Islanders

A boatride did change my life. To be honest without that particular boatride i would have never met Su Young and i would have never been on this trip to my marriage. Since that boatride, i love to take all kind of boats and ferries to get somewhere. Glazing over the sea to the far horizon calms me down and sets my mind free.

The horizon i got to see the last 24 hours is just 100 meter near me and Japan is covered under one big wet foggy blanket. A bit disappointing because i have choosen a ferry from Tokyo to Sapporo to get to the big northen island of Japan, Hokaido, just to see the shoreline of Japan .

It is rainsaison in Japan, but according to the Lonely planet Hokaido has less rainfall then the rest of Japan. The climate is from freezing cold (maincity Saporro hosted in 1972 the winter omlympics) to sunny summers in july. It got mountains, extinct vulcanoes, lakes, little islands and a wonderfull coastal shore. I am from an island, Dordrecht is surrounded by rivers. the only way to get off is by bridge, tunnel or boat. Maybe that why i am attracked to islands but also shorelines. So thats why i found myself, 12 hours after the ferry, in a bus six hours along the coastline of Hokaido to Wakkanai, the most northen city of Japan.

Half asleep, half awake i pass by rice fields and wetlands. I see a small rock in the sea full with big birds, which i dont regonize. But from a distance it looks like a bunch of people on a sinking ship, trying to save the ship. Wakkanai is a typical fishersmen village, fresh fish you can get early in the mourning, but late in the afternoon the village goes to sleep. I get a bike in Wakkanai and drive along rusty boats, empty fishnets, and desolate buildings. The smell of fish is everywhere. From Wakkainai the ferry leaves to and to Rebun To, a small island which is a protected nature area.

This time a two hour ferry trip takes me to the flower island again i am disapointed because the island is covered in the fog. It is if i am going to the island of King Kong. Next to rebun-to, there is Rishibi, a mount Fuji look a like that rises from the sea. Although the postcards are perfect i see just a dark shadow hanging above the sea. The rain makes the island dark and gloomy. The flowers where this island is famous for, even shelter for the rain. The coastline looks angry and moody. The fog is coming friom the hilltops down to the small villages. Although this view is asthonishing, the next day hike of 30km has to be canceled after 10km due the wheater. It is to dangerous to go further loud thunder and storm above the greenfield, makes the trip only 3,5 hours long instead of the estimated 10hour. I am dissapointred i couldnt finish the hike.

At the last stop, i am hiding at in a little wooden busstop. It seems to be the shelter for the night of a 19 year old boy, who is cycling around Hokaido. I show him some pictures i took that day. In a flash he sees a picture of Su Young. Beautifull, very beautiful too, he remarks while pointing at her. My girlfirend i tell him, i am getting married to her very soon. I don`t know if he understands me, he doesn`t speak much english. Very beautiful, than he makes a sad faces and cintinues., me no girlfriend, i want. I laugh, give a pet on his baseballhat and give him they advice to get a car, girls dont like bikes! A few minutes later it get really crowed in the busstop, other hikers are hiding for the rain. I joked to the bikerider that he should make dinenr for all the guests that arrived in his house. When the stories goes around that the boy is on a low budget travel through　Japan, everbody gives there lunch leftovers. The boy ends up with a lot of riceballs, chocolate and sweets.

The next day the rain is gone, but the fog still covers the mountaintops. I decided to do hikecourse called 'flowerroad'　and a little bit of the 'forresttrack' to see some of the edelweis that still grows here. When i get of the bus at the start of the floweroad, an old lady ask me in japanese where i go to. So i show her the track i want to hide. She looks up the mountain and shakes her head and probably calls me mad or so. She looks at me again and mummble more japanese while still shaking her head. To be honest the flowerroad track isn't that difficult, so i am wondering why she is kind of upset. The japanse lady makes an gesture if i have enough food. I nod while pointing at my bag. I see her dissapear in the village while looking back at me and still shaking her head. I am wondering what hell i am walking too.

After half an hour you can ask me why i did get up here. There isn't any view, and the wind blows me almost of the mountain top. I think not so many people will experience this and take pictures with nothing on it. I think it is great up here! Later on the forestroad track, i meet two old ladies, who are walking so fast if the devil is on there heels. They ask me if i have seen the edelweis flower. They have been walking so fast they have missed it completely. I point them out and they returned backwards, almost running. I see them past the flowers again without looking. So i run to them shout here is the flower. But they don't have time, speedwalking further, while shouting back: yes many small flowers.........and those small flowers are the reason why people come here.

In the morning on the ferry and somewhere in the back the coastline of Japan

Wakkanai by bike


wakkanai

wakkanai

rebun-to covered in fog


I am dissapointed i am not allowed to finish the 8hours hike, due to the wheater

Making new friends in the busstop hide out

the lovely view on flowerroad


'many little flowers' even here they call them edelweis

The hostel where i stayed in is quite a different story. The whole evening loud singing and dancing. These energetic people seem never to quit. When i arrived i got a welcome shout by a bunch of people. and when i left they sing a goodbye song and shouted goodbye. I still could hear them when i was 100meter away and out of their sight.

and they go on untill the ferry finally has left the harbour