北海道 最北端之旅 Vlog.3 日本極北證明書取得！前往旭川道の駅沿路逛！北門神社收集北海道神籤！成吉思汗燒肉發源地 爽吃旭川大黑屋！旭川吳竹酒店開箱！冰雪之門、建基100年紀念塔、麵飯屋 三榔

北海道 最北端之旅 Vlog.3 日本極北證明書取得！前往旭川道の駅沿路逛！北門神社收集北海道神籤！成吉思汗燒肉發源地 爽吃旭川大黑屋！旭川吳竹酒店開箱！冰雪之門、建基100年紀念塔、麵飯屋 三榔

After coming back from Rishiri Island, we first returned to the hotel to drop off our souvenirs. Then we came to Wakkanai Station once again. When we came here the day before yesterday, we forgot that we could get the “Certificate of Visit” for Japan’s Four Extremes. So we hurried over to pick one up. There’s a sign for the tourist information center up ahead. Turn left and head toward the space next to the stairs, and you’ll find it. Before picking up the “Northernmost Point Certificate,” there are commemorative stamps you can press. It turns out that in addition to the “Wakkanai Roadside Station” stamp, there are actually seven other Wakkanai sightseeing spot stamps. I was absolutely thrilled! First stamp – Sōya Strait Ferry. Second stamp – Wakkanai West Coast / Natural Flower Garden. Third stamp – Ice and Snow Gate. Fourth stamp – North Breakwater Dome, Wakkanai. Fifth stamp – Cold Current Aquarium & Youth Science Museum. Sixth stamp – Antarctic Expedition Dogs Tarō and Jirō / 100-Year Memorial Tower. Stamped every single one~ Seventh stamp – Cape Sōya, Northernmost Point of Japan. And the “Northernmost Point Certificate” of Japan’s Four Extremes is right next to it. It’s free to take—one per person. Fill in the information, and you can take one yourself. Today is the 29th. You can also stamp the back. Let’s add the Cape Sōya commemorative stamp as well. Beautiful~ And that’s how we obtained one of Japan’s “Four Extremes”—the Northernmost Point Certificate. Next, we headed to the nearby Hokumon Shrine. The Tarō and Jirō-themed seal—so cute! Ehehe~ it only sprays water when you get close~ It’s motion-sensor activated! We came here to collect one of the 15 types of Hokkaido omikuji. To collect them all, you’d have to travel all across Hokkaido. The one at Hokumon Shrine represents Wakkanai—the Crab Omikuji. There are 15 types in total, each featuring a local specialty of Hokkaido. Fresh crabs packed in styrofoam. Buy! I’m going to pick out two of them. We also drew a “Happiness Omikuji.” Jackpot! (Jackpot 😆 …something sounds a bit odd) What is this!? A kumade rake! Wow~ it’s a kumade! A lucky rake! (My first time getting one) Small blessing. Look at my lucky rake, it’s super cute. It knew I wanted a rake, so it gave me such a big one 😆 So big! About the size of a fingernail. There are ten types of lucky charms. Now let’s walk around the grounds of Hokumon Shrine. I love stone guardian lions so much~ I really enjoy taking photos of stone guardian dogs everywhere I go. Because each one looks different. This bell rope knot is super big. There’s a hiking trail next to it, but since we have other places to visit, we skipped it for now. We drove toward Wakkanai Park near the mountains. Wakkanai Park is incredibly, unbelievably huge! There’s a monument here called the Ice and Snow Gate. It was built to comfort those who once lived in Karafuto, a harsh and difficult region, as well as the people who lost their lives due to war. It is a memorial erected in their honor. And it is named the Ice and Snow Gate. It is a work that combines two stone gates with a female statue. Symbolizing the perseverance of people striving to survive in harsh, icy conditions. You can also overlook the scenery of Wakkanai Port from here. That tallest building is the hotel we stayed at. Next to it is the breakwater (North Breakwater Dome). A bit to the right is the ferry terminal. At the souvenir shop entrance, there are commemorative stamps of sled dogs Tarō and Jirō. It’s a very unique stamp. It’s the first time I’ve seen a rolling-type stamp. Another one is a dog paw print. And there’s also one for Wakkanai’s Ice and Snow Gate. Let’s go inside the store to see what souvenirs they have. Luggage stickers. Ceramic tiles made with sea sand and seashells—very ocean-themed. Mosaic art. I thought it would smell like wood… (but it didn’t smell like anything at all) There are many items related to sled dogs Tarō and Jirō. Super cute Tarō and Jirō wooden magnets. Tiny bear carvings. Little Hokkaido Snow Fairy dolls. Next door was a shop selling soft-serve ice cream. They had a very special flavor called Kumasasa. Apparently, it’s a tea made from a type of bamboo called Kumasasa. It tasted a bit like roasted tea, yet also like matcha. It had a unique and smooth tea aroma. I was complaining that the one my husband bought was obviously smaller. Because it was so delicious, we bought another one. So good. Next, we went further up the mountain, where there is a Centennial Memorial Tower. Wakkanai Park is seriously huge. We arrived! The Centennial Memorial Tower is an observation tower on the hill in Wakkanai Park. The lower level is the Northern Memorial Museum, which displays historical materials about Wakkanai and Sakhalin. This building was constructed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Wakkanai’s founding. But we came too late… It was almost closing time, so we didn’t go