So this is boxing - The northern most part of Honshu, Japan
Boxing day was another early start and quick exit. I had tons of ground to cover if I wanted to see some stuff
as well as get to my next hotel on time. That is the thing about Japan; it looks pretty small on paper but up close it can be massive.
Still being a bit achey from the day before (boarding down Hakkoda), I decided I wanted to get out and see some places, get some photos and relax in some hot water somewhere. Here are a couple of photos of my day.
All the farmers round here seem to use boats... By the way, that's Hokkaido in the background. The visibility was not so good this day.
I had a wander out onto this little island on my way round the coast. Very pretty it was, too. My dad would have liked it here.
This is the most northern part of the main island of Japan. There are representations of Tuna everywhere so I guessed that the village was based around fishing them. Note the man shaking his fist at the fish as he disapeared below the waves.
Labels: Aomori, fishing, Japan, tuna
Merry Xmas 2006 in Aomori, Japan
This is hopefully my last Christmas away from home / family for some time to come. It has been some five years since I last did it but this time was my first completely on my own.
I was up at dawn and off into the hills after stuffing my face at the eat-all-you-can buffet breakfast at my hotel. First stop was Moya Hills, a skiing / boarding place. Boring as hell - only half of the lifts open and the life groomed out of the runs that were there.
The second stop was Mount Hakkoda which was the best place I have been in Japan. Pricey, but well worth it for the 5 or 7km long runs through the lollipop trees. The scenery was stunning and the clouds parted at all the right times for me to get the shots I wanted. The boarding was challenging and interesting. You couldn't get one of those damned grooming machines down the runs. Finally, I lost my sunglasses on the way down (I was being a bit too ambitious with my jumps) and actually had tem handed back to me with a Merry Christmas to boot. Now I know I love Alpine boarding.
I never did manage to find the onsen I wanted to go to. I did manage to find a good yakiniku shop. No turkey on the menu though, I am afraid. Here are some more photos:
Moya Hills - though I love boarding I hate what the resorts do to the views.
The top of Hakkoda - see what I mean about the trees?
Partyway down the hill on the forest course. The trees were not so heavily coated here.
Labels: Aomori, Hakkoda, Japan, snow, snowboarding
Driving to Aomori, Japan
Just photos for today! Enjoy!
This was parked outside an Onsen I went to.
It was valleys and forests all the way to the outskirts of Aomori City. Great!
This is what most of the roads were like. I never fully lost control of the car so it was exhilarating rather than scary.
Labels: Akita, Aomori, icy, Japan, roads
