Today is Monday, and I am back in Boston. Everything is so familiar, yet, somewhat surreal.
I left my apartment in partial disarray, just boxing things up, cleaning, preparing for sublet. I've lived here too many years. But now that I'm back, so many of the objects I surrounded myself with, have lost parts of their meaning. It feels like I'm surrounded by excess baggage and I have a lot to do.
Other than that, I am glad to be home. Money was an issue while I was away, and by the end of my month traveling, I could not shake the feeling of being homeless. From boarding the plane in Japan, to carrying my bags up the steps into my apartment, 30 hours passed. Add to that the night spent in beforehand in KIX airport, and it was a long, long, trip.
But I'm back now, and feel myself wanting to move forward, to change, to do better. Japan was an experience. In some ways it showed me my strengths, in others highlighted my weaknesses. I would change many things if I could do it again, but those thoughts are of no use, yet. Right now, I move forward, and with my classes starting again this Thursday, it's time to jump right in.
I will be completing this Blog as I find the time, more photos, finished words, back-dated to become a daily record of my time in Japan. I will post recent entries to the left.
1.9.08
6.8.08
Rotembro
I had wanted to sleep in, but my tent was sweltering from the morning sun. So I got up, packed up, then walked down the road a bit to an onsen/hotel I had seen the night before. Very simple, just the single, big bath with a wide sliding door looking out over the lake, but felt nice on my sore legs, and it was neat as it was the first onsen I had been to with natural river stone below my feet.
Found a bus from there, had ramen at a transfer point, and later that day I was at Wakoto-Hantou, a really nice beach-side campsite with free rotembro nearby. Rotembro is open-air bath, and this was was pretty bare bones. The water smelled of sulfer, and there was moss on the rocks. Also, not for the shy as it was right by the beach area with children playing, and mixed-sex bathing.
The lake was great, with the sunset and very calm、
Found a bus from there, had ramen at a transfer point, and later that day I was at Wakoto-Hantou, a really nice beach-side campsite with free rotembro nearby. Rotembro is open-air bath, and this was was pretty bare bones. The water smelled of sulfer, and there was moss on the rocks. Also, not for the shy as it was right by the beach area with children playing, and mixed-sex bathing.
The lake was great, with the sunset and very calm、
5.8.08
Travel day
Travel day. I was on the train for about 14 hours. This is from my discount tickets, I`m only allowed to take local trains, and Akan National Park is very far east Hokkaido. Lots of sleeping and reading, finished a whole book, The Life & Times of Michael K., by J.M. Coetzee. It was given to me, worth a read.
Arrived at Kawayu Onsen station where I got off. Apparently the stop beforehand was more of a transportation hub, so there was nobody at all around and no buses to the campsite I wanted to get to. So I started walking.
It was farther than I thought, passed Mt. Iou in the dark, knew this because it`s a small, active volcano, I could see the silohuette in the sky, but could more smell all the sulfer and rotten eggs on the wind. I kept walking and saw a car stopped ahead of me. As I got closer a Japanese man was there telling me I should get a ride. His english was good, as was that of his wife, turns out he does some kind of lectures and helps proofread translations. They gave me a ride to the nearest campsite, telling me the campsite I had wanted to get to was far away.
I said goodbyes and walked around the campsite looking for a place to pitch my tent, when I heard `Mr. Crayton!` being called in the distance. My ride had come looking for me to give me a pair of bannanas and wish me well for a second time.
Later, I walked into town, most everything was closed, but I did soak my feet in one of the many free foot-baths scattered around.
Arrived at Kawayu Onsen station where I got off. Apparently the stop beforehand was more of a transportation hub, so there was nobody at all around and no buses to the campsite I wanted to get to. So I started walking.
