Hokkaido East 🇯🇵 World Natural Heritage

Shiretoko Five Lakes, Amanoko Road, Kamiko Pond, Rima Shu Observation Deck, Kussharo Lake Sand Bath, Kawayu Hot Spring, Ojuku Xinki Hot Spring, Bettei Honeysuckle The #Shiretoko Five Lakes, a must-visit spot when visiting #Shiretoko National Park, is also a World Natural Heritage Site. I visited it again after seven years and missed it very much. Last time I only walked the "elevated wooden path", this time I walked the "#abovegroundwalk". The ticket was 250 yen, and I had to fill out an application, attend a lecture and watch a video before I could hike freely. The route is divided into a small circle and a large circle, both of which are one-way. I walked the large circle, including taking photos, and walked back along the elevated wooden path. It took about 1.5 hours. There were quite a lot of tourists hiking, and some even hired guides. Maybe because there were so many people and the weather was cold, we didn't encounter any bears. The red leaves along the way have not yet fully bloomed. I found that the elevated wooden path is more beautiful this time. The lake view along the way is actually okay, but not as good as the highlands or the hiking spots last week. At noon, I had lunch at the "#Utoro Fishery Association Women's Department Canteen", which is a popular food with a long queue. Fortunately, I arrived early and didn't have to wait too long. After five minutes, a long queue started to form. After lunch, we drove for half an hour to "#天に続く道", which is truly the road to heaven. The observatory can also take pictures of the sunflower fields below. Another hour's drive brought us to the long-awaited secret spot "#神の子池". The regrets of 2017 were finally fulfilled today. Although the stone road was narrow, turning the car back was not a problem. It took less than a minute to walk from the parking lot to the wooden boardwalk, and we could quickly take pictures of the stunning scenery. It was much easier than the Biei Blue Pond, Aomori Jujuko Blue Pond, and Yamagata Maru Pond, and it was very easy to take pictures. This will be my regular spot in the future. After about ten minutes, we arrived at the "#RiMashu Observatory". Although the air was turbid, the visibility of Lake Mashu was high and the scenery was beautiful. Finally, we came to "Lake Kussharo" after seven years. We didn't take a bath in the "Sand Bath", but the sunset was beautiful and the atmosphere was like being in Europe. We arrived at "#お宿心喜浴二庭壬冬" at 17:00 in the evening. It is very close to "Kusharoko Sand Bath". It is a high-end hotel that was converted from an old facility. The main building "お宿心喜浴" is nearby, and you can take a bath in the main building for free. The room is not big, it is a Japanese style twin room, and it is comfortable to sleep in. The lobby is elegantly decorated, and the "Restrom Haspo Japanese-Yochu Buffet" buffet, which offers two meals per night, is highly rated. The all-you-can-drink dinner and the lounge area in the lobby are worth it. The crab legs, crab miso soup, and freshly made sushi for dinner are all good. The "Kawayu Onsen Village" is filled with the aroma of sulfur, the hiking trail outside is under construction, and the atmosphere of the stream smoking is great! There are many hot springs with the same or similar names in Japan. One of the three most beautiful hot springs in Japan is Yunokawa Onsen in Shimane Prefecture. One of the three most beautiful night views in Japan is the famous Hokkaido hot spring "Kawanoyu Onsen". Near the Ioyama Mountain in Eastern Hokkaido is the Kawayu Onsen in Teshikaga Town; Near the Kumano Kodo is the Kawayu Onsen in Wakayama Prefecture; At the border of Akita Prefecture is the "Yukawa Onsen" in Iwate Prefecture; There is also a hot spring with the same name in Ishikawa Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture called "Yukawa Onsen". Including tonight's accommodation, I have stayed in three places so far. I stayed in Hokkaido's "Kawanoyu Onsen" in May 2015 and Wakayama's "Kawayu Onsen" in March 2023. "Kawayu Onsen" located in the "#AkanMashuNationalPark" used to be a hot spring treatment site. It is adjacent to Lake Mashu to the east and Lake Kussharo to the west. The strongly acidic hydrogen sulfide contains bright and green springs, which are one of the few springs in Japan with volcanic characteristics. It has been a therapeutic spring since ancient times and has a high bactericidal effect. The spring quality is "acidic sulfur-containing iron-natrium-sulfate-halide spring (hydrogen sulfide type)". The electrical appliances here usually only last three years because they will be corroded by acid, so the hotel cost is relatively high. It is similar to the Aomori Sukayu Onsen, Akita Gosokake Onsen, which I visited earlier this month, and Tamagawa Onsen, which I will visit next week. They are also my favorite sulfur springs. After soaking in the large public bath at night, I walked to the main hotel in the morning to soak in the hot spring. The open-air bath has baths of different temperatures, and there are beautiful red maple leaves to take pictures along the way.