Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Kichi+ キチプラス

Visited 12.11.2017 (Sun)

Revisit. Had a brief encounter with Atami in Jan 2016 to catch the concurrent blooming of plum blossoms and cherry blossoms then. Came here again for different reason this time round - to board the themed sightseeing train, Izu Craile 伊豆クレイル heading for Shimonda in Izu Peninsula. Decided to spend the earlier part of the day here first to enjoy a leisure stroll around Sun Beach and settle my lunch after that. There was one thing I wanted to do very much again in Atami, it was to revisit Kichi+ for their specialty - Shirasu (white bait) rice bowl! 

Shirashi don, from my first visit in Jan 2016. 

Simple goodness. It all started with Cafe Kichi which opened its door for business in an alley between Nakamise-dori 仲見世通り and Heiwa-dori 平和通り, both of them are located in close vicinity to Atami JR Station. Cafe Kichi brought along a fresh breath of air into the long established shopping streets with their handmade sweets and coffee blend. Eventually, they had to search for more space to accommodate the growing number of diners and this led to the opening of Kichi+ in 2008, occupying a shophouse unit along Nakamise-dori. While Cafe Kichi focus on sweets and drinks, Kichi+ offers simple set meals and is always packed with people during lunch hours. The refurbished two storey shophouse has incorporated both modern and minimalist elements to create a comfortable dining environment for its patrons. The food menu is rather straightforward and easy to comprehend, in which white bait harvested from Suruga Bay 駿河湾, is the lead ingredient in their famous rice bowl. On my first visit, I tucked into a delicious bowl of boiled shirasu don (ゆでしらす丼) and I like it a lot. The subtle sweetness of shirasu captivated my tastebuds and it tasted even better with a small amount of light soy sauce and grated ginger added. After this pleasant encounter, I told myself that I should try the raw version if I ever get to visit here again.  

Gems of Suruga Bay. And because of how my itinerary was planned out, I could afford a short trip to Atami again. Without much hesitation, I made my way egaerly to Kichi+ just before the lunch crowd arrived. This time round, I ordered the three coloured / Sanshoku don (三色丼) which comprised of both boiled and raw shirasu and boiled sakura shrimp. All three were equally and evenly laid out on top of warm rice and the bright red colour of sakura shrimp was just too enticing to look at! Tastewise, it did not disappoint again. Though the raw, translucent shirasu did not look appetising from its appearance, it actually tasted better than it looks. The only difference I felt between the raw and boiled version was its texture. Regardless, the freshness and sweetness of this delicate puny fish could be savoured in every mouthful. To me, sakura shrimp was the highlight of this rice bowl. It tasted even sweeter and because the shells were retained, it has a better mouthfeel than shirasu. Simple as it looks, this rice bowl is packed with gems harvested from Suruga Bay, an important incubator for both shirasu and sakura shrimp, which will blow you away!

Menu:
- Boiled shirasu don (ゆでしらす丼): 1,000 yen
- Three coloured don / Sanshoku don: 1,300 yen

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Kichi+ キチプラス
静岡県熱海市田原本町6-11
Operating hours: 1000 - 1800 hrs; closed on Wednesdays
http://www.cafe-kichi.com/kichi+/index.html
Approx 3 minutes walk from Atami JR Station. Kichi+ is located along Nakamise-dori 仲見世通り, a sheltered pedestrian only street lined up with shop houses on both sides.

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Bistro Vraie ビストロ ヴレ

Visited 31.10.2017 (Tue)

The best. Stayed in Higashikawa-cho for a month and I am glad that I discovered Bistro Vraie just before I left Hokkaido. Located within walking distance from Michikusakan 道草館, I was surprised to see a French restaurant like Vraie pop up in such a remote and quiet countryside area like Higashikawa-cho. Got to know about this restaurant while reading a magazine a few days before my visit and it piqued my interest immediately. Having visited it, I have to conclude that this is one for the best meals I had during my stay in Higashikawa-cho!