It was farther than I thought, passed Mt. Iou in the dark, knew this because it`s a small, active volcano, I could see the silohuette in the sky, but could more smell all the sulfer and rotten eggs on the wind. I kept walking and saw a car stopped ahead of me. As I got closer a Japanese man was there telling me I should get a ride. His english was good, as was that of his wife, turns out he does some kind of lectures and helps proofread translations. They gave me a ride to the nearest campsite, telling me the campsite I had wanted to get to was far away.
I said goodbyes and walked around the campsite looking for a place to pitch my tent, when I heard `Mr. Crayton!` being called in the distance. My ride had come looking for me to give me a pair of bannanas and wish me well for a second time.
Later, I walked into town, most everything was closed, but I did soak my feet in one of the many free foot-baths scattered around.
4.8.08
Yotei-zan to Sapporo
3:15am came much to early. Actually, 3:15am is ALWAYS early. At home I'm even just getting to bed then! But there was lots of noise above me and I got up and ready. Slower than the Japanese, and they were ahead of me on the trail, but when I stepped out into the pre-dawn, it was all worth it. I looked down at the top of the clouds. I could see far, far over the horizon. It was spectacular, and only got better as I turned to follow the trail towards the sunrise. At first it was fairly steady, then it was all up hill again between trees and bushes, over rocks and roots. But I had no trouble, and all around me I was alone on top of the world. Mist would blow past me, so thick and sudden like it had physical form. The light slowly changed, and as I came over the ridge, I was looking down into a giant crater. I followed the trail still higher, saw red light above me, and as I came over the crest I was bathed in sunlight. The sunrise itself was ordinary, but what it did to everything around was amazing. Looking behind me, I could see the sharp, distinctive shadow of the mountain spread out below me, and still, we were on the top of the world.
I said hello the the Japanese hikers, they were curious what I was doing there, I explained how I was travelling around in August and Yotei-san was close to Otaru, then I headed down slope to do part of the crater curcuit. When I arrived at the other side, the clouds there were even thicker, and the wind even harsher. I took my pictures then headed towards the same trail down. It was just the same as going up, abusive and unrelenting. But I stopped and rested, had lots of time that day with such an early start, passed hikers coming up, always with a friendly konnichiwa. I had not brought enough food with me, and ate a lot of my high-energy snacks on the way up, so I was pretty exhausted. I had to be extra careful not to make mistakes, but still, I was so worn out by the end, that the only time I slipped in the mud and fell on my pack was on the last stretch of almost flat trail.
Back at camp, most of the botany training group had gone to the lake to swim. They were leaving that afternoon and had spent the last two days exploring the area around camp, drawing, collecting, etc. They asked about the mountain, but nobody had to say much as we all knew how spectacular and challenging it was. My plan before staying at the hut had been to do a day hike up and down (so glad I didn't do that, don't think I would have made it actually), then get up early the next day and ride trains all day out to Akan National Park. But with change came the new plan to go only part way on a train that afternoon, stay a night in Sapporo, then continue east. It was a long ride anyway, and that made it slightly easier. As luck would have it, they were also headed to Sapporo and offered me a seat on the bus! Ya!
The group had a big farewell meeting, interesting to hear, as one thing Peter said that stuck in my mind was about nutrition. Nutrition for the body, but also nutrition for the sprit, and how nature is a guide in that. They wanted a big group picture, and since I was the odd one out, I was the photographer and took group shots with about a dozen different digital cameras.
We then loaded up the bus, man my pack is big, maybe I'm carrying too many socks? and away we went. I slept a little, not sure how long the ride was, but everything was smooth up until we were 10 minutes away and the bus driver rear-ended a van at a stop light. Not a big deal, but this being Japan, and a hired bus, we had to stop and wait for a policeman to come and make an accident report, then everyone on the bus had to write down their contact information before we could go.
