2008 October 6 Monday thru October 13 Monday.

Another cold and rainy week, until Saturday when the sun came out again and it started to warm up.   

Monday October 13 was a National Holiday known as 体育の日.   

Literally, Physical Education Day.   

I'm not much into exercise or sports anymore like I used to be, so I made plans to drive down to Otaru instead.

I took my usual route to the Sea of Japan on Route 94, also known as the Inada Mashike Line  稲田　増毛　線.

This is a beautiful drive in any season, but now with the autumn leaves becoming more and more colorful, there were some unbelievably bright reds, yellows and orange colored leaves to be enjoyed along the way.

I took my sweet time and drove very slowly so I could fully enjoy the multi-colored tapestry laid out before my eyes.

When I got to the beach at Mashike, I was surprised to see how windy it was.   

When I opened the door of my van, the wind almost ripped it off!

Also, the waves were extremely rough and very high, at about 4 to 5 meters.

I have never seen the sea this rough at this location before.   
But then again, I have never been to this location in the middle of October before either.

I sat in my van and watched the beautiful but deadly ocean roll and growl with the fury of a woman scorned.

The next day, early on Sunday morning, I heard on the radio news that 5 young people from Asahikawa had been walking around on the rocks at Golden Cape 黄金岬 in Rumoi, when they got hit by a big wave.

Three of them got out alive, but two of them are still missing.   

Most likely their bodies will never be found.  Nature is beautiful, but if you don't fully understand and respect her, your going to get whacked.

I finally arrived in Otaru City at about 18:00, parked my van at the MaxValue open 24 hours supermarket, and walked along the Canal Plaza until I arrived at Otaru Micro Beer in Warehouse Number 1.

The main reason that I came all the way from Asahikawa on this day, was to see the PALOSIKS perform the new songs from their new CD, which I also bought on the same day.

The first time I had the good fortune to meet PALOSIKS was on 2006 MAY 3.   I just happened to be in Otaru During Golden Week, because I had cabin fever real bad, and I love the beer they make in Otaru City Hokkaido Japan.

A couple of good reasons to make the 470 kilometer round trip, and stay overnight in the HOTEL NOAH.

This time I went  in October and was able to drink the German Style Oktober Fest Beer that Otaru makes every year, at this time.

It was the first time that I have been to Otaru Beer in October and the first time I was able to drink this special limited quantity beer.

How was it?

In a word, Deeeeeeeeeeeeelishih!!!!

Take a look at the photo on the left to see what I am bragging about.   

Hokkaido makes WORLD CLASS ALL MALT BEER, and in abundance.

By the way, the PALOSIKS new album is called ゆる　ふわ　Relax.

You can some songs from the album at the Palosiks MySpace web site by clicking here.

I will be writing an album review about it and putting it on this web page of my new web site at the Every Thing Japan Network in the near future.

You can also buy their new album from Amazon Co Jp as well as at the Otaru Beer Hall itself.

Enjoy!

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ワルツ・フォー・ティボー アーティスト：パロシクス 販売元：PIRKA MUSIC 発売日：2002/04/22 Amazon.co.jpで詳細を確認する

ゆるふわRelax アーティスト：パロシクス 販売元：PIRKA MUSIC 発売日：2008/07/11 Amazon.co.jpで詳細を確認する

2008 September 8 Monday thru September 15 Monday.

GOLDEN HARVEST

Monday September 15 was a National Holiday in Japan known as KeiRo no Hi 敬老の日 Respect for the Aged Day. 

What a novel idea!   Show respect and pay attention to the older people in society, who have built this country into what it is today. 

I am talking about Japan.

In the very beginning of the stage play RUN, which I translated into English from the original Japanese, writer Kuramoto Soh 倉本總 wrote the following; 

As for me,….  Well,….   I used to be the same way.

I graduated from college and got a job at a big company.

It was during that time when Japan was still recovering from the damage it had suffered by defeat in the big war.

Anyway, without knowing why, I started running.  Running,…… running and doing my best. 

I lived that way for almost 40 years.  Getting closer and closer to retirement.  Today was my last day on the job.

(pause).

Yeah,  lately I’ve been really confused.

Even though I’ve reached retirement, should I keep on running?  Or, should I just stop around here somewhere, and take a rest?

That’s why I’m just standing around here and waiting.

I don’t know what to do.

The main point being that in late 1945, Japan was just a big pile of ashes with a black rain falling.

It is a whole new world today. 

Because of the slavish work of the millions of survivors from the atrocity that IS every war,  Japan has become the most peaceful, most civilized nation on the face of this earth today.   

Made in Japan, means something special.  Including this rice field in Higashi Kagura 東神楽町.   Japonica rice.   

I prefer to eat it as unpolished brown rice 玄米.

I could buy it directly from the farmers if I really wanted to, but usually buy it at a WESTERN supermarket. 

One of the few supermarkets were you can easily buy unpolished brown rice.

I eat more than 5 kilograms of it every month.

I cook it in a regular rice cooker, in the same way you would cook white rice.   Brown rice smells a bit nasty while it's cooking, but it tastes great.   

A bit more chewy than white rice, and not appropriate for use as sushi すし, but it goes great with curry カレーライス and everything else.   

Once you have had brown rice, you might like it better than white rice, but I doubt it.   

I am not in the majority as a brown rice eater, but then again, I know what I like. 

Fiber filled golden grains of locally grown brown rice.

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TWINBIRD 発芽玄米・納豆・ヨーグルトメーカー HQ-2000 販売元：ツインバード 発売日：2003/12/04 Amazon.co.jpで詳細を確認する

【送料無料】！数量限定　早い者勝ち！完売したら御免なさい訳あり米だけど毎日食べるお米に最適（玄米・白米・無洗米）無料対応・（代金引換・送料）無料 （配送会社がお選びいただけます）■西濃運輸は【送料無料】■ヤマト運輸は追加料金が発生します 【72時間限定送料無 販売元：お米の大将 楽天市場で詳細を確認する

2008 July 22 Tuesday thru July 24 Thursday.

Just one more day of classes until the start of my summer vacation.   

On Thursday July 24, Ikuko and I went to the annual Biei Fire Festival 美瑛火まつり　for the first time.   

Every year on July 24, they hold this powerful event.   

Why has it taken me so long to get there and see it for the first time?   

Lack of planning.    For years, I have been driving thru Biei on my way to the Mt. Tokachi Observation Area 十勝岳　望岳台 and FukiAge Outdoor Spa 吹上温泉露天の湯, and I have seen the posters for this event many times.  Finally this year, I made the smart decision to go and see it.   

It was awesome.    The contrast between WATER and FIRE has never been more obvious.   

Charles Hamel and family were at the event as well, and Charlie has a new digital camera, Canon EOS Kiss F 10.1 Megapixel DSLR which takes awesome photos!   

CLICK HERE to see one of his best.   

A photo good enough to be published in National Geographic Magazine.   

I also took a lot of photos on that night, with the very first digital camera I ever bought. 

The CASIO QV-3000EX.   This camera has the largest diameter glass lens, of all my digi cams.   

Perfect for night time photos.   

With a digital camera it is cheap and easy to take a massive amount of photos.   

Among those many photos, there are always some really good ones.   

Once and a while, a really great photo.   

You can see a slideshow of the best photos I took at this event by clicking here.   

The origin of this festival in Biei, has a lot to do with the repeated eruptions of Mt. Tokachi in the years;  1857, 1887, 1926, 1962 and most recently in 1988.   

That is very active volcano, if ever there was one.   

As you can well imagine, having a volcano blew it's top in a place that is close to where you live, is a big disaster for human beings.   

The main purpose of this festival which began exactly 20 years ago in 1988, is to beg the mountain to remain quiet, and not blow up again.    

It seems to have worked so far.  I think that I will make this one of my yearly traditions, and go every year from now on.   

After all, I have had the experience of driving from Seattle Washington to Spokane Washington on May 18, 1980 when Mount St. Helens blew up.   

It was a scary experience that I will never forget.   

There is nothing humans can physically do to prevent a volcanic eruption. 

Spiritually, we may have a chance, if we show our respect for the power of MOTHER EARTH.   

That is the real reason why this festival is so important.

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2008 May 24 Saturday and May 25 Sunday.

I was hoping that Ikuko and I could get get on the road to Otaru by about 13:30 or so, but we were delayed until about 15:45.   

It was hot and sunny this afternoon, so I dressed in short pants and a short sleeved shirt for the drive to the coast.   

The route I always use when driving to the Sea of Japan from Asahikawa is as follows.   

First I get onto Highway 12 at the border between Kamui and Chuwa. 

I drive along Route 12 through two long tunnels until I get to the KamiKoTan 神居コタン area.   

There, after the end of the second long tunnel, I turn right onto Route 57 heading towards FukaGawa 深川.   

At FukaGawa, many people turn off onto Route 223 which leads directly to downtown Rumoi 留萌.   

I don't.   Instead, I continue on along Route 57 driving through FukaGawa and then on into MoSeUshi 妹背牛.   

There, I turn off onto Route 628 which is close to the PePeRu OnSen ペペル温泉.   

After driving for about 8 kilometers along Route 628, I turn left onto Route 94 which is also known as the 稲田増毛線.   

This Route 94 will take you all the way to Sea of Japan Coastline and Route 231 at a point about 3 kilometers south of Rumoi.   

This is by far the most scenic way to drive to the beach from Asahikawa.   After taking a rest at the rocky beach at the end of Route 94, we headed south down Route 231 towards Mashike Town 増毛町.    

Right after passing through Mashike Town, there begins a long series of tunnels which last all of the way down the オロロンライン until you get into HamaMasu Town 浜益町.   

We stopped along the way in HamaMasu to eat some Sea Urchin Rice Bowl うに丼 and other delicious foods.   

Then, we got back on the road for the remaining 90 minutes or so drive to Otaru.   

I know exactly how to get to Authent Hotel, because I have been there many times before.   

They even have free parking inside one of those Vertical Parking Elevators 立体駐車場, which is located right next door to the main entrance of the hotel.   

When we drove up to the entrance of the hotel to unload our bags, the person who came out to greet us, remembered me right away.   

He said; "You came here last year too, didn't you?"   

I said; "Yes, I did.  And the year before that, and the year before that, etc."   

It is nice to see a familiar face again, when on the road.   We checked in at about 19:30 and then immediately went back outside again, for the short walk to the Canal Plaza Area 運河プラザ and the Otaru Beer Factory in Warehouse Number One.   

Before we left Asahikawa today, we already knew that the PALOSIKS would not be performing tonight.   

However, we were looking forward to drinking the Helles German Style Beer ヘルス which is only available during the springtime and early summer of each year.   

This beer is truly a masterpiece of this brewery, and only costs 1,680 yen per liter.   

ONLY???!!!   Let's see, that is about 10 times more expensive than gasoline!    Yeah, well,.....  what the hell.  Helles is damn good beer.   

Unfortunately for us, we were both still rather full from our late meal in HamaMasu, and we couldn't  drink as much good beer as we usually do.   

Did we save any money on the deal?   

No, not really.   Sea Urchin Rice Bowl costs about 2,600 per serving, making it rather pricey for a single meal.   

But who cares anyway.   Money is just dirty paper.   

After spending about 90 minutes at the Otaru Beer Factory, Ikuko and I walked around a bit along the famous canal area.   

There were far less people than we expected, but then again, it was just another Saturday night in Otaru, with no special consecutive holidays for the Japanese Salary Man.   

Even though the air temperature was about 15 degrees C., the air felt colder than that because of the Sea Breeze moisture in the air.   

We hurried back to the Authen Hotel so that we could use the Mist Sauna and other fine bathing facilities.   

It felt very good to warm up again, and drink some brandy as we watched TV until about 02:00.

On Sunday morning, we woke up at about 7:30 and went up to the 11th floor for a Western Style all you can eat 食べ放題 breakfast.   

They also offer a Japanese Style breakfast on the 3rd floor of the hotel, for those customers who prefer it that way.   

We always choose the Western Style Breakfast with its scrambled eggs, bacon, crispy rolls, plus plenty of strong coffee and fresh Hokkaido milk.   

I almost never make this kind of meal for myself at home, even though I could do so very easily.   

I prefer brown rice 玄米 and natto 納豆, with various seasonings like kimchi, or hot mustard and soy sauce.   But this morning is different.   

A once or twice in a year, experience.   

As such, I really shoveled it down.   

Tasted sooooooooo good.   

Just like my typical childhood breakfast in Spokane Washington.      

Anyway, today it is raining in Otaru, and other locations in Hokkaido, as well.   

So, instead of driving back to Asahikawa, along the same route on which we came, we decided to first visit Wing Bay Otaru and take a look around.   

We haven't been inside this shopping complex for about 10 years, and many things have changed.   

One of the differences that I really liked, is the fact that, they have a stage on the first floor, for musical artists to perform upon.   

Our timing was just right and we caught the performance of two guys on amplified acoustic guitars, with excellent vocals.   

Asahikawa should have more of this type of stuff, in the AEON Shopping Mall.   

After looking around there for about 90 minutes, we were back on the road, Route 5 heading towards Sapporo, where we got onto Route 12 for the remaining trip back to Asahikawa.   

Distance wise, this route is shorter than taking the coast highway, but there are so many stop lights and traffic jams along the way, that it usually takes more time to arrive at our final destination.    

However, Ikuko's younger sister was recently transferred from Tokyo to Sapporo for her job, so we decided to drop in at her office and say hello.   

She had to work today until about 19:00, so we were only able to talk to her for a few minutes.    

Finally, Ikuko and I arrived back home at about 19:30 and immediately stretched out with a beer or two, to unwind.   

Driving through the big city, really makes me tired.   

That's why I always take JR if my only destination on a trip, is going to Sapporo.

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2008 May 18 Sunday.

Today was the first day of this year, that felt like an early summer's day.   

Warm and sunny, with very little wind.   

At about 12:00, I called Charlie Hamel, to see if he was up for a bicycle ride.   

He said he was ready to go, so I packed my mountain bike into my Toyota Noah, and drove from Asahikawa up to Shibinai, using the back roads as much as possible.   

The way I always go there is as follows;   First I get onto Route  237 and drive towards Biei.   

After driving for 19.5 kilometers and just before the hill known as 美瑛坂, there is a sharp turnoff to the left which says 志比内　旭岳温泉　天人峡.   

I turn left there and get onto Route 213, which will take me right to the intersection nearest the Shibinai Elementary School, after driving for another 14 kilometers.   

The nice thing about taking this route, is that there are no traffic lights anywhere along route 213.   

It is also a very scenic drive that I enjoy every time.   

I arrived at Charlie's house and was greeted by some of the  kids who were playing outside.   

When Charlie came out of his house, he told me that he had a present for me.   

I went inside to take a look, and was pleasantly surprised to see a hot-air-popcorn-popper, and several kilograms of raw popcorn!   

Before the Hamel Family left Texas for Hokkaido, they sent me an email and asked me if I wanted them to buy me anything in the USA that I can't easily get in Asahikawa.   

I thought about it for a few days, and then realized that I have been eating pre-popped popcorn, that I buy for about 100 yen per bag, at the local supermarket.   

I love popcorn, but nothing tastes better than fresh popped popcorn, that is warm and fragrant, and full of life.   

Therefore, I asked them to get me the above mentioned products.   

Thank you!!!   I really appreciate it!   

Charlie and I saddled up, and got onto the road at about 13:30.   

We rode on Route 213 which leads up to the ChuBetsu Dam, ChuBetsu Lake and then on to the Y in the road, where you can take a right towards TenNinKyo, OR take a left towards AsahiDake OnSen.   

We didn't ride that far.   

We turned off of the main road, and drifted on down into the base of the very large, ChuBetsu Dam.   

See the photo above/left for details.   

While we were there, we got rained on a bit.   

Then, we got back on the main road, and back towards ShiBiNai, but this time along the gravel-lined elevated river embankments, that are everywhere, on this island.   

A slightly bumpy, but very scenic way to ride.   

We continued along the scenic route until we got back on the main road, for the remaining short ride to the 第一遊水地.   

This has recently become a public park, with a very nice park golf course, right next door.   

Also in this area, are some really nice looking private homes, newly built and mostly in a Northern European style.   

Some of the places also have, huge beautiful gardens.   

A very nice place to live, for a very long time.   

After looking around that area in a somewhat casual manner, Charlie and I rode back over to his house, about 4 kilometers away.   

We were both slightly afflicted with either leg pain, or butt pain.   

I was the one with the butt pain.   

After sitting on Charlie's flat  porch in the late afternoon sun, while having water-blaster gun-fights with the local kids, for about 20 minutes, I drove back home along the same route that I had come. 

Along the way, I got rained on, but only for a few moments.   

The brief rain storm both felt good, and smelled fresh.   

After I arrived back home at about 16:20, I immediately started a beer and BBQ party for Ikuko and myself.   

Today's menu;  Indian Curry Marinated Chicken Breast with Giant Green Onion blocks.   

Slowly roasted over a charcoal grill, with Yebisu Gold All Malt Beer.   

While we were lounging around on the second floor balcony and watching all the people and cars go by, the head chef of the soba noodle restaurant came outside from the main entrance and walked along the front of the building and then around the side and into the back door.   

While he was doing so, I looked up at us and said; KONNICHIWA!   

I held up the big tall cold boy in my right hand salute fashion, and returned the greeting. 

Then he said; "That food you're cooking smells good."   

I said; "Thank you.  I won't steal any of your customers!"   

We both laughed and went about our business.   

It's great to have friendly neighbors.

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2008 May 13 Tuesday thru May 17 Saturday.

Another long week of many classes and not so friendly weather. 

Along with my regular teaching schedule, I had an interview at the Asahikawa City Hall Foreign Relations Division.   

The purpose of the interview was to generate content, to be used in a monthly newsletter that is produced by the Asahikawa International Committee.   

You can visit their website by clicking here.   

I was interviewed by a young gentleman named Brendon, who said he is from California, near Los Angles.   

He asked me a series of about 14 or 15 questions, which the interviewer had devised by himself, after looking around on this website.   

In fact, the way he contacted me in the first place was by sending me an email to the address listed on the top page. 

The title of the newsletter article is;  Hello Asahikawa!,  and it will also appear on the website at this page.   

Most likely it will be in the June 2008 issue.   

About 10 years ago, I was asked to write a short essay for this very same newsletter.   

It wasn't an interview, and they didn't have a website at that time.   

I'd like to share it with my readers right now but,  I can't find a copy of my WORD document on which I wrote it.   

Basically, I said that;  I really like living in Asahikawa, because the city is not too big and not too small, it is close to the big nature of the mountains and the seas, and the people are very open and friendly.   

That is the gist of what I said, at that time.   

