Hurrah Honshu, Hello Hokkaido

 Another Saturday rolls around.  They come around very quickly and today is a rest day, our first day on Hokkaido, in the city of Hakodate.

It has been another memorable week.  Last blog I mentioned we were in Yurihonjo which is a town on the coast.  It drizzled most of the day but with a Typhoon down south our ride along the coast from Yurihonjo, to Akita, was very wet and very blustery. 

We had been hoping for sunshine and flat seas, but that was not to be.  It was head down all the way, no enjoying the relatively flat ride.  That is cycle touring.

The park overlooking the city is situated on the site of what was once Akita Castle.  It was constructed in 1604, and destroyed during the Meiji Restoration, and all that remains are some foundation and a reconstructed guard tower that provides a great view of the city. These parks are like the lungs of the cities and are popular with locals as a good place to exercise.

This particular park is  popular with runners and the uphill is not for the faint-hearted.  It was delightful to watch a group of fit young boys train.  Running up and down, following their coach's directives, yet still smiling and greeting us with Kon'nichiwa, and the odd hello.

From Akita we had two easy days on the flat, before heading to Lake Towada, the biggest caldera in Japan. 

 

The lake is 51 km in circumference and  is nestled high in the mountains. The ride was glorious, but challenging (as my expression shows), with a long climb of 16km.  The GPS promised an average 5% climb but in reality there were numerous stretches above 10%. 

 

I walked quite a lot that day and found the descent challenging as well.  On the final few kms to the hotel, on the foreshore of the lake, my legs felt like lead.

After an onsen it was all worth it, as this was the view.  We had a day's rest, which was sorely needed to give the legs time to recover before tackling the next ascent, over the mountains to Aomori, our last stop in Honshu.  It was an 82k day and it was spectacular.  The first 30k was a gentle downhill run, with 11 km through the Oriase gorge.  The Oirase Keiryu (mountain stream - (sourced from the lake)) winds its way to the Pacific Ocean and riding through it is indescribable. It is best to let the pictures do the talking!

Once again, the term Forest Bathing comes to mind.  We were bathed in the soft greenery and soothed by the water rushing downhill.  Even if riding here doesn't sound feasible I would highly recommend this area as a place to explore on foot.  I felt a little sad for the people on tourist buses, seeing it in momentary grabs, through the windows of the bus.

 It seems that pleasure and pain are never too far apart.  Next came  another climb, 14 km.  I wasn't looking forward to it but the grades of between 5%-8% were kinder than the ride we had done into Lake Towada and most of the climb was in shade, through the forest which helped.  The most challenging aspect of the day for me was the 30k descent into Aomori.  At the end of the descent my hands ached from clutching the brakes.  Downhills are not my forte, as many of you know, and the 4 of us pondered if we had ever done a longer descent.

On Friday 9th June we said farewell to Honshu and took the ferry from Aomori to Hokkiado.  It was a rainy day with gale force winds in Hakodate when the ferry berthed but luckily the ride to our comfortable hotel was only 6km, more or less. 

A new experience awaits, discovering Hokkaido.  Our first dinner was Chicken and Vegetable Curry Soup, which I have read is a staple in Hokkaido. It was delicious, and I am looking forward to trying many more of these curries/soups over the next few weeks.

Hakodate is a popular tourist destination on the water and it was the first port in Japans to open for foreign trade in the mid 1800s.  There seems to have been a lot of western influence with many of the early buildings more western looking that we have come across previously.  The photos below are of the red-brick warehouses, once used for trade but now a tourist attraction full of stores etc. and the 2nd photo is the reconstructed Town Hall which looks extremely European.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a couple of days exploring this new city we head off again tomorrow.  Hope we don't come across any bears!!

Lots of love,

Sue and Keith xx