Thursday 21 June 2018

Hokkaido

22nd June 2018
Air Hostel, Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan
20c

It seems every 7 or 8 days we have to check into a hotel/hostel because of the weather.  The last time was because I had a urinary tract infection, oh, and night-time temperatures were down to freezing plus the wind and rain were relentless.  Apart from that, we've been camping all around Hokkaido.

We arrived in Sapporo having been well and truly mugged by Eastar Jet, it's going to take a while to get over THAT one I'm afraid.  We had an Airbnb in the burbs, a cozy little apartment, but perfectly formed that had everything we needed to settle into my birthday celebrations.  We discovered fresh crab in the local supermarket and couldn't get enough of it.  For just over a quid we could buy enough crab to fill us both up, or, as I did on my birthday, chuck it in with spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, capers and white wine, delicious, but not very Japanese I'm afraid.

Dave havigha nap in our cozy apartment


We headed out of Sapporo on a mean and moody morning, along the cycle path heading north towards Wakkanai.  It was like we'd been transported back 6 weeks to our arrival in Osaka; Wisteria coming into flower, Rhodies bursting out of every garden and the Skylarks getting their thing on bobbing around in the air, it was all strangely comforting.

Rhododendron, I think
Beautiful Flag Iris on the side of the road #gorillagardening


The western coastline is rugged with beaches that stretch for miles and often not a soul to be seen, traffic is also very sparse so finding spots to camp is easy.  We had heard of Rider Houses but either we have found them and they've been locked, or, we've found them and didn't know we'd found them till the day after.  Rider Houses are all over Hokkaido, cheap accommodation for motorcyclists (originally) but now tourers and people on foot, IF you can find them.  We're going to have another go at finding them when we head south tomorrow.

One of many tunnels, not many vehicles though


We ate local fish and crab in several places along the coast, mostly tiny little shacks that you wouldn't know were restaurants, either that or we've been paying local people for including us in their lunchtime meals!  Deliciously prepared meals, simple, no fancy sauces just the way we like it.

As we moved further north the emphasis is clearly on protection from the elements and wildlife.  There are snow shovels in every home, shop and bus stop.  Refuge shelters for vehicles along exposed coast roads.  Metal barriers for wind, snow and presumably tsunamis.  Flexible outbuildings, concertina-like, that presumably flex when there's an earthquake, and don't fall down.  Evacuation and Safety Zones are advertised everywhere and in the far north there are signs showing Tsunami Inundation areas.  Snow sticks identify deep snow with their pretty red tips and rubbish is collected on street corners from bear and fox-proof cages. 

Beautiful sky

Lunch out of the wind


A shobshfor all occasions

I wonder if these were here 10 years ago

Nobody, however, mentioned Crows the size of a Jack Russell.  The Japanese woman who came running into the supermarket to tell us about the first 'mugging' called them 'Blackbirds'.  They had somehow got into my Cordura bag strapped down with two bungies, dragged out the plastic bag with hard-boiled eggs, a sushi triangle, half a loaf of bread and a new stick of deodorant and disappeared into the sky.  Another time, while camping close to a forest, we had to choose between keeping our food under the fly sheet, thereby inviting bears to come and find us, or, take our chances and hang the food from a tree in something not as attractive as a white plastic bag.  They ripped our Sea to Summit dry bag to bits.  I can confirm Crows love butter, particularly Hokkaido butter (who can blame them, so do we) but they're not so keen on dried spaghetti or raw potatoes.  We reckon they've cost us about 50 quid in food and bags, not to mention DEODERANT, beware the Crows!

There is still snow on the mountains and the polytunnels which grow a wide range of foods protect the most vulnerable by 'double bagging', a tunnel within a tunnel.  Bear bells are a common sound, people have them permanently on their shoes or backpacks, I suppose so you don't forget to put them on when you go out foraging, a common thing to do in Japan.

Snow capped mountains

We've met a few other cyclists in Hokkaido, mostly Japanese, all of them very friendly and with the assistance of Google Translate we usually manage some conversation.  We were introduced to the camera function on the app by Faye and James who we met in Osaka.  Hit the Camera function and hover over the word you want to translate and hey-presto, up comes a whole load of gobble-de-gook.  OK, so not ALWAYS, sometimes it actually works but mostly it just gives us a laugh, try it next time your on holiday, hours of amusement.


A friendly Japanese cyclist

Public facilities in Japan are second to none.  I've mentioned the camp sites previously but in Hokkaido there are 5 star bus stops that could easily become refuges and even bedrooms for weary travellers.  There are full on lodges, with cooking facilities, toilets, heaters and an emergency telephone, which are clean and welcoming, and are there purely to make the traveller's journey more comfortable.  Michi-no-ekis are rest areas all over Japan and we've used them a lot.  What with free wifi, 24/7 toilet facilities and a permit to sleep at them, they are fantastic.  I can't begin to imagine what Japanese tourists in the UK think of our lack of public conveniences.

