Category: Japan

Otabe was classified as a “second class village” in 1902. At the same time nearby Esashi was a “first class village”. Since then they’ve both become towns, so the 4000 residents are now passified.

Todays ride was a coastal one, apart from the bit in the middle joining the two bits. Hokadate is about the same size as Swansea, so it was entirely appropriate the first 14km felt like Llansamlet with its trading shops and small industry.

Places seem to feel a little less prosperous, and more run down. Life on the outer fringes – Tokyo must feel a long way away. Yet Esashi has a lifesize replica of the last Shogun’s warship – built in the Netherlands in 1865 of wood, 3 masts and a back up steam engine. It sank in 1868 in a typhoon just before a battle. Today’s replica is iron – a bit rustic.

Wood seems to be a local industry, the smell of fresh cut pine is pleasantly pervasive. The large factory we passed turns out to be Japan’s largest operating cement factory.

Hokkaido, the island we are on, was primarily inhabited by the indigenous Ainu people until it was colonised and officially annexed by the Japanese government in 1869. Must have had some strategic value, or maybe to avoid the Russians laying claim to it.

The Ainu people haven’t faired well through forced suppression: some 10000 remain (in Hokkaido) – they were finally formally recognised as an indigeneous people in 2019. You can read more here: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200519-japans-forgotten-indigenous-people

Anyway, back to the cycling and another coastal day tomorrow, grand!

This city really did take off from 1859. With the opening of the ability to trade, the vast majority of which was exports, including sea weed to China.

With the new port came the foreign embassies/offices. Followed by the churches of the respective countries, all within the safe confines of the same area. Don’t want to mix do we? Thus in close proximity is the Catholic Church (bright red roof and white walls designed to make it a landmark for sailors to look up to on the hillside); the Russian Orthodox, an Epispocal Church and an Anglican. The presbyterians were probably being miserable somewhere.

You get the sense of a working port with tourism focussed on one wee bit. First taste of melon bread ice cream, a warm crunchy bun contrasting with the cold icecream. To be repeated!

Who knew the islands are nearly 4hrs apart by ferry. The Tsugaru strait between them connects the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean.

Thomas Blakiston, an English explorer and naturalist, noticed that animals in Hokkaido were related to northern Asian species, whereas those on Honshu to the south were related to those from southern Asia. The Tsugaru Strait was therefore established as a major zoogeographical boundary, and became known as Blakiston’s Line. Just as well his name wasn’t Washing.

The good news is it was a smooth transit between Aomori and Hakodate. The latter took off from 1859 after the treaty with the USA opened up trade. So Western style houses, fine red brick warehouses (now tourist shops). All ripe for exploring more tomorrow.

After 11:30am.

A really scenic day. Lake Towada is the largest caldera lake on Honshu. It’s fed by the Oirase River. Which itself tumbles 14km down a lovely forest gorge fed by a variety of waterfalls, each different.

It’s also apple growing country and it turns out they are a dab hand at flaky pastry too. So no need to hurry. Just savour sight sound and flavour.

The sombre note was the Snow March graveyard, 199 soldiers (mainly kids) died on a snow practice mission in 1902 when the weather conditions deteriorated. They are buried in order of rank. Doesn’t seem right.

One thing I’ve wondered about is why the traditional ‘British’ blue white and red spinning barbers poles are so common. Wonder no more:

During the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, Japan underwent a rapid modernization and Westernization initiative known as Bunmei-kaika (“Civilization and Enlightenment”). As part of this, the traditional samurai topknot (chonmage) was outlawed in favor of short, Western-style hair. The Japanese government specifically looked to the British Empire as the model for modern men’s grooming. When Western barbershops were introduced to Tokyo in 1871, the traditional striped poles came right along with them. 

Today, while barbershops globally use slightly different variations, the red, white, and blue stripe remains the universally recognized indicator of a shop offering classic shaves and haircuts in Japan.

And if you want to know why the colours and pole are what they are, you can look that up….

Tomorrow a ferry off Honshu towards the TV to watch Scotland on Sunday. A handy 10:00 am kick off.

A day of lakes, dams and tunnels.

First up was Lake Tazawa: Japan’s deepest 423.4m, a caldera lake with no natural inflow nor outflow. Hotsprings are a bonus. I don’t know why, but I wonder if the 0.4 is as significant as my missing 3cm in height? Very pretty too.

Then onto Lake Shusen with its very blue mystical submerged forest, the cobalt blue colour caused by microscopic volcanic minerals suspended in the water—specifically allophane (a hydrated aluminosilicate) and silica. 

These microscopic particles act as natural light filters. When sunlight hits the water, the allophane and silica particles scatter the shorter, high-frequency blue light waves, while absorbing longer red light waves

Created by the Yoroibata Dam, the lake’s water levels rise significantly during the spring snowmelt. The shoreline trees become submerged, creating a phantom forest of young, bright green leaves appearing to grow directly out of the water. Especially around now, so we were very lucky.

Lake Hosen came up next, created by another dam. Also cobalt blue, very pretty but we had to pass it by as a hill beckoned. We had had a fair number of tunnels to reach this point. The road builders must have thought “that’s enough. they can climb”. There is quite a lot of infrastructure going on – maybe now the snow (apart from a few roadside remnants) has gone, to repair and prepar. Skilful work driving them diggers.

Tomorrow we head to last stop on this island.