Author: Grant and Barbara

First up a mootch across town to the Botanic Gardens. A quiet green space with flowers. Probably more to it given it’s 1886 ancestry as part of the University. Anyway we discovered a marvelous coffee shop enroute, so all worthwhile.

PM was to Hokkaido’s cemetery, or rather the Hill of the Buddha – part of the overall park. The taxi driver got a little confused and added a good fee driving around the 70000 graves.

All he had to do was to spot the giant replicas of the Easter Island Moai statues and Stonehenge. A little incongruous but strangely work.

The star attraction is the Buddha. Originally built open to the hill in 2000, Tadao Ando – renowned architect I learn – built a hill around it leaving only the head sticking out. Like a giant golf tee. You enter via a tunnel which suddenly reveals the huge statue at the end. All a metaphor methinks, a bit of a life journey.

To increase the sensory experience, the hill is covered in 150000 lavender plants. The lavender ice-cream was delicious too. More senses. There was a lovely festival going on with youngsters in brass bands giving the sound sense a work out.

The taxi back was cheaper.

PS Stonehenge is a mystery.

Tomorrow we head home. A future blog awaits, the return of Around the British Coast.

The cycling tip is to look where you want to go, rather than what you want to avoid. Hence when turning onto a 10ft wide path I didn’t like the look of the large jagged rock in the far corner. Which I then hit in glorious slow motion and even more colourful language. Good news is the bike was OK and apart from a few scratches and a tender knee it was my ego which took the brunt of it all. Silly bugger.

The obligatory melee of finish group photos against a misty backdrop. Bit of fun before the final day’s riding. A few hills to remind us it’s hilly then 10miles out from the finish we cross the Sapporo city line. Then slowly and then abruptly the urban density ups its ante.

The last wee bit was back onto cycle paths shadowing the river. My knee registered every bump in a repetitive “watch where you go in future” kind of tone. Thanks.

Bike boxing was more fun than usual. A good wind whistling around the building and the boxes decide to have fun sailing away.

Tomorrow a day in Sapporo – tonight (Friday) there’s more people and, in particular, young people, out than we’ve seen in a generation.

A short cycling day full of activity. Lake to lake – today’s endpoint is Japan’s 2nd deepest and most northern ice free. To get there the middle part of the cycling was replaced with a lift in the team vans – to avoid 3 long and busy tunnels, one with a lane closed.

No arguments there. So we stopped at a park in the middle of nowhere. With the type of excellent quirky coffee shop you find in the middle of nowhere. Watched over by totum poles. The former Otaki village established a cultural exchange with the town of Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island. So like Pontardawe twin town in Britanny has a red UK telephone box. this park has totum poles.

Another great coffee break (you’re getting the theme) and we get to our overnight stop.

Final day’s cycling for this trip tomorrow.

In and out of the Japanese Bullet train extension works. Impressive activity on surface masks that about 80% of it will be in tunnels because of the difficult terrain. Not taking a bet it is completed before HS2 and will probably get to Manchester faster.

All the workmen were typical of what we’ve experienced. They bow, smile and are helpful. Holding up traffic from entering a coned area whilst we are in it.

Today Hokkaido’s volcanos were a key feature. Mount Yotei. The crater rim is 2km wide and 200m deep. Our route didn’t go there. Mount Usu is opposite the hotel. We have hot water.

Lots of funny wee buildings with pointed hats turn out to be old silos for formenting and storing animal feed. The ostriches we saw probably aren’t interested in this fact, busy posing as they were.

It’s usually quite amazing what is nearby you are not aware of. Probably true most places. We’re staying in what is more popular as a small ski resort near a dam. And a stone age tool manufacturing site.

The Paleolithic era (or Old Stone Age) spanned from approximately 3.3 million years ago to around 11,650 years ago. This massive period—making up roughly 99% of human technological history—covers the entirety of early human evolution and the initial development of stone tools

Traces of campfires and stone tool production have been found, and although only about 1% of the site has been excavated over 200,000 stone tools have been unearthed.

We started by the sea, following the coast along dilapidating fishing villages. Quite a few people, though all old – maybe they formed the same opinion of us. They must spend a fortune trying to keep nature at bay here with all the sea erosion.

Then up onto an agricultural basis and immediately it’s a richer environment. We swap an azure sea for a lake of green pastures, with a few larger richer houses. And much better roads.

A lovely day, full of variety.