn sunny and will remain so the whole day. Today is the 2nd day of our 3-day Culture Day 2023 Road Trip. We started our adventure in Minpaku Kuroya, which is an Airbnb place in Obihiro City (帯広市). We tried to leave early, but in the end, we were able to leave at around 8 AM.
We visited the following places in Obihiro City:
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| Daichi sculpture |
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| Obihiro Plain Deer Story Monument |
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| Obihiro Station |
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| Expanding the Sky |
🐴 Obihiro Station
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| Seicomart Aikoku Shop |
🐴 Seicomart Aikoku Shop
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| Remains of Aikoku Station |
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| The preserved SL19671 |
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| The reconstructed former Aikoku Station platform |
🐴 Remains of Aikoku Station
From there, we drove to the village of Nakasatsunai (中札内村). The village is known for its main products, which are eggs and beans. It’s also known for its mountainous western side.
These are the places that we visited in Nakasatsunai:
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| Nakasatsunai Shrine's torii gate |
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| Nakasatsunai Shrine |
🫘 Nakasatsunai Shrine
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| Etsumi River |
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| Nakasatsunai Central Park |
🫘 Nakasatsunai Central Park
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| Nakasatsunai Roadside Station |
🫘 Nakasatsunai Roadside Station
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| Tokachi Countryside Museum / Bean Museum |
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| Inside the Tokachi Countryside Museum / Bean Museum |
🫘 Tokachi Countryside Museum / Bean Museum
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| Soba Hana |
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| The autumn foliage looked really amazing when we visited |
🫘 Soba Hana
Our next destination is the village of Sarabetsu (更別村). The village once had thousands of oak trees, but due to the needs of the people, their numbers were reduced significantly. Today, the oak serves as the “village tree” of Sarabetsu and can be seen in its seal and village flag.
These are the places that we visited in Sarabetsu:
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| Sarabetsu Noson Park |
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| Ella had fun playing in the park |
🌰 Sarabetsu Noson Park
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| Sarabetsu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Sarabetsu Shrine |
🌰 Sarabetsu Shrine
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| Sarabetsu Roadside Station “PiPOPA” |
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| Another roadside station was visited. Our list is almost half complete |
🌰 Sarabetsu Roadside Station “PiPOPA”
From there, we drove southeast via Route 236. Our next stop was the southern part of the town of Makubetsu (幕別町). This side of the town was the former village of Churui (忠,類村), which was merged into Makubetsu in 2006.
These are the places that we visited in southern Makubetsu:
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| Churui Roadside Station |
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| Inside Churui Roadside Station |
🐘 Churui Roadside Station
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| Churui Naumann Elephant Memorial Museum |
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| The Naumann elephant fossil inside the museum |
🐘 Churui Naumann Elephant Memorial Museum
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| Naumann Park |
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| Bell of Love and Happiness |
🐘 Naumann Park
We continued south via Route 236 to the town of Taiki (大樹町). The town is one of the agricultural towns in the region. However, what made the town stand out is that it hosts the JAXA rocket launch site and facility.
These are the places that we visited in Taiki:
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| Handa Farm |
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| 半田ファーム |
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| Inside Handa Farm |
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| The farm has a donkey. Nice! |
🌛 Handa Farm
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| Taiki Shrine's torii gate |
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| Taiki Shrine |
🌛 Taiki Shrine
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| Hakurin Park |
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| Preserved SL 59611 |
🌛 Hakurin Park
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| Taiki Roadside Station “Cosmall Taiki” |
🌛 Taiki Roadside Station “Cosmall Taiki”
We planned to drive to the town of Hiroo (広尾町), but it was almost 2 PM when we finished exploring Taiki, and driving to Hiroo would take another half hour. It would be dark on our way back to Obihiro City. Hence, we decided to drive back to Obihiro City and visit the nearby town of Toyokoro (豊頃町) instead.
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| National Route 210 to Toyokoro |
Toyokoro is known as the twin town, as it is separated by the Tokachi River into two main areas, Toyokoro and Moiwa.
