IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY
SPECIAL FEATURE: JAPAN
CATCH OF THE DAY Chopsticks at the ready!
Hokkaido is the breadbasket of Japan. Its dairy farms have resulted in a local obsession with fantastically rich ice cream, and its fertile waters mean that haute cuisine — including crab, oysters and salmon roe — is even served up at roadside stations. For a hands-on gourmet experience, Maruuo Hamada Shoten in Rausu
teaches diners how to shuck sea urchins before serving them up with the freshest sashimi.
shiretoko-rausu-lincle.com
GONE FISHING It’s 5am, I’m deep in the spruce forests of Akan National Park and despite my inexperience at fl y fi shing, I’ve got a bite. Mr Takada, wearing rubber waders up to his armpits, splashes over to help me reel it in. He’s been fanatical about the sport for years: “It’s cheaper than therapy,” he jokes. From the forest, we try our luck on the open expanse of Lake Akan, where the dark volcanoes and forests on the far shore appear as misty silhouettes in the morning light. When it’s time to leave for breakfast, Mr Takada can’t tear himself away. “Just one more minute,” he insists, casting out again. He’s well and truly hooked.
hokkaido-sightseeing.com/en
GO NATIVE
The culture of the indigenous Ainu people lives on in the town of Akanko Onsen, on Lake Akan’s southern shore. While the village is largely geared towards tourists, its restaurants, shops and theatre are a great place to glimpse ancient traditions on the brink of extinction.
akanainu.jp
URBAN JUNGLE Hokkaido’s major city, Sapporo, has a reputation for sensational cuisine. But to really appreciate eateries like Ramen Yokocho — an atmospheric alley packed with steaming kitchens serving up Hokkaido’s hearty, miso- based twist on the classic noodle dish — it’s best to have worked up an appetite. Luckily, the cosmopolitan core of the city is enclosed by stunning natural scenery including Lake Shikotsu to the south, where you can rent a clear-bottom kayak
from Ocean Days dive shop and spend hours watching fi sh fl it in pellucid waters. To the east are the city’s lungs: the Nopporo Forest Park, where a hired naturalist can teach you about the folklore and practical applications of
Hokkaido’s fl ora for the Ainu. Pair the tour with a visit to the Hokkaido Museum to better grasp the ecology and history of the region, and stay tuned: a museum dedicated to the Ainu will open in 2020.
ocean-days.com
CABIN IN THE WOODS
Mr Hidaka and his two labradors are masters of a serene, isolated parcel of land. Aſt er a tour of the Potoro Guide Lodge, we’re outside on the deck, peering through binoculars at a pair of nesting red-crowned cranes. Mr Hikada is a wildlife expert who, when not cooking up feasts for his guests, takes them out on the Kiritappu Wetlands. From blustery Cape Kiritappu we spy seals bobbing in the surf, and when squelching along a wetland trail discover mussels, fi sh and frogs, and sika deer grazing among gold amur daylilies.
poroto.la.coocan.jp
Adventure September 2018 59
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