Jin Travels Japan: eastern hokkaido

Abashiri Prison Museum.

As much as I am saddened that writing this post reminds me that this journey is ending a little too soon, the people I've spent time with during this tour are all sweet and I didn't wish for the journey to end, but hey, no endings, no new journeys they said!

After our international style buffet in Shiretoko Daiichi Hotel, it's time to hop onto a road trip to Abashiri!

Our first stop of the day is Abashiri Prison Museum. If you are a big fan of the manga titled Golden Kamuy, or just someone who likes to take photos, this place is a great place to spend hours in!

The Abashiri Prison Museum is a historical museum, and it was a real prison in the past (the current one got relocated). This building was built by the inmates.

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Entering Abashiri Prison Museum

Upon entry, we have a short free guided tour. During the guided tour, we have learnt that many lives were lost during WWII as prisoners were used to expand Hokkaido's development.

The prison, despite built long ago, is well-designed. It is very amazing to know that it was built with high durability, convenience and aesthetics. Now it has become a cultural property of Hokkaido.

History of Obihiro

While learning about the history of Hokkaido's development, there were a lot of aesthetics of the building. I am in awe and would never imagine this building was built by the prisoners in the past.

The main museum that holds the historical data and selling products made by inmates

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Beautiful garden of Abashiri Prison Museum

To build this museum, trees were cut and planks were made without any machinery! The beams were thick and rough, and you can feel the texture in the buildings.

Prison Guard Rooms

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Ancient Water Pumps

They have some insta-worthy photo spots that if you love taking photos and architecture, you can spend half a day here! For the full facilities list, consider visiting their official site here.

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Inmates' rooms

We walked towards the inmates rooms and man, I can't imagine them bearing the colds of the winter in Eastern Hokkaido! I mean, look at this!

Inside the rooms

They were only sleeping on straw and a log pillow!

The guard is pitiful too...

It was harsh for the guards and inmates. The guard has to stay awake and on full alert so the prisoners will not escape.

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Wooden Stick to wake inmates up with just a hit on the log

Notice the wooden stick attached to the pillow log? It is a tool used by prison guards to wake all inmates at once. This is because in the past, each and one of them didn't have their own pillow. They all slept on the same log so the knocking sound will travel until the end of the log. Fast and convenient to the guards, I'd say!

We were later brought to see the modern version of the cells.

Each room has a sleeping space, TV, and toilet bowl.

There are room for one or room for about 8 prisoners. Each room has TV that are limited to only certain channels so prisoners don't get too outdated from the outside world now. Man, even my own room doesn't have a TV.

Some people in Japan became criminals on purpose so they would get jailed, and get accommodation with food.

After that, we were brought to see a projected video explanation. On top of glass.

This place carries so much of emotions.

When we were shown the projection, we understood that the development of Hokkaido is very much owing to the prisoners of Abashiri in the past. Many lives of prisoners and prison guards were sacrificed.

This particular line hit me too hard in the feels.

"Hey, hey!! Don't give up! We are going back to Abashiri together, aren't we? Don't die on me!"

We also experienced how heavy the metal chain + ball is when they are tied onto your leg. Can't imagine anyone hungry + tired running away from the guards with them on.

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Farm area

After that, we went out of the building and the guide told us that prisoners that are almost finishing their sentence will be asked to manage farms so they have a skill that they can use when they are released from jail.

Exterior of jail rooms

We were then also brought to more jail rooms and this is one of the photo spots in this attraction!

Here, the design is smart. Minimal number of guards will be required thanks to this design!

There is a central spot that has windows that can see through different rows of jails at a glance, like this:

Central spot for prison guard

Weapon exhibit

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One of the prison rooms

We were also brought into one of the rooms and locked inside. There's a toilet that the inmates complete their 'business' there, and only on certain time of a day they can throw their excretes out. I wouldn't want to be in a jail that reeks in the smells!

And later we were brought to see different kind of cells and was introduced to this story of prison escape.

Notice the ceiling

So, there was this man attempting to escape with careful plotting and using extreme measures. To know the story, please by all means visit Abashiri Prison Museum. You'll be impressed (or maybe feeling chills/ disgust) by this person's breakout attempt!

Though the guided tour was short, you can explore around and take photos. The manga Golden Kamuy is based off this very building itself so by all means visit Abashiri ^^

Also, Abashiri has tourist spots that aren't far apart from each other so driving is very suitable 😊

We then proceeded to visiting the famous drift ice museum - Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum.

Ryuhyo means 'drift ice'. This one in Abashiri is one of the places you can learn about drift ice.

You can enjoy the video of the drift ice in winter and experience -15°C in the room that is staged as if you are next to the glacier!

Besides, there are many sea creatures that you can see here.

Also, you get to see sea angels! They are truly tiny, and adorable creatures.

It is also saddening to learn that the drift ice is getting lesser over the years due to global warming, that they will be highly likely to disappear in less than 50 years. :(

Let's appreciate what we have and start protecting earth!

