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Shizunai to Hakodate

Shizunai to Hakodate

Monday 15th August 2005

The first leg of our long trip back to Hiroshima - from Shizunai to Hakodate.

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09:46:35 At Shizunai station. We'd bought these special "Hokkaido-Higashinihon" tickets which let us travel as much as we wanted on local trains in Hokkaido and the East of Japan for the next five days. We were clearly quite excited about this to begin with.

09:46:47 Same picture again with Mikikosan in.

09:46:51 Ooops!

09:48:47 Keiji-san and Mikiko-san.

09:51:46 The little train which would take us on the first leg of todays journey.

10:02:08 Me pointing at where we were on the map - Shizunai is sort of half way along the South facing coast of Hokkaido.

10:02:12 Same again.

11:40:11 This is in Tomaokomai where we changed trains. I liked this amusingly worded anti-smoking poster.

12:15:29 Me pointing to Tomakomai on the map, in Tomakomai station.

12:20:39 The train that would take us on from Tomakomai.

12:23:36 These barbeque flavoured wotsit/cheeto/niknak style crisps were very nice.

12:33:55 Me eating an omasubi made for us by Mikiko-san - very nice!

13:31:55 Me with the map again in Higashi-Muroran, our next changing point.

13:38:17 The next train which would take us on from Higashi-Muroran.

14:34:09 Eating sweets on the train. These were very much like sherbet dib-dabs.

14:56:47 Chie busily researching our route.

15:23:56 Our next stop off - Oshamambe.

15:39:07 This place apparently had an onsen - hot spring - so as we had a bit of time to kill before the next train we decided to go for a wander to have a look at it. There wasn't really anything to see.

17:39:25 Yet another change of trains in Mori.

19:29:05 At our final destination for today - Hakodate - right on the South West tip of Hokkaido.

19:53:57 Chie wanted to go on this terrifying bus ride up the side of the mountain to see the famous night view out over Hakodate.

20:34:54 Here we are up on the top of the mountain now, which looks out over Hakodate. I must have annoyed Chie as she is pulling a face at me here!

20:35:37 So yes I suppose the view of the lights of Hakodate was rather nice, although a bit difficult to get a decent picture.

20:36:05 A few heads in the way here.

20:36:29 This is probably about the sharpest picture I managed.

20:39:34 There were just so many people up there!

20:40:52 A particularly blurry picture.

20:45:13 Yet more of the same...

20:45:26 ...I may have been trying different settings here.

20:45:31 ....and more...

20:45:55 So many people! This spoiled it a bit for me, to be honest.

20:46:06 Chie looking very short, I think I must have been standing on something here.

20:49:58 I think this was taken through a window.

21:14:04 Back down at ground level now, walking back through Hakodate trying to find somewhere for dinner.

21:14:53 I thought this map might come in handy...

21:18:30 The rather excellently titled Hakodate BEER. A sort of izakaya, which unfortunately was pretty full and we couldn't get a table in.

22:25:49 So instead we went to this other place where they grilled stuff. I am sure there is a proper name for it - yakimono or something.

22:26:33 An odd picture of me in the Yaki-wotsit place.