Akan
For the weekend, we went to Lake Akan to enjoy the beautiful scenery and stay at an onsen ryokan (a Japanese-style hotel with hot spring facilities). It was just terrific. We drove and walked a lot around in this National Park. Though I've lived in Hokkaido for more than 40 years, there are a lot of places that I've never visited. 北海道はでっかいどー (Hokkaido wa dekkai do: Hokkaido is huge. - an often heard expression about Hokkaido with a lame Japanese pun included).
Lake Akan and Mt. Oakan-dake. "Oakan" means "male Akan." Naturally, there is another mountain called "Meakan", female Akan.
Don't ask me what is written on the stone monument. I don't usually read this kind of Japanese writing in cursive letters.
Lake Onneto. It can be the most beautiful lake in Hokkaido. Marvelous.
Comments
Some time ago I went to Hokkaido on one of those follow-the-nice-lady-with-the-little-flag package tours.
I've just poked around a bit in my e.x.tremely well-organised *cough* image archive and pulled up this:
http://www.tawawa.org/p/graphics/Qc260001-600.jpg
Looks like the same place, doesn't it?
Except the top of the hill was a little more rounded when I was there. Maybe they change those details every now and then.
Beautiful spot either way.
Posted by: Rudolf | November 4, 2003 2:50 PM
Oh, you went to Akan? If it's taken there, the left mountain should be Mt. Akan-fuji (so called because the shape looks like that of Mt. Fuji), and the right Mt. Meakan-dake. The top of Meakan is rounded. But I feel they look a bit too low for those two mountains; both are more than 1,400 meters high.
Anyway, really beautiful pic! :)
Posted by: Kiyo | November 4, 2003 11:08 PM
cool pics, Kiyo....never been to Hokkaido yet, but a buddy of mine lives in Sapporo.... :D
the closest I've gotten to your island was Aomori for the Nebuta Festival waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in '92...want to see the Snow Festival in Sapporo one of these centuries..... :D
Akan looks cool, too.....
Posted by: den4 | November 5, 2003 3:50 AM
I've got a horrible memory for Japanese place names, so I don't remember what it is called. But it's located somewhere between Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate, and there's that steaming mountain nearby that formed about fifty years ago.
Posted by: Rudolf | November 5, 2003 8:19 AM
Rudolf, I got it! It's Lake Toya!
http://www.outdoorjapan.com/features/ojfeature-toya-1.html
Also, this pic just looks like yours, doesn't it?
http://www.daiwa-ryokan.com/toya/
I got the clue from your "steaming mountain" explanation. I enjoyed making inferences. Thanks. :)
Posted by: Kiyo | November 5, 2003 9:36 AM
Oh yeah, den4, you MUST come to Sapporo to see the Snow Festival! ;)
Posted by: Kiyo | November 5, 2003 9:41 AM
Yup, that's the one.
Great detective work, thanks!
Posted by: Rudolf | November 5, 2003 6:04 PM
Hi, Kiyo-san,
when I glanced at the title, I thought it meant "no way!" ... in Kansai-ben.
I thought the phrase was like "でっかいどー、ほっかいどー”(dekkaido, Hokkaido).
I wish I could go to an onsen ryokan and stay there.
Posted by: eri | November 6, 2003 11:44 PM
Ha ha ha, yeah, actually Akan was not "akan" at all. And you know the pharase that way, which I heard for the first time? Anyway, both were coined by someone related to the Hokkaido government, I guess. :)
Posted by: Kiyo | November 7, 2003 11:38 AM