Niseko Hanazono still Developing !

by Kazu

Near the beautiful villa on the hillside, some new buildings were under construction against the backdrop of beautiful skyline and green field. Some are the new accommodation for the tourists and some for private use.

The green hill was surrounded with wire fences and something artificial design could be seen on the top. No cows and sheep could be seen there. I was wondering if brown bears were strolling around this area or not. I've never heard of brown bear attack around Kutchan/Niseko Area so far.

So many brown bears were seen in the southern part of Oshima Peninsula and an old lady was eaten in Shiriuchi Town during her work in the veggie field. Kutchan/Niseko Area may have something special to avoid bear attack.

 

Niseko Hanazono 2026 !

by Kazu

Jogging in Hanazono Area early in the morning was so refreshing and inspiring as usual. Mt. Yotei was not wearing white drape nor hat then. The constructing site did not show me any progress of their plan. Current upsurge of the cost of fuel and paints may keep them from moving fast.

The well-designed villa near Hotel Park Hyatt was still attracting the attentions of the passers by on the road to Iwanai Town. Some luxurious hotels are behind this mountain. I hope I can take my wife and stay there in the not-so-distant future.

The peak of Mt. Iwaonupri coild be seen near the villa. From the peak of the mountain, the Sea of Japan and Mt. Yotei can be seen as well as the bottom of the hollow at the foot of Mt. Yotei. Some sulfur rocks could be seen on the hillside of the mountain. 

 

Udon Noodle Bar in Hirafu Area, Kutchan !

by Kazu

Needless to say, the resource of the power that makes the huge backhoe is diesel fuel and these working machines in the open-pit coalmine don't go out of the coalmine site. So the diesel fuel for the huge machines is the subject of tax exemption. 

After the day of my business jaunt to the coalmine area in Hokkaido, I visited Kutchan /Niseko Area for pleasure and rest. Mt. Yotei was showing its beautiful curve line of the hillside.

We chose thick wheat noodle soup Udon restaurant for lunch on that day.Fried chicken tempra topped the cold noodle for me and fried soy beans curd for my wife. 

My wife found the restaurant and we waited for half an hour for our turn. It was worthwhile to be honest.  

 

Super Power of the Backhoe !

by Kazu

We stood on almost the top of the mountain of open-pit coalmine. The skylines of the surrounding mountains looked so clearly and nicely. It was like a wonderful oil painting or watercolor.  

The white and gray clouds worked wonder against the backdrop of shining blue sky. The open-pit coalmine was a little bit dusty but the winds blew away the particles from the ground. 

The bigger size backhoe was so attractive that some of us entered the bucket of the backhoe and took memorial photos to show the size of the bucket. The first investment must have been huge and hundreds of millions of Japanese Yen was required to dig the ground. Stable and tremendous size of capital was needed. 

 

When the coalmine is closed !

by Kazu

The huge working machines went back and forth carrying the soil and rocks beside us watching the layers of the open-pit coalmine. The mayor of the city said that they were planning to save the open-pit layers to show them to the visitors and tourists as a open-air museum. 

You might have seen much bigger trucks outside of Japan but I was really overwhelmed by the scale of the open-pit coalmine and the working machines on that day.The design of the machines were also cool.  

Near the top of the mountain, we could see the layers of coal where the underground coal-gasification  experiment was conducted before. A the next step of the experiment, the gasification should be conducted a hundred meter below the ground.  

 

Coalmine in Mikasa City !

by Kazu

I think it was the first time for me to enter the open-pit coalmine in Hokkaido. It is located in the midst of a mountain of Mikasa City. I could see the layer of the coal and other era. The other side of the mountain was still covered with trees and this side of open-pit should be filled up with soil and planted with the appropriate seedling of trees. 

Some huge dump trucks and backhoes were working to carry the soil and rocks to fill up the open-pit of the coalmine. I'd never seen such huge working automobiles before. 

I've heard of and seen much bigger trucks and mining machine like dinosaurs in Bulgaria and Australia on the web but I was so surprised to hear that one tire of the huge truck was ten million Japanese Yen and the truck itself was worth one hundred million Japanese Yen.. 

 

Ponbetsu Coalmine Community !

by Kazu

I'd never recognized and tried this buckwheat noodle eatery "Sarashina Shokudo" before. A young couple seemed to be running the eatery. It used refined buckwheat noodle and a variety of dishes welcomed us, to be surprised. 

Hot buckwheat noodle soup topped with venison caught our eyes at first. Grilled bamboo shoot rice bowl seemed to be one of the  side orders of the restaurant. I didn't think the people of the community could be a base of the eatery's income. Many visitors can make their business successful.   

I chose the sarashina buckwheat noodle with hot soup of boiled pork, leek and mushroom. The taste was much better than I had expected and furthermore, it might be one of the best buckwheat noodle soup I'd ever had. It may be a hidden spot of happiness and satisfaction in Hokkaido.