insights from frontier Japan

Company executive Kurokawa in the town of Rishirifuji on Rishiri Island off of Northern Hokkaido is installing a live streaming cameras at tourist spots and areas of interest, and streaming video in real time through a video posting website (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1PQJKoJfZcfAcYlOh8sKA/videos). His aim is to promote the attractiveness of the island to people who cannot visit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The beauty of scenery in Rishiri that changes with the hours of the day, especially sunrise and sunset, is capturing the hearts of viewers.

The winning entries in the ‘Scenic Byway Hokkaido: Dohoku (northern Hokkaido) Route Collaboration Photo Contest 2021’ have been determined. The Grand Prix, the highest award, went to Maeda Kenichi from the town of Toyotomi, for his ‘inverted Fuji in early spring’ (taken in Toyotomi).

Socks produced by Watanabe Yuki, manager of Tanakaya Hinageshi-kan, a ryokan (Japanese-style inn) in the town of Rishirifuji on Rishiri Island in northern Hokkaido, are proving popular, as 2,000 pairs a year have been sold, even amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Sold under the name of ‘Mt. Rishiri trekking socks,’ they are popular among tourists and climbers due to a design that resembles the summit of Mt. Rishiri.

I headed home after a photo shoot in the foothills of Mt. Tokachidake. After taking a detour to the nearby Shirogane Hot Springs, while on the way to central Biei in the Kamikawa region, on a whim I took a left turn towards Kamifurano. As I was passing by Shirogane Dam, the scenery of a yellow-leaved forest lit by the afternoon sun caught my eye. Making sure not obstruct the traffic, I set up my tripod and took a few photos.

On October 7 in Hokkaido, sky-level cold air inflow led to the coldest temperatures yet for this season across a wide range of locations. As part of this chill, the summit area of the Tokachidake Mountain Range was crowned with snow. Gazing downwards at the summit from an aerial vantage point, the snow-covered Tokachidake Mountain Range ridge shone pure white.

On October 3, a light covering of snow formed on the summit of Hokkaido’s highest peak – Mt. Asahidake in the Taisetsu Mountain Range in the Kamikawa region of central Hokkaido – creating a landscape that signals the arrival of winter. However, it was not officially recorded as the first snowfall of the season, as the snow could not be confirmed visually from the Asahikawa Local Meteorological Office in the city of Asahikawa.

The autumn foliage has reached its peak around Taisetsu Kogen Onsen in Sounkyo in the town of Kamikawa in northern Hokkaido. The red rowan and yellow butterfly maple (acer tschonoskii) leaves created beautiful patterns amid the sunlight during the fine weather on September 25.

To escape the midsummer heat, I climbed up to the base of the approximately one thousand-meter tall Mt. Tokachidake. There, along the steep scree slope with small and large rocks piled atop each other, I heard a high pitched "Eeep! Eeep!" cry and saw the approximately 15 centimeter long body of a pika.

The full bloom season has arrived for flowers all along the Taisetsu Mountain Range. The path from the Ginsendai trailhead in the Northern Hokkaido Kamikawa region town of Kamikawa to Mt. Hakuundake (2,230 meters high) is an alpine plant trail ascending through the heavens, and is lavishly populated by the indigenous and rare plants that grow wild in the area. Amidst the beautiful weather of July 17, many mountain hikers visited the trail.