I still feel the same way today.   

Some things never change.   

Anyway, also working at the same office as Brendon, is one of my long time students.   

She has been coming to my classroom a lot longer, than she has been working at this office, but I know she can do a good job at her new position in the office of the foreign relations division for the City of Asahikawa.   

One thing that impressed me about Brendon, is his knowledge of the Japanese Language. 

Speaking, reading and writing, seems to be a daily necessity for his life and job.   

He told me that he had studied Japanese at the university and had come to Japan on the JET Program, in order to make practical use of what he had learned while living in the USA.   

Now, that's a man with a plan.  Rock on big guy!    

On a different subject, the photos you can see above/left were taken on May 4th, 2000.   

This is  the 上雨粉林道 which is a rather long mountain bike trip from my place in Kagura.   

I haven't been to this area on a bicycle ride for a long time, but I think it might be a place where I should ride through again, this year.   

At the time that this photo was taken, there were not many insects in the air, yet.   

If you come back to this location in summer, don't forget to bring some bug repellent.   

There are huge horsefly looking critters, that draw visible blood when biting human flesh.   

Speaking of mountain biking, Charlie Hamel and I have been talking about going together on a serious riding adventure, but somehow, I haven't been able to get my ass in gear, and get going.   

To tell ya all the truth, I haven't done any serious cycling for about 2 long years.   

One of the reasons, is because Ikuko likes walking much better than cycling, so if I wanna go out with her, I've gotta hoof it.   

However, now that Charlie is here and ready to ride, I need to fix my flat tire, tune up the gear cables and get back on the road.   

I thought that day, might be today, but I was wrong.   

After my only class for today was finished at 11:30, I sat down to eat a big lunch of 冷やしラーメン.   

Made last night by Ikuko, and still plenty of leftovers, for lunch today.   

I ate it slowly, while watching some documentaries on You Tube.      

About 90 minutes later, when I was finished eating, and ready to ride down to my friendly bike dealer's store for a patch job and a tune up,......   THUNDER and LIGHTNING.   

What are the chances of that?         

No cycling for today.  Maybe tomorrow?   

Maybe not, but I do wanna drive upstream to Shibinai, and visit with Charles Hamel and Family.   

We both have lots of other mutual hobbies, that we can enjoy together.   

I'll call ya tomorrow at about 12:00 noon, my friend.   

Hope to see you all again real soon.

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2008 May 12 Monday.

The photo on the left,（上） is yet another excellent picture from the very well organized website, Rambling on my Hokkaido.   

This is a snapshot of MiKuniToge 三国峠, which is about a 60 - 90 minutes drive from the center of Asahikawa.   

From this angle, it looks like a rather dangerous drive along that very high and winding road.   

When you actually drive across it though, it's NOT that scary.   Although, it really should be.

Speaking of scary, I went to the Young Buds Kindergarten again today, for the first class of the new school year.   

Naturally, I met all of the 1st year students 年少.   

Most of them were calm and relaxed, but a few of them were very anxious and frightened, and feeling the whole gamut of childish emotions.   

This happens to everyone, when you suddenly realize, that your mommy and daddy will not always be at your side, 24/7/365.   

And that's just the beginning of a life story.   

One of the girls in the new class, has lived in an English Speaking Country for more than one year, and she could understand everything I said, during our short lesson.   

Another young girl came up to me to shake my hand, at the end of the lesson, just like all of the others, but she also gave me a big hug, and a kiss on the left cheek.   

It was so sweet.   

Please don't tell Ikuko, about this kiss and tell, story.    

After that was all finished at about 12:00 noon, I drove back to my classroom to make and eat some more of that red soup Korean style ramen that I sometimes make for myself.   

Starting at 13:00, I was back at the 神楽公民館英会話を楽しむ会.   

I started off the conversation circle today, by talking about my boring Golden Week.   

Usually, I travel far and wide around Hokkaido during GW, but this year I didn't, because of various reasons, as noted in my previous blogs.   

Almost everyone else in the group had a travel tale to tell, and one young lady in particular, had prepared an interesting quiz, about how to read the names of some small towns and villages along Route 142, that runs between 釧路町 and 厚岸町 in Eastern Hokkaido.   

I don't have enough time to reproduce all of the アイヌ語当て字語（漢字） here in this blog, but if you have a copy of the very detailed Hokkaido Super Mapple, somewhere in your home, you can look at it, and see for yourself.    

I couldn't read 90% of the place names that she wrote upon the white board.   

That was a great presentation Mrs. I!   

Please do another one again sometime.

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2008 March 30 Sunday.

Oh what a beautiful sunny day. 

By that I mean, the sky was so clear that I could vividly see the Taisetsu Mountain Range from my balcony window.   

On days like this, a drive towards the mountains is a must, if I have the time.   

And today, I had all the time in the world.   

Just a few minutes after 12:00 noon, I got a telephone call from Charles Hamel asking me if I had enough time to drive over to Shibinai and visit for a while.   

Of course I did, and I arrived there at about 14:15.   

Even though they do not yet have a telephone line nor internet service, they have just about everything else they need to live comfortably at their new home, thanks to all of the nice people who live nearby.   

Their kids were outside, playing with the neighbor's kids and having a wonderful time.   

We adults sat around the kitchen table talking about various things for about 40 minutes or so when I finally said; "Hey Charlie.   

We should all take a drive up towards the mountains, because the weather today is absolutely perfect for just such a drive."   

Charlie agreed and told me that his children had never seen snow before they came to Hokkaido.   

Even though there is still some snow on the ground around their house, as you can see from the photo above/left, the really deep snow can only be seen near the base of the mountains during this time of year.   

So, we all hopped into my Road Meister Toyota Noah mini van, and drove straight towards the mountains, passing by Chubetsu Dam and Chubetsu Lake along the way.   

First destination was Tenninkyo Hot Springs  天人峡温泉.   

We went as far as the road would take us and ended up at the parking lot of the Hotel 天人閣.   

We all got out and looked around as much as we could, but the hiking trail to the waterfalls was still full of snow and not passable.   

Next, we drove back down the hill until we got to the "Y" in the road that leads up to the Asahidake Hot Springs 旭岳温泉.   

We turned right and drove back up the hill until we got to the ropeway at Asahidake, but we didn't get out of the car there.

We just drove slowly around the area, enjoying the beautiful sights.   

After that, we drove back down the hill and on into Shibinai, with plenty of daylight left.   

On the way up to the mountains, we stopped along the road where there is a clear view of  Lake Chubetsu, and the kids had some fun walking around on the top of the deep snow, and even making and throwing some snowballs, for the first time in their lives.   

Yeah, it's cold isn't it.   

The Hamel Family members were all smart enough to wear long rubber boots, but I was crazy as usual wearing only sandals without socks.   

I did not climb around on the snow, for obvious reasons.   

Even so, the time I did spend out of the car walking around, was a bit cold for my feet.   

It will be getting warmer day by day from now on so, I won't be wearing any socks or shoes for many months.   

Simple is best.　

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2008 March 17 Monday thru March 19 Wednesday.

On Monday, at the 神楽公民館で英会話を楽しむ会, I talked a bit about Saint Patrick's Day, and how it is celebrated in the USA and other countries around the world.   

My ancestry is about 1/4 Irish and 3/4 German, so I have some affinity for this celebration.   

I have fond memories from my elementary school days, of a certain custom that was popular at that time.   

If a person wasn't wearing something GREEN in color, the other students could take their fingers and pinch them.   

This was a symbolic gesture to represent a snake bite, according to the Irish Legend of Saint Patrick's Day.   

According to this legend, St. Patrick was walking along the roads throughout Ireland, while playing a flute.   

When the snakes on the island heard the flute music, they all started to follow St. Patrick as he walked along the roads.   

Being a clever guy, St. Patrick saw an opportunity to rid the island of all snakes, so he led them all up to the cliffs that overlook the sea, and the snakes all fell off of the cliff and into the sea.   

That is why, there are no snakes in Ireland to this day!!!   

I can't testify as to the veracity of this story, but it does make the imagination ready,  for a good legend.

On Wednesday evening after my last class of the day was finished at 19:00, Ikuko and I got on a bus and rode out to the Suehiro District of Asahikawa, heading for a Korean Restaurant known as 韓国村.   

Neither of us have ever been to this restaurant before, and the objective of our visit was to celebrate Ikuko's birthday anniversary, which was on March 11.

We were both very busy on that day, so we took advantage of some extra free time today, to have a birthday party for her.   

This restaurant is managed by a Korean person, and the food is authentic.   

Each table is contained within a small private room, and the atmosphere is truly relaxing.   

I was pleased to see that the entire menu was written in both Japanese and Korean, and I had a good time reading the Korean Language names for all of the selections on the menu.   

After about 90 minutes of good food and good drink, Ikuko and I paid our bill, and went outside again to walk back to the bus stop.   

Unfortunately, there were no more buses for the day, that go directly to the Kagura District where we live.   

So, I flagged down a taxi.   

If you like Korean food, I highly recommend this restaurant.   

You can visit their official website by clicking here.  韓国村

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by
マンション 査定

2008 March 11 Tuesday thru March 16 Sunday.

Instead of snow, it has been raining a lot this week.

This, is a good sign.

A sign that warmer temperatures, and an explosion of new life, will soon be upon us.

Here in Hokkaido, and all around the world.

Today on Sunday, I took advantage of the excellent sunny skies, and went for a drive to Kami Furano, and then back up North again, for a swing-by thru HigashiKawa Town and ShiBiNai Village.

The farther you get away from the city center of Asahikawa, the sweeter and more fragrant the air becomes. There is a very noticeable difference.

The district I live in, is just across the Chubetsu River from the center of the city.

It will be even closer, in the very near future. Two more bridges are scheduled to be built, within the next 1 to 5 years.

Then, Kagura WILL BE in the center of the city! YIKES!!!

What ever happened to my Country Living???

This location is good for my little classroom, but the air is not so sweet, in this area of Hokkaido.

Suddenly, I remember back to living in LA. Hell A.

No complaints here, in Happy Camper Land, Private Hokkaido.

While I was at the top of a very well known hill in Kami Furano, I took some photos of the clearly visible snow covered mountain range in front of me.

As I was doing so, I heard a jet airplane coming from the west.

As I looked up, I could see that it was a regularly scheduled passenger airliner, taking off from Asahikawa International Airport, and heading for parts, southwest from here.

I was able to snap a photo of the airplane, with a big rainbow in the misty sky above, as you can see from the photo above/left.

There are many flights, every day.

It is easy to take off, when you know you can fly.

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by
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2008 February 12 Tuesday thru February 13 Wednesday.

The Asahikawa Winter Festival may be over, but winter is most certainly not finished with us yet.   

See the photo above/left for details. 

After several days of clear skies and higher temperatures, the white stuff is coming down again, with a vengeance.   

In the English language, this type of weather condition is commonly called a WHITE OUT.   

A person can see a lot of white, and not much else.   

Especially if you are driving your car at night.   

The headlights create a sort of dancing crowd of white fairies that must be wiped away, with wiper blades on at full speed.   

Of course, reducing the rolling speed of the automobile is also a must.   

In the city, there are still street lights and traffic lights and other car lights to help you find your way.   

But, if you are out on a country road somewhere, all alone, and this type of blizzard comes upon you, a person can easily become disoriented and end up in a ditch, alongside of the road.   

This is no laughing matter.   

Hokkaido is both beautiful and dangerous at the same time, during certain seasons and weather conditions.   

Approach it with respect, and drive slowly.   

Very slowly.

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2008 February 6 Wednesday thru February 11 Monday.

Another very cold week in the middle of Hokkaido.   

Friday morning, when I got up to get ready for my English class at the DoKan Nursing School, I knew right away, that I wouldn't be able to make it on schedule.   

I had a slight fever, and I couldn't get my arse off of the toilet seat.    Literally.   

I sent a FAX to the school, asking for the day off, and went back to bed.   

By about 13:00, I could stay away from the toilet long enough to teach a 50 minute class.   

Back to business as usual.   

Even by Saturday early evening, I still wasn't quite up to snuff.   

Mr. T. and I had talked about going the Asahikawa Winter Festival together again this year, but I had to tell him that I wasn't up to going on Saturday.   

Finally on Sunday, after sleeping until noon, I got up and took a hot bath.   

As I started to feel more motivated, I suddenly decided to leave my house at about 16:00, and walk down to the winter festival by myself.   

I got to the Asahikawa JR Station at just before 17:00, and started taking photographs.   

Lots and lots of photographs.   

You can see an auto playing slide show of most of the photos by clicking here.   

The weather was absolutely perfect today.   

Clear skies and no wind.   

I dressed appropriately for the occasion, and felt warm and dry the whole time.   

Except for one thing.   

About 30 minutes before I walked out of my place, heading towards the Chubetsu Bridge, I had just gotten out of a very hot bath.   

As a result, my hair was still wet.   

Especially the Pony Tail sticking out from under my hats.    

After about 50 minutes of being outside, I began to notice a very cold sensation on the back of my neck near the base of my skull.   

Surely enough, my PONY TAIL WAS FROZEN.    

Again.    This has happened before, and I call this phenomena the PONYICICLE.   

A pony tail icicle if you will.   

That was the only problem of the day.   

Having a frozen mass of my own hair poking me in the back of the neck.

Ponyicicles.   

Never happens in the summer.　

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2008 February 2 Saturday thru February 5 Tuesday.

Wow, what a weekend. 　　

I mean,...   There was Super Bowl Sunday on February 3, in the USA.   

I have to admit, right here and now, that I didn't even remember it was happening, and of course I didn't watch it on TV.   

Did I really miss anything important, to me?   

I doubt it.   In fact, I didn't hear anything about the big NFL Super Bowl, until Mr. T. came to my classroom this Tuesday, at about 15:20, and told me about it.      

I haven't seen Mr. T.,  for about 4 or 5 months.   

He has been busy with Park Golf and other things.   

He told me that even during the winter, a person can play Park Golf indoors, at the 東神楽森林公園,  about a 40 minute drive from my classroom.   

I had never noticed the park golf facilities before, even though I have been to this location, many times. 

Both by car and by mountain bike.   

It is a beautiful place, with a hot spring resort hotel, and bungalows, and an auto campground, and basketball/tennis courts and cycling roads, and,....    In a word, it's a beautiful place.    

And not at all expensive.   

Any pensioner can afford it.   

The human aspect of Hokkaido, is awesome in its accessibility.   

It is everywhere, and all around you.   

In every season, it has a different hue.   

ALL flowing by, in smooth succession.   

By the way, the photo above/left, is NOT of HIGASHI KAGURA, but is of 赤い屋根の小屋　which is near to the FARMS CHIYODA just off of Route 237 in Kami Furano Town.   

This photograph was taken on 2008 January 26 at 12:36 by 空犬 and posted on his excellent website Rambling On My Hokkaido.    

Thank you once again 空犬 for allowing your excellent photos of Hokkaido, to be used freely by anyone, anywhere in the world.   

Thank you so much, for your interesting photo/essay CHRONICLE of HOKKAIDO.   

I have learned a lot from you, and I know that many others have also.

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2008 February 1 Friday.

Today is the beginning of the coldest month of the year in Asahikawa.   

The winter festival will be starting in exactly one week.   

The PhotoGraphic above/left in today's blog, is my visualization of what I call a Window Of Opportunity.   

I have had many such moments in my life, and this is the kind of feeling I get, when I see one.   

It makes me feel optimistic and ready for action.   

In my case, right now, it is the light at the end of the tunnel, after a long winter.   

In other words, I am looking forward to going to the Asahikawa Winter Festival next weekend.   

A few weeks after that, the school graduation season starts.   

Then, in early April, the new school year starts and shortly after that, Golden Week will be upon us.   

Golden Week means that I will be on the road again, for a long drive, after many months of not driving that much, at all.   

After about 5 months of snow on the ground, the end of April and the beginning of May, are the most fragrant season of the year.   

Not so much the smell of flowers yet, but the smell of the dirt waking up from a long frozen hibernation.   

It's the kind of subtle smell that anyone can intrinsically detect, in the deepest part of their nostrils. 

How can a person make words or pictures that can transmit a smell or a taste sensation over the internet?   

I have no idea.   Maybe some day, it will be possible.   

Maybe it already is possible, and I just don't know about it yet.   

That is a distinct possibility.   

To get a feeling for what the Asahikawa Winter Festival is like, there are several photo slideshows of it on this website.   

For example, the photos I took in February of 2005, can be viewed by clicking here.   

The photos from 2005 are mostly of the main pedestrian shopping mall called KaiMonoKoEn 　買物公園.   

The most recent photos I took of this same event are from 2006, and can be viewed by clicking here.   

These photos are mostly of the Riverline Park area, bordering on Tokiwa Park.   

This is a whole other world, unto itself.   

Even though both locations are less than two kilometers apart.   

See you all there again, in both locations, at next weekend's event.

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2008 January 29 Tuesday thru January 31 Thursday.

Wow!  What a trip.  I just came back from a time slip experience.   

A certain guy and his family who are coming to Hokkaido this year, are about to make their big move.   

A leap of LOVE.   

Love for themselves and everyone around them.   

Welcome to Hokkaido.   

I know that you will love it here.   

I speak from experience.   

Experience is the best teacher, and I am experienced.   

But only to  a certain extent.   

By the way, THE VIEW FROM THE TOP, looks something like the photo, above/left. (編集注：上の写真です） 

This is APOI DAKE　アポイ岳,  not too far from Cape Erimo  襟裳岬, in the summer time.   

Even during the winter, the amount of snow that stays on the ground, in this area, is very little as compared to Asahikawa and other inland areas.   

In fact, there is so little snow on the ground, that people can hike up to this place without using snowshoes or skis.   

Click on the photo at left, and scroll through the many photos, to see it for yourself.   

The really interesting thing about Apoi Dake, is that it is only about 810 meters tall, but the view you get from the top is equal to that of the many 2000 meter class of mountain peaks in Hokkaido.   

Being located at the very southern tip of the Hidaka Mountain Range, it is the biggest boy in the neighborhood, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.   

A relatively short climb, can put you on top of the world.   

The people who live in this area, use it as a walking course, on a regular basis.   

The next time I go to this area, I'm going to the top, with my big alto flute.   

It will be in July or August of this year.   

The nearest train station to here, is SamaNi 様似駅.   

However, I will be going in my HOTEL NOAH.   

Operations center on wheels.   

Come on sunshine.   

I am just itching for a long drive.   

Maybe I'm coming down with spring fever, a month or two early.   

An UP feeling of optimism.  　

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2008 January 18 Friday thru January 21 Monday.

The freezing temperatures continue, both day and night.   

I wonder how these swans manage to stay alive.   