Truth... Real... That is what Vraie meant in French. The owner and chef, Murakami-san 村上さん, previously operated a popular French restaurant named Montorgueil モントルグイユ in the heart of Sapporo city. Despite that, he has always wanted to move his restaurant closer to the food suppliers / where the ingredients originated from for guaranteed freshness. With this thought in mind, he kept a lookout for such suitable location for about five years. His dream eventually came true in February 2017 when he shifted his business entirely to Higashikawa-cho, a suburb which fulfilled his criteria. Clean underground waters provided by water that flows down from Daisetsuzan, excellent agricultural produce, close proximity to airport (about 10 mins drive away from Asahikawa Airport), friendly people that reside here are some of the reasons why he decided to start anew here. A bold decision taken indeed.

Concept. Murakami-san showcases his culinary talents in this humble looking wooden house standing just behind the main road that runs through Higashikawa-cho. The warm ambience created by the usage of polished wooden furnishing, an industry which the town is well known for, captivated me instantly when I stepped into the restaurant. The homely aura here made me feel very relax and comfortable, and this was one aspect which I did not expect to come from a famous high end French restaurant. While Murakami-san leads the kitchen, his amicable wife serves the customers in the dining area. The culinary concept portrayed here is 「山のめぐみをいただく」which means "to enjoy the blessings from the mountain". Using vegetables and meat as the core, backed up by his culinary skills and numerous years of experience in this field, guests can ensure that delicious and affordable French cuisine are presented in Bistro Vraie.

Relish. Ordered the roast pork ローストポーク for main. First, I tucked into a bowl of creamy mushroom soup which increased my appetite for the upcoming main dish. I was exhilarated by what was put in front of me next! The entire dish was so aesthetically plated to the point that I felt that the position of every component is well thought through and it looked harmonised in any angle I looked at it. Tastewise, it definitely blew me away! The thick cut of meat has the right about of fats and was cooked to perfection, with a little pink in the middle and the juices retained wholesomely. The sides were equally delicious as well - perfect mashed potatoes and tasty charcoal grilled vegetables. Had to compliment and thank them for the delectable food served when I was footing the bill. With such awesome food offered here, I am absolutely sure that supporters for his previous restaurant in Sapporo are more than willing to travel an extra mile to Higashikawa-cho now to relish this flavour over and over again.

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Bistro Vraie ビストロ ヴレ
〒071-1424 上川郡東川町南町1丁目4-11
Opening hours: Closed on Sunday nights and Mondays; please refer to their Facebook / Instagram for their operating hours during lunch and dinner.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vraie.hokkaido/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vraielife/
Website: http://vraie-hokkaido.com/

How to get there? 

(1) By bus from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal 旭川駅バスターミナル Platform 10.
Board Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 60, 62 and 67 for Higashikawa-cho 東川町 and alight at Michikusakan-mae 道草館前. Bus journey takes approximately 40 minutes. From the bus stop, it takes another 2 minutes to walk to Bistro Vraie.
Fare = 570 yen

Bus 60 schedule:
- Weekdays: http://www.asahikawa-denkikidou.jp/hyouji.php?ROSEN=60&BSTOP=167&HOLID=1&DATE=2017-12-03
- Weekends/Public holidays: http://www.asahikawa-denkikidou.jp/hyouji.php?ROSEN=060&BSTOP=167&HOLID=0&DATE=2017-12-03

Bus 67 schedule:
- Weekdays: http://www.asahikawa-denkikidou.jp/hyouji.php?ROSEN=67&BSTOP=167&HOLID=1&DATE=2017-12-03
- Weekends/Public holidays: http://www.asahikawa-denkikidou.jp/hyouji.php?ROSEN=067&BSTOP=167&HOLID=0&DATE=2017-12-03

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Biei Senka 美瑛選果

Revisited on 14.10.2017 (Sat)
Previous post: http://hsuchia.blogspot.sg/2013/02/hokkaido-summer-2012-asperges-biei-senka.html

Memorable experience. The previous time when I was in Biei, I felt that I did not explore this scenic town well enough. Despite that, Biei Senka 美瑛選果 was one place which I fondly remember from my first visit to Hokkaido. Here, we enjoyed a memorable and exquisite lunch experience at Asperges, an in-house restaurant which serves French cuisine and my family would still mention about it whenever we reminisced about Hokkaido. Apart from that, we brought back heaps of snacks from Senka Ichiba 選果市場, the section where local agricultural products from Biei are put up for sale here.

