Isaac, Joy and Papa Go Japan: Day 5 and 6, Asahidake and Mombetsu
On Day 5, we woke up at Hotel Bearmonte and when we looked out the window of our “Western Room with Loft” we saw the surroundings covered in a blanket of white.
“It snowed last night!” the kids exclaimed.
Yes, winter comes earlier to Hokkaido than the rest of Japan and we witnessed the arrival of the first post-autumn snow. It was a pretty sight.
After consuming an obscene amount of food at the breakfast buffet, we packed up our things and loaded up the car to head to Asahidake Ropeway.
To be fair, it was only a short walk from Hotel Bearmonte to the ropeway but the ground was covered in snow and only Joy had her mother’s waterproof snow boots on. Isaac was wearing his Nike track shoes and I was wearing my Allbirds sneakers. Not the best choice for traipsing in snow.
So we drove that short distance and parked the car as near to the entrance of the ropeway as possible, then took the scenic ride up Hokkaido’s highest mountain (2,291m).
We had a lovely hike at the Sugatami Station (altitude 1,600m), wearing borrowed rubber boots. We would have finished the full one-hour hike but snow starting falling heavily. Weather in the mountains must be respected and it can turn bad very quickly. So one must always know one’s limits.
Then it was lunch at the ropeway restaurant, and a drive back to Higashikawa.
The next day, I decided that we would drive out to Mombetsu. Actually it was not so organized. We were just looking for breakfast and we just drove further and further away from our home base until we found ourselves back in Kamikawa, but this time we found another ramen place there. Parking our car in the snow-covered car park, we walked over to Asahi Shokudo, and we were their first customers of the day.
Their ramen was worth driving from Higashikawa to Kamikawa for. Try their Maboroshi ramen made from natural Okhotsk sea salt. Limited to 20 bowls a day. I had Bowl One of Twenty.
Also great, their miso ramen. Some of the best ramen I’ve ever tasted. The owner, a handsome elderly gentleman whose face was on many of the photos on the wall, posing with celebrities, asked me where we were heading.
“Mombetsu,” I blurted out, even though it was just a random thought in my mind. I didn’t even know what was there. Just that I haven’t been there before, and I’ve covered A LOT of Hokkaido in prior trips.
“Ah,” he said, “about 95km from here. Maybe three hours in this weather. Drive carefully, ok? Big snow.”
I thanked him for the advice and my teens and I drove off towards Monbetsu. Along the way, I asked Isaac to look the town up and read me some facts.
Turns out Mombetsu is famous for crabs and for the port, the sea ice, and icebreaker ships. Well, it wasn’t quite sea ice season but we were already on our way there, so what the heck. Let’s go.
The snow got heavier and heavier as I drove on the highway. I was super-cautious because we Singaporeans don’t drive in snow very often.
As my children fell asleep one by one, my iPhone started playing Angels We Have Heard on High, by Sixpence None the Richer, though the car stereo.
On my windscreen, I saw snow gently falling. In the car, I heard:
“Angels we have heard on high,
Singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight.”
It was like a scene out of a winter movie. Except I was also a hyper-alert father driving as carefully as I can, mindful of the sleeping young charges in my care.
When we got to Mombetsu, there was no snow. Just windy cold coastal weather. I drove the kids to the Okhotsk Tower where you can normally see the sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk and take icebreaker cruises. We settled for visiting the underwater observatory that is 8m below sea level.
And oh, we also made sure we visited the giant Crab Claw Statue that is the pride of Monbetsu town. Not visiting the Crab Claw in Mombetsu is like not visiting the Merlion in Singapore, ok? Must go one.
Wish I tasted some of that Monbetsu crab though. But it was a long drive back to Monbetsu, and at 4pm, it would soon be nightfall and I still had that snowy part of the highway to drive through. And miles to go before I eat.
Dinner.
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