【車中泊の旅】最高の道の駅を見つけた、65日間の北海道軽自動車の旅 ④

【車中泊の旅】最高の道の駅を見つけた、65日間の北海道軽自動車の旅 ④

When I woke up this morning,
the sunshade had come loose in the wind. It’s 7:40 now. That means I slept for five and a half hours. The wind is pretty strong. The waves are rough too. The forecast says rain all day. The wind is strong too. I was planning to see Matsumae Castle today. What should I do? There are five cars total parked for the night. The wind is really too strong. Making an egg sandwich. Feels a bit wasteful. Making them in plastic wrap. 1.5 tablespoons. Coarsely ground pepper. Adding a little mustard makes it tasty. Cut the tip of the bag. It tore a little. But it’s fine. Getting chopsticks dirty is a hassle. I’ll use my fingers. Done. Put the tomato on top. Adding tomatoes makes it look good. It’s a color terrorist. Eat it at a seaside terrace table. Enjoy it at the best seat in the house. The tomato juice and egg mixing together is perfect. Thank you for the meal. It was delicious. It tastes better with a little extra effort. The wind and rain have started. When rain and wind come together, you can’t go outside. What should we do? For now, let’s go to the roadside station. Roadside Station Matsumae. Matsumae pickles. Corn shochu. Rock seaweed. Matsumae-produced Iwanori seaweed 4000 yen【US$27】(5 sheets). 5 sheets of rock nori for ¥4,000 [US$27]. Matsumae is also famous for its nori. Made with locally produced seaweed. A seaweed rice ball called “Nori Dandan.” That’s Matsumae’s local specialty. The seaweed rice box costs about ¥1,500 [US$10] each. I want to eat it, but what should I do? The rain has stopped. I’ll go see Matsumae Castle. Someone is walking right in front of me. They’re pushing something like a baby carriage. It says “Touring Japan” on it. They’re touring Japan with that? Amazing. Short sleeves and shorts. I’ve never heard of someone touring Japan with a baby stroller. The yellow-clad man is heading in the same direction. We might meet again later. Is this around the castle? It’s an atmospheric place. Arrived at Matsumae Castle Free Parking Lot. Today is Saturday. There aren’t many people yet. There was a map. Current location is here. This is the roadside station where we stayed last night. I want to see “Castle Town Street” later. I think this area is the park. It feels like Matsumae Castle is inside the park. There was a cherry tree nearby. It seems to be a cherry tree called “Ichiyo”. This cherry tree is apparently 89 years old. But it wasn’t written as its age. It was described as having endured 89 years of wind and snow. How elegant. Not using direct words. Expressing it indirectly. That’s sentiment. Nice. Is this a lotus? It’s beautiful because there aren’t too many flowers. It’s nice when things are restrained. Both people and flowers are just right when they’re restrained. Matsumae Shrine. Excuse me. It’s beautifully maintained. Nice atmosphere. Maybe it hasn’t been renovated. It feels like it’s just as it was back then. For no particular reason. I put in a 5-yen coin [US$0.03]. It doesn’t mean anything in particular. It’s the first time I’ve seen a roofed offering box. I wonder if anything will go in. I’ll pray for good health. Even though it’s August. The hydrangeas are blooming. Every detail is meticulously cared for. I sense an atmosphere of refinement. It’s paid admission, so buy a ticket. Adults: 360 yen [US$2.4]. The entrance. The castle entrance. Like this. Before I knew it, I was inside the castle. Various things are on display. Among them, something resembling a dehumidifier. The management is thorough. I go upstairs. Second floor. Armor. These are bullets and cannonballs. So this is what flies at you? This is a bullet. Matchlock bullet. First time I’ve seen one. In the Western-style localized conflict known as the Hakodate War. The town of Matsumae Castle also became a fierce battlefield. There was a war. Third floor. Long beard. Body hair. Did people back then have thicker body hair? Reached the top. Fukuyama Castle vanished. Fukuyama Castle was here. The burning keep. Photos remain. The exit. What is this? What kind of material is this? Is this the exit? It fits neatly. Snugly. It’s quite something. They say it vanished just now. Fukuyama Castle is apparently Matsumae Castle. You can see the Tsugaru Strait right there. Is the Tsugaru Strait rough? Welcome to Matsumae Castle. We’re leaving already, though. There are many anime and castle collaborations. Just walking through the castle town like this. Somehow… Everything has its own atmosphere. Probably just as it was back then. This must be the busiest street. Matsumae Products Hall. Let’s go inside. They were selling all kinds of seafood. Like B-grade nori. The edge parts. If they were selling that cheaply. I’d like to make my own “nori dan-dan”. It’s not sold very often. The roadside station I stayed at yesterday was there. The factory outlet store across the street. Didn’t seem to be open. Seems there’s an elementary school ahead, so I’ll go check it out. I’ve arrived at an amazing place. I like this spacious feeling. Unique entrance. I wonder who passes through here. It was a lovely castle. Well, the castle itself was pretty ordinary. But the surroundings had a nice, refined feel to