Alfresco area for patrons of Senka Kobo. 

Asperges.

10 years. After accomplishing my expedition of Patchwork Road, I cycled back to the main town and made my way to Biei Senka. Recognised the iconic, modern looking container house immediately when I turned into the parking area. Biei Senka is an antenna concept shop, aimed to showcase and promote a wide array of products harvested from the land of Biei. This shop set foot in this small town a decade ago and has become a place where both locals and tourists drop by and gather to enjoy delicious flavours that Biei has to offer. Apart from the flagship store, Biei Senka also operates two other antenna shops; one in New Chitose Airport (a good place to head down to for last minute shopping before departure) and the other one in Yurakucho, Tokyo (opened in 2015). The Michelin 1 star accredited French restaurant, Asperges, is the pride of Biei Senka and continues to impress diners with their creations, incorporating ingredients from Hokkaido.

Senka Ichiba.

At Senka Ichiba, I felt like a regular customer here; helped myself to the food samples and located my favorite snack corner effortlessly. Before I stepped into this market section of Biei Senka, I have already set sight on what I wanted to buy from here - the same snacks which I bought five years ago.

- Dice milk ダイスミルク (350 yen): Do not underestimate this small freeze dried milk cube! Popping this into the mouth will unleash the richness and sweetness of raw milk and raw cream concentrated in the milk cube. For milk lovers including myself, this is an irresistible and crazily addictive snack and the entire content will be exhausted in no time, without much effort needed. I wil highly recommend bringing this back home!

- Freeze dried corn とうきび (300 yen): Another equally additive and delectable snack. You will be amazed by the amount of natural sweetness contained in each tiny dried corn kernel and it felt like eating fresh corn out from a cob. This is another item not to be missed out in your shopping list.

- Freeze dried azuki beans あずき (350 yen): This is a new product introduced recently. Similar concept is employed like the two products mentioned above, azuki beans are first boiled with sugar and then freeze dried. These sweet red beans can be eaten directly from the pack or used as a condiment for ice-cream. Bought a couple of these back this time round and my parents like it a lot. 

After all the shopping at Senka Ichiba, it was time to grab a rich and creamy Biei's milk soft serve (310 yen) from Senka Kobo 選果工房, the section of Biei Senka where sweets such as roll cakes and pudding prepared by professional chefs can be purchased from here.

Yet another fruitful trip to Biei Senka!

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Biei Senka 美瑛選果
北海道上川郡美瑛町大町2丁目
Opening hours: Differs with season https://bieisenka.jp/store/
http://bieisenka.jp/

How to get there? 
(1) Approx 10 minutes walk from Biei JR Station.

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Blanc Rouge ブラン・ルージュ

Visited 14.10.2017 (Sat)

Patchwork Road again. This is my second time visiting Patchwork Road パッチワークロード after a five years hiatus. On my first trip to Hokkaido in summer, I hired a sightseeing taxi to cover the less accessible sightseeing spots which included Patchwork Road. At that point of time, I did not pay much attention to the terrain since I was riding comfortably in a car and was trying to identify the famous trees which can be seen along the Patchwork Road. This time round, I made use of a battery operated bicycle rented from a shop near Biei JR Station to revisit Patchwork Road and the journey proved to be much more challenging than I perceived. I was totally famished and exhausted after a two hours ride covering Ken and Mary tree, Seven Stars tree, Parent and Child trees and Hokusei no oka Observatory Park. Original plan was to have lunch at Bi.ble, a fine dining restaurant opened in 2014 by the same people who created Asperges (located at Biei Senka). Unfortunately, Bi.ble was fully booked during the lunch hour. Before I set off for Patchwork Road, I seek the opinion of the staff at the tourist information center near Biei JR Station on where I could drop by for lunch around Patchwork Road. Blanc Rouge ブラン・ルージュ, which located about 800 m away from Hokusei no oka Observatory Park, was one of the restaurants recommended by her. Made my way to the restaurant as it was time for lunch after visiting Hokusei no oka Observatory Park.  

