Asahikawa

 

We visited Asahikawa in late June 2024.

We flew to Haneda, where we overnighted before travelling on to Asahikawa.

We stayed in Asahikawa City, which is in the central part of Hokkaido, and has a population of 322,000. 

 

The airport:

 

 

The trains:

So close to the driver, " why, hello there"  with a smile returned.

Pretty trains:

Which door ? Check your ticket for the door  number, then look on the platform. Easy.

The town

Tokiwa Park

Smelt the fresh pines in the spitter. 

The rocks don't change, they're there for eternity, like the souls they hold.

Park is prettier than the lousy photographer shows. If not for the light rain, a pleasant hour could be spent sauntering.

Ueno Farm

 

BIEI

Wonderful fields of flowers around Biei.

Rather than get up early and take the 40 minute train trip for the 9.30 bus tour, noong decided to take his time and catch a later train, then charter a taxi. Easy, been done before. 

Yet .... Not one taxi to be seen.  The info bureau near the station said that the taxi drivers stop taking charters around 11 am, or earlier,  as they did this day.

Ah, so ....

The next bus tour was three and a half hours away, so we decided to ski-daddle back to Asahikawa.

Oh, while waiting the hour for the return train, the rather large taxi rank saw but one taxi drop someone off. Must be extremely busy elsewhere in town, or, the rich taxi drivers do not need to see who is queueing at the station.

FURANO 

Ah, so.

Three cable cars, each about two hours from Asahikawa are good enough reason for this tourist to come to town.

On the first day in Japan, we visit the local tourist bureau, for maps, pamphlets, and times.

Everything I need to know is in order from my notes of desired activities. A planned holiday.

'Please, how is the best way to go to Furano Ropeway ? Times ?'  I ask.

We decide to train the first half of the trip, as trains in Japan are fun. At Furano town we got off the train, and went to the local tourist office and asked where to catch the bus to continue the trip. To the ropeway.

Thank you, that was easy.

Three hours after leaving Asahikawa, we arrive at the resort hotel from whence the ropeway operates. Excited, in we go.

Me: "Ropeway please"

Them: "sorry no ropeway." and they show me the small print at the bottom of their brochure that says the ropeway won't operate till July, a couple of weeks away.

Ah, so.

Strange that the two different tourist offices didn't inform of this. Maybe they thought we wanted to look at a stationary ropeway car.

Oh well, we had enough time to browse at the nick nack shop and buy two T shirts, eat an apple and board the bus back.  

It was a day away of five and a half hours, and the T shirts are lovely. the apple sweet, the flies in the bus shelter irritating.

KURODAKE

 

Success, we get to our second ropeway and cable car.

Oh, what the ? 

When  was the ordinary town bus that took us the two hour trip manufactured ?  1951 ? 

Had the suspension been tendered to since ?

Bang, smash. I stood up and checked the road surface, yet it looked like a normal sealed road.

The panels of the side of the bus wobbled noisily. Surely they'll become loose ?

For the return trip, I noticed a different advertisment on the side of the bus, oh great, a different bus, not so much noise.

How silly of me, for the return bus was just as noisy, clang, rattle (no roll).

Oh well, it was a good time to close the eyes and try Buddhist calming.

Beautiful, the chairlift, which has me balancing with a backpack on the front.  Slight fear is good, eh.

But no need to worry about a big bear grabbing our feet and dragging us away for lunch, for we had a couple of bear bells !

SAPPORO  

The day before we went to Kurodake, the cable car had been closed due to adverse weather.

So, as the day scheduled for Asahidake Ropeway was rainy, with a mild wind, and considering the trip would be two hours on a Buddhist meditation inducing bus, we decided to take the one hour twenty express train to Sapporo.

Beautiful town, nice wide garden park to be seen from the TV Tower.

TOKYO 

Japan's big cities have much greenery. This is just off from the monorail terminus.

Is this the best shot of the monorail ?  Really ?

I didn't know there were mud flats in Tokyo bay ?  From the monorail that services Haneda Airport.

Shrine near Haneda Airport, and the JAL City Hotel

That's almost it folks, just ......

LASTLY

Beautiful freshly ground coffee at 4.30 am, for a couple of dollars, at your local convenience store.

Sushi trains are different in Japan, in that, the order is placed on the tablet above, then, after a wee warning, the food trundles along the 'train'.

Beautiful, fresh. The Japanese wouldn't tolerate anything else.

The IT used can all be changed to English. There's a ticket when you enter the restaurant, and one when you leave. Simply scan the QI code at the till, and pay. The machine will give correct change of course.

The hotel has Kellogg's Corn Flakes, and much much more Japanese and Euro food. 

Better still, like many hotels away from Tokyo and Osaka, the windows open, ah, no need for the air con.

Asahikawa recomended ?

Definitely.

Hokkaido only became Japanese in 1869.  Therefore, there's none of the splendid old charm that the rest of Japan has.

However, it is still Japanese in so much that counts: helpful people, stunning food, gardens, ropeways and trains.

With the greater distances, perhaps it could be of benefit to hire a car ?

And make sure that the ropeways are operating on the day you'd like to visit !

A kind comment came saying : It seems like there were some unpleasant things this trip

Gee, you know, there's a famous (?) Japanophile philosopher who said : when we reach perfection ourselves, perhaps then we can expect perfection in others

The author responded with :  They were learning things, not unpleasant things, and being weird (?) so, on holidays things happen. A rattling bus is an experience. If I could go back there now, I would have everythging as was, I would