Getting off the ferry in the morning is great but we have some time to fill before we can check in to our hotel. First stop will be to find some coffee and then make a plan for the day. As we were riding out of the ferry terminal, this fellow pulled over and jumped out to meet us.
We don’t know him, but he saw us on the ferry. He lives on Kyushu and is involved in agriculture. He gave us 2 of these shirts as a gift. Wow, what an amazing start to our Hokkaido experience.
We both had big cups of coffee, decaf for me and the real stuff for Barry. Fortified with coffee and a snack, we headed out to do a ride around this part of Tomokamai and then visit the Tomokamai City Art Museum.
This garbage truck is advertising the local Tomakomai hockey team. Hokkaido is far enough north that it has four seasons and hockey is very popular.
Japan is a country that loves sports like baseball and soccer and the people here are avid participants in sports, hiking, biking, ground golf. Coming to Hokkaido where there are four seasons, ice hockey is very popular as well.
An unexpected treat of coming north to Hokkaido later in the spring is that we get to experience Sakura (cherry blossoms) a second time. We started our trip in early April at the height of Sakura in Osaka and now it is late May and we get to enjoy it again.
We are near the finish of Sakura in Hokkaido, but it is still lovely.
We feel lucky that we can appreciate this beloved event, Sakura, twice on this trip. First in the south at Osaka and then again in the north on Hokkaido.
It feels good to be back on Hokkaido. Like every island, each has a unique feeling. We find Hokkaido to be laid back and very welcoming. We are going to visit the Hokkaido Museum and Art
Tomokamai has some lovely green spaces and parks. This park, Idemitsu Culture Park, is lush and very large. The Tomokamai City Art Museum is in the park.
Double flowered cherry tree planted in honour of Tomokamai’s twinning with Napier. Being so far north, Hokkaido is the last place that you can see cherry blossoms in Japan.
The park is quite large and features a beautiful forest, lots of green spaces and art like this of the woman and her child enjoying a book in the park.
There are two visiting art exhibits at the museum. Yufutso Fantasy featuring 4 artists from Tomokamai and an exhibit called Melty Buddha. We will start with these. Below are paintings by two of the artists in the Yufutso Fantasy exhibit.
Tomokamai City Art Museum is a modern, expansive museum with displays covering Ainu culture, prehistoric fossils and the natural history of Tomokamai.
The Hokkaido Brown Bear is also known as the Ussuri Brown Bear, or the Ezo Brown Bear. They can weigh between 200 and 400 kg. There are between 2,000 and 3000 of these bears in Hokkaido.
Eurasian red foxes. Baby foxes born in the spring are protected by their moms through the summer. By the end of the summer, the mother begins biting them in earnest to drive them out of her territory. This can go on for days. Eventually the cubs will change their lifestyle from a family life to a solitary one and will eventually start their own families.
Traditional long boat canoes used by the Ainu people.These five canoes were discovered buried in the mud which kept them well preserved. A team of archaeologists had a crew who dragged them out without damage.
Walking into this room, it didn’t look very interesting. That is, until we figured out that pulling out the panels revealed an incredible collection of Ainu traditional clothing. The drawers also held interesting exhibits.
This part of the museum showed the development of winter sports in Hokkaido along with exhibits of the 1970 Sapporo Olympics which also had events hosted in Tomokamai. Note that the hockey stick, Sherwood, is made in Canada!
The Museum was a good choice for us to begin our understanding of Hokkaido’s history as well as that of the Ainu people. We were warmly welcomed to the museum and she ensured that our visit was special.
We stopped to check out a newly opened Outdoor and Fishing Store. Now, that’s “a big catch” as you can see in the photo, but look at the next photo as well.
We do love to camp and all the paraphernalia that goes along with it. After far too long lusting after Snow Peak’s titanium double wall cups, today is the day that we will treat ourselves to cups that will be great for hot and cold drinks. Barry got a larger size so,that they can nest together when packed.
The inside of the Ramen restaurant which we discovered near our hotel. We usually choose to sit at the counter as we can watch the theatrics and expertise of the cooks.
Eating at a Ramen shop is like being inside a theatrical production. The cooks and staff are constantly calling out and interacting with each other and the guests. When you arrive you are met with a chorus of welcome, when you leave they call out their thanks. It is always fun.
Ramen never disappoints, especially when you eat it at a restaurant that specializes in ramen. The quality of the broth is key. This one is so flavourful and creamy.
Mitsuboshi Bakery is a much loved bakery on Hokkaido. It has been around since the 50’s and has retained its popularity and excellence. Its claim to fame is the Haskap Roll and the roll is only made by this bakery.
We had read about this rolled cake which is a specialty at this bakery and to our surprise, it is made with haskap berries from Canada. The cake is buttery and rich with the sweet haskap berries in the centre and coating the roll.
We have enjoyed our stay at the New Tomokamai Prince Hotel Nagomi. We stayed at this same hotel during our previous visit to Hokkaido and we really like it. The rooms are spacious with an area for eating, there is a public bath, a great lounge with high end stereo equipment and jazz playing. Highly recommended.
It has been a joy to return to this hotel and have a few days here. We will be back. Meanwhile, today we are heading north and will stay in Chitose. Farewell Tomokamai for now.