Fairytale. Parked my bicycle at the open compound which Blanc Rouge shared with Potato Village, one of the many pensions (a type of guesthouse) nested in this countryside area. Followed the sign board and came to this country house well hidden in a mini forest. With the surroundings decorated by autumn foliage during my visit, it felt very surreal, just like a scene depicted in a fairytale story book. Upon entering the house, guests are instantly embraced by a homely and cosy atmosphere. Adore the overall woodsy simplistic design, country style furnishing and decoration and was intrigued by the fire place and its chimney that leads the exhaust to the top of the house (something that we do not get to see back at home). Even the cover of the menu is beautifully wrapped with floral cloth and a picture made up of scrap fabrics sewn on the front. When I reached at around 12.30 pm, there were only a few tables of diners (spotted two Singaporeans having their lunch here!) and I was able to get a seat immediately.

Comfort food. Blanc Rouge's signature are beef stew ビーフシチュー and chicken simmered with cabbage 若鶏のキャベツ煮, and both are home cooked type of comfort food which most people can resonate with. Ordered the former and upgraded it into a set which included salad and an option of either bun or rice. Beef is cut into cubes and cooked together with vegetables and red wine over several hours until the meat become tenderised and a dark brown sauce (similar to that of demi glace sauce) with thick consistency is obtained. Upon order, the beef stew is served piping hot in a ceramic casserole dish and the umami aroma which was continuously emerging from the food hits me immediately. Tastewise, the meat was cooked to perfection - the right meltingly tender texture and I love the flavourful gravy which is concentrated with savory beef essence and sweetness of vegetables. I believe every household has their very own recipe of beef stew which is derived after numerous tries and multiple tweaks along the way. I am delighted to say that Blanc Rouge's version was well balanced in terms of taste and was able to satisfy my fussy palate.

This lunch outing has healed my empty stomach and restored my energy to make the return trip to Biei JR Station!

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Blanc Rouge ブラン・ルージュ
〒071-0218 北海道上川郡美瑛町大村村山
Opening hours:
- July and August: 1100 - 1930 hrs
- Others: 1100 - 1630 hrs
- Closed on Thursdays.
http://biei-blanc.sakura.ne.jp/index.html

How to get there? 

(1) By rental bicycle, it is about 2 km away from Biei JR Station.

(2) By foot, it is about 800 m away from Hokusei no oka Observatory Park.

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Asahikawa JR Station 旭川駅, Matsuya 松屋

Revisited in Oct 2017.
Previous post (2013): http://hsuchia.blogspot.sg/2014/01/hokkaido-asahikawa-jr-station-heiwadori.html

Transformation. The current train station looks relatively newer than the others in Hokkaido because it underwent a major overhaul back in 2011. I actually will rank this as one of the most beautiful train station I have seen in Japan to date. Adore the spacious compound within the train station where passengers or locals can hang out freely in, either to wait for the train arrival or to even mingle with their families/friends. When I was here four years ago, the promenade in front of the train station was still undergoing construction and I was eager to see how things would change after that. Now, in addition to redevelopment of shopping mall and hotel adjacent to the train station, Asahikawa JR Station has developed to become the focal point in the second largest city of Hokkaido.

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What's nearby / What has changed? 

(1) Bus terminal, located in front of the train station North Exit (East side).
Platform 6: Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 41, 42 and 47 depart for Asahiyama Zoo 旭山動物園.
Platform 8: Dohoku Bus Shirogane line 道北バス 白金線 for Aoi ike 青い池 and Shirogane Onsen 白金温泉.
Platform 9: Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 77, Furano Bus Lavender-go 富良野バスラベンダー号 to Asahikawa Airport 旭川空港.

Platform 10:
- Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 66 (Asahidake line 旭岳線) for Asahikawa Airport 旭川空港 and Asahidake 旭岳.
- Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 60, 62 and 67 for Higashikawa-cho 東川町.