Apparently they have a very warm down coat to wear.   

I wonder where they got it?   

They all have the same white color, and the design is also very similar.   

I know!   They all walked into a clothing store along the river bank, and got one for free!   

Yeah, that's it.   It think the deer are having a harder time of it, right now. 

They can't fly.  Walking through deep snow is not easy, and very energy consuming.   

There isn't much food underfoot.   

Many of them resort to eating the bark off of trees.   

They have no other choice.   

When late March and early April roll around, the deer will be gathering in the lower lands, to feed upon any new green sprouts that will appear.   

The plants that survive that, may live long enough to flower, and then go to seed.   

The cycle goes on, no matter who, or what, is there when it happens.   

Humans must stay inside, to stay warm.   Brrrrrrrrrrr

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2008 January 17 Thursday.

Were we talking about cold? Look at what came with this evening's Hokkaido Newspaper.

Minus 33.3 degrees C, in Etanbetsu village 江丹別, which is about a 90 minute bicycle ride from where I live.

During the summer, this place is a wonderful area, for mountain biking on dirt roads, back country.

There is also the Etanbetsu Dam along the way, which today looks more like a skating rink.

The photo you can see above/left is of the river! These rather unusual but totally natural ice formations, are called Frost Flowers 霜の花.

According to the short article, this phenomena occurs, when the air above a river suddenly gets much colder, and the steam rising off of the river water, on a clear and sunny day, gets quickly frozen as it rises up into the air.

I'm not making this up.

Look at the photo and see it for yourself.

I wonder how the ducks feel about this. No place to land, close to shore.

The fish are swimming down below and couldn't care less.

I am sitting in a warm room, and writing this blog.

Put some more wood on the fire, please.

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2008 January 13 Sunday thru January 16 Wednesday.

Above/left, is another beautiful photograph from the Rambling on My Hokkaido website.    It really captures the weather conditions at this time of the year.  What you are looking at is a FROZEN WATERFALL!    This one is located in SoUnKyo 層雲峡 where there are also, many Hot Spring Resort Hotels.  This place is only about a 90 minute drive from where I live.  The name of this waterfall is; Shooting Star Waterfall 流星の滝.    This photograph was taken on January 25, 2004 at 11:32 by 空犬.    I can assure you, that if you were to drive up to SoUnKyo tomorrow morning at about this same time, you would see exactly, the same thing.    Even way down here, at about only  some 147 meters above sea level  in the city of Asahikawa, the night time temperatures can get down to more than -15 degrees C,   at night.    That is PAINFULLY COLD.    It makes your exposed skin hurt!    Breathing itself can become painful, if you don't cover up your mouth and nose with some sort of mask or muffler (thick scarf.)     This explains why there are so many more skiers and snowboarders on the slopes during the daytime hours, than at night.    Even though the night time ski lift tickets are much cheaper.    You have to dress yourself appropriately, in order to stay warm enough, to move.    Hokkaido is a beautiful contrast of extremes.    A vibrant island, mostly unaffected by war and hate.    This island has many different faces, according to the seasons.    If you have never lived in Snow Country, you have no idea of what I am talking about, but once you experience the season of BIG SNOW for yourself, you might even grow into it,  and discover a whole new world.    A world where the secrets of the earth, are frozen in time.

That place being ANTARCTICA.    Not Hokkaido, NOT even close.    But frozen, none the less.    Water has MEMORY.   ICE has PERMANENT memory.    It you really want to study the origins of this planet we call EARTH, you need to drill deep into the ICE LAYER of ANTARCTICA.    After drilling STRAIGHT DOWN for about 4 kilometers, you will discover something amazing.    A LAKE!!!!    A SEA???     A GROTTO???    An OCEAN???    IT IS a large body of water, under the "continent" of ANTARCTICA.   Yes, my friends,....    There really IS a MESSAGE IN WATER.    A message for the ages, and,  a message for NOW

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2008 January 7 Monday thru January 11 Friday.

Back to school for me and most of my students. 

The public schools are still on winter holiday until the middle of next week, so some of my students didn't come to class this week.   

In fact, during my last week of classes just before winter vacation started, I told my students that if they didn't want to come to my classroom during this week, that was OK with me.   

These kids need some free time to relax and learn things on their own, from time to time.   

As a result, I had more free time during this week than I usually do.   

So, I used the time to seriously get into a book, that I first bought about 2 years ago. 

The title of the book is "SAMS Teach Yourself Dreamweaver MX Application Development in 21 days."   

It is a rather large book of 714 pages, each page packed full of useful information.   

This website that you are looking at now, was created using Microsoft FrontPage 2002.   

In order to make it, I had to read another very long book entitled; "FrontPage 2002 Developer's Guide."   

Unfortunately for me, Microsoft has discontinued making FrontPage, and has changed over to making another newer software called "SharePoint".   

This means that web server support for FrontPage websites will gradually become less and less as the years go by. 

So, I am switching over to Macromedia (Now Adobe) Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash and FreeHand, to make a completely new website that will (hopefully) be more professional looking, easier to use, and have much more interactivity with the users, who visit my website.   

I want it to become more of an eLearning oriented website, and have interesting and enjoyable English Lessons available 24/7 for anyone who wants to use my new website for studying English at home.   

This will require that I spend a lot of time learning how to use the new software, and creating a brand new look and feel for the website.   

Wish me luck.   I have to do it ALL by myself.   

I need this new challenge to keep my mind hyper-busy and to have that feeling every morning when I get up, that I have a lot of things that must be done NOW.   

NOT because someone else told me that I must do this, but because I told myself that I WANT to do it.   

I never ever want to lose my curiosity for learning something new.   

That is my most extreme pleasure in life, always learning something new.   

I mean, what else is there?   

Oh!  By the way,....   As you can see from the photo above/left, it has been snowing every day for the past two weeks, and the weather forecast in the Hokkaido Newspaper says, it will continue do so, for the foreseeable future.   

It is absolutely beautiful, and very cold.   

No insects during this time of the year!   

And no, walking along the river banks playing my alto recorder, either.   

It's the season to hunker down inside, take a lot of hot baths, and read read read.   

I still have a WHOLE LOT TO LEARN, and I suspect that you do also. 

If learning is fun, life is a TRUE pleasure.   

If you are spending most of your time CONSUMING mindless entertainment, which stimulates your ephemeral pleasure centers, for just that moment, you will awake each morning with an EMPTY feeling INSIDE, and run back to that source of fantasy pleasure to get more and more of it.   

However, you can never get enough of it, because it does not fill up the hole in your soul.   

The hole that DEMANDS real learning, real knowledge, real wisdom, in order to be totally satisfied and at PEACE with YOURSELF.   

Total Happiness with Peace of Mind. 

To illustrate this point, I have a TRUE STORY to tell you all, that I just heard from one of my students today.   

The student who told me this story, is a 4th year student at Asahikawa Medical College, and has been to America before, traveling around as a back packer for about one month.   

Therefore, he speaks English quite well.   

During our lesson today, he told me that he and his family went to Kyoto during winter vacation, to visit his grandfather and grandmother who live there.   

When I asked him how his grandparents were getting along, he said;  "My grandfather is 93 years old, and he is still alert and cheerful. 

However, my grandmother who is 85 years old is forgetful, and she has sudden and extreme mood swings. 

One moment she is happy, and the next moment she is angry.   

One moment she is eating lunch, and the next moment she can't remember if she eat lunch, or not."   

I asked my student; "Why do you think your grandmother and grandfather have turned out so differently?"   

He said, and very insightfully; "My grandmother worries a lot 心配性."   

He instinctively knew the real reason why his grandmother had become this way.   

SHE SPENT MOST OF HER LIFE WITH NEGATIVE THOUGHTS running through her mind.   

She literally THOUGHT HERSELF into her present senile dementia situation.   

I pray to GOD that this never happens to me.   

Thoughts ARE things.  No joke.   

If you worry a lot, you are NOT doing yourself any favors.   

You are literally killing yourself from within. 

STOP IT!   

If the main source of your worries is the repayment of a loan or loans of whatever type, then you need to STOP IT.   

STOP TAKING LOANS and instead, PAY IT FORWARD.   

IF you have food, clothing, shelter and NO LOANS,.....    

What do you have to worry about?   

Have you ever been HOMELESS and not by your own choice?    

I have.    It sucks.      

AND it will never happen again.   

That, I KNOW FOR CERTAIN.   

Because I have promised myself, never to LOOK BACK AGAIN.   

Always Forward.   Pay IT Forward.   

The big bonus to DOING LIFE this way, is that you get AT LEAST 10 times MORE COMING BACK to you, than you gave previously with your own, time and effort, by paying IT forward.   

Do you see what I am talking about, NOW?   

Here!  This, is another big secret.   

Giving is FREE, and Receiving is ABUNDANT.   

LOVE is positive.   GREED is negative.   

You don't need a PhD to see the writing on the wall, do you.

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2007 December 4 Tuesday.

Another beautiful photograph from the website Rambling On My Hokkaido.   

This is a photograph of Mt. Yotei, also known as Ezo Fuji, that was taken on November 4 of this year, at 17:24.   

I am currently using this photo as the wallpaper 壁紙 for my personal computer.   

If you also would like to use this photo as a wall paper on your PC, it is OK with the photographer, if you do so.   

He even says so at the top of every page on his very extensive website.    

Click here  to go to the original high resolution version of this photograph, above/left. 

You too can copy and paste it into your PC, and enjoy it just like I do, everyday.   

If you can read Japanese, you also get the benefit of reading his detailed descriptions of each and every photo.   

Obviously, this guy knows a whole lot about, all aspects of Hokkaido.   

In fact, I am using his website as another study guide, for next year's   北海道観光マスター検定 in November of 2008.      

On a different subject,....    

Yesterday my classroom received a phone call, from the mother of one of my former students.   

Her son first came to my classroom in 2001, when he was 8 years old.   

Shortly before he came to my classroom for the first time, he and his family had lived in Houston Texas, for about 6 months.   

Without knowing any English at all, he was enrolled in a regular Houston elementary school.   

In other words, he had massive exposure to spoken American English, from a very early age. 

As a result, his EARS were naturally tuned into the music. 

The music which is spoken language. 

Any spoken language.   

In this case, American English.   

Anyway, his mother called my classroom again today, and asked for a consultation session with her son, and his father, TODAY.   

We were able to schedule them in for one hour, starting at 18:00.   

When the now almost 15 years old N君 walked into my classroom, I was taken aback, by the fact that he is now, as tall as I am, and very handsome, and able to engage in English Conversation with ease, and fluency.   

What a pleasant surprise.   

He told me for the first time today, that he has been playing golf, since the age of 9 years old.   

A good looking guy like this, who can speak perfect English, and play golf very well, has a lot of opportunities in this BIG WORLD we all "live" in.   

Thank you for coming back to my classroom again, after all of these years.   

You and I,  will get yourself very well prepared, for your soon to come, 3 years of living in Australia and going to a senior high school there, all at the same time.    

What a trip.      

Is it any wonder that I love my life's WORK?      

A Work and a Wonder.

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2007 November 29 Thursday.

Another BIG DUMP OF SNOW on Asahikawa.   

See the photo above/left for details.

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2007 November 24 Saturday.

This week on Wednesday, it snowed big time here in Asahikawa.   

By today, much of it has already melted away on the main roads.   

My wife has decided to by herself a DVD Recorder, so I took her on over to the nearest big home electronics store, to take a look at what was available.   

We looked around for a while, and then took about 5 or 6 big color pamphlets back home with us, so we could compare makers and models in a reasonable environment. 

I myself am not all that interested in having a DVD recorder for television shows, but I do  sometimes want to watch a documentary that is being broadcast during a time frame when I am not able to watch it.   

So, I too will benefit if the wife thing decides on a certain product, and pulls out her credit card to pay for it.   

We shall see what happens tomorrow.   

By the way, during my use of the internet for learning more about Hokkaido in preparation for yesterday's exam, I stumbled upon and EXCELLENT website that has many beautiful photos of almost every place in Hokkaido.   

It is called Rambling on My Hokkaido and you too can see it by clicking here.   

Not only are the photographs stunningly beautiful, but they are also arranged in several ways that make it easy to find a photo of a particular type or location.   

I sent the webmaster an email and told him how much I liked his photos and how helpful his website was for me during my study of Hokkaido.   

I even put his link on my website without asking him first.   

A few days ago, I got an email from him that said he had put a link to Snowman Japan on his website.   

Indeed he had.   

He also lives here in Asahikawa, and is 40 something years old.   

That's all I know about him, but his photos are excellent.   

Click on the photo above/left, to see them for yourself.

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2007 November 23 Friday.

Today is a National Holiday in Japan known as Labor Thanksgiving Day 勤労感謝の日.   

It is also the day for taking the Master of Hokkaido Tourism Examination 北海道観光マスター検定.   

I first became aware of this test during August of this year, when I saw a poster about it at the 道の駅あさひかわ.   

I bought the study guide, and attended a seminar about taking the exam, as well as doing a lot of study on my own with the study guide and using the internet.   

I felt that I was well prepared for the exam.   

When I arrived at the testing site at just before 14:00, most of the 50 some people who were also taking the exam were already there.   

An explanation about the rules for taking the test started at exactly 14:00, and then the test itself began at about 14:08.   

There were 50 multiple choice questions some of which I knew the answers to right away, and many more of which I  had to take some time to think about.   

Some of the test takers had already finished the test in less than 30 minutes.   

I wonder if it was their second year attempt, and they were much better prepared than last year.   

It took me about 80 minutes to finish the exam, and I felt that I had done a pretty good job on it.   

My initial feeling as I walked out the door for the long walk back to my place, was that I may have gotten a passing score.   

But after I arrived back at my classroom and was checking my answers to the questions, using the guide book and the internet, I suddenly began to have that sinking feeling.   

I only checked 13 of the 50 questions, but already I had missed 6 of the 13 questions.   

Doesn't look good for the SnowmanJapan chances of getting a certificate of competence in Hokkaido Tourism this year.   

I will try again next year, and learn much more about this beautiful island upon which I live.   

There is a whole lot more to explore than even I knew about.   

I'm looking forward to the next season of no snow, so I can get back on the road and visit more places.   

But for now, it's time to get back into the research mode and learn ALL of the important facts about this place.   

I'm rather sure that I'm not the only one to screw up on this year's exam, so for those of you who tried like me, and came up a bit short, see ya all again next year.

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2007 November 18 Sunday.

Another very busy week.   

In addition to my usual schedule of classes until about 21:40, I had a total of 4 lessons during the morning hours of Wednesday and Friday, at the Asahi Elementary School 旭川市立朝日小学校.   

This is the 3rd year in a row, that they have invited me out to the school, to put on a performance which will help the kids learn some English, and meet with somebody from a foreign country.   

Finally on Saturday and Sunday, I had enough free time to continue reading my copy of the 北海道観光マスター検定の手引き書.   

I have read the entire book from cover to cover one time, and this weekend I am going to read it all again.   

This should give me a fighting chance to pass the exam that will be held next Friday, November 23, starting at 14:00.   

While I am reading this book, I am also searching the internet to get more detailed information about and images of Hokkaido.   

One of the things that really caught my attention today, is the large number of abandoned railroad lines, and their associated bridges and other old facilities.   

I have seen a very few of these places for myself, but there are so many other places, that I have not yet been to.   

Above/left, is a photo of an old concrete arch bridge along the eastern shoreline of Lake Nukabira 糠平湖.   

Click here to see the website from which I borrowed this beautiful photograph.   

I think I am going to make this area, and others like it,  one of my priorities for a driving expedition during the coming year of 2008.   

I want to learn more about the history of railroads and bridge building in Hokkaido.   

Every stone has a story to tell.

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2007 November 11 Sunday.

Wow!  What a busy week that was. 

Classes every day mostly until about 21:40.   

Recently, a lot of new students have joined my classroom, and every lesson time slot has some number of people in it.   

I am very happy about this, because I love my work, and I always learn something new from my students, every day.   

Finally, on Saturday November 10, at 14:30 when my last lesson of the week was finished, I had enough time to sit down and continue reading my copy of the 北海道観光マスター検定の手引き書.   

I have only read about half of this book up to now, so yesterday and today, I promised MYSELF that I would read the entire remainder of it.   

I also need to re-read the entire book one more time, from cover to cover, if I am to have any chance at all of passing the exam.   

No problem, I want to learn everything there is to know about Hokkaido.   

The only question is, can I make the best use of my remaining 12 days, and commit it all to long term memory.   

我輩はパソコンである。 

The more I read this book, the more I realize that I know very little about Hokkaido, even though I have lived here for 17 years, and have driven to almost every region on this island.   

When I come across some information that I didn't know about before, I will do a search on the internet to see some more photographs of it and to read more detailed information about it.   

One of the things I discovered today, was this photograph taken from the top of アポイ岳 in 様似町 in the Hidaka 日高 area.   

Please click on the photo to visit the website from which I borrowed today's blog photo.   

The narrow trail along the top of the peaks, is where people can go trekking, while enjoying a stunning birds eye view of the Pacific Ocean below.   

This of course is during the season of no snow.   

Another thing I discovered about the history of Hokkaido, is that since the beginning of the Meiji Era 明治時代 the mining, railroads, road building and most other modern mineral extraction, metal working and various construction technologies, were taught to the local people by many American experts in those fields.   

This was another subject upon which I spent a considerable about of extra time,  reading about on the internet.   

One of the more interesting academic papers which I found in the form of a PDF file, is about the beginnings of the Coal Mining Industry in Hokkaido starting around 1868 during the transition from the Taisho Era into the Meiji Era.   

That is when the inland regions 内陸地方 of this island began to become more easily accessible, to more and more people.   

As I was reading this academic paper, I thought to myself how good the roads are nowadays, and how easy it is to drive around the entirety of this beautiful dragon head island.   

Come and visit sometime!   You can stay, if you like.

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スノーマン先生のブログにお越しいただき、ありがとうございますm(_ _ )m
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今スノーマン先生は、「北海道観光マスター」の検定を控えています。
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2007 September 16 Sunday.

Partly sunny, partly cloudy. 

Warm to the bare skin and no rain.   

Ikuko and I took advantage of the situation to go out for a long, slow walk at about 16:00.   

A lot of people were doing the same thing.   

The photo you can see above/left was taken along the Chubetsu River 忠別川 on the most elevated part of the cycling roads.   

Down below and to the left side is the newly remodeled  Chubetsu Park 忠別公園. 

Time to enjoy another session of CLOUD THEATER.

In the opposite direction to my back side is the Taisetsu Mountain Range shrouded in a beautifully woven feather quilt of massive proportions.