inside. There was a free observation deck next to it where you can enjoy the view. Lavender! Most of it had fallen off—too bad. There was a directional compass on the viewing platform. From here, you can see Wakkanai Port and the city from an even higher viewpoint. The weather on the mountain started getting worse. That’s it for our tour of Wakkanai today. For dinner, we found a restaurant with decent online reviews. A noodle and rice shop called Gorō. If you spend over 1,500 yen, you can draw a prize from their in-store lottery. The dishes didn’t look expensive. All the menu pages looked really bold and exciting. Various kinds of curry. Various kinds of rice bowls. A super large bowl of ramen? My friend ordered vegetable chashu ramen—it came in a huge bowl. The chashu slices were also cut super thick. All our food arrived—time to eat! Oh! It’s hot. It’s delicious! The meat is really thick. Their curry is so rich and flavorful. A very satisfying portion. Trying some of my friend’s chashu. Wow! It’s huge. Such a thick slice. The ginger pork was also incredibly generous. The slices were huge. It’s my first time seeing slices this big. They’re gigantic! So big! The serving was enormous—I couldn’t finish it at all. I was stuffed to the brim! After the meal, we got to draw a prize from the restaurant’s lottery for free. We didn’t win anything. (Honestly, even a sticker for the smallest prize would’ve been nice 😆) Good morning! Today we’re leaving Wakkanai and heading toward Asahikawa. Goodbye, our hotel. Bought some breakfast at a convenience store to eat in the car. Because a major earthquake hit Sakhalin, Hokkaido issued a tsunami warning. The entire store was sounding an alarm—it was quite an unusual experience. Later we heard that travelers along the coast were asked to evacuate. But since we were heading into the mountains… We weren’t impacted at all. Japan’s roadside stations are also fun to explore. On the way to Asahikawa, we stopped at several stations along the road. This one is the Nakagawa Roadside Station. Every Michi-no-Eki has its own commemorative stamp. But the ink was gone, so the stamp came out very faint. Is this hole here for taking photos? Yep, it’s for photos 😆 I found something I like. A “hot dog” figurine. But I couldn’t find the place where the capsule drops out. I got a dachshund—this one. This one—the one that’s pooping. A pooping dachshund! Look! A hot dog! A hot dog dachshund! Ahh—so cute, right? 😆 So cute. It’s insanely cute! I love it so much! Let’s get another one. Huh? Is it the featured one? This one? Yes! Look! I got these two—the main featured pair. So cute! Look at the back—it’s a sausage! Each roadside station also has its own local specialty. This town, Nakagawa, has many fossils of ancient creatures found here. They also sell a lot of local agricultural products. Many local residents also come here to buy vegetables and fruits. Each bag is 130 yen, very cheap. Locally grown blueberries. There are also samples of different varieties to try. Look, they’re so big! So nice! Oh!!! So delicious! 😆 This one is so good! This one! This is delicious! This variety has mixed sizes. This one is a little sour. This one is super sweet (the one earlier). This variety is smaller. Oh! This one is even more sour! This one is the sweetest. Let’s pick a box of the big ones! This box has bigger berries! I want to buy this one to eat~ A frog covering its mouth while smiling—so cute. Hokkaido’s specialty kelp yokan. There are also plenty of snacks you can buy to eat on the road. Scallop lips packaged like French fries snacks~ They can turn anything into a snack—truly Hokkaido. Bear-shaped chocolate cookies. The face looks more like a sloth, not a bear! 😆 Corn chocolate! Very unique. Blue honeysuckle chocolate—only found in Hokkaido~ Lots of snacks indeed. Curry, sauces. Pickles—wasabi mushrooms. Various seasoning powders. Nakagawa Rest Area’s exclusive luggage sticker. They also sell actual fossils. But the prices are a bit scary. Alright, let’s check out—done buying! The smoked eggs on the side look good! That’s pretty much it for this rest area~ Let’s continue on the road~ The next rest area is “Bifuka Town.” Right at the entrance, I saw another gachapon I liked. A smiling dog biting onto a stick. Yay! My favorite dachshund. So chubby! A fat sausage—he’s really fat! So chubby! He eats really well! I love it~ Bifuka’s specialty is caviar. So the stamp design is also of sturgeon. Wow! So cute—two sturgeons. At the entrance, they sell local bread. Traditional sponge cake—so big! Super huge. So generous. This is too generous, and only 450 yen. As expected, they also sell caviar. Locally produced milk from Bifuka. “Sun Water”—why is it that color? Because it’s tomato juice~ 😆 Locally grown cantaloupes from Bifuka. Two for 4,800 yen, with a carrying box included. Coal mine yokan—pitch black, it looks so cool. Several types of yokan I’ve never seen before. And of course, plenty of local vegetables and fruits. Each produce item has a photo and label of the local farmer. What’s this? Blueberries here are cheaper. This one is from an even smaller farm—no label at all. Really emphasizing “local.” “Hyakusho-ya Blueberries”—probably means blueberries from many farms. 