There are other bus stops located slightly further away from the train station.
- Bus Stop 11: Board Dohoku Bus 道北バス 630 or 667 from here and alight at Takasagodai iriguchi 高砂台入口 for Snow Crystal Museum 雪の美術館.
Bus schedule: http://www.dohokubus.com/rosen_bus2.html
- For highway buses to Sapporo, please proceed to Chuo Bus Terminal 中央バスタミナル (near Bus Stop 11 in the map shown above).

Bus Stop 11; Chuo Bus Terminal on the right.

AEON Mall and JR Inn connected seamlessly to the train station.

(2) Opening of AEON Mall and JR Inn

The former site was occupied by ESTA (a shopping mall managed by JR) and Asahikawa Terminal Hotel and both ceased operation in Jul 2012. A new building which comprised of a shopping mall managed by AEON and a hotel owned by JR group, was constructed and eventually opened its doors for business in Mar 2015. The shopping mall includes a foot court, cinema and is also occupied by local household brands such as MUJI (Level 1) and Daiso (Level 3).
- AEON Mall Asahikawa Ekimae イオンモール旭川駅前: http://asahikawaekimae-aeonmall.com/
- JR Inn Asahikawa JRイン旭川: https://www.jr-inn.jp/asahikawa/

(3) Heiwa-dori Shopping Street 平和通買物公園

- Closure of Seibu Asahikawa 西武 旭川店
This major departmental store has pulled down the shutters of its last branch in Hokkaido permanently in Sep 2016. MUJI, formerly a tenant in B building, has moved its operation to AEON Mall. As for the other major tenant, LOFT, it did not source for another location in Asahikawa city, making Sapporo the only place in Hokkaido where you are find this popular lifestyle goods shop.

- Closure of !EXC エクス
!EXC was another shopping mall which ceased operation in 2014. The existing building has not been tore down and part of it is currently being occupied by Tsuruha Drug store ツルハドラッグ.
Tsuruha Drug Asahikawa Kaimono Koen-dori branch ツルハドラッグ 旭川買物公園通店: http://www.tsuruha.co.jp/shop/?cm=v&id=1663

- Matsuya Kaimono Koen-dori branch 松屋買物公園通店
To my surprise, this is the one and only branch Matsuya has in Asahikawa city. Having said that, the rest of the branches in Hokkaido are all located in Sapporo city. The reason why I have such deep connection to Matsuya is because its beef rice bowl was the first meal I had in Japan on my debut visit in 2011. Then after, I am always on a lookout for their stores with the distinct, bright yellow signboard whenever I am craving for beef or grilled pork rice bowl during any trip in Japan. For just 450 yen, I can get a hearty bowl of salt flavoured, grilled pork rice bowl, topped up huge servings of crunchy green onions and accompanied by a bowl of miso soup. Tastewise, the entire rice bowl is so well flavoured which whet my appetite instantaneously and the contents are always gone within minutes after tucking in. So far, I have yet to record any disappointing outing and I can always rely on Matsuya to deliver such satisfying rice bowl whenever I visit them.

Website: https://pkg.navitime.co.jp/matsuyafoods/spot/detail?code=0000001707&bc=eNqLVnq2ZM7zLYseN3c8bm5%2B3DxdSUcJiB43T33cvOpx857HzevBZCdEGVAqrSg1tTy%2FKMW%2BODWxKDlDtySxKD21JKbUwMA4JS8xN1UvMSWlKLW4OB7MgSiKB2kAKTEyg7GMU1RdLVSdjFSdzFVdzVUtLFUdLVVdTVUtTFUdnUEMS2dVSyNVV0tVCwNVS0eQiJOjqqW5UiwAlLxDXg%3D%3D

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Shirogane Aoi ike (Blue Pond) 白金青い池

Visited 14.10.2017 (Sat)
Previous post: http://hsuchia.blogspot.sg/2013/03/hokkaido-summer-2012-aoi-ike-shirogane.html

Revisit. On my first weekend in Hokkaido, I headed south from Asahikawa to Biei and Furano to revisit and explore new places in this area. When I visited Hokkaido five years ago during summer, I hired a taxi to cover several sightseeing spots located in Furano and Biei, and Aoi ike was one of them. Unfortunately weather was not its best on the day of my visit and Aoi ike was not as spectacular as what I perceived before I came. And because of this disappointing outing, I have also wanted to revisit this mysteriously blue coloured pond, hopefully on a different season.