Coming from that direction was a commercial jetliner having just taken off from the Ashikawa International Airport, about 30 kilometers away.   

As the airplane came towards us, and as we were walking towards it, the airplane appeared dark and non-reflective, more of a silhouette than a colorful flying machine.   

I watched it as it turned to the southwest and continued its ascent.   

As it did so, it caught the full force of the sunlight on its starboard side, and appeared to be a brightly shimmering ball of intense white light.   

Just behind us, on little bicycles, were a group of three elementary school girls.   

They noticed that I was gazing skyward and they began to do the same.   

Then, one of them exclaimed;  "Look!   A UFO!   It's so beautiful!"   

The two other girls chimed in, and they all became very excited. 

As they slowly rode past Ikuko and I, they asked me if I could see the UFO.   

I said,   "Yes, I can see it, but this one, is one of ours.   

It is a passenger jet liner heading southwest and reflecting the light of the sun as a big mirror. 

I know this for sure because I have been tracking this plane ever since it first appeared on the eastern horizon."   

They seemed to be satisfied with my explanation, but deep down inside, they really wanted to believe it was a UFO.   

They should come back out here again at night.   

Then, they will be able to see the real thing.　

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2007 September 8 Saturday.

As expected, there was a lot of rain falling out of the sky today, because of Typhoon Number 9, passing this way. 

While watching JNN News Bird on Sky Perfect TV, I saw live reports from Hakodate and other areas along the Pacific Ocean Coast of Hokkaido.   

Obviously, I made the right decision yesterday, to NOT drive down to Minami Kayabe and attend the 2007 Jomon no Michi Forum, as I had previously planned to do.   

I even heard a story on the news, where some man in his 50s, went outside to take a look at the river water level,  and never came back home.   

My Gaaaawd!   

The only time you go outside during a typhoon, is when you see the river water level coming up towards your house, and then you run for higher ground.   

Water seeks its own level, and there is nothing that any human being can do about IT.   

It's a COMIC LAW, just like all the other universal knowledge that never changes.   

You can depend upon IT.      

I had no classes today, so I sat down and read Chapter 4 of the 北海道観光マスター検定　Handbook.   

It is about the history of Hokkaido, which starts during the stone age, some 21,000 years ago.   

Civilization doesn't get much older than that, my friends.   

We know for sure,  people were living here because, archaeologists have unearthed some evidence of it near Chitose City 千歳市 and KamiShiHoro Town 上士幌町.    

Next, they started discovering bows and arrows, and pottery among many other things from the Jomon Era 縄文時代. 

And then, starting after about 200 B.C., the Yayoi Era 弥生時代 began to flourish.   

Around the year 600 C.E. the Ohotsk Culture オホーツク文化 was flourishing in Southern Sakhalin and Northern Hokkaido, etc. etc.   

Finally, in about 1600 C.E. the Ainu Culture アイヌ文化 began to flourish all over Hokkaido. 

As we get into the late Edo Period 江戸時代 and early Meiji Period 明治時代, we begin to see the "modernization" of Japan, into a more Occidental looking country.   

As this trend progressed through the Taisho 大正 and into the Meiji 明治,   Japan began to get full of itself, and felt the need to project its power all throughout Asia, and even all around the world if possible.   

We all know about the tragic events that started with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and put into motion, a chain of events that led up to the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9 of the same year.   

Since that time, Japan has had a peaceful demeanor and a National Constitution, adopted on May 3, 1947 that prohibits Japan from having any military forces at all.   

That was during the period since the end of the Pacific War on August 14, 1945,  until  April 28, 1952.   

On that date, more than 50 years ago, Japan once again became a sovereign nation.   

A little less than 10 years later, Japan created the JSDF.   

A defensive military, to protect it from enemies, both real and created.   

Finally year by year, the JSDF found themselves on PEACE KEEPING MISSIONS, in various Asian countries.   

Hey!  am I starting to see a PATTERN here?   

A road back to the bad old days, of a new Military Empire?    

In recent years, there has been much talk about revising the Constitution of Japan, especially Article 9, to allow the JSDF to get even closer to the combat, on forward battle lines, of needless wars.   

If a nation forgets its own history,  it is condemned to repeat it again, and again, and again, and,......    TURN OFF the BOOB TUBE.   

TURN ON your inner LIGHT.    

Educate YOURSELF!   

Use the internet AND all of the books you already have of your own.   

USE your local LIBRARY.   

Wake the phuck up, PLEASE! 

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2007 September 7 Friday.

Since about one month ago, I have been planning to go back to Minami Kayabe 南茅部, which is now a part of Hakodate City 函館市, and attend the 2007 Jomon no Michi Forum, which starts at 13:00 tomorrow. 

See the photo above/left for details. 

Unfortunately for me, and a lot of other people as well, Typhoon Number 9 is working its way up to Hokkaido from Southern Japan, and is scheduled to hit Hakodate City at 9:00 tomorrow morning.   Bummer.   

I know enough to respect Mother Nature, and not try to impose my will upon it.   

The coastal road to Minami Kayabe is very narrow and winding.   

Not only could a big wave splash up onto that road and pull my van out to sea, but the possibility of landslides 地すべり、土砂崩れ, are also very high during times of heavy rains. 

So even if I did start my drive towards Hakodate, the chances that I would not make it all the way, are very high.   

I am by nature, a risk taker, and have lived through some very close calls in the past, but today's decision, to not  go as planned, was a no-brainer 考えなくても解るはず. 

TRIP CANCELLED.   

The way I was planning to make this trip is as follows:    Cancel all of my Friday classes after 17:00 and hit the road soon after that time. 

Drive as far as I could, about half of the way, and stay overnight at a 道の駅. 

Then, get up on Saturday morning, and continue my drive to Minami Kayabe.   

Attend the forum from 13:00 until about 16:00, then drive about half way back to Asahikawa, and stay overnight at one of the many Roadside Rest Stations, along the way. 

Wake up on Sunday morning, and drive the rest of the way back to my home, arriving at about 12:00 noon.   

Wonderful plan, bad weather.   

Maybe next year I can attend this event. 

I really want to go and participate in the activities, and meet many like-minded people, who will elevate my vibrations, up another notch or two.   

Life is about Learning.   

Learning something NEW everyday. 

I LOVE LIFE.   

I am not afraid of "death" because "death" is simply a REBIRTH into another WORLD.   

Or wavelength, or vibration, or however you choose to label IT.   

Is there really only ONE LIFE and then comes the JUDGMENT DAY?   

NO WAY.   

That is total BULLXIT!   

If you believe in that crap, you most certainly do need to be saved.   

SAVED FROM YOURSELF.   

Wake the phuck up.　

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2007 August 27 Monday.

First lesson of the day started off at the Mebae Kindergarten めばえ幼稚園 at 10:00.   

Today, the principle of the school, asked me to sit down with each of the three groups of kids, and show them how to draw a simple picture on a sketch pad, with pastel crayons, while talking to them in English.   

I use this very same method in my own classroom from time to time with the very young students. 

It is enjoyable for all, and they remember English Language words along the way.   

After that was finished at about 12:00, I came back to my place to eat a quick lunch before heading off to the 神楽公民館で英会話を楽しむ会.   

Today, one of the lovely young ladies showed us the 4 pages of her very detailed travel plans for early September.   

She and her husband will be driving on almost the exact same route around Southern Hokkaido, that I took during August.   

Just like with my written plan, she had the route numbers and the locations of all of the Roadside Rest Stations 道の駅, written down. 

However, unlike me, she also had exact times of when she thought they should leave and arrive at each and every location!!!   

Wow, I am impressed.   

I am also glad that I will not be the driver on this excursion.   

I always plot out a very specific route before I depart, and I know where I will be staying overnight, but I don't care what time I leave, nor what time I arrive at any particular location.   

I might see something unexpected along the way, and stop by to take a closer look. 

I just let it go with the flow. 

Like a river.   

Other members talked about various things until about 14:30, when I headed back over to my classroom for straight lessons from 15:00 until 20:00. 

After that, it was back to reading the Japanese Language books I have about the Jomon Era.   

Fascinating stuff.   

The photo above/left is another fine example of Jomon Pottery.   

I really love the simple beauty of it all.

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2007 August 26 Sunday.

Another photo of "useless" stone tools that were made, not for real use, but for ceremonies and rituals.   

The 4 long and flat specimens starting from the top left corner of the photo, are known as SekiTou 石刀.   

The two round specimens in the lower right-hand corner of the display case are called SekiBou 関棒, and are thought to be representations of the protruding male sexual organ, the penis, and were probably used in fertility ceremonies and other such ritual events. 

I very much doubt that they were used as "adult toys", but one never knows for sure, in such matters of private conduct.   

Again, this is an example of what can be created out of NOTHING SPECIAL, and transformed into SOMETHING SPECIAL.   

AIR into WATER.   

WATER into CLOUDs.   CLOUDs into RAIN.   

RAIN into RIVERs.   RIVERs into SEAs.   

SEAs into OCEANS.  OCEANs into CLOUDS.   

CLOUDs into RAIN, and around and around we go, where it STOPs, nobody knows.   

WHY?    Because IT NEVER STOPs!   

THAT is why there is LIFE, HERE and NOW, still again.   Even to this very day.   

Are you anticipating the END OF THIS WORLD.   

Are you actively PRAYING for it?   

If so, you need a COLD HARD SLAP in the FACE.   

You, yourself might be doomed, but the EARTH is HEALTHY.   

Global Warming is caused by SUN CYCLES.   

NOT by the puny farts of humankind.    

WE, are not that important. 

WE are merely OBSERVERs, still alive because, and ONLY BECAUSE, the planet EARTH has not become too hot, nor too cold, for the majority of US,  as of THIS MOMENT in time.   

NOT YET.   

Cycles come and cycles go.   

Infinite Intelligence is ALWAYS THE SAME.    

Back to Basics.   Back to Jomon.   

Sunrise, Sunset.    

A FULL ECLIPSE of the MOON will happen on August 28, from 19:00 until about 21:00, Japan Standard Time.   

I'm looking forward to OBSERVEing IT.   

How about you?

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2007 August 25 Saturday.

More stone "tools".   

These are not really tools used for chopping as their shape might suggest, but were thought to be used in "religious" ceremonies, as the representation of such tools.   

Real cutting tools had to be made from sharp glass-type rocks such as obsidian  黒曜石.   

The largest amounts and best quality of Japanese Obsidian, is found right here in Hokkaido.   

The main point here is, that it required a great deal of time and loving effort, to shape these stone "tools" into their respective shapes.   

Why would they take so much time to do this, if these "tools" were not practical?   

They must have had a deep sense of spirituality and felt it necessary to, have rituals to honor the abundant environment, within which they were living.   

Believe you me, there was never any shortage of food during this ancient era. 

It was literally right there for the taking. 

The Jomon people were smart enough to realize, that all these good things were a gift from some much higher power.   

And they made it a point to say thank you every day, and even display more gratitude at certain times of the year, with rituals and ceremonies.   

When was the last time you said thank you to what it is that you are eating every day?   

If you are eating greasy and fatty junk foods most of the time, it might be better just to say; NO THANK YOU.

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2007 August 24 Friday.

This is a photo of some of the jewelry that the Jomon People made.   

The necklace is made of jade.   

The only place jade can be found in Hokkaido, is in the Hidaka Region 日高管内.   

This area has many steep rock cliffs, and rough rivers running swiftly towards the nearby Pacific Ocean.   

I want to go back again to the Hidaka Region, and look for natural jade along the rivers and river banks.   

All I need is a rock hammer, and a lot of time and patience to find what I am looking for. 

The lady who was working at this museum on the day I visited, told me that there isn't any jade in Hokkaido, and that researchers think that the Jomon People who lived in Hokkaido, traded with other Jomon People who lived in Honshu, where jade is more plentiful.   

You can see from the photo, that the jade beads on the string, are quite small, requiring a lot of time and a high level of skill to make.   

Also, they found asphalt at the Minami Kayabe Site which was determined by chemical analysis, to have come from the Akita 秋田 area of Honshu.   

Asphalt in those days, was the common glue, used for many purposes such as repairing broken pottery. 

Asphalt was melted near fire pits, and applied in its liquid form. 

They have even found clay jars filled with hardened asphalt, indicating that it was stored as a valuable commodity. 

Nowadays, we pave our roads and highways with it. 

It is still a useful tool, even in this wacky day and age.

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2007 August 21 Tuesday.

First class doesn't start until 15:00, so I have a lot of time to read more of the printed materials that I got at the 南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡. 　

They even went so far as to make and print a Comic Book 漫画 entitled 縄文の里　Home of the Jomon　北の夜明け Northern Dawn.   

It is very well done and makes it easy for even children, to understand the basics of Jomon Culture.   

Along with all of the daily chores that the Jomon People had to do just to survive, there is also the constant theme of how all life is connected, and that all life must be respected and praised with gratitude, at all times.   

Like I said in yesterday's blog, this is an entirely different mentality, from that which pervades the MASS MEDIA bullshit of today. 

Turn off the Boob Tube. 

Spend more time outdoors with your family.   

Watch the real theater of life, with living things all around you and everywhere.   

From the highest mountain, to the deepest ocean, from the driest desert, to the wettest rain forest, there is LIFE.   

In amazing variety, and endless abundance.   

The WORLD is NOT coming to an end, but hopefully the false beliefs and nonsense lifestyles, promoted by what we call ENTERTAINMENT, will have its death-grip on less and less people, as THE SHIFT gets into full swing.   

When was the last time you sat in a swing, on a playground anyway?   

I live right next door to Crystal Park, where they have a swing set among many other things.   

I especially love to gaze into the water fountain during  the early evening, just after sunset.  H2O is always in motion.

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2007 August 19 Sunday.

My last day of summer vacation. 

Tomorrow, it's back to school for almost everyone, including myself. 

It was both a long, and short, three weeks.  I did a lot of driving, and saw some amazing things.   

I also learned a lot, during that time.  Living is Learning. 

War is NOT Peace.   

Again today, another photo which I took at 南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡.   

This one shows various arrowheads, and other cutting tools.   

These specimens range from about 6,500 years ago and were found at a different location, which is very near to this site.   

While I was at the OoFune Site, I picked up for free, and also bought one copy each, of every type of printed material available.   

It turns out that I made a very smart investment,  indeed.   

Knowledge available only to those people who can READ JAPANESE!!!

Until now???    

I will summarize it for you all, in easy to read AMERICAN ENGLISH, right here on this website.   

Stay tuned.   

MORE,......     Much more,...    about the  JOMON CULTURE coming soon.    

It's time to get back to basics.　

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2007 August 18 Saturday.

Another photo that I took at the Jomon Culture, Ohfune Site 南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡. 

This one shows the ChuuKuu DoGuu 中空土偶 hollow clay figurine, which was found by KoSaka Ae　小阪　アエ, on 1975 August 24,  while she was digging around in her vegetable garden!   

It was designated as an Important Cultural Asset on 1979 June 6. 

And, most recently, this DoGuu was designated as a National Treasure 国宝 on 2007 March 13. 

An important thing to remember about this clay figure is that it is HOLLOW inside.   

If it was just a solid chunk of clay, even I could have made it.   

But the very fact that it is hollow, shows a rather high level of realism and artistic skill.   

By the way, what you see in the photo above/left is only a replica of the real thing.   

The real thing is put on exhibition, both in Japan and throughout the world, and is stored at a much more secure location, somewhere outside of Hokkaido. 

The real figurine was made about 3,200 years ago, and is the largest  one of its kind, to have been found anywhere in Japan, or the entire world for that matter.   

In its entirety, the Jomon Culture lasted from about 12,000 years ago, until about 2000 years ago.   

As far as I know, this is by far the oldest and most long lasting single culture on the face of this earth.   

Therefore, it is important to learn more about it. 

And not just for me, but also for as many other people as possible.   

In other words, the Jomon Culture was a 10,000 years long reign of PEACE, in this part of the world.   

I mean think about it for a moment, they had; Free food, free housing, free "witch doctors" to chant over the ill, and free child care. 

Of course, they had to work the land very hard, to get it all and as a result I'm sure that there was the occasional homicide here and there, for various reasons, but there were NO STANDING ARMIES, constantly training to wage war 365/24/7.   

It was a completely different MENTALITY from that which this sorry-ass world has today.    

Back to Jomon.

縄文人の心を学びましょう。

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2007 August 17 Friday.

Another photo that I took at the Jomon Culture Ohfune Site 南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡.   

This one shows what you will see when you enter the small museum which is right there on the site.   

As you can see from the photo, there is a huge amount of pottery and pottery fragments that were recovered from this site. 

The different sizes, shapes and designs of the pottery, causes me image what the purpose for each type of pottery might have been.   

I mean, think about all of the various dishes, plates, bowls, cups and other things that you have in your house and kitchen.   

Each and every utensil was designed and built for a certain purpose, and when you saw them at the store and bought them, you had a certain purpose of use in mind for each and every one of them.   

So did the Jomon People. 

Their INTENTIONS created the pottery they made, and then they used each and every piece of pottery for their intended purpose.   

I guess the very BASICs of human thinking haven't changed that much in about 10,000 years.   

Only the tools have become more powerful.

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2007 August 16 Thursday.

Another photo that I took at the Jomon Culture Ohfune Site 南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡.　

These are stone plates known as 石皿 that were used to grind up various meats, plants and nuts, as well as cook them on the hot stone surface of the ones placed on top of burning embers.   

Even today in Japan, this method of cooking is used and is called IshiYaki 石焼.   

It is a very delicious way of cooking, indeed.

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2007 August 15 Wednesday.

Well, well,....   Look what was in the Sunday edition of the Hokkaido Newspaper.   

I was just at this very same site on August 9 of this year.   

Apparently there is something called the Northern Jomon Club  北の縄文CLUB.   

Maybe I should become an annual dues paying member. 

I will probably be the only non-Japanese 外人 member in the group, just like I am with the 北海道文化財保護協会.   

There is always a first time for everything. 

I think I'll give it a try.

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2007 August 14 Tuesday.

BIG EVENT today again, in the Kagura District of Asahikawa. 

The annual 花火 in Kagura, which always happens on August 14, regardless of the day of the week. 

Today was no exception.   

Thousands and thousands of people from all over the city and the KamiKawa Basin towns and villages, gathered here, right next door to my classroom, to see a fantastic, and no holds barred, giant fireworks display.   

My wife's family, most of whom live here in Asahikawa, all gathered together at the Soba Restaurant ChoGoRou そば処　長五郎. 

Which is located directly below my classroom.   

Then, we took our folding canvas chairs and walked on over to the river bank, to stake out a land claim, and sit down, awaiting the start of the show.   

During the walking process to our final sitting destination, Ikuko's mother got separated from the group, and Ikuko and I, both went out to look for her.   

