Hokkaido: Garden of the Gods

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1 Hokkaido: Garden of the Gods June 11 23, 2014 Professor Ronald Wixman Dr. Mark Brazil Ms. Mayumi Kanamura

In the context of modern Japan, we explore Hokkaido, learning about the lost world of the indigenous Ainu people, their animistic beliefs and their deities. This island is unique in many ways.

2 In the context of modern Japan, we explore Hokkaido, learning about the lost world of the indigenous Ainu people, their animistic beliefs and their deities. This island is unique in many ways. First and foremost, it is more akin to Siberia in its climate, flora, and fauna than it is to the rest of Japan. Russia itself, in its Pacific Expansion, saw Hokkaido as a natural and logical boundary between traditional Japan, which ended on the island of Honshu to the South, and the already Russian-held territories of Sakhalin and the Kurila Islands. These territories were settled by indigenous Ainu and other Siberian-related peoples. As a result of this, Hokkaido was the last major island of the Japanese archipelago to be settled by the Japanese, and explains why the culture of the Japanese themselves on Hokkaido is so unique. On our journey through this fascinating land, we will explore both the magnificent natural environment and the cultures that developed here. In addition to daily doses of both traditional and modern Ainu and Japanese cultures, we: 1. visit five of Hokkaido's famous National Parks; 2. visit Ainu museums and centers to learn more about their lifestyles, textiles and history 3. stay in hotspring hotels and inns; 4. visit a local wood carver in his workshop and a Japanese woodblock printer in his studio; 5. look for the most important wildlife gods of the Ainu: Red-crowned Crane, Brown Bear, Blakiston's Fish Owl and Salmon; 6. enjoy the wild mountain and volcanic scenery of this lesser known northern island of Japan; and 7. sample the unique and varied foods of Hokkaido. Your host, Cultural Geographer:... Professor Ron Wixman Your Naturalist and Driver:... Dr. Mark Brazil Your Interpreter/Fixer:... Ms. Mayumi Kanamura

Daily Itinerary Day 1 ----------Arrival at Chitose Airport, Sapporo, Hokkaido Arrive at Chitose Airport in the morning.

3 Daily Itinerary Day Arrival at Chitose Airport, Sapporo, Hokkaido Arrive at Chitose Airport in the morning. Mark and Mayumi meet us at the airport and drive us to our first venue, the hotspring resort of Jozankei where we visit the Ainu Hakubutsu-kan (Museum) for our first insight into the culture and art of Japan s only indigenous people. After dinner and a briefing concerning plans for the days ahead, there will be time to enjoy a first hot spring soak. Dinner, hotspring opportunity, and overnight at Jozankei. Day Jozankei to Tsurui Today we make our only long journey of the trip, crossing Hokkaido from west to east and seeing some of the mountainous scenery along the way. Our destination is a small family-run hotel in the village of Tsurui renowned for the best hotspring water in all of Hokkaido. The hotspring here is known as Bijin no yu water of beauty! Dinner, hotspring opportunity, and overnight at Tsurui. Day Kushiro and Kushiro National Park Today we visit Kushiro City and explore Kushiro National Park, the largest peat swamp wetland in Japan and crucial habitat for the Red-crowned Crane or Sarurun Kamuy the Ainu god of the marshes. We seek out the cranes in their breeding haunts, visit the shallow lagoons on the east side of the marsh and visit Kushiro city museum. The latter has a surprisingly modern and well laid out series of exhibits that introduce the region, the Ainu, the history and natural history of Hokakido. Dinner, hotspring opportunity, and overnight at Tsurui. Day Akan National Park After breakfast this morning we drive northwards to the Akan National Park visiting the enormous crater lake of Kussharo-ko, the nearby sulphur springs at Iwo-zan and the most beautiful lake of all in Hokkaido, Mashu-ko. Our accommodation tonight is in a small family run pension in the woods near Lake Kussharo. Here, not only is there a more typical hotspring, but also one out in the woods created from a giant wooden miso barrel. Dinner, hotspring opportunity, and overnight at Sunayu. Day Akan National Park Today we visit Lake Akan, dominated by the beautiful O-Akan and Me-Akan volcanoes, visit its volcanic mud springs, and a museum/exhibit dedicated to one of the strangest icons of Hokkaido, and an important feature in Ainu myths, the spherical green lake algae known as Marimo! Returning to Lake Kussharo we may either walk the southernmost peninsula, known as Wakoto-hanto, in search of the Asiatic Chipmunk, known to the Ainu as the slippers of the gods, or visit a local wood-carver in his tiny studio/shop, and call in at the small village Ainu museum in Kotan. Dinner, hotspring opportunity, and overnight at Sunayu. Day Shiretoko National Park