Every second counts. For my trip, I made use of Dohoku Bus Shirogane line to commute between Biei and Aoi ike. The bus stop to board the bus heading for Aoi ike is located about a minute walk away from Biei JR Station. As the bus service was not very frequent (about 1 bus every 2 hourly interval), I had to plan my stay in Aoi ike carefully. Took the 0926 hrs bus departing from Biei and arrived at Aoi ike at 0946 hrs. I had only 40 minutes to spend in Aoi ike and this was inclusive of additional 3 minutes walk from the bus stop to the pond. Had to board the return bus trip to Biei at 1024 hrs, otherwise the next one would only come three hours later! Therefore there was no time to be wasted at Aoi ike!

But totally worth it. Despite the limited amount of time spent here, I was blessed with extremely fine weather and was able to witness a totally different view of Aoi ike as compared to the previous time I was here! The turquoise waters were relatively calm and could capture a clear and beautiful reflection of its surroundings on its surface. Moreover, the vegetation were in the midst of transforming into autumn foliage, thus further enhanced the mystifying charm of Aoi ike. I turned speechless when this picturesque scenery appeared right in front of my eyes and without further ado, started working with my camera to capture the panoramic feature of the blue pond from various angles/locations.

Landmark of Biei. One major difference I observed was the increase in the number of people visiting Aoi ike, and it was definitely way more crowded (and less peaceful) as compared to the past. The beauty of Aoi ike has lured many tourists (both domestic and foreign) like myself to travel all the way to Hokkaido to behold this scenery, and have paved way for to become one of the most prominent landmark in Biei over the last few years.

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Shirogane Aoi ike (Blue Pond) 白金青い池
071-0235 上川郡美瑛町白金
https://www.biei-hokkaido.jp/ja/sightseeing/shirogane-blue-pond/


How to get there?

(1) By Dohoku Bus Shirogane line 道北バス 白金線
The bus departs from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal Platform 8 and passes by the bus stop near Biei JR Station. To get to Aoi ike, alight at Shirogane Aoi ike iriguchi 白金青い池入口. Bus journey from Asahikawa takes about an hour and a half whereas from Biei, it takes about 20 minutes.
Bus fares:
- Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal <> Shirogane Aoi ike iriguchi = 1,090 yen
- Biei JR Station <> Shirogane Aoi ike iriguchi  = 540 yen
http://www.dohokubus.com/rosen_bus1.html

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Furano Rising Sun 富良野ライジングサン

Stayed 14.10.2017 (Sat), 1 night
Booked thru' Jalan.net.
Single room = 8,000 yen inclusive of breakfast

Near pitch black. During my last trip to Furano, I stayed at Natulux Hotel which was just a stone throw away from the train station. Decided to expand my search to Kitanomine area which is more popular with skiers during the winter season. To my delight, I came across Furano Rising Sun, a newly opened B&B style accommodation which was able to meet my budget and not too inaccessible in my opinion. Arrived at Furano JR Station in the evening when the skies have already turned dark. Hopped on Lavender Bus and alighted at Hotel Naturwald about 8 minutes later. As there were minimal street lamps, I had to almost grope in the dark while finding my way to Furano Rising Sun. What make the situation a bit more challenging was Kitanomine area is located on a slope and I had to descend carefully to reach to my destination. The name of the accommodation never felt so apt at the moment when I saw the sign "Rising Sun" highlighted by spotlights from afar! Yes, I have finally reached!

