It was the year 2009, I just arrived in Japan for my doctoral education. At the same time, Zynga developed FarmVille as a game on Facebook. Living in a cold countryside, I was so bored whenever I am back in my dormitory. I even finished the whole “Death Note” anime series in less than a week. Then I discovered FarmVille. I started playing until it became part of my daily routine. I was so hooked with FarmVille that I can still hear their background music playing inside my head until now.
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long, which literally means “dragon descends into the sea”, is a bay consisting of about 2000 karsts and islets. These are mostly limestones and emerged in the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Ha Long Bay was designated as a World Heritage site in 1994 and was chosen as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world.
Requiem To The Philosophy Tree
The Philosophy tree (Tetsugaki-no-Ki) is a poplar tree located in an open, wide farmland in Biei town, Hokkaido. Facing the Panorama road, the tree’s slanted stance resembles a person tilting its head to one side thinking about something.
The Whooper Swans Of Hokkaido
The whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) is a large Northern Hemisphere swan in the Eurasian region. They come here in Hokkaido as one of their wintering sites which include southern Europe and eastern Asia. Whopper swans breed in subarctic Eurasia.
The Japanese Cranes Of Kushiro
The Kushiro-shitsugen Marsh serves as the nesting ground of the Japanese cranes. Since 1952, the habitat of these cranes has been assigned as a special natural monument in Japan.
Psychedelic Shisa At Yonekoyaki Craft Center
Yonekoyaki Craft Center is a shop that produces and cells ceramic Shisa. However, the shisa at the Yonekoyaki Craft Center is quite different. Their intense colors made these Shisa so psychedelic looking. Beside the store is a big yard with many of these psychedelic shisa. The place looks like a distorted Disneyland and is an amazing view being highlighted by its foresty backdrop.
Flashnote: Sounkyo Hyobaku Festival
The Hyobaku Festival is an annual winter event which begun in 1976 and held from the late January to the end of March. It is held at the Sounkyo Onsen, Kamikawa Town covering a large area of about 10,000 square meter of the riverbanks of the Ishikari River.
Drift Ice In Okhotsk Sea
Formed from the mouth of the Amur River, the drift ice floats into the Okhotsk Sea settling near the coast of Hokkaido. These floating ice floes can be best enjoyed in Monbetsu and Abashiri. Tourists can enjoy “ice breaking” with ships assigned in the two places. Based on my experience, right timing is needed to have the optimal experience in viewing the drift ice. Drift ice season in Hokkaido is from January to March, with February as its peak.
Shikaribetsu Lake Ice Village
Located in Daisetsu National Park in the town of Shikaoi, Tokachi, the Lake Shikaribetsu is a lake in Hokkaido with the highest altitude measuring about 810 meters above sea level. It is also known as the “Lake of the Sky” since it is a great place to do stargazing at night. The whole lake is frozen in wintertime which allowed the construction of a kotan (Ainu word for village) of Eskimo-styled igloos called the Ice Village.
Sairinka Festival
To celebrate the coming of the swans at the Tokachi river, a festival is held every year at the Tokachigawa in Otofuke from the end of January until the end of February. Otherwise known as Tokachigawa Swan Festival, it features a magical display of colorful lights blinking in tune with the music.
Alone In Kabira Bay
Kabira Bay’s emerald green water is beautiful and beyond expectations. The bay is located at the north west coast of Ishigaki Island and a part of the Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park.
The Amazing SAMA Soup Curry
The soup curry is Hokkaido’s take on the Indian and Thai curry which originated in Sapporo. There are several shops in Obihiro and Sapporo offering this mouth-watering meal. And after eating in different shops here in Hokkaido, my palate definitely belongs to the SAMA Soup Curry shop.
Amoj In Wanderland 