Today we leave the Akan NP behind us and head eastwards towards the coast and then onwards to the Shiretoko National Park and World Heritage Site.

We visit the Notsuke Peninsula, a low lying series of sand spits created by longshore drift and admire the beautiful wild flowers of the area.

4 Today we leave the Akan NP behind us and head eastwards towards the coast and then onwards to the Shiretoko National Park and World Heritage Site. On our way, we may drop in at the house and studio of a locally renowned, woodblock print artist in Nakashibetsu, to learn about his traditional techniques and to see his renditions of local scenery. We visit the Notsuke Peninsula, a low lying series of sand spits created by longshore drift and admire the beautiful wild flowers of the area. Along the east coast of Hokkaido, the dominant scene to the east is of Russian Kunashir Island and we learn about the historical relationship between Japan and Russia in this region, while also learning about the importance of Shiretoko which means the end of the Earth in the Ainu language. Our accommodation tonight is in a family run, Canadian-style log cabin overlooking a local fishing harbour on the Shiretoko Peninsula. This evening, those who wish can come out on a search for yet another Ainu god Kotan Koru Kamuy (the god of the village) the rare and critically endangered Blakiston s Fish Owl. Several pairs breed on the Shiretoko Peninsula, and it may prove difficult to see them, it is likely that we will hear their deep sonorous duet. Dinner and overnight at Rausu. Day Shiretoko National Park This morning, after an early breakfast, we cross the Shiretoko Peninsula and visit one of the famed visitor sites the Shiretoko Five Lakes. After lunch in Utoro, we take a special boat trip along the peninsula in search of yet another of the Ainu pantheon of nature gods their god of the mountains, the Brown Bear. Bears commonly forage along the remoter shore line of the peninsula or visit river mouths, and we have a good chance of seeing them (binoculars will be helpful). Afterwards we return to Rausu, pausing at the pass to enjoy the view of the peninsula and Kunashir Island beyond, then drop back down to Rausu. This evening we have a second chance to look for Kotan Koru Kamuy Blakiston s Fish Owl. Dinner and overnight at Rausu. Day Shiretoko National Park to Abashiri Quasi National Park Today we take some time to view the Rausu side of the Shiretoko Peninsula, visit the fishing harbour and the local viewpoint, or we may join a whale-watching boat and go out into the Nemuro Channel in search of dolphins, Orca, Baird s Beaked Whale and Minke Whale depending on the weather. Eventually we leave Rausu, cross the peninsula to Utoro once more, then travel the Okhotsk shore towards

Abashiri. In the late afternoon we may drop by at the shallow coastal lagoon at Lake Toufutsu to enjoy the flower meadows and to see if a local pair of cranes is breeding.

