The Backpack Adventures

10 Things to Do in Utashinai City Utashinai ( 歌志内市 ) is a city in the Sorachi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . It is the smallest city in the country in terms of population. The city got its name when the railway was established in the region. It derived its name from the sound of the river coursing through the vicinity, referred to as " Otashinai ". For those planning to visit the town of Utashinai to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Utashinai City : Utashinai manhole covers 1. Take a picture of the  manhole covers of Utashinai . So far, I have seen 2 unique manhole covers. The first one is common around town. The colored manhole cover can be found along Route 691. Utashinai Pokemon manhole cover 2. Check out the newly installed Utashinai Pokemon manhole cover at Utashinai Roadside Station. It features both Vulpix and its Alolan counterpart together with Joltik. Former Sorachi Coal Mine Club (旧空知炭鉱倶楽部) 3. Visit the  Former Sorachi Coal Mine Clu

10 Things to Do in Akabira City Akabira ( 赤平市 ) is a city in the Sorachi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. The name Akabira came from the Ainu language. However, there are several theories about its origin like “ furepira " which means "red rock". Another theory is that it's from " wakkapira '' which means "water and cliff". For those planning to visit the city of Akabira to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Akabira : Akabira manhole covers 1. Take a picture of the  manhole cover of Akabira . So far, I have seen two unique manhole covers. The first one is common in the central part of the city. The colored manhole cover is displayed in Akabira Base. Akabira Town Exchange Center “Mirai” 2. Visit the  Akabira Town Exchange Center “Mirai”   ( 赤平市 交流センター みらい ) . It looks like a castle in the heart of the city. Sadly, in my opinion, it is not fully utilized as tourists have almost nothing to do with it. Luckily it doubles

10 Things to Do in Ashibetsu City Ashibetsu ( 芦別市 ) is a city in the Sorachi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . It is theorized that the city got its name from the Ainu word “ as pet , " meaning “ the river that flows in a shrub ”. Aside from that, other historians also believed that it came from the Ainu word “ hasi pet ” which means “ the standing river ”. In both theories, the name refers to the Ashibetsu River, which flows through the city. For those planning to visit the city of Ashibetsu to check what it has to offer, here are the  10 Things to Do in Ashibetsu : Ashibetsu City manhole covers 1. Take a picture of the  manhole covers of Ashibetsu . So far, I have seen four unique manhole covers which are common in the central part of the city. There are colored versions of these which are installed along Route 452. There is also a special Anne of Canadian World manhole cover found only in the Canadian World Park. Hokkaido Dai Kannon 2. Take a photo of the  Hokkaido Dai Kannon

10 Things to Do in Nakafurano Nakafurano ( 中富良野町 ) is a town in the Kamikawa Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name of the town is derived from the Ainu word " furanui ", which means smelly mud, rotten mud. This was likely because the area was mostly peatland years ago. For those planning to visit the town of Nakafurano to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Nakafurano : Nakafurano manhole cover 1. Take a picture of the manhole cover of Nakafurano . So far, I have seen one unique manhole cover which is common in the central part of town. Nakafurano Shrine 2. Visit the  Nakafurano Shrine . You can pay your respects and offer prayers here any time of the day. You can also get a goshuin here. Hokkaido Landscape Museum 3. Visit the  Hokkaido Landscape Museum  to appreciate the artworks of Shuichi Okuda. The wooden western-style building that was once a school was used as a filming location for Yoon Seok-ho's Shochiku movie " The Wind in Yo

10 Things to Do in Numata Numata ( 沼田町 ) is a town in the Sorachi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The reclamation of this area began in 1894 under the initiative of Kisaburo Numata, a rice merchant hailing from Toyama and based in Otaru. He established the Honganji Farm and Reclamation Commission Co., Ltd. As further progress unfolded, a significant milestone was reached in 1910 (Meiji 43) with the opening of the Rumoi Main Line railway. It is noteworthy that the station was situated on a farm owned by Numata, thus earning the name ' Numata Station ' (presently known as Ishikari-Numata Station). Subsequently, in 1922 (Taisho 11), the municipality adopted the name Numata in honor of his contributions to the region's development. For those planning to visit the town of Numata to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Numata : Numata manhole cover 1. Take a picture of the manhole cover of Numata . So far, I have seen two unique manhole covers which are