Noboribetsu

A short 40 km away, to be covered in an estimated 1 hr 15 minutes! was our day's final destination, the Noboribetsu Mahoroba Hotel. Through beautiful scenery though.

That was the day's longest driving distance. I must make known here that the DriveTour intinerary had been very well thought out and arranged. It starts out with short journeys and the journeys get progressively longer during the day. In addition, the total distance covered per day was similarly arranged, with a short total distance on the first day, and this increased with each passing day.

The other day (1 Sep 2007 at PRIME's autumn winter package promotion at the Grand Centennial), Lance clarified additional thought and consideration that had gone into their Route preparations when we gave feedback that some destinations were not up to the mark. He explained that they were included to lead us along a better route to the next destination. In some instances, he said, they were essential because the GPS would have otherwise taken us through quite difficult terrain for example unpaved dirt roads!


Many of the roads had lamp-poles with the light fixtures replaced with arrows that pointed vertically to the ground. These it seems were to indicate the edges of the road which would otherwise be concealed by snow in winter. Something like the stakes along the Kota Tinggi Road in Johor which floods in the monsoon season.



We had a Japanese style room ie there was no bed; yet it costs more than a Western room which has a bed. Instead you get a large low table and chairs without legs in the centre of the room.

Later in the evening, room service pushed the sitting furniture aside and laid out two futon mattresses (overlaid with douves) for sleeping on; still no beds. The sleep items had been stacked neatly in the many wall cupboards. Next day, room service puts them away. Cool. But then you got nowhere to nap in the daytime!

This hotel had the most public hot baths in Hokkaido and taking a soak in as many of its baths "should not be missed" because each bath had a different mineral and or herbal composition. So we sampled them all. Japanese public hotsoak baths like those in this hotel are sex segregated. There aren't age restrictions too, so there were little kids under 10 years old amongst adults, which makes one wonder about the situation in Japan against that in say Australia and preventive measures like "no cameras in public swimming centres" instituted in the latter against the paedophilia sickness.

For first-timers to Japanese public hotsoak baths, here's some info. When you enter the wet area of the baths, you must take and be seen to be taking a proper bath to clean yourself before you get into a soak pool. So get there in your dirty condition, it's alright; I mean, no need to bathe in your hotel room before going there.

You take a bath sitting down on a stool. Yup, no standing up shower, nor shower cubicle. There's liquid body soap, hair shampoo, disposable shavers, the lot. There's a tap cum telephone handpiece type shower with hot cold mixer at every stool position. Use the plastic basin to test hot cold mix and to rinse your little towel. You bring the little towel from your hotel room; it's for modesty use, if you feel inadequate. Just the little towel, no bath towel allowed. It's also to be used as a sponge to scrub yourself clean before soaking. You cannot take it down with you into the bath water, and you do not place it on the pool edge. You store it on your head!

Sorry-lah, I do not have photos of naked people inside the public baths as cameras are not allowed inside. Pity, huh?

Here's an illustration of the rules on public baths use. And a Video from Travel-Japan.jp




Ah, you must wear your yukata for dinner in the restaurant (included in tour package). Huh? Everybody wears it to dinner, wear it anywhere in the hotel premises, even wear it to town. Didn't believe Lance when he said that. It sounded crazy, wearing what I took to be a bathrobe or housecoat or smoking jacket, into a fine restaurant AND into town!

But just look at that! It was exactly as he said (though I haven't got photos of inside the restaurant). So for first-timers, just do it. BTW, the yukata comes with an additional top piece like a jacket which you wear for additional warmth.




Here I am taking a break from all the browsing in the shops in the main street of this little town. The street is about 500 metres so it's just the right length to walk both sides after dinner.

Notice the seat I am sitting on? a very good and original idea. Besides these, the town authorities have provided many others in various forms on the sidewalk.

See the cute little monster figurines outside the shop?










If you look closely at the four nearest photos, you'll see that the outer legs of the boxes are raised by what looks like door-stoppers. This is because the pavement is quite steeply sloping outwards to the road, presumably a necessary feature to facilitate runoff in winter.








Now this was the highlight of the walk in the town.

We were walking pass this building with a stage-like front (perhaps it was just a permanent stage in an empty lot!) with a large notice indicating showtimes, and as it was near a showtime and there was a large waiting crowd, we joined them for the next show.


The large figure up there raised its arms in time to taped traditional music and noisey cymbals; then lowered them to expose fiery demonic eyes! It was very well done and much applauded by the audience.

Forgot to mention - this town (or region) has something about a spirit or monster or demon. Perhaps it has to be pacified, whatever. And you'll see lots of it in the form of souvenier keychains, posters, statues, carvings, etc. It certainly helps bring in money.




Two of those handy seats earlier mentioned, sensibly flat backed for their purpose.


That huge red coloured thing (below) is the monster's club, like that carried by Fred and not what you may be thinking of. Flintstone, lah.











Back at the hotel and there was the Notice Board, table, and our three caring guides Meng, Yuki and Lance
ready to chitchat about today's fun, and help with tomorrow's itinerary.

They were always there in our hotel lobbies every morning and every evening. Until after the last car leaves in the mornings, and before the first car arrives in the evenings. Fantastic!






Please click here to continue driving in Hokkaido.