It began as a sunny cruise over the azure, and settled into a gloomy blue.
3 days back, I took my flight from Haneda to Memambetsu, eager to explore the beauty of Hokkaido. I was privileged to perch in a window seat. I witnessed the vast farm fields, swathes of emerald forests, and the towns that look like tiny lego pieces from above. Finally I will be able to drown myself in the abundance of nature.
After touchdown, I went ahead to claim my luggage and found a locker to stow it in. With a tall bulky red rucksack, a roll of blue tent hanging out, and clad in orange windbreaker, I began my journey in Hokkaido. First stop: Shiretoko Cape.
(*FYI: a cape is a piece of land jutting out into the sea)
Through numerous bus and train transfers over the course of 3 hours, I was finally on a bus to Utoro, where I will set camp for the night. As the bus drives deeper into the cape and unto Utoro, I observed clouds congregating in the skies above. My arrival was ushered by a carpet of drizzle, dimly lit with a tinge of orange from the occasional street lights. I clambered up the hill to my campsite, demoralized by the initial weather.
Drops of drizzle constantly drums on my tarp through the night. Past dawn, dark clouds remained in the skies accompanied with persistent grey fog. I was supposed to hike over Mt.Rausu, camp one night at its foot, then hike into Rausu Town to catch a sightseeing boat to watch the Orcas. Given the weather, I decided to skip the hike, taking the morning bus to Rausu Town the next day instead.
Weather and I haven’t been on good terms these days. First it was unwelcoming back in Nikko, then it was repulsive in Chichibu. In Hakone, it was just as frustrating. Today it was the ultimate combination of all the worst.
Why must the weather be bad now when I am here?
Not wanting to waste a day doing nothing, I scrambled my head to hatch a new plan for the day. I remembered looking it up online that Utoro also has sightseeing boats. They have cruises along the cape to its tip, or small sightseeing boats to watch foraging bears. If I couldn’t hike today I would be happy to watch the bears having breakfast! Except all the boating company cancelled all cruises and boat trips for the day due to the weather. Thanks again weather!
In an effort to salvage the day, I boarded a bus to Shiretoko Goko. It is well known to be the most scenic spot in the cape. Shiretoko Goko basically means 5 lakes of Shiretoko. It was said that the blue sapphire lakes juxtapose onto the mountainous background, imprinting the magnificent peaks onto the crystalline water.
Instead of that, I was met with pools of mud, shrouds of fog, and another round of precipitation.
One striking find was this red tree. It was only August, nearing the end of summer, but this tree seems to be an early witherer – antonym of a late bloomer!
Shiretoko Goko is also known to be the are of highest density of bear population. (Un)Fortunately, I did not get to meet any of them. It could be because the trail was quite full of tourists. Before entering the trail, the park rangers made us watch an educational clip about bear encounters, emphasizing on how to avoid a bear encounter. One scene in the video demonstrated a woman shouting “HOI HOI” as she move forward to warn the bear of her presence. This resulted in the occasional hoihois throughout the trail. Japanese are really good at following instructions.
After the Gokos, I visited the local nature conservation museum. I learned that the people actually came together to do a fundraising called “Shiretoko 100m² Forest Movement Trust”, to help the prefectural management buy the lands surrounding the five lakes as to make them into conservation area. This effectively shielded the Gokos from development, thus preserving the pristine nature – which currently were shrouded by fog.
Past the museum, I took a stroll around town. It was an idyllic little port town that seems to rely on fisheries and tourism. It has tall cliffs inhabited by tonnes of seagulls who never seem to let each crashing wave go without a squawk. Atop one of the cliff which were climbable, lays a beautiful flower garden.
Look at some notable flowers atop the cliff here!
I was happy that I could at least find some solace in the flowers, if not for the picturesque scenes I would have had if not for the weather! And that sums up my first experience in Shiretoko Cape – shrouded in mist.
Dashing Heights 