Hidden in the Northern Land - 2019 Summer Hokkaido 8-Day Trip D2

--------------------------------------------------------------Day 2, a day trip to Noboribetsu. Date Jidaimura, Bear Park, and Jigokudani (Hell Valley) were the three main attractions for the day. Breakfast was at 7-Eleven. Speaking of convenience stores, they are really convenient, offering both cold and hot food, and there are seats by the window to enjoy the view while eating. At Hokkaido’s 7-Eleven, the cream roll is a must-try—rich and fragrant, bought and eaten immediately because it can’t be stored or carried; as soon as you move it, the cream shifts. Kojohama Station was very small, with no staff on duty and no ticket seller... The trains running back and forth were small two-car trains; you take a numbered ticket when boarding and pay according to the displayed amount when getting off. We had a Suica card, so we bought a child ticket for Kuri. After arriving at Noboribetsu Station, the bus stop was right outside the station. We waited according to the route we had checked in advance. Local buses here are mainly Donan buses, and several routes go to the hot spring street, the difference being the intermediate stops. Our first stop was Date Jidaimura; the only suitable time was to get off near the hospital at the intersection and then walk along a small path to the entrance of the village. But when leaving, you can wait for the bus directly at the village entrance, saving quite a bit of walking. Hokkaido is relatively large, and transportation is not as convenient as in Kanto or Kansai; bus frequencies are not as dense. So if you’re not chartering a car, you need to check the bus schedules and plan your time to avoid missing a bus and waiting too long. Although we still had to walk uphill for over ten minutes, the scenery along the way was really nice. Kuri was full of joy, picking wildflowers and blowing dandelions—having a great time. Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura is a theme park that recreates the streetscape and atmosphere of the Edo period (1600-1864), focusing on theatrical performances and allowing visitors to experience the society of that time. We dressed Kuri in the white top and red skirt of a shrine maiden, which matched the Edo-style architecture perfectly. Most visitors to the village were group tourists or elementary school students on field trips. We were relatively early independent travelers; after buying tickets, the ninja at the entrance greeted us and offered to take photos. Besides shops and ancient amusement facilities, there were performances at various times, both indoors and outdoors. Most scenes were quite normal. We visited ancient workshops and historical museums, played some games like arrow tossing and shooting, and bought souvenirs. But there were always some unexpected things. For example, the Monster House, which was understandable—just an old haunted house. Inside, we saw various legendary monsters with clumsy scaring techniques. But there was one called Thousand Cat Temple that really scared me. I didn’t read the explanation sign at the entrance carefully and just followed Kuri’s dad inside. As for Kuri—yes, she’s clever—she didn’t want to see it and said she would wait outside for us. I thought it was a temple for good fortune, after all, it enshrined the beckoning cat... But as soon as we entered, the lights were dim, and various cat monsters popped up from different places—some clinging to bloody windows, some emerging from the floor, with wailing sounds of ghosts and cats. Terrified, I could only close my eyes and follow along, screaming all the way. When we finally escaped, Kuri laughed and said the cat’s eyes in the main hall turned red every few seconds, and then she heard my screams. Only then did I go read the explanation—it was basically a haunted temple like Lanruo Temple. Damn, I was so mad. After that, whenever I saw a beckoning cat for sale, I dared not look at it directly... When we left Date Jidaimura, it was exactly noon. We took the bus to the Bear Park, located on the mountain near the hot spring street, planning to have lunch at the park’s restaurant. To reach Bear Park, we had to take a cable car from the foot of the mountain; the ticket included the round-trip cable car. Bear Park was not big, with three areas: male bears, female bears, and cubs. There was a two-story building: the first floor had a restaurant and shop, the second floor an exhibition hall, and the rooftop an observation deck. First thing was to eat—once full, we could slowly explore. I ordered lamb rice, Kuri’s dad had a pork cutlet rice, and Kuri had a hamburger steak rice. In Western-style Japanese home cooking, hamburger steak is a very common dish. This was the cub area—cute and silly-looking, not allowed to feed. This was the female bear area—you could buy small bear crackers to feed them, just throw them directly. At scheduled times, staff members performed a feeding show. The male bear area could only be fed through a glass window using a feeder: put the crackers into the feeder and they would be launched out. Probably because male bears are larger and more dangerous. Bear crackers. Want some? The exhibition hall mainly introduced animal and plant species in Hokkaido. But the rooftop observation deck was the main reason I came to Bear Park—to see Lake Toya, the prototype of the village destroyed by a meteorite impact in the movie *Your Name*. Originally I planned to go to the lakeside, but later I learned that from this observation deck you could see the most complete view of the lake. So, although I wasn’t very interested in bears, the scenery alone was worth the ticket price. Noboribetsu’s most famous attraction, Jigokudani (Hell Valley), was a must-see. Coming down from the mountain, we walked deeper into the hot spring street; soon we could smell sulfur, and as we continued, we saw a mountain shrouded in steam. That was Hell Valley. Because of the many hot springs and high temperatures, the exposed rocks are barren, with steaming hot air rising, making it look like hell. Walking along the sightseeing path, the water flowing beside it was all hot spring water—you could probably cook an egg in no time. Though impressive to look at, the smell was awful, and Kuri didn’t want to stay long. As a “been there, done that” spot, we can say we’ve seen it... But the name of Hell Valley was widely exploited—along the hot spring street, you could see many demon statues with hell themes. Red demon and blue demon. Before taking the bus back to Noboribetsu Station, we wandered around the hot spring street. Mobile payments were accepted everywhere, and there were even discounts. Even the return bus ticket could be purchased directly via smartphone, just showing the payment page to the driver. So convenient. Day 2 ends. In the evening, we went back to the inn to soak in the hot spring. Day 3 we will transfer to Hakodate to enjoy its world-famous night view.