5 Abashiri. In the late afternoon we may drop by at the shallow coastal lagoon at Lake Toufutsu to enjoy the flower meadows and to see if a local pair of cranes is breeding. Dinner and overnight at Abashiri. Day Abashiri to Daisetsu National Park After breakfast we visit the Northern People s Museum, situated just outside Abashiri where we learn about the relationships between the Ainu of Hokkaido and the other indigenous tribes of northeast Asia. We continue westwards now heading towards the Daisetsu Mountain range of central Hokkaido, and the dramatic Sounkyo Gorge. Dinner and overnight at a hotspring hotel at Sounkyo. Day Daisetsu National Park This morning we ride the gondola from Sounkyo up towards Kurodake, one of the local peaks. We may also take a chair lift on a few more stages, then hike up towards the summit of the mountain to enjoy the scenery and wildflowers of this beautiful area of central Hokkaido. At higher elevations the rich mixed forests of Hokkaido give way to forest dominated by stone pine, birch and fir and here we may find more Asiatic Chipmunks and see the flower rich land that the Ainu consider to be the Garden of the Gods. Dinner and overnight at a hotspring hotel at Sounkyo. Day Daisetsu National Park to Shikotsu-Toya National Park From Sounkyo we travel southwest via the town of Asahikawa, dropping in on the way at an Ainu textile centre in the late morning, and at a local saké brewery, then the outdoor art installations of famous sculptor Yasuda Kan, before continuing on to our fifth and final national park, the Shikotsu-Toya NP. Dinner and overnight at a hotspring hotel beside Lake Shikotsu. Day Shikotsu-Toya National Park Today we explore the Shikotsu-Toya NP driving first to the south end of Lake Toya then taking the ropeway up Usu-zan to view Showa Shinzan and the whole scenic view of enormous Lake Toya. The mountain scenery of this part of west Hokkaido is particularly attractive. We return via a roundabout route, so as to visit the Ainu village beside Lake Poroto, and experiencing an Ainu cultural performance. Dinner and overnight at a hotspring hotel beside Lake Shikotsu. Day Lake Shikotsu to Chitose Airport and onwards connections Before breakfast this morning feel free to join us on a walk to a local forest to listen to the summer bird song, or take a final soak in the therapeutic waters of the hotspring. After breakfast we leave Shikotsu-ko for Chitose Airport in time to catch flights south to Tokyo s Haneda or Narita Airports, or to Incheon, Korea.

Trip Information Ron, Mark and Mayumi will be on hand throughout the tour to explain all aspects of Japanese culture, history and natural history.

6 Trip Information Ron, Mark and Mayumi will be on hand throughout the tour to explain all aspects of Japanese culture, history and natural history. The natural scenery, landscapes and natural history of Hokkaido make up a tremendous backdrop against which we learn about the history and environment of the local people and the wildlife that inspired them. Our accommodations are all of a good to high standard, mostly small, family run, friendly, comfortable and very clean. Most of them have their own hot springs (onsen). Some rooms will be Japanese style with futon; others will have beds. Rooms will be on a twin-use basis. Japanese baths are deemed to be highly therapeutic and are a wonderful way to start or end (or both!) a day. We will be treated to a very wide range of typical Japanese and local Hokkaido dishes. Seafood is an important component of the Japanese diet and especially so in Hokkaido, but so many other ingredients are used that even if seafood is not for you, there will still be plenty to eat. Meals in Japanese accommodations are set, there are no menus, and we have included breakfast and dinner at each of our accommodations. We generally find that the tremendous diversity of food here is a great surprise to our guests. Our accommodations cannot cater to dietary restrictions All transport, accommodation and meals are included from arrival with the group at Chitose, Sapporo, until departure from the group at Chitose. All entrance fees, boat trips and gondola rides are also included. Lunches are included, but unplanned we may opt to stop at a local restaurant if the weather is inclement, or may choose to buy the ingredients for a picnic along the way so that we can maximize opportunities on any given day. Water is fully potable at all of our accommodations and we encourage you to bring and fill a water bottle for use during each day. Additional water will also be available at meal times. Drinks, and other expenses of a personal nature are not included.

7 This trip is limited to a maximum of 13 guests. Please contact us ASAP to secure your place on the tour. The cost per person is $6500 (double occupancy). Single Supplement is $1500. Unfortunately, due to the limited space in some of our accommodations we can only accept one person traveling as a single. Please be advised that this quoted cost is based on the current Yen to Dollar exchange rate. In the event of any major changes in this, a surcharge may be added. Deposit: $3000/person ($700 non-refundable) Final Payment due by March 1, There are no refunds possible after March 15, Ron Wixman Travels does not carry travel insurance for its participants; therefore, please obtain travel insurance on your own. Please make checks Payable to: Ron Wixman Travels, LLC W. 25 th Avenue Eugene, OR If you have any questions feel free to contact me either by telephone or rwixman@gmail.com

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