Life, Travel, GRACE

The next day, we headed to Furano, specifically to visit the famous Farm Tomita. Since it was still early June, the lavender was not yet in full bloom. Luckily, a small patch was already flowering, so at least we didn't leave empty-handed. And with the weather being rather hot, a scoop of lavender ice cream was just what we needed. When in Furano, ice cream is practically a travel essential! After a simple lunch in Biei, we took a local bus to the famous Blue Pond. Unlike the spectacular scenery you might expect from a major tourist attraction, the pond's charm lies in its quiet, almost magical atmosphere. The still water and its distinctive blue colour created a serene and peaceful setting. We would have liked to explore the nearby waterfalls as well, but time was not on our side. Perhaps next time. That night, we stayed in Asahikawa before continuing our journey north the following morning. The next day was a long train journey from Asahikawa to Wakkanai, Japan's northern...

From Hakodate, we travelled back to Sapporo. After checking into our lodging that afternoon, we headed to the Sapporo Beer Museum. Since it is a museum, don't expect a factory tour. Instead, it is more of an informative journey through the history of Sapporo beer and how it became one of Japan's best-known beer brands. Of course, no visit to a beer museum would be complete without actually drinking the beer. At the end of the tour, we happily rewarded ourselves with three pints of Sapporo.  But the day was still young, so we decided to make a short trip to Otaru. To be honest, I didn't expect much from Otaru apart from the famous—and perhaps slightly over-hyped—Otaru Canal. But sometimes the places you don't expect much from turn out to be pleasant surprises. While wandering around Otaru, we stumbled upon LeTao, a well-known local confectionery. We tried their cheese crackers and cake, and I have to admit, they were pretty good. Perhaps discovering good food is one of t...

Sometimes Plan A doesn't work out, and you simply have to make the best of Plan B. My Hokkaido trip at the end of May and beginning of June was actually a replacement for my planned Camino de Santiago. I cancelled my Emirates flight because of the uncertainty in the region, and Hokkaido became the alternative. Not a bad Plan B, I must say. With a Hokkaido Week Pass in hand, my route was Sapporo → Hakodate → Furano → Wakkanai → Sapporo. Hokkaido is huge, so one week was definitely not enough. There were many places I had to leave for another trip. First stop: Sapporo. Despite being a major city, Sapporo didn't feel overcrowded. At times, I actually wondered, where are all the tourists? One place not to miss is Odori Park and the iconic Sapporo TV Tower. And then there was the Hokkaido muskmelon. Soft, juicy and very, very sweet. So sweet that you might wonder whether you're eating fruit or dessert. The next day, we took the train to Hakodate—a three-to-four-hour journey. Ri...

Some photos to share from Expo 2025 Osaka (the country pavilions that I managed to visit). There were lots of people, and some pavilions required queuing for hours. The weather was unforgiving too—one day was hot and another day was rainy (I bought a two-day pass for the visit). I only manages to visit eleven country pavilions. Overall, it was fun but tiring.  Photos taken with iPhone 14.

Based on the model itinerary on the Kumano Kodo official website, my trip was supposed to last until Day 4, with a visit to Nachi Falls and its surrounding area on that final day. However, due to some schedule changes with my friend, I needed to return to Osaka by 6 pm on the last day. So, after much thought, I decided to squeeze the Day 4 itinerary into the afternoon of Day 3. As it turned out, the route I took could actually be completed in three days. That meant I could leave for Osaka via an early train from Kii-Katsuura on Day 4. Let’s continue with Day 3. After breakfast, I boarded a bus heading to Shingu and got off at the Michi-no-Eki Kumanogawa bus stop, which is exactly the departure point for the traditional boat ride to Shingu. If river cruising isn’t your thing, you can simply stay on the bus until it reaches Shingu. Along the river, there are a few waterfalls. About halfway through the ride, we made a brief stop at a riverside spot with a white rock believed to be the rem...