Hamanaka is a town located in Akkeshi District, Kushiro Subprefecture. The town is famous as it is the birthplace of Kazuhiko Kato, more famous with his pen name Monkey Punch. And if you love manga or anime, you know that he is best known for his series Lupin III. The Lupin III manga first appeared in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967.
Tag: Hokkaido
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.
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.
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.
“Art To Thinking, Art To Talking” Exhibit
The “Art to thinking, Art to talking” exhibit runs at the Hokkaidoritsu Obihiro Bijutsukan (Art Museum) showing contemporary art pieces from Seiji Yamagishi, Toshihiko Shibuya, Narumi Hiroshi Makoto, Midori Ikeda and others.
Flashnote: Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival is a small ice festival held in Shikotsuko Onsen, Chitose City located south of Sapporo. The festival place is located near the Yamasen iron bridge. There’s an entrance fee-donation of 300 yen to enter the festival. The ice sculptures were made from the water of the Lake Shikotsu which is famous for being one of the clearest water in Japan.
Flashnote: 67th Sapporo Snow Festival
Last year’s Star Wars snow sculpture was awesome but this year’s Shingeki No Kyojin is also cool. The sculpture featured the gigantic man-eating humanoid together with Sapporo’s very own Akarenga (Former Hokkaido government building) and Sapporo Clock Tower.
Amoj In Wanderland 