Furano Rising Sun is a family run B&B which started operation in June 2017. There are a total of 5 rooms - 4 twin rooms and one single room, the latter being occupied by me on that night. I love the touch and smell of wood which was the main material of construction on both the inside and outside of the building. The sense of security, just like what a home will give, was what I felt upon stepping into this two storey building. Both the owner and his wife came to welcome me at the front desk upon arrival. The owner, who was able to converse in simple English, briefly explained to me the features of the building and brought me to my room after completing the check-in procedure. The single room I was assigned to was named "Snow" and had a more modern and simplistic outlook. Spacious with adequate walking space, the room was equipped with basic amenities, similar to that of a hotel. To my surprise, there was even a washing machine found in my room. As Rising Sun accepts long stay guests, this household appliance will bring along convenience and all washing can be done within the comfort of their living space.

Broke the silence. After a refreshing bath, I came out from my room and wanted to sit at the bar to have a drink while planning my itinerary for the following day. Owner was kind enough to open up the bar though I was the only patron, and stood patiently behind the counter while I was contemplating what to drink. Ordered their homemade ginger ale on the drink menu. While preparing my drink, the owner initiated a conversation with me. I took this opportunity to practice my Japanese; first with a self introduction followed by explaining the purpose of my visit in Hokkaido. The casual conversation warmed up the atmosphere and despite me switching between English and Japanese, the owner was very accommodating and waited for me to complete my sentences before responding. The wife joined us in our conversation when I was seeking their advice on places which they would recommend me to visit in Furano. They were extremely approachable and helpful; apart from recommending cafes/restaurants to try and sightseeing spots to visit, they went further to research the transportation I should utilise to get to these destination and even printed out the bus schedule for me! I was so grateful for their help rendered and could not thank them enough. In fact, I managed to visit both places which they recommended, Chevre, a Italian restaurant in Nakafurano and Ryonkaku 凌雲閣, a hot spring ryokan in Tokachidake Onsen 十勝岳温泉, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Surrounded by beauty. On the following day, I woke up earlier for a morning stroll in the neighbourhood. As I arrived at night the previous day, I had no idea how the surroundings of Rising Sun looked like. The timing was just right as I was able to catch a glimpse of sunrise, illuminating the beautiful shades of autumn colours that spread across the vegetation on highlands. As Kitanomine area is a well known ski resort in Furano, hotels and pensions here become popular accommodation options for skiers in winter. During non peak period, Furano is actually a relatively quiet and laid back town where people can relax to the calm and easy pace of life here.

Sumptuous breakfast. I could not contain my excitement when I saw the delicious looking breakfast platter served in front of me! The food was so beautifully prepared and I did not expect to indulge in such sumptuous and homely breakfast here. Fresh salad, my favourite croissant, homemade English muffin with bacon and egg, vegetable and tomato soup were served as the mains. The highlight of my meal was I even had the luxury to savour a slice of the sweetest tasting Furano melon for dessert! Many years ago, I have tasted this legendary fruit on my first visit to Hokkaido during the summer season and it has left such a delectable impression in my food memory since then. Being able to taste Furano melon again was a dream come true, especially when it was not at its peak harvesting season. Counting my blessings everyday!

Overall, my stay at Furano Rising Sun has formed, yet another excellent and unforgettable episode of my journey in Hokkaido.

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Furano Rising Sun 富良野ライジングサン
〒076-034　富良野市北の峰町13-28
http://g-brain.com/

How to get there?

(1) Furano Bus Lavender-go 富良野バス ラベンダー号
From the bus terminal in front of Furano JR Station, board Furano Bus Lavender Bus at Platform 4 (effect from 1 May 2018) heading for New Furano Prince Hotel. Alight at Hotel Naturwald and walk for another 3 minutes.
Fee = 160 yen

http://www.furanobus.jp/lavender/

(2) Furano Bus Goryo line 富良野バス 御料線
Similarly from the bus terminal in front of Furano JR Station, board Furano Bus Goryo line at Platform 3 heading for Goryo Ku Sen 御料９線. As compared to Lavender-go, there are significantly lower number of bus services (only three per day) operating along Goryo line.
Fee = 160 yen
http://www.furanobus.jp/rosen/index.html#goryou