When you spend as much time outdoors as we do the wildlife we see is inevitable.  We've seen several Hokkaido Foxes, one came into the fire pit at a campsite one evening, just laid down and had a little nap.  Another day we saw a vixen wandering along the road, she had been hunting and had about 5 or 6 mole-like creatures in her mouth, she didn't seem bothered by us at all.  Sika Deer are all over Hokkaido and usually skittish, but they have wandered into our camp on occasions and have been brave enough to get within 50 feet, but blink and they're off, wiggling their milky white bottoms.  The Eagles are also huge here (I think they are Sea Eagles) but they don't mug us like the Crows and the butterflies are simply beautiful.

While we were in Wakkanai the weather changed for the worse it also coincided with my contracting a urinary tract infection, so our trip to Rishiri was cancelled.  We managed to lay up for a few days on the east coast, south of Wakkanai, in a hotel at a Michi-no-eki where the antibiotics did their thing.  The forecast for the coming week was not good, particularly on the east coast which is where we wanted to go, so instead we went inland and headed south towards the lavender and flower fields in Biei and Furano.  We were too early for the Lavender but I managed to find one patch where it had flowered.

Come back in July please

The weather improved and we had some gloriously, sunny days interspersed with low cloud and mist, but nothing like the drop in temperature we had experienced in the far north.  The mid section of Hokkaido is where all the growing takes place; there's rice, wheat, melons (at 15 quid a go), potatoes, green leafy vegetables that look like Chard, but longer and skinnier.  Tomatoes, strawberries, rhubarb, peppers, onions (millions of onions) and a whole load of other stuff I couldn't identify.  It's extremely fertile.  They specialise in dairy farming and the butter in Hokkaido could give Devon clotted cream a run for its money in terms of its fluffiness and taste and we have managed to buy crusty, French bread on a couple of occasions, we were in heaven for a while.

Rice paddies, but oh so beautiful


We hit rolling hills along this route, meandering up and down with forest on both sides, no convenience stores for miles.  Unfortunately the traffic became heavier, trucks mostly, until we hit Expressways and then it all tapered off.  We spotted bear prints by the river one morning, but neither of us was brave enough to go down there and take a close up photo.  We sang a little louder that day.

We are now in Chitose, having our weekly wash, and have managed to wash everything we own ready for the next week or so.  Tomorrow we head towards Lake Shikotsu which is meant to be very beautiful.  Our intention is to wiggle our way down to Hakodate from where we can take a ferry to Aomori.  Oh my goodness, we'll be back on the mainland heading south to meet up with Dave's cousin, Luisa, in Chiba early August.  Doesn't time fly?

Laters

Friday 8 June 2018

Northern South Korea and Northern Japan

9th June 2018
Dormy Inn Wakannai, Hokkaido, Japan
Cool and overcast but the sun is peeking through

The reason we're staying in the lovely Dormy Inn is because the forecast was for extreme cold and rain.  The extreme cold came with a vengeance, overnight when we weren't looking, in the guise of 3c with a wind chill factor making it feel like -5c.  It was then we realised just how far north and close to Russia we are, in fact Vladivostok is to the south of us there are ferries to Russia and all the street signs are in both Russian and Japanese.  The rain, thankfully, did not materialise.  But the clouds are clearing and we're hopeful that tomorrow will be a lovely day.  Fingers crossed.

Five layers of clothing


My last post was from a spa/ski resort in South Korea call Sunbeo, it was raining then too.  From Sunbeo we wound our way up north towards Seoul and eventually Incheon, where we would eventually fly to Sapporo in Hokkaido.  One of the most interesting areas of the 4Rivers cycle path is the Mungyeong area where it feels as though the mountains are getting squished together, closer to the river than at any other time.  Maybe it's where tectonic plates meet, I don't know.  In any case, the river is forced to take many twists and turns and it's all in all very beautiful.


Local camping spot on the river


I've got to hand it to Korean Water (publicly owned body that looks after the dams, bridges and water structures and supply in South Korea) they know how to keep cyclists interested in their bridges.  Many of them very grand and often with lovely artworks, or buildings, often a bit 'other wordly'.

Bridge at night



Another bridge

We were entertained along the way by wild animals and the Korean version of the Red Arrows were training for an event so we got to see them doing their formations on two occasions.  Generally though we just enjoyed the peaceful nature of the path.  Weekends can be a bit hectic, specially if you're near a city, but the rest of the time we had the path to ourselves.  We were able to camp in beautiful, sunny meadows, or, close to the river, only once did we feel exposed to several noisy roads, literally we were between 3 motorways and a couple of minor roads, however, the next day we discovered if we had just gone on a few more kms we would have been in a lovely little spot by the river.

Eventually we made our way to Seoul and the busiest part of the path.  Many old railway tunnels take you into the city and like most cities, just when you think you're there, you notice it's another 10kms to get you to your destination.  Unlike most cities though, the cycle path goes right into the centre of Seoul, making it rather easy and if it hadn't been for the rain we would have been happy peddlars all the way in.