Reaching Peter's hotel, there were many thanks and farewells exchanged all around, then I was walking through Sapporo on my way to the main train station and information center. I got a lot of stares along the way, carrying a big backpack through the streets, but I enjoyed the sights. It was a busy city, signs and lights everywhere, but also more spread out than a place like Osaka. With a large park in the middle, and the iconic Sapporo radio tower (which is dwarfed by buildings around it unless you're at the right angle). No problem finding the station and went to the information desk for help with trains. I'm using a special discounted ticket, the 'seishun juhachi kippu', which allows for unlimited train travel within a 24-hour period on certain trains, and I wasn't sure which ones to take to my destination. They were very helpful and figured everything out for tomorrow. I then stopped and had a big bowl of ramen, something I was craving on that mountain climb, then headed to my accomodations for the evening, the i-cafe.
Japan has been innovative in many areas, and differnt places to rest or spend the night is definately one of them. i-cafe is an internet cafe and manga-kissa (comic book salon), but its also 24-hours and has things like a shower, free drinks, snacks, food, private booths for computer usage/tv/video games, and sleeping. So right now I am sitting in a cubicle-like enclosure (with sliding door), a reclining chair, and a computer in front of me. I'm here for the night, updated this blog, and tomorrow I will be riding trains all day from 7am to 8pm, then camping lakeside in Akan National Park.
My only concern right now is my camera. I still have lots of space, but I forgot the cable to transfer images off onto my usb drive! So until I find a place with a SanDisk card reader (i-cafe had a reader but not the right type), photos can only stay on my camera.
I said hello the the Japanese hikers, they were curious what I was doing there, I explained how I was travelling around in August and Yotei-san was close to Otaru, then I headed down slope to do part of the crater curcuit. When I arrived at the other side, the clouds there were even thicker, and the wind even harsher. I took my pictures then headed towards the same trail down. It was just the same as going up, abusive and unrelenting. But I stopped and rested, had lots of time that day with such an early start, passed hikers coming up, always with a friendly konnichiwa. I had not brought enough food with me, and ate a lot of my high-energy snacks on the way up, so I was pretty exhausted. I had to be extra careful not to make mistakes, but still, I was so worn out by the end, that the only time I slipped in the mud and fell on my pack was on the last stretch of almost flat trail.
Back at camp, most of the botany training group had gone to the lake to swim. They were leaving that afternoon and had spent the last two days exploring the area around camp, drawing, collecting, etc. They asked about the mountain, but nobody had to say much as we all knew how spectacular and challenging it was. My plan before staying at the hut had been to do a day hike up and down (so glad I didn't do that, don't think I would have made it actually), then get up early the next day and ride trains all day out to Akan National Park. But with change came the new plan to go only part way on a train that afternoon, stay a night in Sapporo, then continue east. It was a long ride anyway, and that made it slightly easier. As luck would have it, they were also headed to Sapporo and offered me a seat on the bus! Ya!
The group had a big farewell meeting, interesting to hear, as one thing Peter said that stuck in my mind was about nutrition. Nutrition for the body, but also nutrition for the sprit, and how nature is a guide in that. They wanted a big group picture, and since I was the odd one out, I was the photographer and took group shots with about a dozen different digital cameras.
We then loaded up the bus, man my pack is big, maybe I'm carrying too many socks? and away we went. I slept a little, not sure how long the ride was, but everything was smooth up until we were 10 minutes away and the bus driver rear-ended a van at a stop light. Not a big deal, but this being Japan, and a hired bus, we had to stop and wait for a policeman to come and make an accident report, then everyone on the bus had to write down their contact information before we could go.
Reaching Peter's hotel, there were many thanks and farewells exchanged all around, then I was walking through Sapporo on my way to the main train station and information center. I got a lot of stares along the way, carrying a big backpack through the streets, but I enjoyed the sights. It was a busy city, signs and lights everywhere, but also more spread out than a place like Osaka. With a large park in the middle, and the iconic Sapporo radio tower (which is dwarfed by buildings around it unless you're at the right angle). No problem finding the station and went to the information desk for help with trains. I'm using a special discounted ticket, the 'seishun juhachi kippu', which allows for unlimited train travel within a 24-hour period on certain trains, and I wasn't sure which ones to take to my destination. They were very helpful and figured everything out for tomorrow. I then stopped and had a big bowl of ramen, something I was craving on that mountain climb, then headed to my accomodations for the evening, the i-cafe.
