August 19, 2023 Saturday morning is sunny and the cicadas are beginning to sing. Typhoon No. 7 has passed and the Japanese archipelago is once again reminding us of the intense heat (lol). Typhoon No. 6 and No. 7 had a great impact on the transportation system, especially in western Japan. Combined with the timing of the regulation, it made it difficult for many people to move around. Fortunately, Tamagosei was not affected by the typhoon and was able to travel long distances.
Today, I am going to visit my grandparents’ graves, which I had planned to do by renting a motorcycle. My grandfather passed away while I was in the middle of my college entrance examination, so I have passed through time first. My grandmother passed away in September 2021 at the age of 103, as previously mentioned in this blog. (link at the bottom).
In fact, just recently, my grandmother appeared in my dream (this may be the first time I have ever dreamed of her). She had a dazzling, divine atmosphere and a sparkling smile. It was a very good impression. I told my wife about it, and as a conclusion of that conversation, we decided to go visit her grave, which brings us to today. This is the first visit since my grandmother was buried.
It is going to be 35 degrees Celsius, so I will be touring with lots of frozen barley tea. I’ll post more details later, but I’m a little nervous because I’m renting my first DAX125 from Honda Dream. I am a little nervous because it is my first time to rent a DAX125 with gears (auto gear).
Let’s get down to business.
This is a drive to Lake Toya where we went last week. This one is by car.
We finished breakfast early, loaded up drinks, bananas, and rusks, and left at 5:10 am. Since it was a long trip, we set up the ETC card and secured drinks.
We continued winding our way through Hokkaido’s typical roads. We were going to get on the highway, but we decided to go on and on and on…. Traffic was limited (it’s a different world from the city), and even with one lane in each direction, there was no traffic jam, and we were able to enjoy the scenery along the ocean as we drove.
When I was driving for work, I have many relatively painful memories, but the road I drive on as a mere leisure activity without any restrictions is the same road, but I feel lighter. When my children were in elementary school, I often recall memories of taking them on vacation and taking them on excursions.
We took a wrong turn once in Nagamabe and had to go back a little, but the damage was minor and we only lost about 10 minutes. If the road is too simple, you can still make mistakes (‘;’)
When you get to Toyoura, there are ups and downs. Toyoura is the hometown of former boxer Naito. It is a scenic area by the sea with an abundance of scallops and other seafood. I used to pass through here all the time to get to Sapporo.
In the end, I arrived at my destination by taking only one downhill road instead of taking the expressway. It took us about 3 hours and 150 km.
We arrived at the shore of Lake Toya at 8:10 am. We parked the car in the parking lot and started teleworking. The tethering worked well, and I started by checking my e-mail. This is a so-called workstation.
久しぶりのキックが行われた場所
ワーケイションの現場風景I was in the car, but it was quite hot even at 8:00 in the morning! It was not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner, so I opened the window and the door a little to let a cool breeze in. （The sun was shining, however, so we covered the front window with a shade to prevent direct sunlight from coming in.
The first work session went well and we were able to finish our work after 10:00 a.m. without any problems. From here on, it is time annual vacation. I would like to enjoy Lake Toya to the fullest.
The parking space was near a café and gelato store, but there were many tourists. I had the impression that there were many foreigners.
When I got out of the car and went to the grass, I found a girl playing soccer. The ball was coming toward me, so I quickly kicked it back. The girl thanked me. It has been a long time since I kicked a soccer ball! But I can always get my foot out of my mouth.
We drove to the water station located on the east side of Lake Toya. The weather continues to be good and the temperature has already risen quite a bit. We parked the car at the parking lot of the water station and walked along the lakeside.
People, dogs, and families are enjoying playing in the water. Families are enjoying playing in the water. I felt myself dipping my feet in the water to feel the lakeside. The water is not so cold due to the heat, and I continue to bathe in the water below my knees.