I almost bumped into her, on the riverside plaza of the snack and drink bars, along the way.   

I gently guided her back to the location where everybody else was sitting.   Then, I hit the trail one more time, to look for Ikuko.   

I couldn't find her, but I did buy a cocktail or two along the way.   

I got back to Base 147, just as the BIG BANG was about to take place.   What an EXCELLENT show it was, and is, each and every year.   

No expense spared, and nobody disappointed.   

Another, in a long series of "WIN/WIN SITUATIONS"   An annual event that I look forward to, with much anticipation. 

Each and every year.      

I hope you do too. 

It looks better from the standpoint of BOOTS ON THE GROUND.   

Love it, OR, Leave it.     Your choice.   

Always has been.   Always will be.

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2007 August 13 Monday.

Whew!   

That was another excellent ROAD TRIP.   

What should I do today?   Anything but drive.   

I have a ton of photos that I need to put into slideshows and a lot of other things to do as well.   

The noise of the construction work continues, and is a relatively minor discomfort in an air conditioned room.   

The photo in today's blog is also of Lake Kanayama, panned to the right from the photo in last Wednesday's BLOG.   

Even in this photo, you can see the steep brown sandy banks along the waterline.   

Indicating that the amount of water in the lake is lower than it was in the recent past.   

The effect of the SUN is overwhelming, isn't it.

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2007 August 12 Sunday.

I woke up at about 8:30 with hot sunshine boiling in on me.    I don't put shades over my van windows most of the time.    It's  much easier to wear eyeshades 目隠し.    The consequence of that is during the summertime, the cool van you were sleeping in last night, has suddenly turned into a low temperature sauna, shortly after sunrise.    Talk about the power of the SUN 太陽.    If there really is a god, the god which rules most supreme on the Earth, it is most surely, the SUN.    Check the Japanese National Flag for further details.    After a trip inside the 24/7 MaxValue to use the toilet, I walked on over to the Otaru Morning Fish Market 小樽朝市 to have a nice seafood breakfast.    When I stepped around the corner of the new TsuRuHa Drug Store building, I immediately noticed that the morning market was closed.    Only then did I remember, TODAY IS SUNDAY!   Hummmm,.....  I lost track of what day of the week it was.    Well, back to basics.    Go back into the super market and get bread, ham and cheese.  It's going to be another long, Ham and Cheese Sandwich kindda driving day.

Today is the last day of my final summer drive for this year.    Usually, from Otaru I will drive up the coastline road, Route 231, until just after Mashike 増毛町 and then just before Rumoi 留萌市, and only then, turn inland onto route 94 to complete the tour at Asahikawa.    This trip was to be different.  I would be heading inland right from the get go, because I wanted to hit as many 道の駅 as possible.    Remember, I am also on a QUEST to collect all of the 100 magnet sheet, City and Town and Village Road Sign designs.    So I paid the price, from time to time of having to "drive" in several  10 kilometer long lines of thousands and thousands of cars and other wheeled vehicles, in the 34 degree heat, and mid-humidity, everybody trying to go somewhere, on the same roads, during the peak of the summer vacation season.    Everybody is trying to get where they are going, by the "fastest" road available.    Yeah, it looks that way on the map, and most of the year it IS the fasted way to get from Sapporo to points both North and South, but today, IT IS NOT.    I am on a different mission so, I finally rolled up the windows and turned on the AC.   A good opportunity to listen to the radio/CD/MD player.    Other parts of the drive weren't so crowed and I often found myself to be the leader of the pack, with about 12 other vehicles following behind me.    I deliberately kept my speed at 60 to 70 kilometers per hour.    The legal limit is 50.   Yeah! FIFTY KPH!    Turtle Road I call it.    Many people will drive at about 80 to 100 KPH.    I do too, from time to time, but only on rare occasions.      After hitting every Roadside Rest Station, and getting every magnet sheet sticker, I finally arrived back in Asahikawa at about  17:30.    What a nice 5 day road trip that had been.    Total driving distance for today, 239 kilometers.    By the way, the FLASH movie sequence of 4 photos in today's blog is of the phenomena that I described in yesterday's blog about  賀老の滝.    It shows a small cloud being formed on the forest floor, and then rising up through the trees, and into the sky above.    The photos will give you some idea of what it looked like, but you really have to be there, and see it for yourself, to get the most significant meaning from it.    The Magic of Hokkaido.     It never ceases to amaze me.

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2007 August 11 Saturday.

I woke up at about 6:00 to a nice warm, partly sunny and partly cloudy day on the sandy beach at  江ノ島 in  島牧村.   

There were only about 7 other cars and two motorcycles in the same vast area of beautiful coastline.   

I need to eat breakfast and then wait around until 9:00 when the gift shop opens at the 道の駅「よってけ！島牧」just a 5 kilometer backtrack down Route 229.   

I sat around in my big canvas beach chair with attached leg rest, just looking out at the ocean and up into the sky. 

Occasionally, I would turn on my 12 band short wave radio and listen to broadcasts in several different languages.   

Chinese being the most prevalent next to Japanese and Korean.  Another man who appeared to be about the same age as myself, and who had a Toyota van of a much more expensive type than mine, was having trouble just sitting still and looking around.   

He would sit for a few minutes, then get up and fiddle around with the massive amount of gear that he had inside his van, then sit down again for just a few minutes, and repeat the process. 

The number plates on his van revealed that he was from somewhere in TokoroZawa 所沢, which is the central city in Saitama Prefecture 埼玉県 on the big island of Honshu  本州.   

I got the feeling that he was accustomed to living in an area where there are a lot more people, and a lot more "things to do".   

Poor guy.   At least he had the good sense to come up here to Hokkaido this year for his summer vacation.   

As for me, I have a definite road map along the way, but also I have an  "I'll get there, when I get there"  type of attitude for my driving.   

If I see something new and unexpected along the way, I'll stop and take a closer look, no matter how much time it takes.   

Today, was yet again, just such a day.   

About 14 kilometers inland from the ShimaMaki Roadside Rest Station, is a very famous waterfall called GaRou No Taki 　賀老の滝 which has been selected as one of the 100 most beautiful natural sceneries in all of Hokkaido 北海道自然１００選.   

How anybody could come up with such a ranking, is a mystery to me because there is so much that is beautiful about this island.   

Anyway, after a 14 kilometer drive into the Bear Infested mountain forest, I arrived at a small parking lot, and the beginning point of a 670 meter long, partially reinforced dirt trail, that leads DOWN the mountain to were the waterfall can be observed.   

When I say Bear Infested 親子クマ出没中, I am not kidding.   

Not only are bears seen nearly everyday in this area, I actually saw a huge pile of bear feces クマの糞, on the asphalt, on the side of the road, as I was driving to this location. 

I did take a photo of it as proof, and will include it in a special photo slideshow, COMING SOON.   

It sent chills down my spine to realize that they are soooooooo close. 

DO NOT  get between a mother bear and her cubs, or you will most likely end up as road kill, as well.   

Anyway, the 670 meter climb down the dirt trail was slow and slippery, because of the misty rain that was in the mountain air, but the view of the falls from the observation area, was well worth the effort.  See the photo above/left for details.   

This is most assuredly a POWER SPOT on the Earth.   

Think of all the negative ions being created by this powerful falling water.   

I stood around for a good 15 or 20 minutes, just breathing deeply of the electro-magnetic energy. 

I just wish I had brought my Alto Recorder down here with me. 

It must be crying out to me,  from my van.   

What a magnificent place.   

I need to come here again sometime.   

The 640 meter climb back UP the dirt trail, was easier than the climb down, in some ways.   

Along the way, I took many photos of the various flowers and other plants.   

One thing that I noticed, and made a deep impression upon me, was the fact of observing small clouds, being generated on the forest floor, and then rising up through the trees, and into the sky!   

It was totally amazing and clearly visible on the other side of the small river, from where I was standing on the trail.   

When I got back to my van in the parking lot, it was time for a big drink of fresh water, and then back on the road again.   

Today's final destination is Otaru City 小樽市. 

I continued driving all along the Sea of Japan Coastline, except for the Shakotan Peninsula 積丹半島, which I cut across, on Route 276 and then Route 5, from IwaNai Town 岩内町 to YoIchi Town 余市町.   

When I finally arrived in Otaru, it was only about 15:30, so I decided to make a side trip to AkaIGawa Village 赤井川村 in order to stop at the Tonden Farm Hopi Hill Ranch とんでんファーム・ホピの丘　and the KiRoRo Resort キロロ.   

At Hopi Hill Ranch, I looked at all of the newly purchased Native American Indian Jewerly on display, but only one of the silver Navaho bracelets was big enough for my wrists. 

I bought that, along with a deep purple colored Dream Catcher, also made by a Native American in Arizona or New Mexico.   

After eating and then buying some homemade herb sausages, I continued my drive to KiRoRo Resort only about 3 kilometers away, in order to take a bath at their hot spring spa.   

While I was there, they had some type of amateur band contest going on, and most of the musicians were,...   not that good.   

The bath itself was a bit pricey at 960yen, but what the hey?   

Gotta keep our bodies clean and refreshed.   

After about an hour of bathing and looking around, I was back on the road, heading back to Otaru.   

Like Hakodate, Otaru does not have an official 道の駅, so I always park in the parking lot at the MaxValue supermarket, which is open 24 hours a day, and is right next door to the Otaru Morning Fish Market 小樽朝市.   

A lot of other travelers do this as well.   

I walked from my van, along the Canal Plaza 運河プラザ to the Otaru Beer Warehouse Number One, with the hopes of listening to the PALOSIKS live on stage, while eating good food and drinking excellent micro-brew 地ビール.   

To my surprise, half of the place had been rented out for a special party 貸切 and there would be no live music tonight.   

So, I waited about 30 minutes, took a stool at the counter, ordered the Beer Viking 飲み放題, and ate two big bowls of German Style fried small whole potatoes, with the skin still on them.   

As I was doing so, the clarinet player of the PALOSIKS, who was there on other business,  saw me and walked on over to say hello and chat for a while.    

Another "Coincidence"?   You decide.    

Total driving distance for today, 228 kilometers.

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2007 August 10 Friday.

During the last leg of yesterday's drive from Muroran City to Hakodate City, I stopped by the last Roadside Rest Station along the way at 道の駅「なたわ・えさん」to buy the Hakodate City magnet sheet sign, and also to ask if there was a public bath nearby along the road towards Hakodate.   

The nice lady behind the counter showed me how to get to ふれあい湯遊館 which was just 5 kilometers down the road.   

For only 360yen, you can use a shower, a sauna, a couple of hot tubs including an air jet bubble bath, and a cold tub to finish it all off.   

The only catch,....    you have to bring your own soap, shampoo and towels.   

I can handle that.   

In fact, I keep that stuff in my van 24/7/365.   

I am always ready to go, at a moments' notice.   

Anyway, just as I had finished a most relaxing outer-body cleaning, I was back onto Route 278 for the remaining 55 minutes drive until an overnight rest stop, in Hakodate.   

That's when another huge rain storm moved in and dumped big time upon the land.   

Oddly enough, it all cleared up just as I pulled into the city itself. 

Hakodate doesn't have a 道の駅, so I always park my rig near the docks where The Blue Moon ブルームーン cruise ship berths for the night. 

Why?   Well the scenery is nice, and there is a public toilet right there as well.   

Not the cleanest one I've ever used, but good enough for the morning wake up call.   

Then, I was off to Hakodate Beer for drinks and dinner.   

When I woke up at about 6:00, it was raining again, and coming down hard.   

Yeah, well,.....  back on the road. 

Today I will be driving all along the southern most coastline of Hokkaido and then heading back up north until I get to ShimaMaki Village 島牧村 where I will stay overnight.   

Along the way, I saw many stunning views of the ocean and the greener than green hills and valleys.   

One of the places that I liked the most was a little fishing village called ChiiSaGo 小砂子漁港 which is located in KamiNoKuni Town 上ノ国町.   

See the photo above/left for details.   

Not only is this a beautiful location to live and work as a fisherman, but they also have an elementary school here called 小砂子小学校!   

It is the biggest building in the upper left of this photograph.   

Wow!  Imagine being a teacher at this little out of the way school.   

What a privilege that would be.   

After many more hours of slow driving, I finally arrived at the Roadside Rest Station 道の駅「よってけ！島牧」.   

I have stayed here once before on May 1, of 2005, so I continued on down the road for about 5 more kilometers until I found a nice beach area, with toilet facilities and drinking water on tap available 24 hours a day during the summer months at 江ノ島.   

There is even a place to throw away your garbage!   

What a beautiful place to spend the night, and the early morning hours of tomorrow.   

The only problem,...    lots and lots of 　蚊 mosquitoes.   

No big deal, I have a large supply of spray-on peppermint oil ハッカ油 for just such occasions. 

I sprayed myself with such copious quantities of the candy cane smelling stuff, that my eyes and nose began to water.   

Even still, some of the little flying critters managed to withstand the Peppermint Defense Shield (PDS) and penetrate far enough thru, to feast upon my hapless body.   

Well, if they have what it takes, to overcome all obstacles, and get their hard earned dinner, so be it.   

I will recover from their jabs in a few weeks.   

Total driving distance today, 339 kilometers.   

Sittin' on the warm evening BEACH and LOVIN' it.

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2007 August 9 Thursday.

I woke up at about 8:00 to a hot, sunny and humid day.   

I had to wait around until 9:30 when the gift shop opened, so that I could buy the Muroran City sign magnet stickers. 

Then, I was back on the road again. 

Today's final destination will be Hakodate City. 

The weather all along the way today, was a mixture of sunny, cloudy, rainy and very rainy, but the wind was not that strong. 

Another objective of this road trip is to stop by and see the 5,000 year old Jomon Village at the Oofune site in Minami Kayabe  南茅部縄文遺跡群　国指定史跡　大船遺跡.   

On May 26 and 27 of this year, I went to Date City 伊達市 as a member of the Hokkaido Cultural Property Protection Association to see a similar but somewhat smaller site.   

Since that time, my interest in the Jomon People 縄文人 has been on the increase day by day.   

Not only because the remains can be found in Southern Hokkaido, but also because the Jomon People were the very first homo sapiens to have made pottery. 

Since the discovery of how to light instant fires, the making of pottery is probably the second most significant event in the advancement of human culture. 

The Jomon People never discovered metal making.   

All of their tools were made from stone and wood with hemp ropes binding them all together.   

Animal and fish bones were also used to make various utensils.   

They lived a very simple and primitive life.   

At 縄文の丘 in Date City, there was a big mound of seashells that the Jomon People had eaten and then discarded.   

At least they had enough social order to create a garbage pit.   

At Minami Kayabe, they have found no such shell mounds 貝塚 even though the site is right next to the Pacific Ocean!!!   

However,  that was more than 5,000 years ago.   

The geography could have been different then.   

Very different.    So could have been the climate.   

There are many things to consider.   

Another possibility is that the shell mounds are in fact present, but as yet,  undiscovered. 

I haven't developed a final theory on this yet.   

Nonetheless, it was an honor and a privilege for me to be easily able to come all the way over here, and learn something new, about something which is very very old.   

Or is it?   

After spending more than 50 minutes taking photos both outside and inside the data center 資料館, talking with the nice lady who was on duty that day, and taking photos of every exhibit inside the data center, I continued my journey, south, towards Hakodate.   

Photo Slideshow COMING SOON. 

Today's drive was very interesting, and more than educational.   

Why am I attracted to this now island that we now call Hokkaido?   

Why did I feel that; "Ahhhhhhh!      

Home Again!"       Why?      

I just KNOW it.         

I've been here before.       

And so have you.       

What other island on the earth today, looks quite like the dragon head shape of Hokkaido?       

I can't find any on the world map.   

Can you?     Back to Basics.   

NOT ABC but CBA.   

Total driving distance today; 275 kilometers.

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2007 August 8 Wednesday.

I'm on the road at 10:30 a.m. 

The road that is right in front of my home, Route 237 heading south towards Biei.   

If you follow this road all the way to it's end at Mombetsu Town 門別町 you will find yourself on the coast of the Pacific Ocean not far from Tomakomai City 苫小牧市.   

As I passed through Minami Furano 南富良野, I took a 20 kilometer side trip to take a look at Lake Kanayama 金山湖　and was very surprised to see how low the water level was. 

Take a look for yourself in the photo above/left.   

This lake is made possible by Kanayama Dam, and when I drove by to take a look at the dam itself, there were some workmen there working on it.   

This place has a whole lot more water during Golden Week than it does now in the blistering August heat.   

I continued on down Route 237 stopping at each and every roadside rest station along the way, to buy two copies of each and every magnet sheet roadside replica.   

I also stopped at the big AEON shopping mall in Tomakomai City to eat some 回転寿司 and  buy two new short sleeve shirts, one of which I put on right away.   

The remainder of the drive to Muroran was dark and rainy.   

Along the way, I made a short side trip to NoboriBetsu OnSen 登別温泉.   

I haven't been here in a very long time, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it full of tourists wandering around in their cotton bathrobes that the hotels provide them with.   

I finally pulled into the 道の駅　みたら室蘭 at about 20:30 and got set up for the night. 

As I was doing so, it started to rain big time.  Like Niagara Falls or something.   

I climbed inside my Hotel Noah and took a rest.   

Total distance driven today, 366 kilometers. 

Another long driving day again tomorrow.

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2007 August 7 Tuesday.

Today is the day when I must double check and finalize my route to be taken during my upcoming drive around the entire coastline of Southern Hokkaido.   

I drove this exact same route during Golden Week of 2005.   

When I finished that 5 days 4 nights travel adventure, I decided right then and there, that I would come back again, during the hot summer months. 

Tomorrow, I will be leaving for that long awaited journey. 

To see a series of 5 photo slideshows for that wonderful adventure during late April and early May of 2005 click here.   

This time I won't be going alone. 

Even though Ikuko can't come with me, on this trip, my new pal Densuke でんすけ君 will be along for the ride.   

He seems to think that he is some kind of Snow Country White Bear God King, but in reality, he is just a stuffed animal and a poorly paid  representative of the Asahiyama Zoo here in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido Japan.   

To me he looks more like some kind of mix between Native North American; Navaho, Hopi, Zuni and Apache. 

He is also about HALF?DOUBLE? Jomon 縄文人　with a Big Splash of Ainu アイヌ thrown in for good measure.   

Anyway, he and I will be rapping with each other, all along the way. 

The long and winding roads that lead to everywhere, around Hokkaido. 

All of them in excellent shape and veeeeeeeery easy to drive.   

I will be leaving tomorrow morning at a time of my best convenience.   

First overnight destination, MuroRan City 室蘭市.

