【65日間・北海道車中泊の旅】おっさん軽自動車の旅⑦

【65日間・北海道車中泊の旅】おっさん軽自動車の旅⑦

Day 8 of my Hokkaido trip. It’s hot. 8:34 AM. 31°C. It’s so hot, I leave the back door open. Today’s breakfast is steamed beans, cheese, and a boiled egg. Two rice balls for 100 yen (US$0.67). I go for a walk after dinner. Last night, I heard a mysterious cry. It probably wasn’t a bear. I turned my futon and blankets over to dry them. Before I knew it, it was 10:30. I think about my plans for the rest of the day. I’m here now. I’m heading north from here. Should I go this way? I wonder. It was a very quiet and lovely park. Thank you. I drive 30 minutes on this road. Apparently, this is the cheapest gas station in Japan. [ENEOS Oshamanbe]. With a coupon, it’s 156 yen per liter (US$1.04). My fuel economy is 17km per liter. My mileage since [Tochigi] has exceeded 1000km. Apparently, [Singing Sand] is up ahead. I’ll go a little further. This place, Oshamanbe, is home to many famous crab rice restaurants. The roads are quite bleak. I passed it once. [Singing Sands of Shizukari Coast]. I’ve come to a rather eccentric place. It feels like a beach. The ocean is a little scary. The sand doesn’t sing. I’m heading home. I bought half-price yakitori and cucumber at Lawson yesterday. I eat a little. There’s nothing here. A slightly lonely place. It’s still daytime. I’m going to a free hot spring. [Hokkaido] is mysterious. There are beautiful places with beautiful scenery. There are also places that are so lonely it’s scary. I drove along lonely roads for 30 minutes. Finally, I entered town. This is the free hot spring. [Natural Toyoura Hot Spring Shiosai]. It started raining. Free bathing. A bath is a spiritual cleanser. I was in the open-air bath when it started to feel like a storm. The wind and rain were intense. We played Innocent World. We also played The Shawshank Redemption. It’s only 3:40 PM. I took a bath and a sauna. I feel like I’ve had enough for today. I’ll do some shopping and sleep in the car. I stop by Michinoeki Station. [Michinoeki Toyoura]. I thought I’d sleep in the car here. But the parking lot is small. It’s along the road, so it might be a little busy. I’ll pass. I’ll just look around a bit. [Naito] Apparently it’s the hometown of a player. I got some dinner. Cherry tomatoes for 200 yen [US$1.33]. I also bought scallop gomoku inari. After this, I’ll do some more shopping. [A-Mart Toyako Store]. I bought bread. I like the packaging of local bread. It’s relaxing. I was thinking about what to do next. It’s clearing up, so I’ll go to [Toyako (Lake)]. Maybe I’ll be able to see the sunset. I come out of a long tunnel and arrive at [Toyako]. I thought it would be at a high altitude because it’s a lake. Apparently that’s not the case. The area around [Toyako] is well maintained. There are many nice hotels. It gives the impression of being a good summer resort. Maybe that’s why there aren’t many places to sleep in the car. I hope we can see the sunset. As soon as we arrived, it started to get cloudy. It’s a really steep hill. You can’t go up unless you’re in second gear. An observation deck in an amazing location. There’s only one car there. I’ll park somewhere around here. [Toyako Observatory, Soubetsu Park]. “Soubetu” is an Ainu word. Its origin is “so-pet.” It means “river of waterfalls.” It’s huge . This whole place is a lake. That’s Nakajima. It’s big. Apparently there’s a museum there. I looked online and found out that someone had camped here. It’s a pretty good camping spot. I’m numb. What is this? Whoa. It’s pretty creepy. The face is scary. There are lots of swords. I wonder what kind of swords they are. There are lots of names written on it. It looks like a memorial. I’ll go to Secoma and head to Michino Station. Boo hoo. Secoma is really reliable. Chicken peperoncino, shredded cabbage, and ice. [Michinoeki Soubetsu Information Center Ai]. Michinoeki has a park where you can relax. It’s also attached to a fire station. “We support the Showa Shinzan International Snowball Fight.” Apparently there’s an official snowball fight. I returned to the car and relaxed. I finished preparing for the night in the car. I also finished making dinner. 7 p.m. Temperature: 27.2°C. Humidity: 73%. Tonight’s dinner: cabbage from Secoma and tomatoes brought from Tochigi. Mixed vegetables from A-Co-op. I added chicken on top to make a gorgeous salad. Scallop mixed rice balls I bought at Michinoeki. 