Akan National Park

I had the car until late afternoon tomorrow, so I headed south. The day's agenda was to see a couple of lakes in Akan NP: Mashū-ko and Kussharo-ko.


Speed limits are 40 km/h in towns, 50 km/h in the outskirts. But almost anywhere in Hokkaido is the outskirt of some town so speeds are limited. Which suited me fine, I had all day, a low-powered car, and I didn't want to risk any fines, but I got tailgated a lot by cars wanting to go faster, often 10 to 20 km/h above the legal limit. The legal limits and the desired speeds in Hokkaido don't match up.  Something's got to give.

I loved the comforting Japanese voice of the GPS. I worked out that she even tells me when a hairpin bend is coming up. I imagine that if I understood her, she could say things like: You have just driven off a cliff. Please press the parachute button. I want one when I get home, especially if I can get one with a husky voice!

The weather was pretty much the same as yesterday, i.e. heavy rain until noon, then dying down. I drove along highway 53 and reached vantage point No. 3 for Mashū-ko. It was a struggle to keep raindrops off the lens, but the mist did lift for some moments to allow some shots. Luckily I came from the north; at No. 1 a few km further down they were charging for parking, and there were the usual tour bus crowds.

I went to Wakato Peninsula, which juts out on Kussharo-ko.

Here I found more Foot Soup.

This is a free outdoor onsen. It didn't even use to have an enclosing hut as the guide book didn't mention one. Facilities are extremely basic, no segregation, but it's totally free. I didn't use it though, I have had hot baths everywhere.

By mid-afternoon I reached Mashū-ko Hostel and checked in. In contrast to Shiretoko, this one was very modern and confortable. Most of the people staying there were Japanese hikers, although there was a Canadian couple.

Dinner was taken in a mess hall separate from the hostel building. The inside is decorated beautifully. Dinner was sort of western. I took the choice of hamburger steak, but the gravy was strange, tasting like a mixture of Bovril and soy sauce.