Day 367: November 3, 2022
Thursday – "Culture Day" Road Trip 2022
Today is Culture Day here in Japan. It's yet another holiday. It means only one thing. We're going on another road trip.
In the itinerary that I made, we would be driving south to visit the cities of Bibai, Mikasa, and Iwamisawa. However, we were adamant that we would push through with today’s plan because last night, the weather forecast said that there would be heavy rain the whole day. That’s why we left Rumoi City quite late because my wife and I had to weigh it through before agreeing that we should go. It did rain when we were driving through Uryu but turned into a drizzle when we got to our first destination.
We went to Bibai City (美唄市) as the first stop on our "Culture Day" Road Trip 2022. Before the mines were shut down in 1972, the city produced more than a million tons of coal a year. Bibai City's current priorities are agriculture and tourism. It is one of the best places to watch the greater white-fronted geese in April during one of their stops in their long northward migration. Our first stop in Bibai City is the Sorachi Shrine. We paid respects and offered some prayers for this trip.
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| Bibai City History Museum |
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| Inside Bibai City History Museum |
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| We learned a lot about the history of Bibai City after visiting Bibai City History Museum |
From there, we walked to the nearby Bibai City History Museum. The museum was fantastic, and even my wife, who isn't a big fan of museums, was impressed. We learned a lot about the city's history and were astounded by the historical artifacts on display.
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| Bibai Tondenheiya |
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| Bibai Tondenheiya was closed during our visit |
Our last stop is another historical destination which is Bibai Tondenheiya. Sadly, it was closed during our visit as it is open only from May to October. Regardless, I was able to take a picture of the colored manhole cover of Bibai.
From there, our next stop is the city of Mikasa (三笠市). The city is famous for historical things like old trains and fossils.
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| Mikasa Roadside Station |
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| Inside Mikasa Roadside Station |
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| Shoku no Kura Outdoor Shops |
The first destination on our list is the Mikasa Roadside Station where my daughter and I got the roadside station stamp for our Hokkaido Roadside Station Stamp Rally. We also got to buy vegetables and fruits in the nearby Shoku no Kura Outdoor Shops.
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| Sun Farm Mikasa Agricultural Museum |
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| Of course, we had to check that out too. However, the building was already closed this season |
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| We then drove going to the central part of Mikasa City |
We also walked to the nearby Sun Farm Mikasa Agricultural Museum. Sadly, it was closed for this season. Regardless, we still took photos with its large water wheel.
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| Icho Dori Road |
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| Ichikichi Shrine's torii gate |
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| Ichikichi Shrine |
We then drove eastwards and visited Ichikichi Shrine to pay respects and offer some prayers. It was near Icho Dori Road which is a very scenic road during autumn as the leaves of the trees that line up the road are now all yellow.
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| Next stop: Iwamizawa City |
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| Iwamizawa City Hall |
It was past lunchtime when we left Mikasa City for Iwamizawa City (岩見沢市), the capital of Sorachi Subprefecture. It is currently the most populated city in the subprefecture.
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| Iwamizawa Shrine's torii gate |
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| Iwamizawa Shrine |
Our first stop is the Iwamizawa Shrine where we paid respects and offer some prayers.
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| Ella and I visited the nearby Hatogaoka Memorial Green Space |
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| Hatogaoka Memorial Green Space |
My daughter and I then walked to the nearby Hatogaoka Memorial Green Space. This park was built to commemorate Iwamizawa City’s sister city of Pocatello, Idaho in the United States of America. |
| Uobei Iwamizawa |
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| Late lunch at Uobei Iwamizawa |
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| These are some of the food that we ordered... |
For late lunch, we ate at Uobei Iwamizawa. It’s a conveyor belt sushi that has branches all around Japan. This would be the second time that we ate at Uobei as we already tried the one in Asahikawa. As expected, we had a great meal that would fuel our trip back home.
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| 2nd Street Iwamizawa |
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| Aside from clothes, Ella also looked for toys to "rescue" |
Our final stop in Iwamizawa was 2nd Street Iwamizawa, where we went shopping. Mr. Toshi called us just before we left the city. He informed us of our winter vacation plans. He suggested that we drive to Hiroshima Prefecture and explore the historical sites there, such as the famous Torii of Miyajima. Of course, this made us super excited.Overall, not only were we fulfilled as we visited 3 new cities today. We also went home with our stomachs full and spirits high. Until the next road trip!Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Week 53
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 53
Sorachi Shrine
Bibai City History Museum
Mikasa Roadside Station
Sun Farm Mikasa Agricultural Museum
Ichikichi Shrine
Mikasa City Museum
Iwamizawa Shrine
Hatogaoka Memorial Green Space10 Things to Do in Mikasa City
10 Things to Do in Iwamizawa City
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