😆 This looks like candied sweet potato. This one looks good! Hanamame beans. Large purple-speckled beans. So cool! There are also lots of souvenirs to buy. Do you know this shape is kelp? It must be kelp! Otherwise why would it twist like this? It has to be kelp! (A-Ping’s impressive observation skills) My bag is getting filled with fish—delicious fish (Bought it! Bought it!) Ainu-patterned bags. If they sold a haori-style outer garment with this pattern, it’d look so cool. Found something interesting in the prepared food section. Deep-fried snacks shaped like little balls! Let’s buy one portion and try it! What is this? No idea! Potatoes! Let’s try it— a potato doughnut. It’s so hot! It’s potato on the inside, and the outside is… (Pancake mix) like hotdog batter… (That’s basically pancake mix!) Japanese hotdogs always use pancake batter. It’s a potato hotdog. 😆 But it’s really hot! The potato inside is super hot! It smells really good! The potato is super fragrant. It’s a potato hotdog. 😆 So bold! A whole potato stuffed inside. The potato inside is salty and seasoned. (So the outside is sweet?) When you bite into it, all you taste is potato—so fragrant! But it’s so hot. The inside is extremely hot. Starch plus starch—double satisfaction. Hokkaido potatoes are just delicious! Awesome. Still two more hours until Asahikawa. We found a really unique drink here. Let’s see what tree bark tastes like. (Tree sap) Tree bark flavor 😂 (Talking nonsense) It looks a little thick when you shake it. Let’s just open it and drink it! It’s tree-bark water. It’s actually sap from a white birch tree. I don’t know how to describe it… Why does it kind of taste like taro? Is it sweet? No flavor—there’s a scent, but no taste. (Not sweet) Here, try it. Doesn’t it smell like taro? It has a faint… plant smell… and… thick… water. 😆 I really can’t describe it. It’s like plant-flavored water… very strange! I think it has a slight taro aroma. There’s an observation deck next to the rest area where you can check out the view. There are twin-star owl statues up there. You sit here like this, right? For eating snacks. And now… look, summer clouds. Good weather really brightens your mood! Driving around Hokkaido— the scenery is absolutely stunning. Asahikawa → this way, to the left. When in Asahikawa, of course we had to try some Genghis Khan grilled lamb. This shop, Daikokuya, is a famous local place founded in Asahikawa. We were super lucky! We got in without lining up. The meat is ordered à la carte, and it looks pricey. But after eating, it didn’t feel as expensive as expected. Ahhhh! It splatters! After ordering, the staff comes over to teach you how to grill. First, use the lamb fat provided to grease the pan. Then arrange the vegetables around the edges. Time to grill the meat— yay! It smells incredibly good! You don’t need to grill the meat too long before eating. Genghis Khan uses lamb with a milder gamey smell. Even people who dislike strong lamb odor can enjoy it happily. But me, Aping, I’m not afraid of gamey lamb at all! 😆 Honestly, I don’t even know which cut of meat is the best. So this time we ordered every meat on the menu. A bite of grilled meat and a bite of rice—this is truly enjoyable. This piece of meat is lighter in color. It’s probably lamb tongue—the texture is a bit firm. Cheers~ Let’s keep grilling~ Big bites of meat! Big bites of rice! Let’s order more—this time we’re going all out. Traveling abroad and enjoying a feast with great friends—one of life’s greatest joys! The two alcohol lovers also have another drink~ Grilled meat and beer are the perfect combo! In the end, each person spent just over NT$600—actually quite a good deal. Tonight’s hotel is Hotel Kuretake in Asahikawa. Let’s take a look at the room together. So small! 😆 Super tiny! Ah! I’m stuck. Yeah! It’s really tiny. 😆 Tea bags, cups, and a hair dryer are in the cabinet. Fridge. What’s this? Is it a humidifier? Hey! It really is—a kettle plus a humidifier. Never seen this before! First time seeing one. The toilet and bathroom are also very small. But even so, it has everything you need—it’s still OK~ That’s it for the room. A feature of Kuretake hotels is that they almost always include breakfast. Not sure if it’s for all locations though. But at least the four branches I’ve stayed at in Japan all included breakfast. The breakfast here isn’t very abundant nor very refined. But since the room is only NT$2,500 per night— —there’s nothing much to complain about. Side dish area. Bread section. Simple salad section. Milk, orange juice, yogurt drink, oolong tea. Miso soup. This rice has a dried fish flavor! Seems like rice mixed with furikake. There’s also plain white rice. And curry sauce too. Curry rice is also a frequent item in Japanese hotel breakfasts. Curry rice with these pickles taste really good. Not sure why—but they go so well together. I should buy some pickles to add when cooking curry at home. Time to eat—leaving it here for now~ Next, we’re heading to Biei to see flowers~