Another day in paradise

June 14, 2023

The sign for our hostel: Yubari Forest Farm Youth Hostel

We have the good sense to know when we have it good. We are staying. Home cooked meals for breakfast and dinner all sourced from their family farm, a traditional Japanese bath at our disposal, comfortable room, beautiful setting…this has been a unique experience for us. We have never stayed in a Youth Hostel that is geared to travellers like us, all the rooms are for 2 or 3 people and this beautiful log building makes you feel like it is your home, except that you are on holiday.

Mary Ellen woke up today feeling unwell and Barry has had a recurring sore throat, so it makes sense to take it easy. On too many trips, we have pushed on when we are not 100% and we have learned the hard way. A trip in Italy a few years back, Mary Ellen had pneumonia and we don’t want something like that to happen again. It took months to recover when we got home.

Breakfast ……delicious. Everyday our meals are completely different. Today, an egg frittata with local eggs and veggies from the garden. Delicious alongside the steamed chicken. As well, she had just made some homemade mayonnaise with sunflower oil (made from sunflowers they grow) and no egg.

Homemade bread, salad with lots of asparagus, carrots and vegetable soup. Yum

Today we have the building to ourselves, no other guests. We have made ourselves at home.

The daughter/mom team who run the hostel are a dynamic team. Two meals a day made from scratch with fresh ingredients with breakfast at 7 am and dinner at 5. As well they maintain the vast grounds, look after us and then go back to the farm to work. Knowing that we were staying an extra day, they invited us to visit their farm. Wow, now we know why our meals are so incredible. The farm is massive…a family affair with the adult siblings and the parents all pitching in. Rows of greenhouses as well as planted open fields ensure that they are self sufficient year round and also able to feed the guests at the Hostel.

Enjoy our pictures below of our visit to the farm.

We have had heavy rains, usually at night which is why the trail is so wet. This gives you an idea of the large scale of their farm.

Yubari melons ….our dessert at dinner last night. We learned today that Hokkaido bear love the melons as the fruit is very sweet.

The corn stalks look good…wish I could return in August.

Learning about plants that are Japanese vegetables that we have not seen before

Asparagus…it has taken 2 years and now it is harvest time. Lucky us.

Starters for the new crop of asparagus. Perhaps we could return in two years!

A tasting of one of their cucumbers and some cherry tomatoes.

The famous Mochi whose lamb follows her everywhere. These well loved sheep are very bonded with her. They were happily grazing and when she clapped her hands and called her name, Mochi came running for some affection.

Her lamb is never far behind, what a face.

She loves her animals. They have a job to do in producing eggs, etc, but they are beloved pets as well.

Another rub please….I have itches that I can’t reach.

Meeting her favourite rooster. At first he looked at me with suspicion and then immediately cuddled in. This guy is no stranger to receiving affection.

Barry used to have chickens when he began his teaching career living near Princeton BC. He enjoyed getting to know this character.

Rhode Island Reds are such pretty chickens…they love cuddles too. We are so lucky to have these moments which give us an insight into life in Japan. A wonderful day.

Local tea made and packaged here by the young woman who runs the hostel. With hot water on demand we often have a cup.. tasty and aromatic.

The property of the Hostel is vast..a lot of work. We are lucky as we get to relax on the balcony and enjoy it.

Barry is always ready to help and knowing that I needed allergy medication and something to help me feel better, he volunteered to ride the 2.5 Km back to Yubari and get what I need. As well, we have a big ride ahead of us tomorrow, 100 Km if we try for Furano or 50 Km if we stop at Lake Katsurazawa. Either way we need provisions as there are no stores or supplies for the next 100 Km. Little did he know that there is no pharmacy in the closest town, so he rode a steep uphill for about 5 Km to get my pills. A short 5 km ride turned into 15. Thank you Barry!.

As well, at the top of the hill, it was raining hard with lightning.

Dinner was excellent. We enjoyed eating veggies that we had seen growing at the farm.

We have been super curious about the massive round leaves growing along the road. When we saw it at the farm, we could see that the stalk resembled rhubarb but it had more ridges and was light green. She offered to cook it for dinner and it is really tasty, especially the way she prepared it. So, if we are hungry touring, we can always cook this vegetable which I thought was probably a weed.

Seafood for dinner with cauliflower and salad. Yum.

This seems to be our table...we like the view. As you can see, we enjoyed our meal.

Today's ride: 15 km (9 miles)
Total: 1,709 km (1,061 miles)

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Jeanna & Kerry SmithI am enjoying traveling with you and learning about life in Japan. I think this is my favorite day so far. And, I guess tandem captains always take good care of their stokers, even when they're not on the same bike :-).
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10 months ago

Barry BartlettThank you for your comment. Our time here has been special. Barry is indeed a good captain and I appreciate that.
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10 months ago