Japan has been innovative in many areas, and differnt places to rest or spend the night is definately one of them. i-cafe is an internet cafe and manga-kissa (comic book salon), but its also 24-hours and has things like a shower, free drinks, snacks, food, private booths for computer usage/tv/video games, and sleeping. So right now I am sitting in a cubicle-like enclosure (with sliding door), a reclining chair, and a computer in front of me. I'm here for the night, updated this blog, and tomorrow I will be riding trains all day from 7am to 8pm, then camping lakeside in Akan National Park.
My only concern right now is my camera. I still have lots of space, but I forgot the cable to transfer images off onto my usb drive! So until I find a place with a SanDisk card reader (i-cafe had a reader but not the right type), photos can only stay on my camera.
3.8.08
Climbing Yotei-zan
Woke up a few times in the night, then got up early as I heard everyone around me stirring. I'm always up early when camping, even when I would be better off sleeping more. Since I intended to stay in the hut, I emptied most of my backpack and put in just the things I thought I would need. I also needed water for two days, as there was none on the top unless I wanted to boil it (I have a filtration unit, but Hokkaido has a special problem with a parasite found in fox feeces that contaminats the still water unless boiled). My pack was heavier than I would have liked, but I'm out of shape so it'd be good exercise.
The hike started off pretty smoothly, nice gentle climb, but very soon it tilted upwards and I was climbing up and over stones, plodding through wet volcanic mud, and over loose stones and criss-crossed roots. I started to really, really appreciate my new trekking poles, as they gave me great stability as I climbed. And I continued climbing, and the trail became even harder. There was no respite, no flat sections or traverse, it was always up, over the stones, through the mud, narrow sloping trail, under low hanging branches (I had my hat on and bumped my head a few dozen times), over roots, step up, step up. It started raining, not a heavy rain, but a constant misting. Mountains in Japan are divided into 10 stages. 10 being the peak, 1 being trail head. By 2nd stage I was tired. By the 5th stage I was exhausted. At the 6th stage, I was dead and simply moving one foot slowly in front of the other. It was unrelenting. Rocks and volcanic mud. Yotei-zan is very steep, it being a volcano, and I was experiencing that first hand. Many rests, keeping my fluids up, I kept going. And going. Every once in awhile I was rewarded by a spectacular overlook, and I could see the road I hiked in on way down there.
After 5 hours of constant, abusive, unrelenting climb, I came out above the tree line and was blasted by the wind and rain. I had been very sheltered on the undermountain, and now at the 9th station I was completely exposed. The view was spectacular, what seemed like a straight drop down behind me, and low mountain bushes or barren rock everywhere. Yotei-zan has a curcuit around the crater rim, but by then I was only interested in finding the hut. I had to go along a narrow, traversing path with encroaching bush and plants for another 45 minutes and ended up completely soaked by the time I reached the hut.
Inside was bare bones, hang your wet things in the entrance, remove shoes, step up to an expansive wooden floor and an old coal burning stove. No electricity. Holes in the floor for latrines. There was a sign-in log, and cost was $8 for the night. Talked with the warden for a bit, his english was pretty good, found out they're on a rotating schedal and change everyone Sunday, he had passed me on the trail coming up and the previous warden coming down. I rested, did some reading in a book I had lugged up, and an ink-pen drawing. The warden was interested in my drawing, and came over with a Yotei-zan stamp with the date and elevation. It made a great addition in the corner of my image.
Bit later, a large group of Japanese hikers, I heard the number at 31 people, came in and settled into the 2nd floor sleeping space. Lots of noise, but everyone, including me, went to bed early to be able to get up an hour before dawn and hike to the other side of the mountain and see the sun come up.