We found ourselves near Hongik University, a very trendy but cheap area of the city, where you can drink, eat and shop to your heart's content.  We did some sightseeing and went to the fabulous Dongdaemum building, designed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. While we were there we spotted some ole Bristol friends, Wallace and Gromit.  Someone didn't do the proofreading!




We didn't make it to the DMZ because there is a strict dress code in place and sandals are prohibited.  Apparently, the North Koreans take photographs of scruffy sandal-clad westerners and use them as propaganda, presumably in a 'look at them, the filthy Johnny Foreigners' kind of way, so we didn't go but we weren't that bothered.  We'd had plenty of American air activity in the week leading up to our visit to Seoul, Chinooks, F16s (or whatever their jets are called) and they all looked like they were on a bit of a mission.  We learned later that Trump had just cancelled talks with the North Koreans.

The Korean Red Arrows


We made our way from Seoul to Incheon to catch our flight to Sapporo.  Incheon airport is on an island, Yeongjongdo, so after getting our final stamp in our cycle passports we headed for the ferry terminal.  As we rounded the corner we found ourselves in a theme park, we thought we'd been transported to Barry Island.  Not our cup of tea.  Once on the island it was the most weird experience.  We had spotted a very large green area close to the ferry terminal, and thought we'd head there to pitch for the night.  It was all rather ghostly.  The 'Beach Park' was obviously new, had all the parking, toilet facilities, playgrounds and water fountains installed, and had been for sometime, but there was nobody there.  The streets were all new but there were no cars and the very tall apartment blocks (lots of them) were all empty. 

Another bridge


As we cycled closer to the airport the theme continued.  Lots of building work, brand new 4-6 lane highways but no people and no cars.  Most odd.  Getting into the airport on a bicycle proved even more tricky because of all the building work and when we were stopped by men in uniform at the gates to what seemed to be the entrance to the airport, much time was spent trying to explain to us it was not possible to cycle to the airport.  We made all the right noises about getting the train but then just carried on cycling, eventually arriving at Departures.

We were flying the next day but wanted to make sure we had everything covered as far as the bikes were concerned, after all, Eastar Jet are a budget airline.  We had purchased 15kg each for the panniers and the t&cs informed us that bicycles could be transported for W10,000, that's only just over 6 quid.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:  We are flying to Sapporo tomorrow and we have bicycles (points to fully loaded bicycle) and we just want to find out what we need to do.

Ground staff:  Just turn up here, and I will check them in and you wheel them round to the oversize baggage (she spoke good English)

Me:  Are you sure we don't need to bag them, or box them?

Ground staff:  No, just turn up here, and I will check them in and you wheel them round to the oversize baggage

Me:  Oh, so we know we need to pay to transport them, where do we do that?

Ground staff:  Here, at this desk (points to check in desk)

Me:  Oh, so we definitely don't need to wrap them in anything?

Ground staff:  No

We'd had this experience 30 years ago.  Nobody used to box or bag a bike back then, they were just wheeled onto the aircraft and we'd heard that in Indonesia the budget airlines are a bit carefree when it comes to bicycles.  Too good to be true?  Of course it was.  The next day, at 0530 this is what actually happened.

Me:  We need to check in these bicycles and our baggage, on the flight to Sapporo

Ground staff:  (Looking rather perplexed, takes our passports) Wait here.  A few minutes later.  You have to go to Packaging Area, Gate A.

Me:  We were told yesterday we just had to bring the bikes here, no packaging, no boxes

Ground staff:  (Smiling at me as though I'm the cutest puppy dog she's ever seen) No, you have to go to Packaging Area, Gate A.

Me:  (looking at the time, we have exactly 1.5 hrs till the flight closes) you mean get them boxed?

Ground staff:  Yes

So off we go, find two likely lads working in the packaging area who do a fine job and charge us W80,000 that's the equivalent of 53 quid.  Just as they're finishing up Ground Staff Lady comes to tell us we're running out of time, yes, it's 3 mins till check in closes.

However, that's when the fun really begins because Check-in Lady is now asking us to weigh the bikes.  At this point we know this is going to cost us an arm and a leg.  

Me:  Why do you want to weigh them?  They cost W10,000 per bicycle (takes out computer with t&cs, shows Check in Lady who is now frowning).

Check in Lady:  No, only domestic

Me:  You show me where it says only domestic

Check in Lady:  Only domestic

Sports Equipment
Passenger will be charged 10,000won for bicycles(including foldable), Surfboards and Wind surfing equipment regardless of the free baggage allowance in domestic flights.



Me:  OK, so show me your international policy for carrying bicycles

Silence

Ground Staff Lady:  Still smiling, with head cocked to one side, You have to pay

Long story short, after much tooing and froing about policies and weight, the Excess Baggage charges were negotiated down from 37 kilos to 25, but at W10,000 per kilo it doubled the price of our flight.  We made it to the flight with about 5 minutes to spare.  Ah well, tis only money but we could have done without the stress.

Laters