We debated about where to stay before taking the ferry on July 1st..it’s hot and very humid with rain forecast, so we’ll forgo more camping and get to Tomokamai to wait it out for the ferry. Hotels are heavily booked so we’ll have to move around -Hotel Wing International with a great breakfast included and then we will move to the New Prince Hotel for the second night. New Prince was a good surprise…beautiful onsen, jazz playing throughout common areas, a high end stereo at our disposal and a Western/Japanese room with a separate eating, lounge area and Japanese screen window treatments.
We have stayed at several Hotel Wing International in Japan and they impress us with their welcoming and positive attitude towards the storage of our trikes. Here they promptly said to bring them in to the lobby…this is an uncommon approach by most hotels here.
As well, the amenity bar in the lobby is always a welcome sight…extra slippers and yukatas (robes), toiletries, coffee, tea, etc. it will be an adjustment to return to Canada and accept the lower quality and tiny bottles of amenities provided. Here, they truly treat you like an honoured guest.
The included breakfast buffet (always good with Japanese and some Western food), the on-site Onsen or public bath and reasonable rates make this a good place to stay. Barry enjoyed the mackerel.
Some of these items may not look appetizing, but we find them tasty. We like the approach where the plates and small dishes encourage you to take small samplings of many items. The exception for may be the Natto in the orange cups at the back left. Like Marmite…you love it or you don’t. We’ve tried it but sadly we now pass on it. However, there is nothing like watching a person prepare this glutinous concoction.and then devour it.
And then before we knew it, it was time to move to our next hotel. The New Tomokamai Prince Hotel Nagomi. Life is hard!
We were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by this hotel, a Japanese Inn with a lot of charm. Like Hotel Wing, they welcomed our trikes, gave them shelter and a view of the entrance Japanese rock garden.
The main floor was made up of large spaces to gather. These massage chairs are very popular. We have seen many a Japanese person asleep on these in department stores,
For us, the best thing was this room with a beautiful stereo system with CD’s for us to play, classical and jazz. Did they know we were coming? What a delight to be on the road and have the opportunity to listen to good music on a system with great sound.
Barry BartlettYes, unprecedented in our experience. This hotel was quite unique and outside the town core. Highly recommend it. Reply to this comment 9 months ago
Our room had western and Japanese elements, plus a lot of room. We appreciated the rare extra space with a place to relax, eat and prepare meals. On booking.com it described the room as having a shared bath…but we had our own. Perhaps they meant the Onsen?
I think we are getting spoiled by the incredible amenities and services provided by hotels here. I now look for hotels with a public bath or Onsen, breakfast included if possible and they aren ‘t hard to find. We get a good discount from booking.com, but nonetheless the prices are good - under $100 with tax included. The only tip though is that Friday and Saturday are usually more expensive, so we camp or book ahead.
Three months with out a haircut is not good for us. Especially in this heat and wearing a helmet for hours. Across from the hotel, I saw a small salon and went in. With the help of google translate, we were both able to get hair cuts….and the most incredible head massage.
The hair stylist, Keiko owns her shop and she was delightful, as well as a good stylist. Arigato! She was happy to hear that we know a woman at home of Japanese heritage whose name is also Keiko.
It was easy to put in time before boarding the ferry at 5…much needed haircuts, checking out a Mega Don Quijote Department Store (never again), lunch at Mister Donut (crazy) .
At the entry to this large complex, we were greeted by loud thumping music and there were artists performing in the mall
Wandering the aisles of Don Quijote we ran into an old friend from Yubari. Every region,town, and business has a mascot. Yubari’s is unique because it is a ferocious bear with a melon for a head. Kuma is Japanese for bear. Melon Kuma attends mascot rallies around Japan but ends up attacking the other mascots.
Can’t believe that Mister Donut is our only option, but it is. The good…unlimited refills on coffee, and it is good. The bad, the food is interesting but not great. Here we are having a savoury donut stuffed with meat on one side and mashed potatoes on the other.
We have often wondered about Don Quijote department stores. Glad we went, but never again! The theme is loud and over the top with colourful graphics everywhere, crowded shopping areas and non stop loud voices and music over the sound system. Anything you want, you can buy here…from iPhones to garbage bags to clothing, furniture etc. Nonetheless, it is a popular place.
Waiting for the ferry, Barry had some yummy Hokkaido style ramen. A thin layer of oil floating on the surface is typical of this region’s ramen
Our ship, the Ishikuri is the newest ship in their fleet. From what we have heard, the improvements will be nice for us to experience. We are mystified though, the ferry line we took from Maizuru to Otura was on an old beaten up ship, was only 20 hours in duration and cost the same as we are paying for a 40 hour journey on this ship.
It is our turn to load. Japan is a country of many islands and relies on their ferry service for the shipping of goods, tourism and local travel. There are more ferry lines and routes than I can recount, but we can say that the service is excellent and reasonably priced. There is a car deck just for trucks and these drivers get their own sleeping area and different rates. BC Ferries could learn from Japan.
Boarding the belly of the beast. This is nice loading on the lowest deck. Sometimes we climb quite high to reach our level, which is not always easy with the riveted ramp surface.
The Taiheyo Ferry has exceeded our expectations. Organized loading, efficient crew, very pretty ship and a large sleeping room with a sitting area and large window. This will be fun. Next stop…dinner, public bath and then bed, in that order.
Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles) Total: 2,351 km (1,460 miles)
