Mine! Close enough, except the little car photobombed my photo

This post has been edited by limchee: Apr 13 2018, 06:10 PM


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https://japanbusonline.com/ ?

the name is different because of its services. Depending whether it is Limited Express or Express, the train will skip some of the stations along the way. Limited express skips most of the station, which mean you will reach your destination faster.

u can prebook the seats and ticket once you have the pass. just go to any midori-no-guchi (green window) to make your reservation.

JR pass already inclusive of seat reservation price. you dont have to pay extra for that.

This post has been edited by limchee: Apr 27 2018, 11:26 AM

WOW! Your itinerary seems a bit rush

October is not shibazakura season, no point going to Takinoue and Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park, the correct season would be around mid May to early June. Better go for Abashiri Prison or Cape Notoro (famous of the red marshland) or Kitahama Station (station which is closest to the Sea of Okhotsk, remember to bring your name card and paste at the station XD)

Shiretoko to Kushiro is very far, I don't think you can cover Ainu Kotan and Lake Akan which requires a detour, the most you can cover is Kussharo and Mashu and one of the Kushiro Wetland Observatory, most likely it will be late evening when you reach Kushiro.

Traveling from Kushiro all the way to Otaru is crazy, why not stop half way and visit Obihiro?

Lastly, remember to take the most comprehensive car rental insurance you can. During our trip last year, we hit a wild deer (that suddenly jump out from nowhere) on our way from Lake Mashu to Kushiro. We had to call the police and car rental co. Our rental car was later certified by the police as unfit to drive. Fortunately the police negotiated with the rental company for us, telling that it's not our fault, IT'S THE DEER'S FAULT! (poor deer). The company later agreed to replace a new car for us immediately without any additional charges. Shit happens, so better make a back up plan.

FYI, we started off by flying domestically from Chitose to Memanbetsu Airport in Abashiri and started driving from there. The one way domestic fare is only around 6300 yen if you book early enough.

This is our route for the trip:
Abashiri > Shiretoko > Teshikaga > Kushiro > Obihiro > Sounkyo > Asahikawa > Biei > Furano > Sapporo > Otaru > Yoichi > Sapporo

As you can see we only focus on eastern Hokkaido which is the rural and scenic part. PM me if you would like a copy of my itinerary.

This post has been edited by limchee: Jun 20 2018, 03:55 PM

If you worry about the autumn leaves, u can do the trip in reverse order, ending at Abashiri and then fly back to Sapporo.

Regarding the speed limit, yes Google Map travel time actually reflects on that speed limit. No one will check on that in rural area, We drove mostly at 80-90 km/h on the highway.

Yes I did and focused on eastern Hokkaido only because I feel those area are more rural (less touristy) and scenic (I love to take photos) and are not as accessible as southern Hokkaido, which I can go anytime I want in the future. Try not to rush through the trip just because you want to cover more places, instead just take your time and chill...

Summary of my 12D/12N spring/summer trip last year, see how many spots you can recognise haha :

This post has been edited by limchee: Jun 22 2018, 11:36 AM


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The shop is named "Second Best" because the "Best" bun is made by his own sifu... real story

How about Flippers?

No shop hahaha.

the last time i went to a yakitori place, its called Toriyoshi鳥良 near shinjuku

the chicken wings is yums, the cold tofu even more yums!

u can check it out hehe

thinking to go Tohoku region for autumn foliage. read about the autumn peak is around second half of Oct but I could not make it, and therefore i am now deciding to go either first half of Oct or first half of Nov. Anyone can give some suggestion?

tsukiji market closed d by then

Not sure has anyone shared the autumn forecast for this year already or not.
Here it is:
https://jp.weathernews.com/news/24639/

Just came back yesterday from a 2.5 weeks solo trip to Tohoku. The autumn foliage was amazing. The places in Tohoku region were so peaceful and scenic.

Pics below taken at Tsutanuma, purposely wake up at 3.30am and drive in the dark to witness this amazing sunrise scenery, they call it the 蔦沼 朝燒 aka The Morning Burning of Tsutanuma.

The surface of the mountains is illuminated in a burning red color from the morning sun. This scenery can only be seen for a moment when the sunshine in the morning behind the mountains comes up and lights up the red leaves and trees. When the sun goes high, the color gradually changes to yellow or a pale red.

This post has been edited by limchee: Nov 7 2018, 04:21 PM


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I stayed in Sukayu Onsen (Sour Hot Spring) which is on my way from Towada Lake to Hirosaki, which houses the "Senjin Buro" a.k.a The Bath of 1000 Bathers, massive mixed indoor onsen. Accidentally tasted the hot spring water, it is really sour!

also went to Nyuto Onsen's Tsurunoyu for a day spa during my stay at Tazawa Lake, another mixed onsen but outdoor. It was raining that day, having the top half of the body exposed to cold weather and your bottom half in warm onsen, amazing experience indeed.

so all together i tried 2 mixed baths during this trip

This post has been edited by limchee: Nov 8 2018, 10:38 AM

JR East Pass (Tohoku Region) + Drive (for Towadako+Oirase leg and Tazawako Leg)

This post has been edited by limchee: Nov 8 2018, 11:56 AM

Video from my recent trip to Tohoku Enjoy!

i agree. i will never go back to AirAsia after taking ANA...

and if your luggage exceeded the 23kg per piece allowance, they do offer cardboard boxes for you to split the luggage. i saw that at Haneda airport. service is top notch.