Hiroo - July 9

We poked about in Akan for awhile in the morning before making our way out of town.  There was always heavy cloud-cover while we were three and we never did get to see the surrounding mountains, which was a bit disappointing.  Then again, that is pretty much how I remember it, and we still had fun.


Off we went again, with the help of our little GPS.  This time to find Hiroo, the town my parents lived in when I went to high school.  I was in boarding school in Tokyo, but would come back to Hiroo on vacations to visit them.  It took about three hours, through more verdant, hilly, largely unpopulated countryside.  On the way, we passed through the town of Taiki, where my family lived when I was a toddler.  Phil and Rachel, I’m including a couple of Taiki pictures for you, in case you’re interested.  In general and unsurprisingly, the towns along this south-bound corridor from Obihiro to the coast look larger and more developed than they did 35 years ago.  What I didn’t necessarily expect was that they also looked far less impoverished an worn than they used to.  I have also been amazed at how good the roads are everywhere we’ve been in Hokkaido.  Even through the most remote fishing hamlets, the roads were great.



Eventually we came to Hiroo.  Two lanes each way in and out of town, and lots of new development!  Much of the way into town I couldn’t believe it was the same town.  We took a turn and meandered our way up the small mountain behind the town for a peek down.  It’s a beautiful drive, much as I remembered it, though a little too steep for Julia’s taste.  You could see the whole town from there as it spread from the mountain base to the sea, dissolving into the heavy fog along the shore.  Back in town, we made a few stops for gas and food before heading down to the harbor.  On the way, we found ourselves going through the older, more worn looking part of town, which was more familiar to me.  We detoured through the area I thought our house had been, but couldn’t find it.  I’m not sure I was in the right area, and who knows if it’s still even standing.  That’s alright.  I got a feel for how the town is now, which is what I wanted.  I got a big shock when we got to the harbor.  I remember it as a couple of peers with a handful of fishing boats.  It has been much, much more developed.  I pointed out a squid-fishing boat, hung with lights, to Julia.  I remember in the autumn going down to the water’s edge with my parents at night and looking out to sea.  It looked like there was a city out on the water, for all the brightly lit fishing boats.  Apparently, squid are attracted to light, hence the night-time fishing with lights.


From Hiroo, we headed out of town along the Ogondoro (Great Gold Road).  So named, I’ve heard, because it cost so much to make.  The mountains plunge right into the sea on that part of the Island, so most of the road had to be tunneled and blasted through.  Some stretches were much the same, but there were also some new, very long tunnels that had been added.  It’s an incredibly beautiful stretch of road, sandwiched between mountains and ocean, winding through tiny fishing hamlets.  We had fairly heavy fog, but it was still very nostalgic and wonderful for me to get to do that drive.  Our destination was a Japanese style hotel at the south-central cape of Hokkaido, Erimo Misaki.  We drove right to it and were almost immediately treated to an incredible feast, followed by a hot ofuro and a comfortable traditional Japanese tatami room.  We’re just loving this!

As a side note, I will also add that it has been amusing watching people’s responses to me.  Clearly, they don’t expect to hear Japanese coming from a face like mine and, especially in rural Japan, there is initially visible relief on their faces when I greet them and begin speaking in Japanese.  I even get praised.  That’s initially.  Quickly thereafter, confusion sets in.  You see, although anyone who tried to carry on any sort of significant conversation with me would very quickly notice the severe limitations of my language ability, for getting around, discussing basic things and small chit chat, I can sound half-ways decent.  Certainly far better than one would get from an average tourist.  But here’s the catch.  I never lived in Japan as an adult, I’ve been away for a long time and I don’t read much Japanese at all.  This means I’m clueless about a lot of very basic things.  So I’m always using that comfortable Japanese to ask inane questions that one WOULD expect from a tourist, or just someone very dim.  E.g., “Which gas pump do I use?” or (holding a loaf in a shop) “Does this bread have milk products in it?”, etc.  Inevitably, confusion sets in and the questions begin... “Do you live in Japan?”  No, in America.  “They why do you speak Japanese?!”  Etc.  The end result is a little personal history provided and a small, warm and welcoming connection made.  It’s been rather enjoyable, actually.

I hope the fog lifts a little and we can actually see the cape in the morning!