will i am's delayed diary

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 co...

On the last day in Lake Toya , I automatically woke up at 3:30 AM! Since I was already up, I dragged myself out of the futon to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately for us, the weather was too misty for a good view. We gave it another thirty minutes before going back to sleep. Three and half hours later, the serenity of the lake was broken by the voice of an elderly gentleman singing "To-yaaaaaa, To-yaaaaaa... " over the lake's PA system. More effective than my alarm. Ate our morning meal downstairs and checked out soon after. One more crater trail to finish before leaving Lake Toya-- the Nishiyama Crater Promenade . The trail head happens to be where the Konpiriyama trail ends and the area was as deserted as it was yesterday. A lone park ranger waved us in while the trees rustled wildly around us. Seemed that the weather was changing. Like the day before, we were the only visitors on the trail. The Nishiyama trail is a boardwalk, hence easier to do. Along the way we s...