The hike started off pretty smoothly, nice gentle climb, but very soon it tilted upwards and I was climbing up and over stones, plodding through wet volcanic mud, and over loose stones and criss-crossed roots. I started to really, really appreciate my new trekking poles, as they gave me great stability as I climbed. And I continued climbing, and the trail became even harder. There was no respite, no flat sections or traverse, it was always up, over the stones, through the mud, narrow sloping trail, under low hanging branches (I had my hat on and bumped my head a few dozen times), over roots, step up, step up. It started raining, not a heavy rain, but a constant misting. Mountains in Japan are divided into 10 stages. 10 being the peak, 1 being trail head. By 2nd stage I was tired. By the 5th stage I was exhausted. At the 6th stage, I was dead and simply moving one foot slowly in front of the other. It was unrelenting. Rocks and volcanic mud. Yotei-zan is very steep, it being a volcano, and I was experiencing that first hand. Many rests, keeping my fluids up, I kept going. And going. Every once in awhile I was rewarded by a spectacular overlook, and I could see the road I hiked in on way down there.
After 5 hours of constant, abusive, unrelenting climb, I came out above the tree line and was blasted by the wind and rain. I had been very sheltered on the undermountain, and now at the 9th station I was completely exposed. The view was spectacular, what seemed like a straight drop down behind me, and low mountain bushes or barren rock everywhere. Yotei-zan has a curcuit around the crater rim, but by then I was only interested in finding the hut. I had to go along a narrow, traversing path with encroaching bush and plants for another 45 minutes and ended up completely soaked by the time I reached the hut.
Inside was bare bones, hang your wet things in the entrance, remove shoes, step up to an expansive wooden floor and an old coal burning stove. No electricity. Holes in the floor for latrines. There was a sign-in log, and cost was $8 for the night. Talked with the warden for a bit, his english was pretty good, found out they're on a rotating schedal and change everyone Sunday, he had passed me on the trail coming up and the previous warden coming down. I rested, did some reading in a book I had lugged up, and an ink-pen drawing. The warden was interested in my drawing, and came over with a Yotei-zan stamp with the date and elevation. It made a great addition in the corner of my image.
Bit later, a large group of Japanese hikers, I heard the number at 31 people, came in and settled into the 2nd floor sleeping space. Lots of noise, but everyone, including me, went to bed early to be able to get up an hour before dawn and hike to the other side of the mountain and see the sun come up.
2.8.08
Otaru
Otaru was pretty nice. Seaside town, that distinct odor everywhere, many fishing boats sitting at harbor. I walked along the canal, which is the touristy/historical area. Many of the buildings were preserved, and there were signs everywhere explaining the original purpose of each section. Also many shops, particularly glass craft shops. Otaru is also well known for it's glassmakers. You can even sign up to take a short lesson and make a blown glass creation yourself! I saw this in process, you really only get to mark where to cut, and to blow a bit into the tube. Handling the tube and working with the fire is left to your instructor.
Right around 11am, after I had been walking for a bit, all of a sudden all the tourists appeared! Because of this, I felt it was a good time to go in and have lunch. Otaru is well known for its sushi, so it was obvious what I wanted. Ordered a set meal, and most of the stuff that arrived I had no name for. I knew the standard octopus, salmon, tuna, but the rest of it was a mystery. Also, my miso soup had a bit leg of crab sticking out. Everything was good, though I hesitate to say it was the best sushi ever, I think I'm too interested in the moment of eating to compare.
Stopped for a shave and a haircut (long over due), but did not do the shaved head thing I had been thinking about. Not really sure why, but I think I just didn't want it done by that barber. So he cut it short, gave me the scalp massage and all that (Nagaokakyo barber was much better), then I went back to the hostel, picked up my backpack, and went to the Otaru train station.
