Peak Fall in Central Hokkaido | Van Life Japan

Peak Fall in Central Hokkaido | Van Life Japan

this time’s adventure begins in ba hook Idol 
as I was driving towards dauan National Park I saw a point of interest on Google Maps 
that initially I was not going to stop for but it was right on my way Shah hiig Falls 
it seemingly spills right out of the Cliff face and this is due to groundwater flowing 
through cavities between layers of rock formed by sequential lava flows although it was a 
bit touristy I’m really glad I stopped by just 30 minutes up the mountain at the base of 
Mount tokachi is one of the best free campsites I’ve come across free camping outdoor sink to-do 
dishes with a view bathrooms and a cheap on S hey I’m Ryan just a guy who quit his corporate 
job to pursue something different and for me that’s something different is exploring Japan off 
the beaten path in a camper van and documenting my experiences I’m currently exploring Hokkaido 
Japan’s most northern prefecture for the start of [Music] fall okay so there’s one of those killer Hornets 
I think it’s like that thing is over 3 cm long like that that’s an that’s an inch and a half 
almost 2 in long and it’s chilling inside my van I didn’t expect to have the added stress 
of dealing with a killer Hornet before my hike but I think I eventually got rid of it and was 
able to get started up the mountain tokachi is one of the three active volcanoes in disan 
it’s almost constantly spewing steam I was actually wondering if it was going to erupt as I 
was driving up to it but it’s completely safe to climb cut you Ducket let’s go quick snack before [Music] summiting this is the strongest 
I’ve ever smelted sulfur that’s actually quite bothering my throat and I learned this 
the hard way because I slipped on IAT desan when I was climbing it a couple weeks back 
and I got some of the volcanic dust in my eyes and my throat and I honestly thought I 
might go blind like I could not open my eyes until someone came by and I had to ask them 
to help me to get water from my uh my water bladder and I had to Splash in my eyes for like 
10 minutes till I finally went away and my skin was on fire too uh yeah so just be careful on 
volcanoes and that’s Mount be over there which if I have enough food and I’m feeling good 
I’m going to do that Traverse too [Music] [Music] [Music] W and probably my favorite part of the 
hike where I get to eat food with beautiful [Music] views and so I decided to do the Traverse over 
to mount ba it was an additional 5 km and 500 M elevation gain to Loop it in and while my mind 
was trying to resist as there wouldn’t be much benefit in doing the extra Summit and it would 
be much easier to just head back down the way I came I forced myself to anyway especially 
when traveling solo it takes a lot of mental battles to go out and do really anything you 
don’t have anyone but yourself to push you and I often find that if my mind is trying to resist 
a decision it’s probably a decision worth making an opportunity to step outside of my comfort 
zone it ended up being a pretty long day at 21 km and 1500 M elevation gain so I was proud 
that I convinced myself to do this there’s toach where I came from about an hour and a 
half ago can’t believe I came all this way already W second sum today let’s go wo after a long physical day there’s 
nothing quite like an end to rest your weary bones and after that I don’t mind a cold beer the campground God must be smiling upon 
me because I found another great free campsite the next day right outside of asahikawa 
hokkaido’s second largest city I needed to stay the night in asahikawa to pick up a 
package so I left the van and took the train in which was interesting because this was the 
most primitive train station I’ve ever seen in Japan it’s my first time seeing gravel 
platforms here and I was surprised there was no gate to tap your IC card despite 
only being a few stations outside the city it’s only a city of about 
300,000 people and there’s not a ton that interested me so I went to check 
out asahikawa Shrine in the Fall colors [Music] on my walk back into town I came across a nice 
little park and it was a beautiful day so I took the opportunity to hit a quick workout Fitness 
is something I haven’t touched on yet but it’s key to anyone’s mental health other than the 
hikes I go on I often work out in Parks like this provided that the weather is decent I go 
on runs I use local community gyms which are usually only a couple 100 yen or sometimes I’ll 
go bouldering when I come across a climbing gym but it was soon time to head back to the 
hostel for the night and the next morning I would head up to the base of asahidake the 
tallest mountain in hokido which can be seen looming over asahikawa although my intention 
