| John & Hiromi's Virtual Vacation to Hokkaido |  |
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| Day 9th - September 4th, 2001 | |||
Day 8  |
 Day 10 |
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| John & Hiromi's Virtual Vacation to Hokkaido | |
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| Day 9th - September 4th, 2001 | |||
| Day 8 |
Day 10 |
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| NOTE: we currently have around 75 pictures up. IF YOU ARE not seeing them, YOU CAN BYPASS THE RISING SUN SCHOOL PAGE AND GO HERE: http://zingchurch.com/adventure/hk/index.htm THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO A PAGES WITH SEVERAL BUTTONS. THE TOP BUTTON SAYS, "HERE". Click on it. this will take you to the pictures. THE RISING SUN SCHOOL PAGES HAS LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING FEATURES, BUT WE want to get you to the hokkaido virtual vacation pictures. At Lake Akan onsen Wake up! If it's Brussels, this must be Tuesday! It ain't Brussels, but it was Tuesday! Don't get it? Big Deal, who cares? We have entered into vacation syndrome, where having tooooo much fun addles the brain. Actually, Hiromi is still all right, and I started out this way! Ken E., from Washington D.C., says that everything is my fault because we forgot to include an "English for Dummies" button on the website. What a great idea. I must mention that to Hiromi. Hiromi is both the brains and the looks of this outfit. I provide bulk. Headed back home to Fujisawa, but the vacation is far from over. After a rousing good breakfast (see below!), we started out this morning visiting the Ainu village at Akanko. Ainu are indigenous to Hokkaido, and are really caucasian, rather than oriental. The problem is, they all carve wood objects for a living, and they all carve the same stuff. If I never see any more Ainu carvings, I can still have a full life. It really reminds me of Eureka Springs, home of Billy and Sharon S. Great place, but scads of stores all selling the same souvenirs, at outrageous prices. One of the Ainu wanted 100 yen to take a picture of his stuffed bear. Take that scenario and make up your own punch line. The best one that can still be printed will get an honorable mention. |
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Ainu Village for sightseeing | |
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Traditional Ainu Garb | |
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Actual Ainu individual | |
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Lake Akan sightseeing boat. Volcano in background | |
| On
the way to Furano |
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| We pressed on. We went through Karikachi Pass, and it was spectacular.
I am quickly running out of adjectives. See the pix. We looked for bears,
but saw none. Tomorrow is our last day for bear sightings. We HAVE seen
canned bear meat, seal meat, and deer meat, but you're not impressed, because
you still cannot believe octopus! Gam P. asked me how we cook it. Oh, any
old way is fine, because ANY WAY YOU COOK IT, IT IS STILL OCTOPUS!!!! I
saw a GIANT one today, with HUGE suckers all over it! And, heaven help
me, I got hungry! It really is like eating a tire, but it grows on you.
Don't get me started about squid! This morning, at breakfast, I ate a whole
dried fish, probably eight inches long, eyes and all. And it wasn't bad.
I think I've made the transition to living in Japan, but I still have memories
of reality! Kathy Hartman's family had three birthdays in the last few days: DeZion's birthday is the 2nd, and Kathy and Destinee's is the third. By permission, here is their e-mail address: katwkathy@aol.com Everyone should send them a birthday greeting! Any others? Make yourself known. |
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Truck full of carrots | |
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Sightseeing Bus with stewardess at Karikachi pass | |
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Fox pelts | |
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Sorachi river | |
At Furano City,at the center of Hokkaido |
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| We arrived in Furano at about four pm, and chose this town because Hiromi
has an old friend here. We met him at the city office where he is a bigwig.
He fixed us up at a swell onsen-hotel,and we are getting rested up for
the final day in Hokkaido tomorrow. We have to board another ferry and
go back to the main island of Honshu. Tomorrow night we should be on the
ferry. But the vacation is far from over, because we still have to make it to Kuji, where we will try to find amber on the beach. This grandiose idea came from my brother-in-law, Andrew Iatridis, who is an expert on the subject of amber. We also have talked some with Susan A. a professor at the University of Kansas, who specializes in amber. Her last words to us were something like this: "If you find any amber on the beach, I would certainly like to know about it!" If that is not encouraging, what is? |
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Ainu bear with salmon at city office | |
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Hiromi with classmate, Kawasaki-san | |
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Welcome to Furano | |
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Lavender field after harvest | |
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Good-size Spider | |
| So, tomorrow will be a new day. Will John and Hiromi make it to the Ferry
back to Honshu? Will they actually find any amber on the beaches of Kuji?
Is there a Balm in Gilead? (YES!) Will John and Hiromi spot any Hokkaido
bears? Tune in tomorrow for another exciting episode of John & Hiromi's
Veirtual Vacation to Hokkaido!
Love, John and Hiromi |
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