Venturing along the elevated wooden walkway behind the center, we immersed ourselves in the captivating landscape of the wetlands. The scene was truly breathtaking. Being the sole visitors during our excursion, we relished the luxury of time, capturing countless photographs of the enchanting
Sarobetsu Primeval Flower Garden.
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| We watched a promotional video about Rishiri Island and we were convinced that we should visit it in the future |
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| Back to Route 106 to Wakkanai City |
Subsequently, we retraced our route to Route 106, tracing the coastal road towards
Wakkanai City (
稚内市). After a further 50 minutes of driving, we arrived at our destination. Our initial stop was
Noshappu Cape, where we snapped some photos before proceeding to the heart of the city for a late lunch.
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| Late lunch at Dino's |
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| Look at the size of that burger |
Following Hasegawa-sensei's recommendation, we settled at Dino’s, a quaint eatery renowned for its delectable burger offerings. I was pleasantly surprised when my order arrived, as it surpassed the proportions of my hand.
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| Statue of Rinzo Mamiya |
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| We went to look for souvenirs at Kashiwaya |
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| Is that seal meat and bear meat in a can? 😱😱😱 |
With daylight waning, we made our way to
Cape Soya, the farthest point on our itinerary, ensuring we captured its essence through photographs. Luckily, the site was relatively quiet, allowing us ample opportunity for snapshots. Before leaving Cape Soya, we visited
Kashiwaya to buy some souvenirs. The store is marketed as the northernmost store in
Japan.
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| The Northernmost Mail Box in Japan |
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| The Northernmost Public Toilet in Japan |
Speaking of northernmost things, I made sure to take photos of other "northernmost" things in the area. It's not a joke but they are definitely branded as such by the tourism board of Wakkanai.
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| It was hard to find a parking spot here |
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| It's nice to have the road all for ourselves |
Continuing our exploration, we drove to
White Path, a scenic route adorned with crushed scallop shells at
Soya Hills. While originally designed for pedestrians, the path accommodated vehicular traffic, leading us back to Route 238 and subsequently back to Wakkanai City.
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| Hasegawa-sensei seems to be enjoying this adventure as much as we were |
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| The northern view from the observation deck |
Our final destination for the day was
Wakkanai Park, where we ascended the hill to behold the magnificent view from Wakkanai Centennial Memorial Tower, encompassing the city, port area, and surrounding hills. We also checked out the museum display on the ground floor of the
Wakkanai Centennial Memorial Tower. It was here that my phone's battery ran out. This meant that I wouldn't be able to document the next part of our trip. Thankfully, Hasegawa-sensei said that we'd only have dinner before we drove back home.
Before concluding our journey, we savored a hearty dinner of ramen at Etchan in the city center, graciously covered by Mike. Hasegawa-sensei then chauffeured us home, narrowly avoiding encounters with wildlife on the outskirts of Embetsu, Haboro, and Obira.
Gratefully, we reached home without incident, reflecting on the joy and indelible memories of our road trip with my Tomamae JTE and ALT colleagues. Eagerly anticipating our next excursion, I reminisced on the unforgettable experiences shared during our adventure.
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