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2007 August 5 Sunday.

The rain has finally stopped falling, but it is still very gray and cloudy.   

Not too hot and not too cold.   

A nice day to take a walk in the early evening.   

Also, I finally finished the photo slideshow for Lake Mashu, which you can see by clicking here.   

There are 93 photos in the slideshow, and each one appears for only 3 seconds so that's a total of about 4 and one half minutes of viewing time.   

I think you will find it to be time well spent.   

These photos are somewhat more numerous and better than the ones I took of Lake Mashu in 2002 which you can also see by clicking here.   

I need to start planning for my next driving expedition around Southern Hokkaido, soon.   

I only have two weeks left of my summer vacation.   

The photo in today's blog was also taken at Lake Mashu which is out of sight on the right, and shows a rather interesting oval cloud hovering over the hot spring resort town of 湯川.   

If you pan to the left, as in the slideshow, you can see IoZan 硫黄山 and Lake Kussharo 屈斜路湖 as well. 

You can still enjoy the beauty of Hokkaido, even if you can't be here right now.　

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2007 August 4 Saturday.

More rain today, but the wind has died down considerably.   

According to the newspaper weather forecast, things should start drying out by tomorrow. 

The photo you can see above/left was taken on a small island in the middle of Lake Akan 阿寒湖.   

It is a kind of green algae known in Japanese as MARIMO 毬藻（まりも）.   

In English it is called variously Cladophora Ball, Lake Ball or Moss Balls.   

The scientific name is Aegagropila Linnaei.   

It is not only found in Lake Akan but also in some other lakes in Northern Japan as well as lakes in Iceland, Estonia and Siberia.   

It is the gentle motion of the tides in the lake, which cause these clumps of filamentous green algae, also known as Chlorophyta, to roll around and form together into these ball shaped masses.   

You will see replicas of these marimo on sale at gift shops throughout Hokkaido in various forms, and it has in fact become one of the symbols of Hokkaido.   

Personally, I like the deep green color and fluffy texture of these big globes of algae.   

Someone even gave us a toothpick holder, some years ago, that had simulated marimo floating in some kind of green liquid, in the outer layer of the souvenir.   

I still have it to this day, and when children come to my classroom and see it, they are always fascinated by it. 

The real thing, however, is much more beautiful.  Just see for yourself, in the photo on the left.

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2007 August 3 Friday.

It continues to rain again today under the heavy influence of Typhoon Number 5. 

The areas of Hokkaido most adversely affected by this storm are the coastline areas along the Pacific Ocean 太平洋.   

More specifically, Hakodate 函館, Muroran　室蘭, Cape Erimo　襟裳岬 and so on.   

I have been to all of these places on several occasions, and I must say that I am very happy to be living in Asahikawa City 旭川市.   

The slideshow you can see on the above/left, is of the City and Town Road Sign replicas that I wrote about in yesterday's blog.
（編集注：スライドショーの操作が出来ないので、その中の画像をＵＰします）

These very good looking magnet sheets, about the size of a business card, are available only at the various Roadside Rest Stations 道の駅 all around Hokkaido.   

Who ever had this idea as an inspiration, and then turned it into a marketable product, is a phuckin' genius.   

Before these magnet seals came out, I would often stop along the various roads and byways, to take photos of the various road signs that look exactly like these little 250 yen a pop, magnet sheet replicas. 

I feel like a little kid who has to collect each and every "baseball player card" that is out there.   

Who knows, maybe some day they will stop making these little magnet sheets, and they will become worth more than I paid for them.   

That is why I buy at least two copies of each and every one of them.   

The other copy, I leave in its plastic package, to insure that they all remain in mint condition. 

That is the basics of investing. 

Buying something that is in limited supply, and has mass appeal or intrinsic value.

Stocks and bonds can become worthless overnight, but rare and nostalgic things will continue to increase in value as time goes by, as the items become more and more rare.      

It is a cosmic law that never changes.      

Learn it well and live by it.   

Everything can and will be a WIN/WIN SITUATION, but only if you first Conceive, Believe and Achieve it in your own mind.   

ABC is really CBA,  in the cosmic realm of things, that BE. 　

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2007 August 2 Thursday.

After a wonderfully rich breakfast at the Hotel Resort 北天の丘 it was back on the road from Abashiri 網走 to Asahikawa.   

Today it was 34 degrees with high humidity in Abashiri. 

Time to roll up the windows and turn on the AC.   

Put a little bit of winter in the air.   

I drove slowly and put mint oil on a tissue placed inside an AC vent. 

The drive was cool and relaxing with a little help from Mozart on the CD player and Palosiks on the MD player.   

I made it a point during this trip to stop at each and every roadside rest station 道の駅 along the way, and purchase small magnet sheets in the design of the official city and town road signs that you can see along the roads.   

They are very colorful and attractive, and I will put a photo of my current collection of about 12 of them, in this blog in the near future. 

But for now, please enjoy another photo of Lake Mashu 摩周湖 above/left.   

I was able to take so many good photos during this trip, that I must and I will make some new slideshow photo galleries for this website. 

Please check the 写真舘 link on this website from time to time to see them when they are finished.   

As we were driving along Route 39 from Kitami 北見 towards Asahikawa, we stopped again at the OnNeYu Onsen Roadside Rest Station.   

While we were there, the winds picked up considerably, and the sky grew darker and darker. 

Typhoon Number 5   うさぎ is coming up to meet Hokkaido on the Pacific Ocean side.   

The rest of the drive will be a challenge to make it over the SekiHoku Mountain Pass  石北峠,  before the weather conditions get bad enough for them to close it down.   

I can't drive faster in order to do this, I just have to focus on the road and go with the flow.   

I did it, and we made it over the top just as the heaviest rains and winds hit upon the island.   

We got home safely at about 16:30, and put an end to a wonderful 4 days and 3 nights summer drive course, in Hokkaido.   

My summer vacation isn't over yet.   

In fact, it is just getting started.   

However, I will be staying at home for the next three or four days to stretch out my legs, and wait out the rain.   

Typhoon Number 5 is still coming this way.   

As a result, every day is a rainy day,  but with sunshine in my heart.

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2007 August 1 Wednesday.

Time to check out of the Akan Tsuruga Hotel and drive north towards Abashiri 網走 where we will stay one night before returning to Asahikawa on Thursday.   

Yesterday, while we were walking through the forest along a wooden board walk, I had my new "turquoise" key holder hanging from the outside of my shoulder bag, because it makes a clanging noise which will alert any bears in the area, that humans are passing through.   

I had just purchased this "turquoise" key holder on the same day at a gift shop near Lake Mashu. 

The sign above the key holder said ターコイズ and the price was 3,650 yen, so I figured it was real. 

However, while we were walking along the forest boardwalk, I suddenly heard the sound of a small stone hit the wood below. 

I stopped and turned around to see what is was, and was very surprised to see a piece of my "turquoise" key holder laying on the ground.   

The keys had hit the stone and broke a piece of it off.   

When I picked up the piece, I immediately noticed that it was white inside!  It was not turquoise or any other type of semi precious gem stone at all, but a manufactured fake! 

I was really pissed off about it. 

So, today on our way from Lake Akan to Abashiri, I stopped by the same gift shop and got my money back. 

I should have known better in the first place, but the beautiful blue color and the tiger claw shape caught my eye, and my better judgment  went out the window. 

After a beautiful drive of about 3 hours, we arrived at our hotel in Abashiri at about 16:00 and checked in without a hitch.   

It is a new place called 北天の丘 and is also a part of the Tsuruga Hotel Group.   

It is a beautiful place modeled on the theme of Ainu art and culture. 

Lots of wood and Ainu pattern designs everywhere in and around the building.   It has a very nice view of Lake Abashiri as well.   

A very nice place to stay if you are in the Abashiri area.

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2007 July 31 Tuesday.

I woke up at 4:00 a.m., and went outside to make some hot tea, and write this blog for yesterday. 

It was a cool and refreshing morning, a bit overcast. 

After having a nice breakfast at 8:00, we were back on the road by 9:00.   

I even had time to take another outdoor hot tub from 7:30 until 7:50.

   There is nothing like sitting in a tub of hot water while being surrounded by a forest.   

Our first destination for today was Lake Mashu 摩周湖.   

I have been here several times before, and every time I have come, including today, it has been crystal clear, with no fog in the air. 

See photo above/left. 

Lake Mashu is famous for being difficult to see because of the frequent foggy weather. 

In fact, I know several people who have lived in Hokkaido all of their lives, and have never been able to see Lake Mashu, because of the fog. 

I guess I have been very lucky.   

After gazing at the beautiful lake and the surrounding scenery for over an hour, we continued on to Kushiro 釧路市 and ate lunch there, before driving on to the Kushiro Wetlands National Park 釧路湿原国立公園.   

We took a 2.5 kilometer hike through a bug infested forest which has vast panoramic views of a huge flat marshland, the biggest in Japan. 

It reminded of a scene of the vast savannahs of Africa. 

I have never seen this view of Hokkaido before. 

After that, we continued on to our final destination of Lake Akan Onsen 阿寒湖温泉.   

We checked in at the Tsuruga Hotel and took a rest before having a gorgeous buffet style dinner in the huge second floor dinning room. 

They have every kind of food imaginable and all of it is top quality stuff.   

I ate so much, I was literally stuffed to the gills.   

After dinner, the ladies went to the roof top bathing area, and I walked outside and into the town to look around in the many gift shops which have mostly Ainu handicrafts. 

Some real and some not so real.   

I talked to some of the real Ainu craftsmen and bought two headbands and a shoulder bag made by the very people with whom I talked.   

There were even a couple of small bond fires burning in the plaza and the wood smoke smelled wonderful. 

After wandering around for about 2 hours, I went back to the hotel to take my turn at the roof top spa.   

They have saunas and every kind of bath that you can image here. 

You can even look and the lake and the night sky while laying in a huge pool of hot water.   

Why more cultures don't have this custom of communal bathing, is a mystery to me.

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2007 July 30 Monday.

On the road again!  Ikuko, I and her mother are off on our annual summer road trip around Hokkaido. 

This year the theme is "The Lakes of Eastern Hokkaido".   

We were supposed to pick her mother up at about 9:00, but I was two hours late because,....   

Well, yesterday was my birthday party you see and I,...  had way to much fun, and drank a bit more booze than I should have.   

After an extra 2 hours of sleep, we finally got on the road and arrived at her mothers home just before 11:00. 

Sorry mom!  We still have plenty of time to do what we are planning to do today.   

I started driving out of Asahikawa along Route 39 heading east towards Kitami 北見.   

The weather was absolutely beautiful with mostly clear skies and fluffy white clouds floating lazily in the sky.   

The light and colors up here in Hokkaido are something that must be seen first hand to be believed. 

Incredibly bright and vibrant.   

Along the way, we stopped in Kamikawa Town 上川町 to eat some Noodle Soup ラーメン for lunch, and to visit Ikuko's grandmother on her mother's side of the family.   

I haven't seen this woman for about 10 years, but she still remembered my name!   

All the more amazing when you consider the fact that she is 94 years old.   

It must be that good Japanese food and country living that keeps her so bright and happy.   

After visiting for a while, and seeing some photographs of her newly born great-grandchildren, we were back on the road again, heading east.   

Along the way, we stopped here and there, to stretch our legs and enjoy the warm sunshine and cool breeze.   

One of the places we walked around at was a place called OnNeYu Onsen Roadside Rest Station おんねゆ温泉道の駅.  　

We had passed through this very same location two years ago when we all went to the Shiretoko Penninsula World Heritage Site 知床半島世界遺産.   

One thing I remembered from that trip was the very creamy and delicious un-pasteurized fresh milk that you can drink here.   

For 120 yen a glass, or 300 yen for all you can drink, I choose the 300 yen course and drank down 4 glasses of the heavenly stuff. 

It tasted sooooo good. 

However, about 5 minutes later, I had the most urgent need to use the toilet which was right next door.   

Thank good it was there.   

We got back onto the road heading for Kitami, but my bowel related emergency hadn't been fully divested.   

I had to stop 3 more times along the way, at various convenience stores, to flush out my impatient colon. 

You see, I almost never drink milk these days, so the sudden tidal wave of fresh white stuff was a big surprise to my GI tract.   

After passing through Kitami and Bihoro Town 美幌町, we drove up the mountain towards Bihoro Pass 美幌峠.   

Suddenly it got dark and misty and very mysterious.   

There was a thick and eerie fog in the air that was really spooky.   

At the top of the mountain pass there is a Roadside Rest Station with a vantage point from which you can see a panoramic view of Lake Kussharo 屈斜路湖.   

Not today.   In fact we couldn't see it at all until we began our decent down the other side of the mountain. 

When we saw it, it was magnificent.   

Tonight we will be staying at what the Japanese call "a pension" ペンション.   In American English, we might call it "a bed and breakfast, which includes dinner."   

Many of these types of "pensions" are owned and operated by semi-retired couples who have worked most of their lives in a big city, before giving up the rat race, and coming to Hokkaido to really see what life is all about. 

The place we stayed at tonight is called ペンション・クッシャレラ and is located very close to the アイヌ民俗資料館 on the shores of Lake Kussharo.   

For details about this very nice place, visit their website by clicking here.   

We arrived at 18:00, just in time for dinner, which was excellent.   

The man and his wife who run this place, live here too, in a very new building that was completed in 2003. 

The man is also a very accomplished photographer who is very good at taking photos of wild animals.   

Some of the photos are absolutely amazing.   

After dinner and after sitting in the outdoor 100% natural hot spring tub for about an hour, I went back to the dinning room area to drink an ice cold beer.   

As I was doing so, I asked the photographer;  "You didn't use a digital camera to take these photos, did you?"   

He replied; "No, I did use a digital camera with a tele-zoom lens, and continuous shutter capabilities."   

I was amazed to see photos of a flying squirrel caught in mid-flight, and other such hard to capture images decorating the walls of the dinning room, and even our own bedroom for the night.   

A wonderful place to stay, if you like the quiet family atmosphere.

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2007 July 26 Thursday.

Today I received a very pleasant surprise.   

One of my former students called me up on the telephone, and wanted to come over to my classroom and talk with me.   

I told him my last lesson would be finished at 20:00, so please come by at about that time. 

He did, and to my pleasant surprise, he can now speak English very fluently after spending only two months in Vancouver Canada!   

He just graduated from Asahikawa University this April, and then went to a language school in Vancouver B.C. for about 8 weeks, then returned to Hokkaido.   

Before he left for Canada, he came to my classroom about 12 times in order to get prepared for a world in which he would be required to speak English every day.   

Before he left, his speaking ability was minimal, but when I saw him again today, it was vastly improved. 

He even went to one of those Big Name Eikaiwa Schools in Sapporo for about one month, but he decided that he liked my classroom much better, so he came back for more lessons, starting again today.   

It makes me feel really good, when I can see a big improvement in any of my students' abilities in spoken English.   

It makes me feel really good when a student tells me that my little ol' classroom is the best.   

That is why I am here.   

To help other people while helping myself, all at the same time. 

That is a win/win situation.   

Everybody involved is happy.   

That is true happiness.   

That's the way it was meant to be.   

From the beginning and forever.

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2007 July 25 Wednesday.

Another photo from 2006 July 24.   

This of course, is the Canal Plaza in Otaru City. 

One of the most famous and/or well known scenes in Hokkaido.   I was lucky enough last year, to get fine weather, the light from which made this peaceful digital photograph possible.   

What a beautiful memory, and also another beautiful meeting in the future. 

I will go back to this exact same place, again and again and again.   

Why not?   

It is a very familiar home away from home.   

I love Otaru.   

I love Hokkaido.   

I love the here and now.   

I LOVE LIFE.    今を生きる。

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2007 July 24 Tuesday.

My first gig of the day started off at 10:40 at Asahikawa University.   

Today, together with Professor Sugawa, we administered the Final Examination for the Spring Semester.   

It was a paper test, which I wrote myself, that had 40 questions, plus one bonus problem, all questions are based on the 6W1H Interrogatives 疑問詞.   

Sort of like a questionnaire アンケート.　　

I kept it simple and basic, because there are many and various levels of English Proficiency among the students in our class.   

The photo that you can see in today's blog, was taken exactly one year ago, on this very date in 2006.   

Does anyone recognize this scene?   HINT.   

It is just south of Mashike Town along the coastline on the Sea of Japan.   

It is a place called Oofuyu Misaki 雄冬岬.   

A really nice place to get a panoramic view of the world around you.   

Notice the steel and concrete stairway to heaven, in the right/lower corner of today's photo.   

Thank you to the people who built and paid for this modern convenience, because this makes it possible for old, fat, farts, such as myself, to literally climb up a small mountain, and take a look around. 

I really appreciate this opportunity to fall in love again, with Mother Nature. 

Ain't it beautiful?   

The HERE and NOW, I mean.

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2007 July 23 Monday.

Heading into the final week of classes, before the start of my 3 week summer vacation on July 28.   

At this time last year, I was already on the road, heading south towards Otaru 小樽市.   

Along the way, we stopped in at Mashike　増毛町, to buy some fresh cherries and other fruits.   

The photo above/left shows what we bought.   

On the left are the dark "American" Cherries.   

My grandfather George Delaney and I used to pick this exact same type of cherries together, in the orchards near Clarkston Washington and Lewiston Idaho.   

They were so delicious, that I must have eaten about 5 pounds of them in one day.   

The same day I got a bad case of diarrhea, because I ate soooooooo many cherries at one time.   

I was about 14 years old at that time.   

Now I am much older, and a bit wiser.   

On the right side of the photograph, you can see the typical "Japanese" Cherry which is a much brighter tint of red, and slightly more sour, than the BING CHERRIES on the left.   

I like both types, and make it a point to go to Mashike every year during the summer to buy some of the best fresh fruits I have ever eaten, anywhere.   

The summer in Hokkaido might be short, but it is very intense.   

Pedal to the metal, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.   

Into summer vacation, I mean.   

Drive slowly because there is a lot to look at along the way.   

It's the journey, not the destination that we can always enjoy in the present moment.   

It is always NOW.

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2007 July 21 Saturday.

Today is the main Festival Day for the annual 上川神社祭.   

I've been there many times before.   

Two years ago I made an auto-playing photo slideshow of the event which you can see by clicking here.   

Instead, I'm going to take a long walk along the rivers, were there are very few other people.   

It's a cloudy night, so it might be a bit spooky, not being able to see the ground in front you, so well.   

But first, I must play Amazing Grace on the big Alto Recorder at the Candle Cathedral before my departure.   

I will be playing that, and a lot of other stuff along the Chubetsu River bank again tonight.   

It's easy to escape the big city, when you live in Asahikawa.