I stopped at the information desk for a train schedule on how to get to my next destination. I was just in time for the next train, and went away with a nice booklet of train times for all of Hokkaido. In Japanese of course, but I can decipher enough of it to get by (bascily just matching Kanji of each location with a grid of numbers and times.) I purchased a ticket, went through the gates and saw a single car waiting on the track. Not the most popular of routes.
Two hours train ride later, I got off at Hirafu station and started hiking towards my campsite. As soon as I got out of the trees, I could immediately see my destination, Yotei-zan looming above me. Yotei-zan was formed by a volcano, 1898m tall and is one of the famous mountains of Japan. It was marked as 'hard' in my Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan book, had a convenient (free) campsite, easily public transportation accessable, and was close to my entry point to Hokkaido. Perfect!
I hiked in, Yotei-zan above me, and when I reached the campsite, discovered it to be occupied by about 16 Japanese being led by an older Australian couple. The Australian man, Peter, was a consultant and the rest of the group were part of an organization that teaches nature appreciation to children. This trip was the culmination of a month spent in Japan helping develop curiculum and training. They had just came down from the mountain after having spent 3 days up there exploring plant life and staying in the mountain hut. Peter convinced me that it would be worth it to stay up there one night, as it was supposed to rain the next day, but be perfect weather the day after, so I agreed. And they were all very interested when I mentioned Japanese painting, and immediately wanted to know more about it. So I gave a brief overview of the process and they were all very appreciative.
Before going to bed that night, I went on a short hike to a nearby lake. It was very secluded, and I had to hike down a long trail to get to the water. It was very quiet, and the trees loomed up all around me. Dusk was a perfect velvet above the tree line, and then the stars came out. Eventually I went back and called it a night.
Right around 11am, after I had been walking for a bit, all of a sudden all the tourists appeared! Because of this, I felt it was a good time to go in and have lunch. Otaru is well known for its sushi, so it was obvious what I wanted. Ordered a set meal, and most of the stuff that arrived I had no name for. I knew the standard octopus, salmon, tuna, but the rest of it was a mystery. Also, my miso soup had a bit leg of crab sticking out. Everything was good, though I hesitate to say it was the best sushi ever, I think I'm too interested in the moment of eating to compare.
Stopped for a shave and a haircut (long over due), but did not do the shaved head thing I had been thinking about. Not really sure why, but I think I just didn't want it done by that barber. So he cut it short, gave me the scalp massage and all that (Nagaokakyo barber was much better), then I went back to the hostel, picked up my backpack, and went to the Otaru train station.
I stopped at the information desk for a train schedule on how to get to my next destination. I was just in time for the next train, and went away with a nice booklet of train times for all of Hokkaido. In Japanese of course, but I can decipher enough of it to get by (bascily just matching Kanji of each location with a grid of numbers and times.) I purchased a ticket, went through the gates and saw a single car waiting on the track. Not the most popular of routes.
Two hours train ride later, I got off at Hirafu station and started hiking towards my campsite. As soon as I got out of the trees, I could immediately see my destination, Yotei-zan looming above me. Yotei-zan was formed by a volcano, 1898m tall and is one of the famous mountains of Japan. It was marked as 'hard' in my Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan book, had a convenient (free) campsite, easily public transportation accessable, and was close to my entry point to Hokkaido. Perfect!
I hiked in, Yotei-zan above me, and when I reached the campsite, discovered it to be occupied by about 16 Japanese being led by an older Australian couple. The Australian man, Peter, was a consultant and the rest of the group were part of an organization that teaches nature appreciation to children. This trip was the culmination of a month spent in Japan helping develop curiculum and training. They had just came down from the mountain after having spent 3 days up there exploring plant life and staying in the mountain hut. Peter convinced me that it would be worth it to stay up there one night, as it was supposed to rain the next day, but be perfect weather the day after, so I agreed. And they were all very interested when I mentioned Japanese painting, and immediately wanted to know more about it. So I gave a brief overview of the process and they were all very appreciative.
