Four Points Day 1: Sapporo to Iwanai

Distance: 155km

We kicked off the road trip with all of us meeting in Sapporo at the car rental joint, and we were on our way around 2pm. We made a brief stop in Ishikari to pick up Lindsay's stuff, and then we were off westward in the direction of the Shakotan peninsula, where me and Mark live.

Our goal today was to reach Mark's place in Iwanai with enough time to watch the sun set into the Sea of Japan. We made a further stop in Furubira to pick up my own crap as it was on our way, but the greyness of the day and the late hour we got to Furubira inspired us to take a shortcut across land and skip the shakotan coast as there would be no sunset to see (so the map above lies).

It was a good detour, though, as we got to take a road through the mountains that I'd been meaning to try forever. I'd been told it was a sight to behold in late fall with all the colours, bit even on this cloudy day, the green and mist of the mountains and valleys from on high was pretty spectacular--as was the science fictional things that the Japanese managed to accomplish with tunnels in those high places. Sonomi quite rightly commented that, winding through those artificial, rounded caverns of concrete and asphalt and orange fluorescents and grey skylights, it was like driving through the bowels of alien spacecraft. They must have been built for the snows as we could see their segmented lengths standing out among the forests from the high points in the mountains.

We came down from the mountains into the towns of Kamoenai and Tomari, where the dying light of the day was still bright enough to pick out the mad stone formations of their shores. Though I'm pretty proud of the unique and lonely rock formations along my own coast of this island, Mark was right in commenting that Tomari takes the prize for the most ridiculous coastline on the Shakotan peninsula.

The last of the light died as we rolled into Iwanai, leaving us just enough to pick out the mountains behind the town against the dark sky and the slightly greyer clouds of burning rice paddies drifting before them. The smell on the cool air was one of tatami mats and bonfires, seeming to herald autumn--finally--at the end of this never-ending summer.

In Iwanai, Mark had set us up a barbecue with some of his high school teachers who were eager to meet some other English teachers. He'd clearly been doing a good job plying them with English as we were all able to carry on pretty well in a pidjin amalgam of English and Japanese...or perhaps that was the nomunication brought about by the keg of beer they tapped in our honor. That should make getting up in the morning early enough to make good time to Matsumae a bit of a challenge.

Hokkaido Man, ready for action, mate...or maybe being punched in the face by a Ghost.


The epic ride we failed to secure for our road trip.


The actual ride, rented cheaply from ちょいのり, the Honda Stream. The thing's a BEAST with a third row of seats, and is far newer than we'd expected.


Mark and Lindsay, making our way out of Sapporo.


The rest of the Peanut Gallery in the back seat.


The very wavy Sea of Japan, near Furubira, on this grey day.


Mark, looking like J-Ho, picking up some Special Meat in Iwanai before our Yaki Niku party with his high school teachers.


You'd think they were filming a movie in this place with the tents and lights they set up so we could barbecue in the rain, in the night.


Delicious lamb Genghis Kahn.


Oh, and Neil Gaiman early birthday presents from Mark and Sonomi.