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2007 July 18 Wednesday.

This morning starting at 8:50, I had my last class for this school year at the Kosei Nursing School.   

As usual, when the last lesson is finished for any class by any teacher, the students all gather around a piano on the first floor lobby, and sing a song for the teacher.   

A nice touch to the end of the course, that no other school I have ever taught at, does for its teachers. 

Some places just have more class than others.   

The photo you can see above/left was taken on Monday July 16 in the 外国樹種見本林 which is about 2 kilometers from where I live.   

Think about that for a minute.   

I live in a city, right along National Highway 237 which connects Asahikawa with Biei and Furano, yet there is this forest within easy walking distance from my classroom.   

Is it any wonder that I like this city so much?　

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2007 July 16 Monday.

Umi No Hi  海の日.   

I'm off to the beach. 

Ikuko and her friend Yumiko are off to Sapporo on the 13:00 JR Train, to see Chage and Aska LIVE in CONCERT for the umpteenth time.   

I think I've seen enough of that HoopLa.   

I need to put my bare feet into a sandy beach near some moving water to make my day A OK.   

Let's see, where is the closest beach from here????   

Oh, Yeah!   That place where I went on a Vision Quest about 29 days ago.   

I grabbed my big brown Alto Recorder and walked very slowly over to the exact same location.   

It was a very nice 2 kilometer trek through the 外国樹種見本林 which was bathed in a beautiful afternoon light at about 16:00.   

I walked down to my private beach, took off my shirt, and kicked off my sandals.   

Oh!  What a feeling.  Sand between your toes, I mean.   

Why,....  with my cheap sunglasses in a shade of orange, my big chunky turquoise necklace and my gladiator sized silver bracelets from Bali, I was off into another world.   

After standing and pacing back and forth for about 90 minutes, I spread out my big black shirt, sat down and took a load off of my feet.   

All the while playing various songs on the big bad tube.   

Even the crows were friendly today.    

One thing that I noticed for the first time today, was how well the Bali Silver works as a sky and sun reflective mirror. 

By looking directly into each bracelet, I could see the entire shape of the sun, without hurting my eyes. 

The blue sky and white clouds were also clearly visible.   

COOL!    I can now observe the daytime sky, while looking down into a soft silver mirror and playing the flute, all at the same time.   

What will they think of next?

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DOUBLE アーティスト：CHAGE and ASKA 販売元：ユニバーサル・シグマ 発売日：2007/01/24 Amazon.co.jpで詳細を確認する

2007 July 4 Wednesday.

Today is a National Holiday in the USA known as Independence Day.

In the public school system, we are taught that in 1776, on July 4, the United States of America declared its independence from Great Britain, and thus became a new nation.

That is the official story anyway.

Nowadays, it is mostly seen as a day off from work with an opportunity to have a softball game, a BBQ party or just about any other type of leisure activity, ending with a big fireworks display 花火大会 in the late evening.

I have many fond childhood memories of riding my bicycle around to the many fireworks stands in Spokane Washington, to see what was new and on sale each year.

The small scale fireworks 線香花火 that I bought were a lot of fun to play with.

It was a magical evening with beautiful lights and sulfur smells.

Over here in Japan, it is just another work day.

Wishing everyone who lives in the USA a very safe and enjoyable holiday, on this day, our nation's birthday.

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2007 June 25 Monday.

Another beautiful day in Hokkaido. 

My first gig of the day didn't start until 13:00.  It was at the  神楽公民館で英会話を楽しむ会　a mere 10 minutes walk from my classroom, if I walk slowly.   

Again today, I talked about the ridiculous invoice とんでもない請求書 that Charles Hamel and family had received after spending only 6 hours in a hospital emergency room ER in Houston Texas, for the sole purpose of passing kidney stones.   

I told the class that I had received an email and also looked at his blog called HOKKAIDO BOUND where the details of the hospital invoice are posted.   

All in all, the bill was for $12,559!!!   

Converted into Japanese Yen using the currency converter at  http://www.ratesfx.com/   that comes out to 1,553,950 yen!!!!   

Remember, Charlie didn't even stay one overnight at the hospital. 

He went back home after only 6 hours and his loving Japanese wife took care of him for the next 3 days at the family home, until the kidney stones finally passed out of his body.   

Again, everyone in the class just couldn't believe what I was telling them. 

I can't believe it either because it is so phuckin' ridiculous.   

A person could buy a new economy car for that price!   

What indeed is a civilized society, anyway?   

I know what one is because I have lived here in Hokkaido for more than 17 years.   

This place is ultra-modern, civilized and close to nature.   

What else could a person want?   

The neon lights of a big city?   

You can get all of that in Sapporo, and even in downtown Asahikawa as well.   

Hokkaido Has IT ALL.   

I am a happy camper who has no plans EVER, to live anywhere else. 

Take a trip and visit other places?   

Sure, why not.   

I will learn something from that quest.   

But it is always good to come back HOME to my own private Hokkaido.   

Underground like a wild potato.   

Anyway, after that class was finished at about 14:40, I hurried back to my classroom for lessons from 15:00 until 20:00.   

When that was all out of the way, I got onto the World Wide Web to see what else I could learn about playing the vertical flute (recorder).   

During my information quest, I stumbled upon a blast from the past that reminded me of a song called RUBY TUESDAY performed by the ROLLING STONES in 1967. 

Brian Jones plays a larger wooden recorder in this video, and the sound is both nostalgic and refreshing. 

To see the music video, click here.   

Time to practice the flute some more. 

I guess I had better close the windows for now.

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2007 June 17 Sunday.

The photo you can see in yesterday's blog and the one in today's blog, were both taken during today, Sunday June 17.   

The weather today was so perfect, in every way, that I wasn't even aware of my physical body for most of my journey today.   

The air temperature was just to the point that,  I didn't even notice it.   

There was no wind.   None at all.   

The sunshine was hot, but not too hot.   

Everything was perfect for a walk down to one of my favorite hidden beaches along the Biei River, less than one kilometer from my home. 

I won't tell you exactly where it is, but if you are one of the gentle persons who comes to my little old classroom on a regular basis, I will draw you a BIG MAP to this very location on the white board.   

It is very easy to find, and this area will soon be connected to the center of town, by a brand new bridge!   

Oh, No!     I've already said too much.   

Please don't invade my Private Hokkaido.   

But then again, there are unlimited, Private Hokkaido launch pads on this island.    

Anyway, this tiny beach is right behind a very famous sightseeing spot right here in Kagura, and there is a walking trail through a small forest right above this private beach, so I was not totally isolated from other humans in the physical sense of the word.   

I came to this location at about 13:00 today, and I stayed until about 16:30.   

Somewhere close to 3 and one half hours, at this same location.   

As you can see from yesterday's blog photo, and also the one for today, I brought a vertical flute with me.   

I spent the entire time of nearly 4 hours, practicing the flute at full volume and observing everything about the local nature surrounding me, as I created original melodies out of thin air.   

Make no mistake about it, the animals within earshot of my "music" received it and responded to it.   

Yes, we had mutual communication.   

Especially with the crows and wild hawks.   They would fly low above me, to check me out while I was simultaneously observing them.   

I especially love the wild hawks which are known here as 鳶 and 鷹.   

They are the most beautiful of flying machines and they have a very high and somewhat shrill calling voice, that I tried to imitate on my flute, with mixed results.   T

he crows are mostly an annoyance to both me and the hawks.   

The crows regularly engage in airborne combat with the hawks, especially if the hawks are near the crows' nesting areas.   

When the crows start giving me a hard time, I blaze 'em with high pitched blasts of high decibel notes from my flute.   

It makes them stop and shut up for various lengths of time.   

Also during my  VISION QUEST  of this afternoon, an Akita Dog and its owner were walking along the opposite bank of the river heading upstream towards the southeast.   

The dog reacted very positively to my staccato flute riffs, and even tried briefly to jump into the river, with an intention to swim over to my side, but common sense soon got the better of him.   

The dog's owner, and elderly gentleman finally called the dog to come back over to him, and continue walking together.   

On my side of the river it was only me and the bubble of light that I was floating in.   

The only other humans that came down to my private beach were a medical doctor looking kind of guy, to whom I said; こんにちわ！　

And he in turn replied; こんにちわ！　End of conversation.   

I faced back towards the river and continued my broadcasting channel via the vertical flute.   

After about two or three or maybe even a few more minutes, the M.D. looking chap had already taken in enough during his very short look at the river and walked back up to the trail from which he had come, to continue his walk in the forest towards the west.    

About 55 minutes later, a married couple, first the man and then the woman, came down to my private Hokkaido beach, to take a look around for a bit longer than the previous humanoid. 

Again I greeted them one by one, but this time I said; こんばんわ both times, and both of them answered; こんにちわ.   

What time is it anyway?  It is daytime. 

In the afternoon to be exact.   

Soon it will become dark enough again,  to call it nighttime.   

Plus the limitless shades of light and dark,   color and light,  heat and cold,   in between.   

What time is it, indeed.    

It is the time of your life.       

It is always TODAY.

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June 6 Wednesday.

This is another photo I took 4 days ago on last Sunday, about 30 minutes after I took the photo that you can see, in yesterday's blog. 

Can you feel the warm glow?   

Can you hear the sound of the river as it flows along its winding way, floating above the hard earth beneath it, on towards the Sea of Japan? 

Can you hear the sound of the birds talking to each other?   

This location is a mere 20 minutes walk away from where I live.   

I can take a mini vacation like this, anytime I want to. 

The sunrise is also a good time to be here. 

But only during the season of no snow.   

When the snow is piled up high, getting this close to a river is not only much more difficult, it is also much more dangerous.   

It's not smart living to take any unnecessary chances in life.   

A leap of faith only makes sense when you have deeply considered all of the other options. 

Then, you KNOW that you are making the right decision. 

The right move. 

The MOVE that will change your life forever, in a very very good way. 

Optimism can be learned as a habit of thinking. 

Not dreaming, thinking.   Being always aware of the fact that life is but a dream.   

A dream that can be created by merely thinking about it at all times.   

24/7.   

Even when you are "sleeping" and seeing a "dream", you must always remain aware that your habits of thought, create the dream that you are living.   

You ALWAYS get back many MORE multiples of what you send out in your thoughts, your spoken and written words, and in your DAILY  actions.   

If you want to receive good things, send out good things FIRST.   

Give first, receive later.   Not "money".   Action.    LOVE.   

Love IS action.   

Always has been, always will be.   

Even in the Christian Bible it says;  "It is better to give, than it is to receive." 

This is TRUTH.   

Not just a Christian truth, but a UNIVERSAL truth.   

Action ALWAYS is followed by Reaction.   

Always has been, always will be.   

It is circular MOTION, which IS at the core of EXISTENCE 存在.      LOVE is always in the AIR.      

Are you tuned into the best vibration mix that suits your very own and unique image of yourself?   

Your image, my image.   

The image of a President or a Prime Minister.   

What you see is what you get?   

That depends on how deep (far into) your self image (SOUL) you can clearly see.   

Just like the RIVER, and the UNLIMITED number of H2O molecules there are FLOATING down stream, EFFORTLESSLY.   

Only to return to the mountain top again as CLOUDS, and then fall again, onto the hard EARTH as SNOW or RAIN.   

The CYCLE REPEATS itself ENDLESSLY.   

Always HAS and always WILL be the SAME cycle.   

Get used to IT because,.... 

THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS.    

I am.  You are.  We be.   

How many other languages are there , which can continue to transmit the exact same message?    XIT!!!    

Once again, just like every time before, the answer is the SAME.   It is COUNTLESS numbers of ENDLESS cycles that create the MOTION which becomes LIFE. 

Live IT, or Dream IT away.   Your choice.   Mine as well.

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2007 June 5 Tuesday.

Here is another photo that I took last Sunday on my way back home from downtown Asahikawa.   

Instead of crossing over the Chubetsu Bridge to get back into Kagura, I walked down the slope and passed under the bridge heading towards the southeast.   

I often walk this way because I like to be close the the river and watch all of the things that are in motion.   

Along the way, I stopped on a beach and took off my shirt in order to soak up the warmth of the setting sun.   

Across the Chubetsu River on the Kagura side of the river bank, this young man was playing his trombone for about an hour or more.   

He was very good at it and I enjoyed listening to the clear and low sounds float across the blue water and blue sky.   

Instead of playing complete songs, he would only play little sections  from many different songs.   

He was in fact practicing his art, and nobody will complain about the sound because he is not very close to any houses.   

I was certainly not going to complain.   

I wanted to complement him on his playing but, why break the mood?   

I'll just keep my comments to myself.   

Besides the BGM, there were the usual things to watch along the river, mostly birds of several varieties including a Japanese Wagtail セグロセキレイ  Which was flying around very close to me and catching insects.   

He or she was a cute little bug catcher and was trying to talk with me, and I with it. 

It was a rather short conversation but the gist of it was; "Hi!!!  Beautiful day, isn't it.    Yeah, it is.  The most beautiful day of my life because it is happening right now.   Talk to you later.  I gotta fly."　

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2007 June 3 Sunday.

Today was a rather sad day in some ways.   

The very first English Conversation School in Asahikawa, which was started almost 30 years ago, closed it's doors for the last time today.   

I was invited to the good bye party. 

The school which was started in 1977 by an American man from Vermont and his Japanese wife from Tokyo, was originally called 旭川英会話 and was located on the 5th floor of the Hokkaido Bank Building in downtown Asahikawa.   

I worked there for 3 years from March of 1993 until March of 1996.   

In October of 1995, the owner and his wife sold the school to an American man from Niigata, and the whole family moved back to the Seattle area in the USA.   

The original owner offered to sell the school to me, and I seriously considered it for a while, but declined to buy it.   

Instead of paying a big chuck of money to buy an existing school, I decided to bet my entire life savings and start my own school at a different location.   

Eleven years later, I can say with certainty that I made the right choice. 

Anyway, the school which was renamed Asahikawa English Communication Services (A.E.C.S.) continued in business for another 11 years until Friday June 1 of this year. 

The final farewell party was held today from 14:00 until about 16:30.   

I saw many students there today that I haven't seen in more than 10 years.   

Everybody looked about the same. 

Except for me. 

I am much fatter now than I was at that time. 

Much fatter.  Of course everyone noticed it immediately.   

After eating some food and talking about the good old days for more than two hours, I said goodbye to everyone and walked on over to the Matsui Jewelry Store on the 2nd floor of the EXC Building, to get my silver Navaho bracelets cleaned by the owner, Kuni.   

Kuni is a big fan of American Country and Western Music, especially the Dixie Chicks.   

It was nice to talk to him again while he was making my sliver wrist accessories shine brightly.   

After that, I went outside onto the Kaimono Koen Pedestrian Mall and noticed the sound of a live band playing at the other end of the mall. 

Being a sometimes band member myself, I hurriedly walked down to the far end of the mall and got there just in time to hear the last 40 minutes of what had been a 5 hour event of free live music.   

Asahikawa truly is a music city.   A very nice place to live if you can find a job here.

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2007 June 2 Saturday.

Starting at about 12 noon today, the annual Hokkaido Musical Parade 北海道音楽大行進 was held as usual on the first Saturday of June. 

The weather was perfect. 

Warm sun, clear skies and a cool breeze to top it all off.   

Ikuko and I walked across the Chubetsu Bridge and into town at about 14:50 to do some shopping for books and to look at all of the people who were crowding around in the center of town, either participating in the event, or just watching it. 

It is at times like this event, when you remember that Asahikawa is in reality a rather large modern city.   

However, the wide open country living is ever present and not far away. 

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2007 June 1 Friday.

More photos from Jomon no Oka in Date City Hokkaido Japan.　

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2007 May 31 Thursday.

More photos from Jomon no Oka in Date City Hokkaido Japan.

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2007 May 30 Wednesday.

More photos from Jomon no Oka in Date City Hokkaido Japan.　

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2007 May 29 Tuesday.

More photos from Jomon no Oka in Date City Hokkaido Japan.

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2007 May 27 Sunday.

I woke up at 5:30 in my room at the Royal Hotel in DaTe City.   

I turned on the TV to see what was in the news. 

Same xit, different day. 

Time to take a hot bath and get warmed up for the cold, rainy and windy day ahead. 

It will not be the best day for taking photos, but I will take as many as I can of the really interesting stuff.   

After a not so gorgeous breakfast in the hotel restaurant, everyone gathered together to wait for our tour bus, which was scheduled to arrive and pick us all up at 8:50.   

As it IS with most every thing in Japan, the bus was right on time.   

We toured around the environs of Date City and visited many historical buildings and other sites of historical significance. 

For me, the most interesting place of the day was a place called 縄文の丘, also known officially as KitaKoGane KaiZuka 北黄金貝塚.   

This is just one of the many locations in Hokkaido, as well as other parts of Japan, where the remains of the 6,000 year old Jomon Culture have been found. 

Yes, you read that correctly, a very ancient culture which thrived some SIX THOUSAND years ago.   

Let's see,.... that means that the Jomon Culture was happening in Japan, at exactly the same time that the Mesopotamia Culture was happening in Iraq.   

I wonder what the connection might be.   

In other words, these two very distinct cultures were happening about 1,000 years before the Ancient Egyptians 古代エジプト文化 suddenly burst upon the world scene.   

You know, the people who built the great pyramids in Giza. 

One thousand years  BEFORE  Ancient Egypt, is a very long time.   

About 12 or 14 times longer than the average human life span 平均寿命 in the modern world.   

See the photo above/left for an idea of what the Jomon Culture was like at this exact location.   

This is an artist's rendering of the exact same location at which I took this photo.  The 縄文の丘 museum.   

Take a moment and just gaze upon the picture before you.   

Here you are.   6000 years ago.   

Living in a village together with about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25,......... 100 people or more.   

Who knows?   

One of my first questions to the experts in this field of Jomon Culture was;  "What language did these people speak?"   

The answer was always the same. 

"Nobody really knows, so we all just call it,  JoMonGo 縄文語.   

Fair enough.  　　　

My second question was;  "Did the Jomon People have a written language?"   

The experts all responded with a qualified "NO".   

Unlike the Mesopotamia Culture, the Jomon Culture did not seem to have any WRITTEN LANGUAGE remaining on clay tablets, to leave a permanent record for future generations. 

At least, none have been found as of yet.   QUEST!   

I am on yet another, NEW ADVENTURE.   

Looking for CONTACT sufficiently deep enough, in order to CONNECT with the COSMIC RECORD of that time/space/dimension.   

I KNOW it can be done.  I have seen it in my DREAMs. 

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2007 May 26 Saturday.

Today and tomorrow, I am in DaTe City 伊達市 for the general business meeting of the Hokkaido Cultural Property Protection Association.   