I went ashore, stopped by the restroom, took pictures of the scenery with my phone, and enjoyed walking along the lakeside.
Returning to the water station, I bought a glass of cold apple juice at paypay. It quenches my thirst.
After that, we circled around the lakeside and enjoyed the scenery and air. Enjoying the good air and scenery, I felt that my daily stress was healed. I will come back next year.
It continues to be hot, but the scenery and the air are really pleasant. I can directly feel the vibrations of this land without air conditioner.
The tour of Lake Toya started well after our first vacation in good weather. 3 hours on the road, I had an accident kicking a soccer ball for the first time in a long time? After a three-hour journey and an accident in which I kicked a soccer ball for the first time in a long time (see the previous article), the healing tour of Lake Toya began.
We rounded the lake (about 36 km) and arrived at the center of the hot spring resort area around noon. The area around the lake was dotted with campgrounds, glamping facilities, villas, and cafes. There were a few bicyclists, motorcycle riders, and people walking around, but unlike in the city, there were only a few of them. It is nice to have a low population density ^^)
The center of the city was somewhat crowded with tourists. (It is not crowded, but you can feel people in the restaurants and Wakasaimo (wakasaimo) stores.
It is very crowded for this area, but I guess it is quite quiet in off-season. When you want to concentrate on something, it might be good to stay in such a place.
The direct motivation to come to Lake Toya after a long absence was television. I was watching a long-running TV program called “Paradise of Life” (broadcast every Saturday from 18:00 in Kanto and Hokkaido) that has been on since the 1990s, and I was inspired by a broadcast of two good friends who run an Italian restaurant in Lake Toya.
Unfortunately, the Italian restaurant featured in the broadcast was closed on weekdays, so we decided to have lunch at another restaurant.
We looked at several restaurants, including a curry store and a set meal restaurant, but the soba restaurant was full and people were lined up outside the restaurant, which was unusual for this area.
We decided to go into a coffee shop that we searched for on our phones.
The signature item was a baked curry doria, but we gave it up because of the heat. There were two of us sitting at a table, but a foreigner of Southeast Asian descent, who had been sitting with us since the middle of the meal, was eating a hot baked curry doria. The other foreigners were eating hot baked curry doria and Neapolitan. They are probably from a tropical country and may be tolerant of the heat.
冷製トマトパスタThe coffee shop, where classic cars and miscellaneous goods were on display, was quite crowded.
There were children of a foreign family who were suffering from the heat sitting nearby.
I ended up eating a cool cold tomato pasta. The thin noodles were firm and different from somen noodles (laugh). The tomatoes were a nice touch, as Toya is known for its delicious vegetables.
After the meal, we returned to the water station to buy vegetables. We bought tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers, radishes, and tokimimi (corn), and headed home.
On the way home, we took it easy on the way down and stopped in Yakumo, reminiscing about the times we had stopped there for work or for a family vacation. I went to “YOU-Yu-Mori,” a roadside station in Mori Town, and bought ikameshi (squid rice) and went home.
The fuel consumption was an amazing 26 km/liter on high-octane gasoline! And that’s only on ordinary roads. It is not a hybrid car, but a normal gasoline car.
The mileage is 12 to 3km when driving just for shopping in the city, so it is so much better when driving in Hokkaido over a long distance.
I was able to sleep well and had no signs of fatigue the next day even though I drove nearly 400 km on a one-day trip because I used the cruise control a lot and it made driving easy.
It has been a while since I have had a chance to drive for work (I have only had a few chances to drive in the past year), and I feel that this has given me a new option to drive for refreshment on my days off.
When I was driving every day, I think driving on my days off was more often stressful.
Next year, when I visit Lake Toya, I would like to go with my family. I would like to come back next year to enjoy the scenery and air of Hokkaido and have my daily stress healed.
I am glad that I have one more thing to look forward to in the summer. I would like to directly feel the vibrations of this truly pleasant place and be energized.