500 yen [US$3.33] was 300 yen [US$2.00]. Yesterday’s rice balls. I still had some left. Tomatoes I bought at Michinoeki. Sweet and delicious. A hit. Let’s eat. My first scallops. They’re a little sweet. It’s past midnight. It’s supposed to rain heavily for the next 20 minutes or so . The rain is coming in. I have most of the windows closed. It’s 27.4°C (77.4°F). It ‘s quite muggy. I’ll have to turn up the fan to full power. It’s raining on and off. I think I can sleep. I go to sleep. It’s just before 9 o’clock. It feels cooler than it has since the start of my trip. The temperature is 29°C (79°F). For breakfast, I had stale rice balls. Shredded cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and cheese. The dressing is just tomato juice. Removing the stems from cherry tomatoes helps them last longer. Let’s eat. Maybe because we’re near the lake, the wind is chilly. On the left is Michinoeki Station. On the right is the farm shop. Apparently , this is the birthplace of Yokozuna Kitanoumi. Inside, half is an information space. The other half is Michinoeki Station. I bought some discounted peppers. Three for 180 yen (US$1.20). It’s just right for both people and vegetables to have a story. Today’s plan: Visit a few interesting places in [Toyako]. Plans after that: Go to [Shikotsuko]. Or head towards [Muroran]. I’ll decide which one to go to later. It’s about time to leave. Thank you for your help. The weather is good. [Toyako] Arrived at the parking lot near the hot spring town. From here, we walked to Toyako. There were many beautiful hotels. It had a very elegant atmosphere. We arrived at Toyako. The weather was pretty good. Nakajima is visible over there. It looks like Hyokkori Hyotanjima. Apparently there are motorized swan boats. It does have an engine. The motorized swan boat costs 3,000 yen (US$20) for 30 minutes. Apparently you can soak your feet in a foot bath while looking at the lake. Our plans for the day ahead. We arrived at Toyako Visitor Center. We’ll have something to eat before we go. It’s delicious. We’re getting sleepy. We’ll take a nap. We feel refreshed. We’ll go to Toyako Visitor Center. Toyako and Shikotsuko are apparently lakes that don’t freeze. Apparently large lakes retain heat, making them less likely to freeze. This visitor center has a lot to see. Usuzan is located south of Toyako. It erupted in 2000. Quite recently. A building damaged by the eruption. Apparently the housing complex still remains. I’m going to go and see it. I ring a bear bell just in case. I think that’s the building. There’s no one there, and it’s scary. There shouldn’t be any bears here. I wonder if it’s okay. [House of Serenity]. It used to be a town-run hot spring. Mud flowed in from a mudflow. Apparently it’s been left as it is. What is this? A bridge washed away by the eruption. It’s still here. It had enough power to wash away a bridge. Next, I head to the housing complex. Of the three public housing buildings lined up, one that sustained the most damage has been preserved. What if a bear lives there and comes out? It’s really scary. But it might be just the right home for a bear. It’s not a mudflow, it’s buried in the soil. I hear a sound from inside the building. Maybe it’s just my imagination. I’ve gone around to the back. The housing complex had a nice view of the lake. Somehow, I managed to get back safely. From here, I’m heading towards [Muroran], not [Shikotsuko] . If you want to go to Shikotsuko, you can go this way and that way. You can also just skip it. Go to Muroran. Farewell, Toyako. Toyako has become a tourist destination. The streetscape is well-maintained. It might be just the right place for foreigners and those who like nice hotels . Michino Station. Dateshi Tourist and Souvenir Center. It has a magnificent gate. Behind Michino Station, there seems to be a general park. There’s a plaza and a library. It even has a pool, which is unusual. The lawn is large and well-mowed. It’s quite spacious. There are lots of vegetables. Aronia. Real Shishamo. There were so many vegetables for sale. It’s rare to find a place that sells so many. Three cucumbers for 120 yen [US$0.80]. Four tomatoes for 120 yen [US$0.80]. Non-standard. Non-standard vegetables and people are just right. I bought some Handsome Yaki. Each one was 100 yen [US$0.67]. Let’s eat. It ‘s more like obanyaki or imagawayaki. Delicious. At Yellow Hat. I borrowed an air pump. All four tires had air pressure below 200. Maybe that’s why my fuel economy was so poor. Thank you for the pump. Heading to Muroran. A huge bridge. What a bridge. It feels like an industrial area. Arrived at Muroran. Muroran is famous for its Muroran yakitori. I went to buy some. Marufuji ★4.5. Chicken Marufuji. A rather sophisticated choice, even for me. All yakitori is 120 yen [US$0.80]. Already reserved. It’s freshly grilled, so I taste it right away. This pork. It’s yakitori, but it’s pork. Let’s eat. It’s onion, not leeks. Yes, delicious. I’ll eat this at night. The owner was nice. It would be nice to have a drink there. Muroran feels like an industrial town. There are oil and gas tanks along the coast. There are many factories. The city itself is large and urban. My last shopping trip of the day. I bought some Trial, eggs, Sapporo Classic, and carbonated water. Finished shopping. Headed to the coast where I would be sleeping in the car. Suddenly, a cliff-like landscape emerged from the city.

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。この動画は旅8~9日目。道南八雲町からスタートです。

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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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