them. Let’s move on then. I think this place would be nice to visit during cherry blossom season. It’s windy. Spotted an old man. Spotted another old man. What’s amazing about that old man is… He dresses just like the locals. I thought he was a local. Turns out he’s touring all around Japan. It’s cool how he’s not trying to fit in with his clothes. He’s driving through a tunnel now. Can’t see ahead through the fog. Even with high beams, I can’t see much. Suddenly, heavy rain started falling. This road is crazy. Like a roller coaster. Feels like we’re plunging into the sea. We drove along the coast for about an hour from Matsumae. Finally about to reach the roadside station. The view is spectacular. Roadside Station Kaminokuni Monju. Let’s head to the roadside station. There’s a table in a good spot. It’d be amazing if it were sunny. We’re here now. Was this the 200 yen [US$1.3] hot spring? Unreadable campground. This place is supposed to be really good. But apparently there was a bear sighting. It’s closed now. Too bad. Is that the observation deck? You can see well. Live abalone 700 yen [US$4.7]. You can find anything here. There are vegetables. Meat and cutlet too. Octopus 1300 yen [US$8.7]. The second floor is a restaurant. The “Tekkui Tempura Rice Bowl” seems to be the specialty. Tekui refers to large flatfish. Got the specialty dish. This roadside station is really great. The view is nice and there’s plenty of food. There are also two hot springs. They’re cheap at 200 yen [US$1.3] and 350 yen [US$2.3]. After we eat, we’ll go over there. I hear there’s a “Path of the Gods” over there. The guy singing at the roadside station earlier. Turns out he’s the Prince of the Roadside Station. It clearly said “Prince of the Roadside Station.” I bought asparagus for 120 yen [US$0.8]. They were a bit bent, so they were cheap. They were thick. They looked tasty, so I’ll have them for dinner. Also, crab rice. This place is famous for its flounder tempura rice bowl. Another popular item is the crab rice. It used to be about 600 yen [US$4]. Now it’s 800 yen [US$5.3]. The rice is locally grown. Simple and good. The green onions are just right. Let’s eat. There’s shredded crab on top. The broth soaks in and it’s delicious. At 600 yen [US$4], I think it’s cheap. Whether 800 yen [US$5.3] feels worth it depends on the person. People’s opinions vary. But it’s good because it makes you feel like you’re eating crab. I ate crab. I went to Hokkaido. Did you eat anything delicious? Yeah, I ate crab. I can say that. In that sense, yes. I’ll eat the rest tonight. Thanks for the meal. I took a nap and it’s past 3 PM. The sun’s out and it’s really beautiful. There’s a 200 yen [US$1.3] hot spring just 5 minutes from here. After going there, I’ll go shopping. The old guys are getting along well, sleeping in their car. Hanazawa Hot Spring, where you can enter for 200 yen [US$1.3]. It feels brand new. Bathing washes the soul. The hot spring water was clear and smooth. The interior was clean and tidy enough. All this for 200 yen [US$1.3]. It gets hot when the sun comes out. Right now, it’s 38 degrees inside the car. It’s hot. We go to the local supermarket. This is a round apartment. This is the local supermarket. They say the sashimi is delicious. Shopping Kobayashi. Ice and prepared foods. Bought a mysterious Japanese sweet called “Chabo Grass”. It’s a roadside station with a spectacular view. It’s 5:30 PM now. When the sun gets low, I’ll head to the God’s Path. We plan to watch the sunset. It finally feels like we’ve arrived in Hokkaido. The humidity’s been high since yesterday. My body feels sticky. It felt awful. The sun came out and it dried up. Spread out the blanket to let the moisture evaporate. The blanket’s damp too. This is awful. There’s no one here. Only at times like this. The door is wide open. I’m going to see the sunset. If those clouds clear. We might be able to see the sunset. It’s pretty steep. The wind is strong. We have it all to ourselves. I want to see the sunset. It was muggy during the day. The discomfort index was maxed out. Amazing. Is that… the path of the gods? Let’s stop. The path of the gods. It looks like stairs continue out from the sea. Amazing. The sunset just appeared. It came out of the hole. The sun came out from under the clouds. Let’s go home. I have to prepare dinner and the livestream in an hour and a half. I’m going live on YouTube now.
I’m going live on YouTube now. This is how I’m doing it. I shoved the futon and blanket into the passenger seat. I ate a light meal. I’m about to start streaming. The live stream has started. Too much freedom is something to think about. It’s within the constraints. Tomorrow we’re going to the campground where the bear appeared. Good night. Cutting off. I did a live stream for two and a half hours. To everyone who watched. Thank you. Let’s go to sleep. Good night.

軽自動車で65日間の北海道車中泊の旅に行ってきました。今回お世話になった道の駅上ノ国もんじゅは景色・グルメ・温泉が全部揃った素晴らしいところでした。人も少なかったのであと一週間くらいいたかったのですが、いかんせん暑かったのでなくなく北へ向かいました。次伺った時は、てっくい丼たべようかなと。

【1話目はコチラ】

【車内紹介】

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【自己紹介】
軽自動車車中泊で日本を旅する、40歳丑年です。福島血統の栃木育ちで、北海道と田舎がとっても好きです。車はスバルサンバーバン・トランススポーター・2WD・5MTです。

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