In the photo on the left you can see the chairman of the organization at the podium delivering his opening remarks.   

On the right side of the photo, you can see the mayor of Date City.   

This meeting was held at the Culture Center inside the grounds of the 伊達歴史の杜 which is right next to the Date Roadside Rest Station 道の駅.   

After the general business meeting was concluded, a man with a PhD. in archeology 考古学の博士 who is also the director of the Date City Institute of Funkawan Culture 伊達市噴火湾文化研究所 gave a rather long  and very quickly spoken 早口 speech in Japanese, about the Jomon Culture 縄文 and the activities of his institute.   

Dr. Ohshima Naoyuki 大島直行 is a very good speaker, spicing up his useful information with witty comments and other amusing play on words, so I really enjoyed listening to him. 

The only problem was that he spoke so fast, at sometimes the sounds of the words would be blended together and I couldn't quite understand everything that he said. 

I am not a native speaker of Japanese and at times like this, that is a bit of a disadvantage for me. 

I could only understand about 80% of what he was talking about, but that was good  enough for me to get the gist of his words. 

His speech was very interesting and very entertaining. 

A true pro when it comes to the art of presentation. 

I respect and admire him.   

After the general business meeting and the culture speech were all finished at about 17:30, the members in attendance broke up and went to the Royal Hotel for an information exchange dinner party 情報交換会 starting at 18:30.   

The food was good, and the discussions at each table were lively. 

Tomorrow morning, we will all get together again for a bus tour of the most important cultural assets located in and around Date City. 

The weather today was rather cold, windy and rainy. 

Tomorrow is forecasted to be the same way.   

I hope I can take some good photos of the really interesting stuff.

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2007 May 22 Tuesday.

Another photo that I took on Sunday.   

This one shows the town of Biei in the foreground, and the Taisetsu Mountains Range in the background. 

Ain't it beautiful?

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2007 May 21 Monday.

Another photo that I took yesterday, at FukiAge OnSen.   

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2007 May 20 Sunday.

Oh!!!   What a FEELING!  　　

Welcome back to FukiAge OnSen 吹上温泉.   

To get there, take Route 237 until you get to Biei Town 美瑛, then turn left at the first signal light in front of the 7-11.   

When you make that left turn, you will be on Route 966 headed for ShiroGane Spa 白金温泉.    

As you drive through the area where the hotels are located, you will arrive at a turnoff to the right, when you reach the end of the hotel district.   

This is called the 白樺ゲート and is in fact a closed gate during the winter months.   

Today it was open, and we continued our drive up the hill to the base of Mt.

Tokachi 十勝岳　until we got to the observation area 望岳台.   

Before you actually get all the way up to the observation area, there is another gate, which is also now open, that will take you the rest of the way to FukiAge Spa.   

We took that road also, after spending some time at the 望岳台.   

Even though the gravel parking lot at the entrance to the footpath which leads down to the bathing tubs was completely clear of snow, the foot path itself was not.   

This snowy condition made my short trek down to the tubs themselves a risky adventure.   

Any misstep or a break away of the snow under my sandals, could have easily resulted in me, or any other person, in falling down a steep, but not too long slope, and into the rock layered cold water stream below.   

So far, it doesn't seemed to have happened. 

At least not this year.   

Today, the hot water in the upper tub, was at about 44.5 degrees C.   

It was really hot.   

The actual temperature of the undiluted hot spring near the surface of the earth, is about 60 degrees C. 

Much, much too hot for any mammal or fish to get into for even a second or two.   

You can't fool Mother Nature.   

The only reason the upper tub is usable, is because there is a hose attached to a higher area of the cold stream which comes from the mountain SNOW MELT, and down into the valley below, and it mixes with the very very hot spring water, in the small upper tub itself. 

The result is PERFECTION.   

If you already live in Hokkaido, and have never been to this location, you are truly missing something special.   

I come here on a regular basis, but only during the season of no snow. 

Oh!  By the way, this very excellent hot tub facility, is well maintained. 

In fact, today when I got into the upper tub, I met for the first time, the older gentleman who does the actual draining, and cleaning of these two all rock tubs.   

It was obvious to me that he had done just such a cleaning job, in the very recent past.   

Perhaps today or yesterday.   

The all stone tubs were immaculate.   

Thank you for your hard labors my friend.   

It was an honor to meet you today.   

I hope to see you again soon, at the same location.    

This IS the ESSENCE of HOKKAIDO.

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2007 May 13 Sunday.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you mothers out there. 

I think we all had mothers, didn't we? 

If you're not sure, look at the middle of your belly and see if there is an indentation of some type there. 

It's called a navel or a belly button へそ.   

It was the connection to our lifeline before we popped out into this world as we now know it.   

There seems to be two basic types of navels. 

Innies and Outties.   Which type do you have?   

Mine is an Innie. 

If you don't have a navel, you may have hatched from an egg.   

Now that the cherry blossoms are finally starting to bloom in Asahikawa, I can imagine that a lot of people were planning to have a Flower Viewing Party 花見 outdoors under the cherry trees, but it has been raining on and off since yesterday. 

I know that a few hearty folks will be outside anyway, eating and drinking.   

I won't be one of them.   

I think I'll eat at home and then talk a walk wearing a GORTEX hat.   

It substitutes for an awkward umbrella, and keeps my hands free for tipping a jug.   

Time to take a mental vacation.　

Lunch anyone?

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2007 May 12 Saturday.

Another photo of the lobby at the Windsor Hotel Toya, taken on May 4, and to the right side of the photo below in yesterday's blog.   

On a clear day, you can see the lake from this huge window, but when this photo was taken, it was rather foggy and the lake was not visible. 

Also notice the live musical performance by two non-Japanese girls, one on piano and one on the cello.   

A nice gig if you can get it. 

The music was so good, that I almost sat down and ordered a cup of coffee. 

Almost. 

The cheapest room at this hotel will cost you about 400 US Dollars per night.   

Food and drink are extra.   

Any takers?

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2007 May 11 Friday.

Where do you think this photo was taken? 

I'll give you one guess.   

That's right!  You got it!   

This is a photo of the lobby of the Windsor Hotel Toya.   

The word luxurious comes to mind. 

A cup of coffee and a small slice of cake will set you back almost 2,000 yen.   

Lunch anyone? 

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2007 May 10 Thursday.

Today's photo was taken on May 4 along the shores of Lake ShiKotsu 支笏湖. 

I didn't have a chance to talk to the guy who is driving this monster trike, but my guess is that the engine size is about 1500 cc or so.   

It even has an automatic transmission with a gear shift lever that you can find in almost any automobile.   

Awesome.   

I myself would be a bit afraid to drive or even ride along on something like this. 

Talk about a crotch rocket, this one takes the cake.

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2007 May 9 Wednesday.

More photos from my GW driving adventure. 

Today's photo was also taken on May 3 from Route 452.   

In this photo you can see the 1668 meter peak of Yubari Dake 夕張岳. 

It gets cold fast when the sun goes down. 

Dress appropriately.

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2007 May 8 Tuesday.

More photos from my three day GW driving excursion while staying over night in my HOTEL NOAH.   

Thank you TOYOTA for making such a useful family automobile.   

I, for one, am a happy customer.   

The photo for today, was taken on May 3 at 旭川芦別線駐車公園　along Route 4.   

I really like the colors in the photo. 

How about you? 

I can't adequately describe the warmth of the sunshine and the aromatic country air, but you get the idea.

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2007 May 7 Monday.

I'm back to my regular teaching schedule this week, but I don't have much time to write this blog.   

Therefore, I will show you another photo that I took during my 3 day Golden Week Drive. 

In my blog of May 3, I posted a photograph of Lake KatsuraZawa.   

This is the sign at the entrance to the bridge that crosses over the lake.   

Can you see anything on the sign that you can't read?   

I can't.   

It's in Japanese (Chinese), English and Korean.   

In recent years, tourists from all over the world, but especially Taiwan, Hong Kong, other parts of China, and of course Korea, have been coming to Hokkaido in ever increasing numbers.   

I hear Chinese and Korean being spoken from time to time in Asahikawa, whenever I encounter tour groups along my way.   

I listen very carefully to see if I can understand anything that they are saying.   

Most of the time I can't.   

Sometimes, I get lucky and recognize a word or phrase.   

I'll keep studying both languages, but right now I'm into writing Korean. 

It's a cool ass alphabet.   

I really like it.

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2007 May 6 Sunday.

No driving today. 

I think I will go for a walk instead.   

Also, I won't do much writing today, I think I will spend more time reading. 

However, I would like to share a photograph with you that I took during the first day of my 3 day GW driving expedition. 

It was taken along route 452 between Ashibetsu 芦別 and Yubari 夕張 at a place called Miyama Bridge 深山橋.   

It appears to be what remains of an old railroad bridge that went across the Ashibetsu River.   

You can see scenes like this in many places all around Hokkaido, especially in inland areas of the island.   

I like to look at these type of old relics because it makes me think about how life was in Hokkaido many many years ago. 

One thing is for sure, the nicely paved asphalt road I'm driving along today, wasn't here at that time.

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2007 May 5 Saturday.

Good Morning Otaru!   

I woke up at about 5:00 with the light of the sunrise. 

After heating up some bottled coffee on a small gas stove, I made use of the restroom facilities at the MaxValue, and walked on over to the Otaru Morning Fish Market 朝市 to have some breakfast. 

After looking at the menu for a few seconds, I decided on the 鮭親子丼. 

It came with pickles 漬物 Miso Soup 味噌汁 and some hot tea all for the price of only 1,050 yen.   

Much cheaper than a cup of coffee and a small slice of cake, at the Windsor Hotel Toya.   

After breakfast, I drove around the waterfront along the piers.   Many people were already parked there fishing for whatever they could catch. 

This is a very common almost daily sight in the many seaside cities and towns around Hokkaido.   

A good way to enjoy nature and get some free food as well.   

After looking at the Japan Coast Guard ships and a large ferry boat which were docked in the area, I got back on the road taking Highway 393 towards AkaIGawa 赤井川.   

Along the way, I stopped by at KiRoRo Ski Resort キロロ and was not too surprised to see many many people pulling into the parking lots, and getting ready to go skiing or snowboarding.   

This is almost the end of the skiing season in Hokkaido, unless you want to travel all the way up to AsahiDake 旭岳 or KuroDake 黒岳 or some other much higher mountain.   

It was a nice day for skiing, at least early in the morning it was. 

As I continued my drive thru AkaIGawa and up to YoIchi 余市, it was getting windy and slightly rainy. 

I stopped in YoIchi to get some gasoline and take a look at the Mohri Space Shuttle Museum. 

After that, it was back on the road headed towards Otaru and then up the coast towards IshiKari 石狩.   

Along the stretch of Highway 231 between IshiKari and HamaMasu 浜益 at a place called YasoSuke 安瀬 I spotted a group of surfers out on the waves trying to get some rides on the 2 and 3 meter waves.   

I stopped for a while to watch and take some pictures.  You can see one of them above/left. 

I have many found memories of doing this same thing myself about 30 years ago on the island of Iwo Jima 硫黄島. 

Surfing was always my favorite sport.   

Now, it's walking.   

As I continued my drive along Route 231, the wind got stronger and the sky got blacker with light rain coming down, here and there.   

After I passed MashiKe 増毛 I turned right onto Route 94, and drove slowly along the country road through MoSeUshi 妹背牛 and FukaGawa City　深川市.   

When I got to KamuI Kotan 神居コタン, I turned left onto Highway 12, and drove the rest of the way back to Asahikawa and my Base Of Operations.   

Total driving distance today, 332 kilometers.  Time to sit back, put my feet up and have a tall cold boy.   

Talk to ya'all later.  I'm off line for now.

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2007 May 4 Friday.

Good morning Chitose!  Not a bad day. 

A bit sunny and a bit cloudy. 

Warm enough to leave the fleece jacket in the van and take a walk over to the nearby toilet.   

There is even toilet paper in it!   

Maybe this will be my lucky day. 

I got back on the road at about 7:00 and used the next 90 minutes or so to drive in circles around the entire city of Chitose,  just to get a better feel for the place.   

Along the way I found a MacDonalds with a drive thru window and suddenly I had a for craving for about 3 Egg MacMuffins. 

So, I pulled in and made the buy.

Knowing what a gut bomb can do to your toilet training, I drove back over to the Michi No Eki where I had just spent the night, and devoured once again, the flavor of my former life, many years ago. 

Then, I lived in the USA.   

A completely different world than Japan. 

I know, I have lived in both places for many years.   

I would have rather had 3 rice balls for breakfast with a cup of hot green tea. 

Today, I was going for the All American Junk Food. 

Just follow the yellow brick road until you see the Golden Arches.   

That is where the palace of obesity resides.   

I fit right in.    

Anyway, after downing Three MacMuffins and using the toilet facilities one more time, I was back on the road again.   

First destination today is 支笏湖 Lake ShiKotsu, one of the 3 largest natural lakes in Hokkaido.      

This year, I did not drive around the entire circumference of the lake as I did last year, but merely stopped at a few select points along the shore, here and there.   

One of the places I stopped was at the いとう温泉.   

This place is rather old but very good, because the outdoor hot tub 露天風呂 is right on the water line of the lake, separated only by a low wall of big rocks.   

I didn't use the tub today, but about 12 years ago, I stayed overnight here during the summer, and it was awesome to be able to climb out of the hot tub and into the lake and then out of the lake and into the hot tub again, time after time.   

It was a truly cosmic experience.   

I wanna do it again some day, but today, the lake was still much too cold for that kind of fun. 

After looking around Lake ShiKotsu for about 90 minutes, I got onto route 453 heading for Lake Toya 洞爺湖.   

As I mentioned in this blog of 2007 April 26, the G8 Summit of 2008, will be held at the Windsor Hotel Toya.   

I made a special side trip today, just so I could go and take a look at the place. 

You can see one photo that I took of the outside of the hotel above/left.   

The main road that connects highway 230 to the top of the mountain where the Windsor Hotel is located, is 5 kilometers in length.   

I could see from my drive up the hill, that the roadside illumination lamps need to be renewed a bit, in order to satisfy security personnel who will be charged with protecting the VIPs when they come for their visit next summer.   

When I got to the top of the hill, I was rather surprised to find that all of the parking lots were full. 

Obviously, I am not the only person who is curious about what this hotel looks like on the inside. 

I was able to find a parking place and walked the rest of the distance to the main entrance of the hotel.   

I was able to look around the lobby and a few adjoining public spaces, and I took some photos of those areas.   

I looked at the menu of the coffee shop in the lobby and was not too surprised to see that a cup of coffee and a small slice of cake, will set you back about 2,000 yen.   

I wonder how much lunch costs?   

I didn't even bother to check the room prices, knowing that it would only make me feel "poor" in comparison with those privileged people who can easily afford it.   

The Super Rich really are different than the rest of us, and in more ways than just the money aspect of things that be. 

But that's a whole 'nother story, which I don't have time to go into here and now.   

One thing that I will say is that some of the people I saw who were actually staying at the hotel and not just looking around, are obviously very intelligent and have their own business or businesses. 

Others look like they are living off of their family's inheritance and dress up in gaudy clothing and use way too much make up.   

These are the spoiled brats of the "Old Money Families".   

People who never had to use their brains for anything else than a place to enjoy their daily cocktails.   

You can see the difference in the eyes of the two distinct types of the Super Rich.   

After looking around for about 45 minutes, I got back on the road heading towards JoZanKei 定山渓.   

I was hoping to take Route 1 from JoZanKei to AsaRi 朝里 and finally Otaru 小樽, but at JoZanKei I saw a notice that Route 1 was closed because of a landslide 地すべり.   

Bummer, I have no other choice but to continue along Route 230 until it connects with Route 5 near Sapporo, and takes me the rest of the way into Otaru.   

Not my favorite route because it is very crowded, but today I had no other choice in the matter.   

I finally arrived in Otaru at about 18:30 and drove straight to the MaxValue Supermarket which is right next door to the Morning Fish Market おたる朝市.   

Otaru doesn't yet have a Michi No Eki 道の駅はまだありませんので、So this parking lot at this 24/7 always open supermarket, is by far the best place to camp out if you are sleeping in your car.   

Although most travelers do not seem to know about this location, a few of us do, and we use it to our comfort and advantage.   

The store owners don't seem to care, and the police never give us any trouble.   

After all, I just need to get some sleep and use the toilet from time to time during my stay. 

Of course, I will buy some food and drink at the supermarket as well, so I am not a total free loader ただ乗りでは在りません。   

Thank you to MaxValue and the nice people of Otaru for making this overnight stay a viable possibility. 

No assholes anywhere near this part of the world.   

After I parked and locked my van, I walked over to the Canal Plaza area of Otaru and arrived at my first objective. 

Otaru Micro Brew おたるビール倉庫 No. 1.   

I visit here every year at least once or twice. 

Why?   Well for starters, the locally made beer is fresh and absolutely delicious. 

Also, the food menu is original and very tasty. 

And to top it all off, the service provided by the staff and the local musicians who perform live on stage is also top notch.   

This is a business that knows how to please its customers.   

I am a regular, because I so much enjoy the experience each and every time.   

This evening was no different. 

A local band called PALOSIKS performed 3 different times during the evening, and I was able to catch two of them.   

This year they had a new drummer, and a bunch of new songs which are not yet out on CD. 

To see a photo slide show of this unusual music group  and listen to two of their original songs, please click here.   

After two shows, two liters of beer and a Bavarian Style roast pork and potatoes dinner, I was back on the street walking to my van.   

I got inside and went to sleep. 

Tomorrow it will be back on the road again.   

Total driving distance today, 370 kilometers.   

That's about enough driving for any one day.

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2006 October 7 Saturday.

It seems that the wind and rain are coming this way.  I can see it in the sky, and also read about it in the Hokkaido Newspaper.  I don't think I will be doing much traveling around today. 

However, the wife and I went to her mother and auntie's house for a while after first visiting a very famous confectionary maker that is located in the KaguraOka district of this city.  It is a place called The Sun Kurodo and is very popular both among the local people, and tourists from overseas as well. 

You can see that the welcome sign in the photograph on the left is written in four different languages.  It appears to be five languages, but there are two different forms of Chinese written on the sign.   I am proud to say, that I can read all of the greetings.

This store is housed in a very large stone building that has a rather long history.   When I first came to Asahikawa about 16 years ago, it was a beer restaurant called Classic Hills. 

After they went out of business under rather strange circumstances, it sat empty for a while before becoming what it is today.  The snowman in the picture is, unfortunately, no relation to me or my school.

Maybe we should team up and start something new.  This snowman has met a lot of people from all over the world.  He has connections.

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