Woke up around 5:15 am today and didn’t go back to sleep. Lounged around a bit before getting up to grind some coffee and get ready. Got my stuff packed up and checked out by 7:45. The lobby had machine to check out, which was quick. Just had to insert the card and pay. I had prepaid but had to pay any few dollars for the resort tax.
Walked up the car rental place beside the train station and picked up my car.
After going through all the paperwork, the lady showed me the car and helped me put my bags in the trunk. Got everything adjusted and set the English GPS for my first stop. Pulled out into traffic and was a bit nervous at first that I would run someone over but managed to make it out of Hakodate without any incidents.
Drove for about 2.5 hours to a Michi no Eki (道の駅) or road stop in Toyoura. They are all over Japan and there are around 125 on Hokkaido alone. They have bathrooms, info, food and drinks and often a market with local products. This one had a farmers market in it with fruits and vegetables and other stuff. I bought an iced coffee and a small ground pork katsu snack.
After a quick break, got back on the road and headed to the National Ainu Museum in Shiraoi, which was about an hour away. Lots of toll roads here and they aren’t cheap but I got an ETC card with the car, which it seems like has a fixed rate for the days I’m driving. I just drive up to the toll booth ETC lane and the gate opens. When I exit the expressway the gate shows the cost.
Managed to get my phone paired with the car to listen to some SiriusXM on the drive! Thought there was a second parking lot for the museum so ignore the GPS and missed the correct turn in so had to practice some right turns in Shiraoi 😆.
Finally, got into the parking lot and parked . Had lunch at the food court at the museum – soba with mountain vegetables.
The Ainu are one of the indigenous peoples that lived in Hokkaido before the Japanese expanded north. The museum had an exhibition area with some interesting information and artifacts as well as an open air part with recreated houses and various presentations going on throughout the day. I watched two of the presentations and went through the exhibition hall but could have easily spent another hour there.
After the museum, got back on the road to head to Furano, where I’ll be staying for 2 nights. Didn’t hear the GPS give any instructions on how to exit the parking lot so went to the left. Seemed like it was confused and couldn’t find the route as the road narrowed and didn’t seem like a road many people travel on. It was very narrow and had mirrors on the corners so you didn’t run into anyone going the other way. Managed to turn around and head back and the GPS sorted itself out.
Got back on the expressway, where there appeared to be no speed limit for a period. People drive pretty fast, including the big trucks. A lot of the sections only have one lane and there is a divider in the middle. However, there were lots of passing sections. Lots of tunnels in Hokkaido! I think I pendant drove through 30-40 km of tunnels today, including 3 that were each 4 km long. Two of those had 2 km tunnels right in front! A couple of the long ones also seemed to be going downhill inside the tunnel.
I stopped for gas at a station alongside the road, which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Full service too! They put a little sign over your mirror to prevent you from forgetting your getting you car filled up and driving off! I think it also indicates the type of gas they are putting in your car as it says ‘regular’ down the middle.
I then turned to the north and headed up a small mountain forest road where the driving was 50-60 km and the cell reception wasn’t too good as I kept losing my music. I was behind a truck most of the way down this road right to Furano but I didn’t mind as it seemed like a road I wouldn’t want to be going to fast on!
The scenery opened up near Furano as it is known for its dairy and lavender fields. Made it to the hotel and they had a guy in front who directs you to stop in front of the hotel and then he took my bags inside and had me follow the hotel van to a parking lot as the hotel has a few different lots in the few blocks around the hotel. At the lot, he directed me into a space and then gave me a ride the block and a half to the hotel! He told me if I need a ride back to the lot to advise the reception – I think I can probably handle the block and a half 😆.
Checked in and went for a quick dinner at a gyoza place near the hotel. Had a piece of the local fried chicken and the gyoza set, which was very good! Finally got to have a beer after the day of driving 🍺!
Walked back to the hotel and noticed the mountains around and enjoyed the sunset.
Ready for bed now after the road trip.
