Slow Life Hokkaido IV: Lovely Lake
After three nights in Biei, we checked out of the AirBnB. Started bright and early because we had a four-hour drive ahead of us to Lake Toya. Our first toilet and kōhī break was at Sungawa Highway Oasis, one of the few big ones along the way. Somehow, we were lured into the souvenir shop, and that cost us nearly an hour and nearly JPY5,000. LOL. Bro got a Kaonashi soft toy and that became a regular feature in our photos.
Continued our journey without getting waylaid, and we arrived at noon. Parked our car at one of the free public car parks, and walked to the touristy lake area. Grabbed a simple lunch at a Seicomart-- just a couple of sandwiches. Our first photo craze was a bunch of wisterias and azaleas behind The Lake View Toya Nonokaze Resort. A bad case of flower deprivation since Biei. Once we had gotten that out of our system, we headed to the Nakanoshima Cruise Pier to catch the TOYAKOKISEN cruise to Nakajima Island, which is in the middle of Lake Toya. Print out a coupon at their website to get a 10% discount.
The cruise is on a 'floating castle' called "Espoir" (French for Hope). Runs every 30 minutes during the summer. Not many tourists boarded the ship, mostly Koreans actually. There were three floors-- a lounge, a dining area, and an observation deck. The furnishing was quite retro, and that the first thought that came to my mind was North Korea. It was a pretty boring cruise, but it did give us an alternative view of Lake Toya. Interestingly, there's a shrine rising up from the waters near Kannon Island, called 洞爺湖上の三重の塔.
Truth be told, we didn't do much on Nakajima Island. Took a look at the shrines (God of Fortune, God of Scholarship, God of Fishermen), which were pretty different in style. The path was lined with metal balls on poles. A closer look at the opening revealed Buddha statues inside. Online reviews advised us to stay away from the Forest Museum, so we gave that a miss. Since we weren't feeling particularly outdoor-sy that day, we didn't go hiking. Went through the forest gate (to keep wild deer in), took a couple of photos, and stepped back out.
Once back on the mainland, we drove to our AirBnB for the night. The GPS navigation brought me to a remote part of the island, some twenty minutes away from town. I drove on a single lane road that hugged the lakeside closely, but it was actually bi-directional. Scenic, but risky. Should be very challenging to use that way at night because there are many blind bends on it. On the approach, we had to drive up a steep road as the house is on higher ground. When we arrived, our host was waiting for us. She lives at one side, while she rents out the other. The bathroom and kitchen are common areas. Guests have their own living room, dining area, play room, bedroom, and toilet. Much of the decorations were sourced by our host from her extensive travels around the world. Very well-designed, with much attention to detail. She left welcome notes, and even took the time to fold an origami crane from the print of a Malaysian flag. Important amenities in the kitchen are clearly labeled with step-by-step instructions. When we were thirsty, we could choose to drink spring water from Mount Yōtei. One could spend the whole day in her house, reading a book in the cosy living room that offers a fantastic view of Lake Toya.
Once we checked-in, we immediately left for the house to visit a nearby cafe that's shaped like a small geodesic dome. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was already ten minutes to closing time (a perfect example of slow life Hokkaido because they only open 5 hours a day). Luckily for us, the barista at Kamome Cafe beckoned us to come in. We tried a hot pour-over and a cold brew, paired with a slice of baked cheese cake. I think the wild flower on our dollop of cream was just picked from outside the cafe. Our barista made small talk, asking about our home country and our itinerary. When we told her about our flower deprivation syndrome, she replied, "hayai". Yes, a little too early.
The ground floor is dedicated to coffee, and decorated with antiques and an assortment of knick-knacks. The second floor houses the kitchen, and a counter for eating. The top floor is covered with tatami mats. Quickly finished our cam-whoring to not further delay our barista from getting off work.
Hopped back into our rental, and headed back to town (took another road to avoid the scenic route). The winds were cold at Lake Toya, but that didn't stop a whole bunch of vacationers from camping at the side of the lake. Took a short walk at one of the quieter parts of the lake only to find that either the winds or the rain had washed all the cherry blossoms onto the ground. Back in town, we loitered at Select 108, an upmarket souvenir shop that I suspect is connected to The Lake View Toya Nonokaze Resort. Many hotel guests in yukatas just saunter in from a side entrance after a dip at the onsen to raid the various free samples of cakes, chocolates, and snacks at the food section.
The summer fireworks display starts at 8:45 PM, so we had time for dinner. Bro picked out a yakitori restaurant called やきとり一平洞爺湖店 that thankfully has a menu in several languages. Strange that they disallow photography on their premises (not like that can stop me). But anyway, the food was great. My recommendations are the grilled squid (juicy, thick flesh, excellent texture. When you're in Hokkaido, always, always go for their squid), agadeshi tofu, creamy crab croquette (can really taste the crab), meatballs with cheese, and the standard skewered meat. If you're bored of the usual choices, order the gyūtan (cow tongue).
After finishing dinner, we headed to the lakeside to get choice seats for the fireworks show. Many foreign tourists were out in their ryokan yukatas taking selfies. But I don't think one is supposed to wear the indoor slippers out. The fireworks were launched from boats moving from one end of the lake to the other. It's a timed release, alternating between night flowers and fireworks that hug the surface of the lake. Kinda underwhelming. In my opinion, it's better to view the fireworks from a higher vantage point. We were cold and bored, so we left before the show ended. Back at the AirBnB, we took a hot shower, and snacked away, drinking beer, and hot tea.
POI Mapcodes:
- Lake Toya : 321 519 466 *44
- Select 108 : 321 519 540
- やきとり一平洞爺湖店 : 0142-75-1129 (phone)
- Kamome Cafe : 0134-55-1721 (phone)
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