I went on a trip to Obihiro in eastern Hokkaido. The purpose of the event was to see a photo exhibition by Michio Hoshino, a concert by Haruka Nakamura, and a visit to the Rokka Forest.
米The photo exhibition is a special exhibition until June 30, 2024.
——-
00:33 ANA Flight NH577 Kobe to Sapporo
03:12 JR Railway Chitose to Obihiro Limited Express Tokachi
06:51 Photo Exhibition Hoshino Michio
08:24 Three Standard Coffee at Obihiro Station
10:33 Spa resort in the forest Hokkaido Hotel
16:49 Obihiro to Rokka No Mori by bus
17:54 Rokka No Mori
20:34 Rokkatei Obihiro Flagship Shop Tearoom
22:42 ANA Premium Class NH578 Sapporo to Kobe
This journey started at Kobe Airport. There were three purposes for this journey to Obihiro. Photo exhibition “Michio Hoshino" held in 2024 spring haruka nakamura ‘s concert on April 21 “Rokka no Mori”, beautiful park near Obihiro I got a ticket to Sapporo on ANA’s super sale for 10,000 yen. It was cheaper to fly from Kobe than from Itami, so I chose to fly from here Kobe. The aircraft is an A321. It was Sunday, but it was empty. The weather is light rain. Departure is on time at 8:30am. Taking off from Kobe Airport. Drink service soon after take-off. Flying smoothly above the clouds. Entering the sunny zone, just over the Tsugaru Peninsula, gate of Hokkaido. We crossed the Tsugaru Strait and flying above Hokkaido. Even though it was late April, we were landing at Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, where still had very little greenery. We arrived at the scheduled time of 10:20. It was a comfortable flight. About 7 min walk from the arrival gate to the JR railway station. From here, take the Airport Rapid train to the next station, Minami-Chitose Station. Arrived at Minami-Chitose Station in 3 minutes. I bought an Ekiben (Lunch Bow For Traveler) on the platform. From here, took the train named “Tokachi 3”. It took about 2 hours to Obihiro. If you purchase the ticket in advance from JR’s website "Ekinet", you can get on the train with a discounted ticket. Let’s Enjoy, Hokkaido’s specialty "Hokkimeshi". The rice cooked with wild vegetables and the famous HOKKI shellfish stewed in a sweet and spicy manner. “Corn blend tea” made from Hokkaido corn. It was very delicious. Thank you for the meal. The train passes through the mountains of central Hokkaido. After passing through Karikachi Pass, the weather changed to sunny. And a spectacular view opened up. Looking up at the mountains, there is still snow even though it was late April. This was a wonderful train where I can enjoy a spectacular view from the train window. We came into the central city of Obihiro. We arrived at Obihiro Station on time at 13:27. Heading to the Obihiro Museum of Art to see Michio Hoshino’s photo exhibition. Took the “Takushoku bus” from the bus terminal. We couldn’t use IC card for fare, so we had to be careful to prepare coins. Board the bus through back door, take a numbered ticket, and pay the fare when we get off. I got off at Midorigaoka 6-chome. Michio Hoshino, a photographer who continued to capture the nature of Alaska. A great photographer who left behind photographs that capture the workings of nature continuing from ancient times, and also wrote essays with a tranquil touch. He passed away at the young age of 43 in 1996 due to an accident with a brown bear. I came to know about him through his wonderful essay named “The Traveling Tree”, and by chance I was able to go to his first photo exhibition on this trip. It was great to be able to see a photo exhibition held in Hokkaido, the northern region that he admired. Next, let’s move to concert hall, haruka nakamura’s concert is held. For now, return to Obihiro Station the way we came. I took a break at "Three Standard Coffee" at Obihiro Station. I ordered pancakes and coffee. "Fluffy pancakes". Coffee brewed using a siphon. It was fluffy, chewy, and delicious. I came to Tokachi Plaza Rainbow Hall in front of Obihiro Station. In commemoration of Michio Hoshino’s photo exhibition, haruka nakamura’s special concert fusing his piano performance and Hoshino’s photographs, and poem reading by Hoshino’s daughter, was held. haruka nakamura performed an impromptu piano performance accompanied by powerful photos of Hoshino projected onto the stage, and a text by Hoshino Michio was read aloud. I head to hotel for the night, The Spa Resort in the forest Hokkaido Hotel. It is an ancient hotel that was founded in 1899 , currently been renovated and having very good reputation. All of the bricks that make up the grand exterior were produced in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, giving the lobby an air of luxury. It had a very luxurious interior.. The lobby for guests only has a beautiful Art Deco interior. The carefully selected green carpet was also beautiful. Paintings of Hokkaido by artist Masami Nose are also displayed. I booked the cheapest room, Hidaka Wing Single Room. The room is more spacious than a usual business hotel. Tea and drip coffee were available. The