Hirafu Festival 2024!

by Kazu

Just after the rainfall,  the ground covered with lawn was wet and some pars of the venue were covered with blue plastic sheets to prevent the surface of the ground from being covered with mud pools.   

The clouds changed their shapes and position so rapidly as well as their colors and reflection. The spectacular great show of the nature played a significant role just before the magic hour followed by the .sunset     

The venue of the festival was in front of the hotel AYA Niseko and Intuition Sports Club. The high season of the area is white winter but Kutchan /Niseko Tourism Organization is struggling to attract tourists in green season as well.

 

Hotel Setsu Niseko in August, 2024!

by Kazu

Mt. Yotei was wearing white vale on that day and it was raining when we arrived in our favorite hotel Setsu Niseko. Some staff were guiding the cars to the parking lot near the venue of Hirafu Festival 2024.

Compared to the previous festival held beside the slope Hirafu-zaka two years ago, the scale of the festival and the number of the staff grew up with many expatriates from overseas.  

The food stands increased and the variety of cuisine was enhanced. Even Sushi Katou set up their own booth in the venue. With a sounds created by the band rallying the area in the week, the enthusiasm was getting hotter with many visitors and citizens.

 

Triumph !

by Kazu

A professional football game of J-League was held in Sapporo Dome that had been a home stadium for the professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters that moved to Escon Field Ball Park in Kita Hiroshima City.

Consadole Sapporo vs Sagan Tosu from Kyushu Island was  held on that day. Usually the proceeding of the game is like this horse cart on the road but Consadole Sapporo got three points in the first half of the game.

But Sagan Tosu also get three points after that. We had to observe the game till the end. Fortunately, Consadole Sapporo won the game on that day.

 

Welcome Home !

by Kazu

It has been a decade since I stood on this lookout of the cemetery in my hometown Kitami City. During my routine jogging around my home in Kitami City in the morning, I dropped by the grave yard on the hillside and walked up to the peak of the grave yard.  

Sea of Okhotsk can not be seen from the lookout but the east end of my hometown can be seen. As my hometown is in the hollow, it is very hot in summer and so cold in winter.

Until my high school age, I grew up in this hollow and enjoyed amply the taste of youth. The tombstone of my family is on the opposite side of this hollow but it takes ten minutes from my home by car.

 

Sea of Okhotsk !

by Kazu

It was cloudy on that day and the gray sky may give you dark image of Sea of Okhotsk but the ocean turned dark blue or green on fine day. It is prohibited to swim around this area but I tried in my university age when I visited there with my paternal grand mother.  

The wild flower park is listed as the quasi national park. The sand on the beach makes sound when you walk. The sand was not hot on that day but it turns so hot on sunny day. 

I had loved to visit this beach when I was young. I've never visited there recent several years. The facilities around the coast was well-developed including the Roadside Station next to the railway station. It is still popular place to visit for the tourists from other regions of Japan and on this globe.  

 

Koshimizu Genseikaen !

by Kazu

The stone plate shows the shape of Shiretoko Peninsula and the peaks of Shiretoko Mountain Ridge. The peninsula is the Kingdom of wild lives including brown bears and deer.

On the opposite side of the station and Okhotsk Ocean, there is Lake Toufutsu where cows and horses are eating grass. The green field is marsh peculiar to the northern regions.  

A variety of flowers such as Siberian lilies, yellow day lilies, rugosa roses, chpcolate lilies bloom at the beginning of summer and allure many tourists and citizens of the town and the adjacent.

 

Koshimizu Genseikaen Station !

by Kazu

No station director was manned in Koshimizu Genseikaen railway station but the railway is still in service and many train manias visit the station as well as the one at Kitahama. It had been one of the most popular place for tourists to visit, particularly in the season of blooming flowers. 

"Genseikaen" means wild flower park in Japanese. So many rugosa roses bloom in June and July. The coastline facing Okhotsk Ocean leads to the World Natural Heritage of UNESCO "Shiretoko Peninsula".

It was cloudy on that day and the gray low clouds hid Shiretoko Mountain Ridge. It seemed a food stand may be in service at the station until years ago but nobody was in the booth in the station.