To the peak of Mt. Iwaonupuri 2 !

by Kazu

To be honest, I was so reluctant to climb mountains because the peaks and the hillsides were for wild lives and the deities in each area.  We should pay attention and courtesy to every thing in the nature.

 But it is also true that every time we climbed the mountains, we found ourselves struck by such beautiful flowers and unbelievable scenery even if it was hard to take steps on the trail.

Seeing ourselves objectively during tough time  and enjoying the experiences may be  very important for us. I think that every time I climb mountains and jog around.

 The real peak of the mountain  appeared over the rocks and steam colored with gray. Yes, this is the crater of this volcano.

To the peak of Mt. Iwaonupuri !

by Kazu

The trunk of trees bent with the heavy snow in winter were on our way so it took a little bit longer time to step ahead than usual.

 The peak could be seen even from the hillside of the mountain, we thought but the real peak was different from what we saw from the trail.

We thought this gray area was the trace of ash flow from the crater of the volcano. In many cases, the trails to the peak of mountains tend to be swamped by the flash of flood after heavy rainfall.

 The vertical limit for plants is much higher than this altitude in this area but the view was so clear that the scenery of the higher land could be savored much more than the entrance of the trail.

Diving into the Ocean 2 !

by Kazu

This is one of the most favorite beach in Hokkaido. It easy to enter and exit from the ocean and the water is so clear before summer.

So many creatures under the sea level could be seen before the high season while so many people swamp to the beach. I love to dive into the sea in the late afternoon because the salt water is warmed up enough that drifting  and floating on the sea level made me released from the gravity and the various kinds of creatures in the ocean kept me under the water for a while on the day !  

My friend of this weekend !

by Kazu

"Hi !" said to me the Japanese mitten crab on the beach in Yoichi Town this afternoon. No, no it was struggling to attack my fingers that grabbed its body,with it scissors .  

 As I was a lonely man this weekend, I was looking for my partner to play in the ocean. I found a small jelly fish first but it was so dangerous to touch the creature that I started to search other kinds of creature under the water.

I found three Japanese mitten crabs in the ocean this afternoon. It one of them. After trying to attack my fingers, it seemed that the crab lost the power and gave up to attack.

I brought back the crab to the ocean and it ran away toe the offshore on the seabed. Before many people swamp to the beach, diving into the ocean is so fun and attracting.

From Goshiki Onsen to the peak of Mt. Iwao-nupuri !

by Kazu

We started trekking early in the morning. It would take about one hour to reach the peak so we would be able to come down to the annex building of Goshiki Onsen Hot Spring Spa and relax in the bath tub after conquering the peak.  

 The trekkers should jot down their name, address, phone number and the time to step into the trail.

The peak of Niseko Annupuri was covered with cloud but the scenery was so nice that my wife could get up early in the morning albeit she can not do that on weekdays.

 The sign of the trail was clear but some parts of the trail were still covered with snow and the trees beside the trail almost fell down with the heavy snow in winter.

Niseko Highland and Goshiki Onsen(hot spring spa) , Annex !

by Kazu

This is the tiny hot spring spa of the annex building, Goshiki Onsen on the Niseko Highland. I can say that the hot spring water was strong enough to heal and refresh our body promptly.

 I am not sure the aroma and the ingredients of this quality hot spring water is the same as that of main building or not but I could soak my body in the bath tub for longer time than in the main building.

So the temperature of the water in this tub might be a little bit lower than that of main building.
After the trekking on the highland, bathing in the hot spring spa let us forget every thing that annoys us on the lowland.

We got stuffed with the food we bought in the super market and hit the hay earlier than usual for trekking in the next morning.

Goshiki Onsen Annex !

by Kazu

This is the annex building of the hot spring spa "Goshiki Onsen" at the foot of Mt. Iwao-nupuri in Niseko Area. I had been wondering what this building had been for a long time but had not tried before the visit this time.

 The main building of the hot spring spa seemed to be refurbished and extended. As the hot spring water came out here and there in the area, another building should be set up to make the most of the resource.

In the annex building of this spa, we could use the kitchen and utensils as well as fridge because the building was mainly for trekkers.