Before going to bed that night, I went on a short hike to a nearby lake. It was very secluded, and I had to hike down a long trail to get to the water. It was very quiet, and the trees loomed up all around me. Dusk was a perfect velvet above the tree line, and then the stars came out. Eventually I went back and called it a night.
1.8.08
Ferry to Otaru
Most of the day was spent on the ferry doing nothing. Everyone boarded around 11:30, then left port close to 1:00. My 2nd class ticket did not have a room number on it, but all the 2nd class rooms did! So I walked up and back down the hallway, until a japanese guy helped me out by saying no number simply means any room. So I chose one that looked suitably empty and picked a spot. No luxury here, just a space and a blanket. But there was lots of room as the trip was not fully-booked.
The ship itself was pretty nice, there was a public bath, kinda small and no cold-bath, but still nice. A grill, a cafeteria, a small takeout place, a little convenience store, and some vending machines provided snacks and food. The beer vending machine was particularly popular. There were some comfy chairs around, and an open-air seating area to visit. I slept for awhile, got up, looked around, then slept more. Got up, had some food (which was more expensive that would have liked, the whole captured audience thing), sat on deck, then went and slept some more. It was a nice, lazy boat ride and I wasn't doing much of anything. But I wasn't alone in this, as that what a lot of the Japanese did, just slept as much of the way as they could. And talked a bit with some bikers, Hokkaido is popular to travel by motorcycle in the summer, there are road houses set up all over for lodging, and its a good way to see the scenery (and motorcycles/cars can be brought on the ferry to).
On arrival, everyone filed off. I looked at maps and tourist info in the terminal, but didn't feel like walking an unknown distance with a heavy pack so I grabbed a taxi to take me to the hostel. Nice backpackers hostel, bunkbeds, library of books, dvds, trinkets around, nice shower, etc. I relaxed a bit, took a shower, then went to read a book at the kitchen table when the host came in with some Otaru beer and another guest. It was good to drink a dark craft beer, instead of the mass-produced stuff you get everywhere, and we all sat around talking for a bit. Or, actually, I didn't do a ton of talking, simply because the Japanese conversation was flying all around me. It was fun, and met a german backpacker who had hitchhiked up from Tokyo. Good to hear a first-hand success story about hitching in Japan, maybe I'll try a bit of it.
The ship itself was pretty nice, there was a public bath, kinda small and no cold-bath, but still nice. A grill, a cafeteria, a small takeout place, a little convenience store, and some vending machines provided snacks and food. The beer vending machine was particularly popular. There were some comfy chairs around, and an open-air seating area to visit. I slept for awhile, got up, looked around, then slept more. Got up, had some food (which was more expensive that would have liked, the whole captured audience thing), sat on deck, then went and slept some more. It was a nice, lazy boat ride and I wasn't doing much of anything. But I wasn't alone in this, as that what a lot of the Japanese did, just slept as much of the way as they could. And talked a bit with some bikers, Hokkaido is popular to travel by motorcycle in the summer, there are road houses set up all over for lodging, and its a good way to see the scenery (and motorcycles/cars can be brought on the ferry to).
On arrival, everyone filed off. I looked at maps and tourist info in the terminal, but didn't feel like walking an unknown distance with a heavy pack so I grabbed a taxi to take me to the hostel. Nice backpackers hostel, bunkbeds, library of books, dvds, trinkets around, nice shower, etc. I relaxed a bit, took a shower, then went to read a book at the kitchen table when the host came in with some Otaru beer and another guest. It was good to drink a dark craft beer, instead of the mass-produced stuff you get everywhere, and we all sat around talking for a bit. Or, actually, I didn't do a ton of talking, simply because the Japanese conversation was flying all around me. It was fun, and met a german backpacker who had hitchhiked up from Tokyo. Good to hear a first-hand success story about hitching in Japan, maybe I'll try a bit of it.
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