《Recommended Spots in Hokkaido》
There are 117 Michi-no-Ekis in Hokkaido at present. Hokkaido is divided into 6 areas as the map shows below. 6 areas each has several Michi-no-Ekis, and they enjoy competing their each attractive points for assembling visitors to make them a “poster boy/girl” of each area.
I introduced 2 spots in Dou-Ou(central Hokkaido) and Dou-Hoku(northern Hokkaido) in vol.1, and would introduce 2 more spots in Okhotsk and Dou-Nann(southern Hokkaido) for this time.
○Okhotsk 1 spot / 19 spots
・Okhotsk Monbetsu: Hokkaido is surrounded by three seas, Japan Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Sea of Okhotsk which is between Hokkaido and Russia. We can see drift ice from Russia in February and March along the coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk. In Okhotsk Monbetsu, we can walk around the exhibition rooms, and see and touch drift ice the whole year, and see the sea angel, Clione which come with drift ice from Russia. If you have never experienced the temperature of – 20℃, you can also meet the frosty world in an exhibition room.
Clione, the Sea Angel
(Reference: http://michinoeki-fp.jp/feature/293 )
URL: http://www.hokkaido-michinoeki.jp/en/michi-no-eki/97/
○Southern part of Hokkaido (Dou-Nann) 1 spot /14 spots
・Shilkabe Geyser Park: What is geyser? To be honest, I hadn’t known that until I went there.
It is a vent in Earth’s surface that periodically ejects a column of hot water and steam.
(Reference: http://geology.com/articles/geyser.shtml )
The ejection occurs about every 10 minutes, and I was moved to see directly the heartbeat of our earth! Please don’t miss the footbath of the hot springs which is used from the ejection. You can stay there all day because of the relaxing warm water which keeps you warm.
15 meters high of the ejection
(Reference: https://hokkaido-labo.com/ )
《Don’t forget to do…》
Hokkaido produces many kinds of the “best” food, such as potatoes, beans for sweetened beans (Annko), and milk etc… Because of the high quality of milk, we usually shop around soft ice creams at Michi-no-Ekis in Hokkaido. You will know specialty of each local area/town by soft ice creams as well as by other local food.
In addition, here are popular Michi-no-Ekis in Hokkaido for their agricultural products.
・Mochigome-no-Sato Nayoro (northern part of Hokkaido):
・Nakasatsunai (eastern part of Hokkaido):
・Space Apple Yoichi (Central Hokkaido): Yoichi town is famous for several kinds of fruits such as apples, grapes, cherries, and prunes. It is famous for apple pies that you mustn’t miss.
《Be careful for…》
#1: The distances between each town / area are usually quite long in Hokkaido, so you should check the fuel, and fill the gas quite often; check gas stations.
#2: You had better take a nap to use Michi-no-Ekis when you feel sleepy because the roads in Hokkaido sometimes are so monotonous that you often cannot be aware of fast speed of your driving to cause an accident.
#3: Michi-no-Ekis are usually closed on Mondays, so you had better make a plan for driving except for Mondays.
#4: You had better not drive in winter in Hokkaido if you are not experienced driver for winter because the roads are very slippery in addition to several kinds of animals come into the roads. You might ask your friends who is experienced driver.
relaxing footbath
(Reference: https://hokkaido-labo.com/ )
You will be able to find your own world in Hokkaido by driving around Michi-no-Ekis. I regret that I cannot introduce all Michi-no-Ekis, but I believe you will be the guide through the experiences in Michi-no-Ekis by making wonderful memories. Please refer to the homepage in order to make your own story by the following URL.
http://www.hokkaido-michinoeki.jp/en/
Clare
Japan