These are the places that we visited in Toyokoro:
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| Moiwa Shrine torii gate |
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| Moiwa Shrine |
🌳 Moiwa Shrine
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| Moiwa Bridge |
🌳 Moiwa Bridge
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| Harunire Tree / Toyokoro Elm Tree |
🌳 Harunire Tree / Toyokoro Elm Tree
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| Harunire House |
🌳 Harunire House
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| Saw these red-crowned cranes in flight |
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| Garden Spa Tokachigawa Roadside Station |
On our way back, we made a brief stop at Garden Spa Tokachigawa Roadside Station in the town of Otofuke (音更町). It’s one of the two roadside stations in the town. After getting the roadside station stamp and exploring the area, we continued on our way. Since it had been months since we went to an onsen facility as a family, we decided to take a dip in one before going back home.
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| Satsunai Garden Hot Spring |
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| It's time to take a refreshing dip |
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| Satsunai Garden Hot Spring's illuminated facade |
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| Showa Shell Sekiyu Otofuke Gas Station |
There were several choices, but we eventually chose Satsunai Garden Hot Spring in northern Makubetsu. The onsen facility has a very appealing façade and has good online reviews. True enough, the facility was great, and we had a relaxing bathing time. We stayed in the facility until 6 PM.
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| Ramen Specialist Rahitaki |
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| 6-chasu ramen |
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| miso ramen |
Taking a dip in the onsen made us hungry, so before going back to our Minpaku Kuroya, we ate dinner at Ramen Specialist Rahitaki. It was one of the recommended ramen restaurants by our host. We chose it because it was a few minutes' drive from our accommodation.  |
| Itadakimasu! |
My wife tried the dandan ramen, Ella had the miso ramen, and I ordered the 6-chasu ramen. All I can say is that it was one of the best meals that we had during this road trip so far. From there, we drove back to Minpaku Kuroya and spent the night packing up our stuff in preparation for our trip back to Rumoi tomorrow.
Overall, we were able to visit 5 new municipalities today. We still have one more day to explore the region, though. We’re looking forward to what more the region has to offer.
Day 734: November 5, 2023
Sunday – Culture Day 2023 Road Trip Day 3
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| Til next time - Minpaku Kuroya |
It’s the last day of our 3-day Culture Day 2023 Road Trip. It’s also Kai’s 4th month. We woke up very early today to finalize the packing of our baggage and clear our room. Before checking out of Minpaku Kuroya, we made sure to say goodbye to the hostel’s cat mascot – Chaco. Just to share, our accommodation might not be near the city center, but there are already plenty of places worth seeing near it. Aside from that, the owner was very nice and responded quickly. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a place to stay in Obihiro City.
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| Culture Day 2023 Road Trip Day 3 |
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| McDonald's at Satsunaikyoeimachi in Makubetsu |
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| Our breakfast for today |
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| After breakfast, we stopped by 711 Satsunaikyoeimachi to buy some snacks for our long drive |
After saying goodbye to our host, the first thing we did was drive to McDonald’s and then to 7-Eleven, both located at Satsunaikyoeimachi in Makubetsu (幕別町), to eat breakfast and buy snacks for our long drive that day.
Afterward, we visited the following places in Makubetsu:
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| Smile Park |
🐘 Smile Park
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| Black Woodpecker House |
🐘 Black Woodpecker House
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| Makubetsu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Makubetsu Shrine |
🐘 Makubetsu Shrine
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| Makubetsu Town Hall |
🐘 Makubetsu Town Hall
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| Kongosanmasataka Temple |
🐘 Kongosanmasataka Temple
The next town on our itinerary for the day is Ikeda (池田町). The town is known for its winery.
These are the places that we visited in Ikeda:
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| Ikeda Wine Castle |
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| Inside Ikeda Wine Castle |
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| Team Nicerio explores Ikeda Wine Castle |
🍷 Ikeda Wine Castle
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| DCTgarden IKEDA |
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| Inside DCTgarden IKEDA |
🍷 DCTgarden IKEDA
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| Ikeda Station |
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| Ikeda Station Wine Opener |
🍷 Ikeda Station
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| Ikeda Shrine's torii gate |
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| Ikeda Shrine |
🍷 Ikeda Shrine
After visiting some parts of the town, we continued our drive northeast via Route 242 to the town of Honbetsu (本別町). The town is one of the main producers of beans in the region. As a matter of fact, the town’s mascot, Genki-kun, is a soybean.
These are the places that we visited in Honbetsu:
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| Honbetsu Shrine's torii gate |
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| Honbetsu Shrine |
🫘 Honbetsu Shrine
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| Honbetsu Roadside Station |
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| The preserved overpass outside the roadside station |
🫘 Honbetsu Roadside Station
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| Honbetsu Park |
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| Kabuto Pond |
🫘 Honbetsu Park
We then drove further north to the town of Ashoro (足寄町). The town is an agricultural town that is known for its dairy farms. Aside from that, the town also embraced its unique name 足寄, which separately means foot (足) and visit (寄). Hence, the unique mascot and the foot in the town seal and flag.