was to climb asahidake the weather had other plans so this is happening so the auxiliary 
batteries in the car that basically power everything other than the car itself so like 
the lights the fridge the heater uh don’t hold a charge anymore the previous owners told me 
so unfortunately I didn’t have a heater last night but uh it only got down to minus 4 and 
I was able just to layer up and it was fine but any colder than this and I’ll probably need 
that heater so I need to figure that out my new friend Ido who I met at the last campsite 
and I still took a quick hike to enjoy the fresh snow but I didn’t want 
to freeze for another night so I descended the mountain and looped 
East around daisetsuzan National Park I neglected to mention what I was going to pick 
up in asahikawa the package that I was grabbing was Tada back like new baby huge shout out to the 
DJI support team this is not sponsored content although I wish it was they are incredible I sent 
out the broken drone on a Sunday the Monday was a holiday and I got it back repaired on a Friday 
that’s four business days I’m just mind blown huge shout out to Kiki on the DJI support team you are 
an Allstar can’t wait to use this bad boy again [Music] [Music] [Music] that [Music] [Music] just 3 minutes out of town are the US Ginga Falls 
they’re one of the top 100 Falls in Japan and it’s easy to see why it’s crazy because just a 
couple of days ago I was waiting for the leaves to turn they they were still a yellowish green 
but uh here they’re pretty much gone already uh it’s too bad because they would look 
incredible if it was in Peak but I think it’s just because cold air often gets trapped 
in valleys like this so I think the trees here in particular have already lost their leaves 
hopefully I can catch up to them uh a little further south though and further south I went 
looping around the Dietz on mountains to round out my time in central Hokkaido wait wait 
wait oh my God is that what I think it is I can’t believe it I found larches in Hokkaido 
I had read that larches existed in Japan but I thought they were only in Nagano so to 
come across them just on the side of the road like this is crazy to me if you’re 
from BC Canada or Washington or several other places in the world that have them then 
you probably know what they are but larches or golden larches are a coniferous tree that 
actually lose their needles uh before winter and uh they turn a gold and yellow like 
this and it’s just quite a sight to see [Music] [Music] so I kind of need to go this way I’ve never 
seen so many deer on the side of the road see what happens okay a little bit scared hello 
sir guys if he would just get off the trail we wouldn’t have a problem oh my goodness oh 
there’s so many I don’t want any trouble I don’t want any trouble I’m just going over 
here don’t mind me don’t mind me oh my God the last place I had on the itinerary before 
leaving the mountains was an open air hot spring or ruro in Japanese but this is 
a wild own scent and free of charge of course you may meet people here regardless 
of age or gender and it is onen culture to be naked so if you’re uncomfortable 
with that it’s best to go to these places on weekdays and off seon that’s what 
I did and I had this gorgeous place all to [Music] myself and I would say I’m 
a cold plunge enthusi so I had to take a dip in the river but man oh man was it cold [Music] this wraps up my time for now in Central 
Hokkaido but there’s plenty more to see so thank you for watching and I’ll catch you 
guys in the next part of the adventure [Music]

Peak Fall in Central Hokkaido | Van Life Japan
In this part of my van life, I explore the breathtaking peak fall season in Central Hokkaido! 🍂 I now find myself immersed in the heart of this enchanting region, home to the charming city of Asahikawa and the vast beauty of Daisetsuzan National Park. Experience the stunning transformation of nature as vibrant autumn colors paint the landscape, creating the perfect backdrop for a van life journey in Japan. Central Hokkaido offers unforgettable views and adventures from serene mountain trails to picturesque rivers. Don’t miss this magical seasonal spectacle as I continue my travels and embrace the freedom of minimalist living on the road. 🚐✨ #VanLifeJapan #FallColors #Hokkaido

🎬 Chapters:
0:00-1:05 Biei
1:06-5:05 Tokachi-dake and Biei-dake
5:06-7:13 Asahikawa
7:14-8:08 Asahidake
8:09-10:49 Sounkyo Onsen
10:50-13:01 Drive through Daisetsuzan
13:02-14:17 Rotenburo

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⚠️ Disclaimer: The content shared on this channel, Ryan Bednar, is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. The creator, Ryan Bednar, documents personal experiences, thoughts, and travel adventures through Japan while living a minimalistic van life.
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