hokkaido sights

We're back from a week in Hokkaido.

Hokkaido is the northernmost and second largest of Japan's islands. The population in Hokkaido is only 5% of Japan's total population.

Instead of posting about the whole trip in gory detail, I've decided to break the trip down into 3 categories: sights, seafood and sweets.

Hokkaido has many rolling hills and wide fields. Here's a photo of the "patchwork" fields as seen from the plane.

There are also many lakes, such as Lake Kussharo as seen from Mihorotoge (Mihoro pass). While the U.K. has their Nessie, Hokkaido has their Kusshi--which is rumored to live there...






In the Akan area, lakes Penke and Panke (although you can only see Penke).

Also in the Akan area, a lake called Onneto, the mountain on the left is Meakan (it is still active and has actual steam coming out from up top to prove it!), the one on the right is called Akan-fuji and is supposed to resemble Mt. Fuji.

In Kushiro, there is a large marshland area. Some parts of this place reminded me of an African grassland (not that I've visited Africa, but I think this is what it would look like...).

In the fields, you'll see all these HUGE rolls, which reminded me of cheese...they are actually bails of hay. Apparently, they wrap them in plastic to store during the winter and also to ship across country.
The Eastern and Northern areas of Hokkaido are VERY close to Russia territories, there are many signs in Russian all around in these parts.

During the winter, most of the roads are snowed over, these arrows mark the edge of the road.

The flora of Hokkaido: sunflowers in Furano.

Hamanasu--a rose which grows along the sea coasts.

Mizosoba--persicana thumbergii

Tsurifunesou--Impatiens textori

Sawagikyou--Lobelia sessilifolia lamb

Tsuriganeninjin--adenophora triphylla

Lavender from Miyamatoge (Miyama pass)--an area near Furano. I got these as a secret present from the gardener who was trimming the lavender plants. He told me to hide them from his employer....shhh....

This huge field was filled with potatoes which were harvested.

The sunset and skies in Hokkaido were beautiful too. Here is just a portion of what we saw in Furano.

One of my favorite photos, cosmos taken against the light of the sun.

Hope you're enjoying the adventure...will bring you the next two parts soon!