bath, toilet, and washroom were also clean. There is a large hot spring bath in the hotel, so I didn’t use this bath. Included in the accommodation fee was the “Tokachi Wagyu Beef Stewed in Tokachi Wine Set”. Delicious fresh vegetables. The gentle consommé soup is also good with lots of ingredients. The bread was baked in a restaurant, and it was very delicious, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The main dish was delicious with lots of toppings and very soft, melt-in-the-mouth beef. The pink one was a cherry blossom mousse, and it was especially delicious. As it was the cheapest course, the quantity was small, but the taste was outstanding. After dinner, I went to the hotel’s signature spa. This hot spring is a Moor hot spring, which is extremely rare in the world, and is fed directly from the source. Moor hot springs are said to contain ingredients that make your skin smooth, which is produced when plants buried underground in ancient times turn into black charcoal, and your skin actually became smooth. The sauna was just renewed in 2019 and is an authentic Finnish sauna. Furthermore, the cold water bath after the sauna is of the highest standard, and apparently uses underground water from the clear Satsunai River. The Satsunai River has been ranked as the cleanest large river in Japan for eight consecutive years. The second day was also a sunny day in Obihiro. I’m going to heve the popular breakfast. We can eat it at a Western restaurant. A baker was baking bread in the kitchen. The fresh morning light reflects off the beautiful outside lawn. I had the popular Western food. All breakfasts are exquisite! In particular, the bread, yogurt, and omelet were top-notch. After beakfast, relax with a newspaper and coffee in the lounge. I had some free time, so I read book on the terrace with coffee. The architecture here is also interesting. This building was designed by AtelierZo, which is an architectural firm founded by disciples of Takamasa Yoshizaka, ,who studied under Le Corbusier, one of the leading architects of the 20th century. After checking out, take the free shuttle bus to Obihiro Station. Today, I planed to take the Tokachi bus from Obihiro Station and visit “Rokka no Mori” in Nakasatsunai Town. A one-day package that includes a round-trip ticket and facility admission ticket to Rokka-no-Mori is a great deal. Purchased the ticket at the counter at the bus terminal before boarding. Took the bus bound for Hiroo. It was about an hour’s ride to Nakasatsunai Town, where Rokka no Mori is located. Got off at the bus stop called “Roadside Station Nakasatsunai .” It is convenient to rent a bicycle at a roadside station. About 7 minutes by bicycle from the roadside station. It looks like it will take about 20 minutes to walk. Rokka no Mori is operated by Rokkatei, a famous confectionery store in Hokkaido. Rokkatei’s wrapping paper is famous for using Hokkaido’s wildflowers drawn by mountain painter Naoyuki Sakamoto. The park was opened with the idea of creating a forest filled with seasonal flowers as depicted on the wrapping paper. Flowers bloom throughout the opening seasons in the park, and there are facilities dotted in the forest that display Naoyuki Sakamoto’s works depicting Hokkaido’s nature. When I visited in late April, the “Katakuri” were in full bloom. Another white flower, “Azumaichige” Skunk cabbage was blooming beautifully along the waterside. It was very quiet, I was able to take my relaxed time, I was able to take a leisurely stroll, and it was very relaxing. Naoyuki Sakamoto’s exhibition hall scattered throughout the park was also wonderful. I had some time until the bus, so I enjoyed cycling a bit. Cycling through magnificent scenery. It felt so good. We can see the Hidaka Mountain range, which were well drawn by Naoyuki Sakamoto, in the distance. Took the bus and return to Obihiro Station. Next, I would like to visit cafe at the main store of "Rokkatei" in front of Obihiro Station. This store has a tea room. A bright store. The flower cushions from Rokkatei wrapping paper added a touch of color. The strawberry parfait is a combination of in-house vanilla ice cream, strawberry sorbet, and strawberry jam, topped with strawberries, fresh cream, and macarons. The combination of fresh cream and strawberry jam was outstanding. Concluding my trip to Obihiro. Take the JR limited express "Oozora No. 8" to Minami-Chitose Station. One of the charms of traveling in Hokkaido is seeing the magnificent scenery of Hokkaido spread out from the train window. You can watch it without getting bored. Took the Rapid Airport train from Minami-Chitose Station to New Chitose Airport. I returned to New Chitose Airport. Boarded ANA flight 578 to Kobe Airport. I had chance to upgrade to premium class, so I upgraded. The plane was B767. We departed from Chitose Airport on time. The special meal for Premium Class was served immediately after takeoff. Thank you for viewing. I would be happy if you could give me a high rating and subscribe to the channel.