Oh, on top of this building, you can also enjoy delicious lunch at Café Restaurant 360! It also has a beautiful view at the rooftop observatory.

My eyes can't take in more sunlight

The observatory is all round and you can even see Shiretoko from afar!

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Observatory view

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More observatory view

We also had our lunch in the 360 degrees cafe!

Our lunch set

In this cafe lunch set, there were whale meat, beef, tempura, pumpkin, scallops, fish, etc. The ingredients are fresh but I am not used to the whale meat at all. The texture is a little difficult to describe, but it was savory, and slightly mushy. The flavors are suitable with rice.

Before leaving the building, we also bought sea salt soft serve!

Sea Salt Soft Cream!

The sea salt is naturally blue! Surprising, isn't it?

Flavor-wise, it is salty, but not overly salty (unless you request for more salt, that's another story!). It's a good combination and a change of taste compared to other flavors.

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Limited edition sea salt soft cream!

Here, they also sell this cute, heart-shaped biscuit ice cream. They remind you of the sea angels, don't they?

The biscuit matches well with the ice-cream. A little buttery, and the ice-cream is a creamy and salty. They are only sold in limited amounts each day so why not trying them?

After bidding goodbyes, we are off to our next destination!

Abashiri Omagari Garden

After the visit to Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum, we're here to Omagari Garden!

Here, sunflowers bloom twice a year, and cosmos blooms somewhere in between them!

You won't believe that the entrance of this place is FOC and it is fully managed by prisoners (meanwhile what are Malaysia's prisoners doing).

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Sunflowers

Though you are looking at a bald garden now, when it is around August it'd be beautiful! We came here after Hagibis that caused temperature drops, hence the flowers weren't at their best.

Even so, we're all a little too excited to see flower fields despite most of the blooms died out 😂

Another shot

We were told that we have a heart pure enough to see flowers in a bald garden! (While one of us joked about seeing Abashiri Prison instead of flowers lol)

I've also realized that apparently there are 2.6 million flowers in this field itself.

While it is free of charge, by all means shoot your way for instagram!

After that, we've proceeded our journey to Cape Notoro.

Cape Notoro

Here in Cape Notoro is famous after a J-pop group named Arashi filming their commercial here.

Then, this place became a Chinese movie shooting scene!

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Welcoming signboard mentioning the movie title in Mandarin Chinese

Here, it is also famous for people to shoot trick art photos!

Hi it's the three of us :D

We aren't that creative over here but here's the commercial with JAL that Arashi have shot to show you how beautiful it is over here!

Also, starting from December, you can see drift ice from here! A winter-only scenario that you can't see elsewhere other than Eastern Hokkaido!

Upon leaving Cape Notoro, it's time to move to our hotel.

We stayed in Hotel Abashirikoso, it is a nice space with meeting rooms and banquet rooms!

Wide hotel room.

My room was the most expensive one (lol) but it was pretty much worth it!

Futon for me!

There are multiple futons in the room but I had this room all to myself. The futon has been laid out just for me and I feel blessed.

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View from my room

We checked in before the sun sets and it was great to see such a view!

In the evening, we spent our time going out for local bars, listening to musical performances, and of course, hot springs. It was a great night.

There are a lot of spots that are great for instagram shots in Abashiri. If you want something that is uncommon, why not coming here?

After a good night's rest, it's time to say goodbye to Japan soon...

I'll update about my last day in Hokkaido soon! :)

Until next time~

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Lake Mashu with Clear Lake

Rise and shine, it is yet another day in Eastern Hokkaido!

If you're awake at 5AM and it is a little too early for breakfast, why not considering a morning onsen session?

Image courtesy to New Akan Hotel

In the evening, you can completely relax in their open air spa with some illuminations and cooling winds, but in the morning, the scenery from the indoor bath is also wonderful!

Every single view screamed 'BEAUTIFUL!'

Of course, you can't take photos inside an onsen but please feel free to feast your eyes on the beautiful views in the morning.

At 6.40AM, I had my breakfast in the hotel and proceeded with check out.

Lake view from my room

After checking out from New Akan Hotel, we are continuing on our road trip to Shiretoko, a UNESCO world heritage site famed for its pristine, protected nature!

Our first destination of the day is Lake Mashu.

"It's just a lake, what's there to see?"

This is a very common question that I always receive, even from my parents.

A Japanese friend told me that in Japan, the clearest lake is Lake Mashu, followed by Lake Kuttara and Lake Shikotsu. I have been wanting to see why people are so hooked about a place, so of course I was really excited to see it!

At about 9 in the morning, we've arrived Lake Mashu and holy moly, the view was AMAZING!

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Me, and Mashu-ko

I was told that Lake Mashu is always foggy but today is a clear day.

As a tourist, seeing such clear lake waters it is a very rare view, but legend says that when you see a clear view, it means that you'll be remaining single for quite some time.

And this place is very close to nature, so you sometimes you get squirrels in your view too!

