The Backpack Adventures

Day 291: August 19, 2022 Friday – From Osaka with Love Day 1 It's a splendid morning, and I'm filled with excitement. Last week, I requested and was granted a well-deserved nenkyu (paid leave), allowing me to relish this day without any work obligations. The reason behind this is that our beloved Japanese family will be flying to Hokkaido to visit us. The plan is to meet them in Sapporo today and then stay there overnight before going on a multi-day road trip.  Off to Sapporo via Route 231 One of the many tunnels in Route 231 From Rumoi City, we set out around 11 AM, following the picturesque Route 231 along the breathtaking Ishikari coast until we reached the vibrant city of Sapporo. The grandeur of Sapporo, particularly for my wife, who is experiencing the thrill of driving in a bustling metropolis for the first time, was quite overwhelming. However, despite the initial fears of driving and navigating inside the big city, we safely arrived at our destination, the charming One

Day 288: August 16, 2022 Tuesday – Drive Up North Day 5 It’s a rainy day. Thank goodness we weren’t soaked in our tent. Although we got wet packing up our camp, it wasn’t enough to dampen our spirits. Rainy morning drive to Nakatombetsu We drove through tunnel on Route 275 Today also marks the last day of our " Drive Up North" road trip . After packing up our stuff, we left Kutcharo Lakeside Campground in Hamatombetsu ( 浜頓別町 ) and then drove south towards the town of Nakatombetsu ( 中頓別町 ). Nakatombetsu manhole cover Nakatombetsu Shrine Seicomart Nakatombetsu Nakatombetsu Town Hall Our first stop in Nakatombetsu is the Nakatombetsu Shrine where I got to pay my respects and offer a prayer. From there we decided to go to Nakatombetsu town proper to look for a place to eat breakfast. It was hard to find one as we were too early so we eventually decided to just grab hot coffee and onigiri ar Seicomart Nakatombetsu . We stayed in the parking lot for some time and when there was

Day 287: August 15, 2022 Monday- Drive Up North Day 4 Good morning everyone! With the looks of it, there would be a lot of rain later as huge dark clouds loom south of Wakkanai City ( 稚内市 ). This is also confirmed by the weather forecast. Hopefully it won’t affect our trip today as we are planning to stay overnight in Hamatombetsu ( 浜頓別町 ) later. Checking out of The Stays Wakkanai North Breakwater Dome Team Nicerio visits the North Breakwater Dome After breakfast, we checked out of The Stays Wakkanai . We then placed all our luggage in the car but instead of driving to our first destination for the day, we simply walked toward it. The North Breakwater Dome is one of the most recognizable and visited tourist spots in the central part of Wakkanai. We didn’t stay there long though as we were afraid that the incoming rain might ruin our itinerary. Path of White Shells Team Nicerio visits Path of White Shells From there, we drove to the eastern side of Wakkanai. As a side trip, we visi