These are the places that we visited in Ashoro:
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| Ashoro Museum of Paleontology |
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| Inside Ashoro Museum of Paleontology |
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| Ella wanted a resin head of the T-rex so I bought her one so that she can practice her artistic skills |
🦖 Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
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| Ashoro Shrine's torii gate |
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| Ashoro Shrine |
🦖 Ashoro Shrine
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| Ashoro Roadside Station |
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| Kid Corner inside Ashoro Roadside Station |
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| Hometown Galaxy Line Information Exhibition Corner |
🦖 Ashoro Roadside Station
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| Former Ashoro Station |
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| "Hokkaido's shortest rail" |
🦖 Former Ashoro Station
After exploring the town, we drove to the town of Kamishihoro (上士幌町) via Route 241. The town is known for its abundant nature, about 80 percent of the town is in the Daisetsuzan National Park.
These are the places that we visited in Kamishihoro:
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| Kamishihoro Roadside Station |
🎈 Kamishihoro Roadside Station
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| Kamishihoro Shrine's torii gate |
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| Kamishihoro Shrine |
🎈 Kamishihoro Shrine
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| Takadai Park |
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| Statue of Yasumura Jitakamaru |
🎈 Takadai Park
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| Mikuni Pass Observatory |
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| Great Forest of Mikuni Pass |
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| Team Nicerio visits Mikuni Pass Observatory |
🎈 Mikuni Pass Observatory
It was a long drive out of the Daisetsuzan National Park via Route 273. Aside from that, there were visibly a lot of deer along the road, so I was extra cautious.
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| Uobei Toko branch |
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| Ella was in charge of making orders |
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| Salmon sushi |
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| Tempura |
While driving, my wife and I decided that we should celebrate Kai’s 4th month by dining out somewhere in Asahikawa City (旭川市). We eventually settled in at the Uobei Toko branch, which is one of the conveyor belt sushi chains in the city. It was a perfect break after a long drive. In a way, I was also craving sushi, so it was a timely dinner celebration.
We got back home around 9 PM. Surprisingly, we still had the energy to unload our baggage and unpack some of it. It was an exhausting day, but a memorable one nonetheless. We visited four new municipalities today, bringing us to 136 out of 179 in our #Hokkaido179 goal. I’m really looking forward to finally completing it soon.
Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Day 733
Japan Diaries 4: Day 734
Former Aikoku Station
Nakasatsunai Shrine
Nakasatsunai Central Park
Nakasatsunai Roadside Station
Tokachi Countryside Museum / Bean Museum
Sarabetsu Noson Park
Sarabetsu Shrine
Sarabetsu Roadside Station “PiPOPA”
Churui Roadside Station
Churui Naumann Elephant Memorial Museum
Naumann Park
Taiju Shrine
Hakurin Park
Taiki Roadside Station “Cosmall Taiki”
Moiwa Shrine
Toyokoro Elm Tree
Garden Spa Tokachigawa Roadside Station
Satsunai Garden Hot Spring
Smile Park
Makubetsu Shrine
Ikeda Wine Castle
Ikeda Station
Ikeda Shrine
Honbetsu Shrine
Honbetsu Roadside Station
Honbetsu Park
Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
Ashoro Shrine
Ashoro Roadside Station
Former Ashoro Station
Kamishihoro Roadside Station
Kamishihoro Shrine
Hokkaido Manhole Covers
Hokkaido Pokémon Manhole Covers
Japan's Awesome Manhole Covers
A Guide to Collecting Eki Stamps
10 Things to Do in Obihiro City
10 Things to Do in Nakasatsunai
10 Things to Do in Sarabetsu
10 Things to Do in Makubetsu
10 Things to Do in Taiki
10 Things to Do in Toyokoro
10 Things to Do in Otofuke
10 Things to Do in Ikeda
10 Things to Do in Honbetsu
10 Things to Do in Ashoro
10 Things to Do in Kamishihoro
10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City
10 More Things to Do in Asahikawa City
Hokkaido 179
Japan Diaries 4: Summary
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Japan Diaries 4: Week 104
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 104
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Japan Diaries 4: Week 106
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 106
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