The Backpack Adventures

10 Things to Do in Sobetsu Sobetsu ( 壮瞥町 ) is a town in the Iburi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name of the town was derived from the Ainu name of the current Sobetsu River, " so-pet " which means waterfall/river. For those planning to visit Sobetsu to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Sobetsu : Sobetsu Roadside Station  /  Roadside Station Sobetsu Johokan   I 1. Visit the  Sobetsu Roadside Station  /  Roadside Station Sobetsu Johokan   I and buy products that are produced or made in the town. You can also get the roadside station stamp here for the Hokkaido Stamp rally booklet. This roadside station has various displays about Mt. Usu which are very informative. Statue of Masao Mimatsu   with   Showashinzan 2. Take a picture with the  Statue of Masao Mimatsu  with  Showashinzan  as your background.  Sobetsu Shrine 3. Visit the  Sobetsu Shrine . You can pay your respects and offer prayers here any time of the day. You can also get a goshuin

10 Things to Do in Toyako Toyako ( 洞爺湖町 ) is a town in the Iburi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The town was formed after Abuta Town and Toya Village merged on March 27, 2006. The town was named after Lake Toya. Japanese settlers named Lake Toya during the Meiji period after the Ainu word to ya , which means "lakeshore, the land around a lake." For those planning to visit Toyako to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Toyako : Toyako Manhole Cover 1. Take a picture of the manhole cover of Toyako . So far, I have seen one unique manhole cover. These are common and can be seen around Toyako Onsen. Roadside Rest Area "Aputa” 2. Visit the  Roadside Rest Area "Aputa”  and buy products that are produced or made in the town. It is one of the two roadside stations of Toyako. You can also get the roadside station stamp here for the Hokkaido Stamp rally booklet. It is popular for the sea urchin dishes. Roadside Rest Area "Lake Toya” 3. Visit t

10 Things to Do in Akaigawa Akaigawa ( 赤井川村 ) is a village in the Shirebeshi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name of the village is derived from the Ainu word " Fure Bet " (red river) which is translated into Japanese. For those planning to visit Akaigawa to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Akaigawa : Akaigawa Manhole Covers 1. Take a picture of the  manhole covers of Akaigawa . So far, I have seen 2 unique manhole covers. These are common and can be seen around the village. There are also colored versions of these manhole covers, which can be found along Route 36. Akaigawa Pokemon Manhole Cover 2. Take a picture of the Akaigawa Pokemon Manhole Cover featuring the Alolan Vulpix, Vanillite, and Hatenna. It is located outside the Akaigawa Roadside Station. Akaigawa Shrine 3. Visit the  Akaigawa Shrine . You can pay your respects and offer prayers here any time of the day. You can also get a goshuin here. Akaigawa Roadside Station 4. Visit the 

10 Things to Do in Otaru City Otaru City ( 小樽市 ) is a port city in the Shiribeshi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name is believed to be of Ainu origin. It possibly means " river running through the sandy beach ”. For those planning to visit Otaru City to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Otaru City : Otaru City manhole covers 1. Take a picture of Otaru’s unique manhole covers . So far, I have seen 2 unique manhole covers. The first one is the one with the otter and the other is the one that features the Otaru Canal. However, there is a colored version of the latter located near the LeTao Main Store. Aside from that, there is an  Otaru Pokemon Manhole Cover  featuring the Alolan Vulpix with what appears to be stained glass windows as his backdrop. Former Mitsui Bank Otaru Branch 2. Visit the  Former Mitsui Bank Otaru Branch  and learn about the golden age of banking in Otaru City. You can watch the map projection on the ceiling of its main hall a

10 Things to Do in Otoineppu Otoineppu ( 音威子府村 ) is a quiet village in the Kamikawa Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name Otoineppu is derived from the Ainu word " o-toyne-p ," which means "walking on the river bottom, muddy things" or "the mouth of the river is muddy." According to the sources, the former was given its name because of a muddy area where the Otoineppu River and Teshio River converge. For those planning to visit this quiet village to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Otoineppu: Otoineppu manhole cover 1. Take a picture of the unique manhole cover of Otoineppu . So far, I have seen 1 unique manhole cover. It is common and can be seen around the village. Hokkaido Naming Memorial Place 2. Go for a quick stop at the  Hokkaido Naming Memorial Place . It is said to be the place where Takeshiro Matsuura and the Ainu elder Aetomo devised the name Hokkaido. Otoineppu Hachiman Shrine 3. Visit the  Otoineppu Hachiman Sh