(6) Hokkaido Trip: 9 - 10 June 2015 Iozan Mt, Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo, Lake Akan, Bear Mt.

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9-June-2015

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Rise and shine! We had breakfast at the hotel lobby.

After breakfast, we checked out of the ryokan and drove westwards and arrived at Lake Mashu.

Hokkaido rock melons sold at the souvenir shop at Lake Mashu.

Next stop was the Iozan Suplur Mountain.

Iozan (硫黄山, Iōzan, lit. "Sulfur Mountain") is an active volcano in the vicinity of Kawayu Onsen. Its yellow, sulfurous vents can be viewed from a close proximity as visitors are free to walk around the steaming, smoking area. Eggs, cooked by the natural heat of the mountain, are usually on sale near the vents. Further refreshments are available from the Iozan Visitor Center.

The entire place reeked of sulphur smell and it was drizzling as well.

Back at the Iozan souvenir shop, we bought a few eggs boiled in the onsite hot spring.

We arrived at Lake Kussharo.

We went to visit the Teshikagacho Kussharo Ainu Folklore Museum

弟子屈町屈斜路コタンアイヌ民俗資料館

The Ainu or the Aynu , in the historical Japanese texts Ezo (蝦夷), are an indigenous people of Japan (Hokkaido, and formerly northeastern Honshu) and Russia (Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and formerly the Kamchatka Peninsula)

The official number of the Ainu is 25,000, but unofficially is estimated at 200,000 due to many Ainu having been completely assimilated into Japanese society and, as a result, having no knowledge of their ancestry.

We drove on to Lake Akan.

We checked into the Lake Akankoso Hot Spring Hotel.

Very spacious family room.

Japanese sweet dessert served in the room.

Time for onsen bath.

Very sumptuous dinner.

We had a wonderful dinner and rested early for the night.

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10-June-2015

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A morning stroll to the front of the hotel, there was a free hot spring footbath area.

After breakfast, we checked out of Akanokoso Hotel in the morning. We headed westward towards Bear Mountain. It was a long drive and we stopped over at a Seicomart to buy freshly cooked meals for lunch in the car.

Cheap and freshly cooked meals.

We arrived at the Bear Mountain Sohoro.

We proceed to final stop of the day and it was also our half-way stopover place back to Sapporo; Petit Hotel Gracey Tomamu プチホテル　グレーシィトマム

We checked into this Tudor-style hotel.

For dinner, we had bbq meat.

A very quiet neighbourhood, we decided to have an early night rest.