Hokkaido: Japans Winter Wonderland
Part of my dream of coming to Japan had always included a chance to sample the mythical deep snow powder slopes of the Japanese ski areas. Little know and lesser traveled by Western Hemisphere skiers due to the distance, the Siberian winds bring loads of dry and fluffy snow to the low peaks and has enticed me for years. The possibility for an opportunity always seemed remote but with our world travel plans making Japan a winter stop, this made skiing a mandatory activity for me. The best snow is supposedly on the northern island of Hokkaido, it’s out of the way from the key Japanese sites and was unknown to us before we started the planning. Making a trip all that way for a few days of skiing seemed silly so we looked to see what else could be done on the island; the result was a fantastic week in the snowy, cold and remote reaches of the island.
Starting in the port town of Kushiro, we rented a car and drove to Tsurui (my first time ever driving on the left side of the road) where we spent 3 nights at Hickory Winds Lodge. We were met by Makato Ando who runs the lodge with his wife and their wonderful assistances. We spent the next few days watching Red-Crowned Cranes and Siberian Geese, snowshoeing crater lakes and wandering the backroads.
The crane watching involved two early mornings that were -20C, as we stood in anticipation for the birds to wake and take flight from their overnight bed-down in the warmth of the river waters. Ando-San made sure that we were warm enough and wrapped up Susanne fair and square.
The biggest surprise of the trip was the drive out a 20km long sand spit of Notsuke Bay that jutted out into the Pacific with a frozen bay on one side and the open ocean on the other. The density of wildlife was one of the most I had ever seen outside of Africa. The red foxes, Steller’s Sea Eagle, White-tailed Eagles and countless Sika deer were in every view and the back drop of the white expansive bay and the blue skies and islands of the sea were a stunning sight to behold.
Abashiri is a larger town on the north coast that is known for the Siberian Float ice that fills its waters each winter and also known for its ice festivals and snow carvings. Unfortunately we were early for both activities and instead enjoyed a few days touring museums and eating. It’s a simple fishing town but the Northern Peoples Museum is a well done display of the world’s northern cultures and local conveyor belt sushi restaurant was delicious. There was also a local “blue” beer that was a must try, though it was one of the worst beers I’d ever had.
And finally the skiing…….
Three great days of skiing in mostly knee deep powder, side-country trees, and fresh snow every day. Having not skied in years, the first day was brutal on the legs as I got use to the work again. But each day the initial deep turns and waves of snow brought back the energy to repeat over and over again.
The Hokkaido trip wrapped up the whole of the Japan portion of our travels with a night in Sapparo. The evening was perfect with the cities name sake beer, a big steaming bowl of Udon and Japanese whiskey tasting. The perfect ending to a wonderful portion of the trip.