If you walk further, you can also shop for Hokkaido snacks tax free here 😊

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Another angle of Lake Mashu from observatory

After being amazed at Lake Mashu's beautiful views while also slightly saddened that I will remain single (jk), our road trip continues to Mt. Io.

Mt. Io is a sulfuric mountain. Lots of steam coming out from the ground.

Mt. Io. I covered my face because my face looked horrid in the photo and I forgot to take another photo.

If you noticed the yellow thingy, yes, those are the sulfur. They smell like egg yolks to me.

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This entire place smells like egg yolk

Besides being famous for the sulfur smell (?) from the volcanic vent, this place is famed for their eggs!

Iozan (or Mt. Io/ Mt. Iou) is actually an active volcano!

You can also consider to walk in their walking trails (longest one is just about half an hour's walk, probably within 3km) that you can go to Kawayu Onsen.

There is a shop near the parking lot that you can buy onsen tamago (onsen eggs) and they taste good.

The eggs are cooked by their heat!

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Autumn view from Mt. Io

We went there during Autumn. The views were amazing even from the parking lot itself.

Mt. Io's autumn leaves near the parking lot

After our visit, it's almost lunch time.

We stopped by Michi no Eki Shiretoko for lunch.

The lunch was simple, but it tastes good.

My lunch

Here, they serve deer meat too. It might sound like a turn-off, but this is the local culture.

In Japan, they have the saying of 'itadakimasu', which directly translates to 'I humbly receive'.

Before meals, we say 'itadakimasu', where this word contains the feelings of gratitude to the animals for their lives, the farmers/ fishermen that harvested/ caught the meal, the chef that prepared the meal, the waitress/waiter that served us the meal... basically to everyone that have contributed their power for this meal to be brought to us.

After the meal, we say 'gochisousamadeshita', which is generally translated to 'thanks for the meal'.

This is actually also a line to appreciate all of the efforts of the people that brought this meal to us.

The Japanese showed their respects to the lives of animals that they consume. Despite the meat not being something that we commonly eat, we respected the local culture and appreciated the food served to us.

Later of the day, at about 1PM, we arrived Shiretoko!

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Shiretoko

We intended to cycle in Shiretoko today, they have a Shiretoko Pass downhill activity that is suitable for those who can cycle (even cycling beginners). They will bring you up to the Shiretoko hills and you can start cycling!

Bicycle rental shop

However, the weather got so cold and windy that on Shiretoko Pass, it was a whopping 0.8 degree Celsius!!

As such, we were unable to continue our cycling tour. So, we went downhill via the tour operator's van... And the funny thing happened - the seat broke at one corner that we had to reverse our seats and get out from the van via the boot. It's almost like we were prisoners, lol!

Prisoner's view of an Ezo Fox

Before we end our journey on the road on the mountains of Shiretoko, we stopped at a stopping point and man, the view is AMAZING.

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Amazing view from Shiretoko!!

However, as the weather was too cold, many of our devices died out.

It was windy. I regret not wearing thicker. Literally jumping around when I got off the van and started wearing masks.

After that, we continued our journey to Shiretoko Goko (Shiretoko Five Lakes).

Shiretoko's First Lake

In Shiretoko Goko, there are five lakes and a few walking trails. However, we were only able to walk around the first trail as the other trails were closed due to bear sighting.

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Another shot of Shiretoko First Lake

After hopping around in cold and getting amazed at the nature views of Shiretoko, it's time for us to go to the insta-worthy Road to Heaven!!

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Continuing towards Road to Heaven

And so, we arrived!!

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Road to Heaven. Imagine all the insta-worthy shots that can be made here!!

This road goes on for about 28~30-ish kilometres and is good for Instagram shots, they say.

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My solo photo looked horrid. I'm sorry.

Also apparently if you're tall your head blocks the end of the road lol how does one take good photos 😂😂😂

Another lower angle shot of the Road to Heaven

Imagine the leaves turning fully red here, or when the trees are covered in snow, becoming like Monet's monotone art during winter, or just being healed with the fresh greens during summer 🥰

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If you're tall legit need to look for new ways to take photos lol

And after that, we proceeded to checking in our hotel in Shiretoko Daiichi Hotel!

We chose there for their greatest dinner buffet.

Our room was really wide that we can have a meeting here lol

It's a mix room - Japanese + Western Style

Our dinner buffet (and that's definitely not all)

The reason we chose Shiretoko Daiichi Hotel is that, they have the best dinner buffet of over 100 types of food selection, and it has a yatai style of space!

There are Japanese, Western, Chinese food. I personally am impressed that they made blue curry and called them "Drift Ice Curry". As a Malaysian that is particular with curry this is actually pretty tasty (and refreshing) despite the color.

Also, we enjoyed the onsen very much and had a great time as a group! ^^

After our buffet, we shopped a little in the souvenir stores. This is my greatest find so far.

Candy to make one wanting to marry

It's pretty funny, I'd say!

Anyways that's basically the full day for me.

I'll update more again in the next post!

Until next time ^^

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