Day 307: September 4, 2022
Sunday – Mashike to Ishikari Road Trip
It's another lovely morning in Rumoi City. It's time to get back on the road. Today's itinerary will take us south to Ishikari City. We left our Rumoi City home shortly after 6:30 a.m. The Cape Ofuyu Observatory in Mashike (増毛町), near its border with Ishikari City, was our first stop.
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| Driving south via Route 231 again today |
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| We passed through one of the many tunnels of Route 231 |
The view from Cape Ofuyu Observatory was spectacular, but there were numerous warning signs warning of the possibility of encountering a mamushi, or Japanese moccasin, as well as suzumebachi, or giant hornets. We were watchful because there were hornets along the walkway up to the observation deck.We proceeded from Cape Ofuyu Observatory to the nearby Shiroganeno Falls in Ishikari City (石狩市). The fact that it is so noticeable along Route 231 made it a sight to behold for drivers. During our visit, we were fortunate to be the only people there, so we seized the opportunity to take as many photos as we could.
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| Passed through another tunnel in Route 231 |
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| The beautiful glass window of Atsuta Park Observation Deck |
Our next stop is a bit farther. From Shiroganeno Falls, it took us about 45 minutes to drive to Ishikari Roadside Station. Since it was still closed when we arrived, my daughter and went up the hill of Atsuta Park to see the Atsuta Park Observation Deck. Before leaving, I made sure to get the roadside station stamp of Ishikari Roadside Station for my Hokkaido Stamp Rally.
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| Hamanasu no Oka Park Visitor Center |
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| We tried the Hamanasu soft cream |
We then drove to Ishikari Hachiman Shrine, where we paid our respects and prayed for a safe journey. We then drove to the nearby Hamanasu no Oka Park Visitor Center to see the Ishikari Lighthouse. We also had the pink Hamanasu soft cream before exploring Hamanasu no Oka Park.
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| 2nd Street Ishikari |
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| Shopping at 2nd Street Ishikari |
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| Look who bought the most things... |
After exploring the park, we headed to the city center of Ishikari which borders Sapporo. There, we went shopping for clothes in 2nd Street Ishikari. There were a lot of good selections of winter clothing here hence we spent some time there before heading out for late lunch.
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| AEON Ishikari Ryokuendai |
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| Late lunch at Mr. Curry |
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| The curry of Mr. Curry was good. |
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| We bought some donuts to bring home |
Looking for a place to eat lunch was a challenge as some restaurants close after lunchtime. We eventually settled for Mr. Curry in AEON Ishikari Ryokuendai. It was a gem. I wasn’t expecting their curry to be that delicious. I thought it was just one of those fast food chains that you go to say you had lunch, but in this case, I enjoyed it.
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| Back to Route 231, but this time we are driving northwards back to Rumoi |
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| Onsen time at Hamamasu Spa |
From there, we decided that it was time to drive back home. Before we concluded our visit to Ishikari City, we went to Hamamasu Onsen to take a dip in its famed onsen.
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| Last stop for the day before going home: 711 in Mashike |
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| We ordered our favorite 711 iced coffee |
When we were all relaxed, we continued our drive home. We did one more stop at 711 Mashike to grab our favorite cold coffee latte. We got home at around 8 PM officially wrapping up our weekend road trip. Overall, we got to visit one new town and also revisit one town this week. I’m looking forward to what next week has to offer.
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I enjoyed reading your article Neil. I feel like I'm your photographer looking at your pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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