Back from Hokkaido

Returned from Hokkaido yesterday feeling completely knackered, and completely disappointed that I had to return to Tokyo. Usually, a person would feel a sense of relief after returning from a busy holiday, especially after a non-luxurious holiday i.e. no electricity, zero showers, hard ground for a bed, little privacy [for the only gal among guys] and not a toilet in sight, but I felt unbelievably discontented when I stepped into my apartment, I just did not want to come back. I'm not ashamed to admit that I felt pretty emotional when my plane lifted off to transport me back to Tokyo. It felt strangely sad to be by myself, I miss being together with the guys, sleeping in the tent together, hiking together, witnessing marvels together, cooking and eating around the camp fire together, sharing the chores, helping each other out, learning together, with loads of laughing, joking around and companionable silence. The bonds I formed with these people who I normally wouldn't hang out with, and the acceptance of each other, habits and all, is an amazing feeling. This trek in Hokkaido was seriously that good.

The trek was not easy, I came out of it with numerous bruises, blisters, bug bites, hip discomfort from the backpack, back aches from sleeping on the ground and enough accumulation of muscular pain to make my knees start to give in on the last day. Hiking in HK, hiking in Okutama, is nothing compared to hiking in Hokkaido, especially with 20 kilos on your back and with perhaps some rain and wind hammering down on you. Hokkaido is known to have some of the hardest hiking conditions in Japan. My perspective towards hiking (and life) has changed, Okutama is too damn tame. There were obstacles that I had to psychologically overcome. Going down dry loose gravel was never my strong point, nor was jumping off boulders 1-2 metres apart with nothing in between but rocks a few metres below to break my fall... if I did happen to fall... with perhaps a cliff or some kind of huge drop on the side. The guide was amazing, I would put my life in his hands without a thought. He taught us how to set up camp, how to hike up snow, and how to survive in the mountains. I've nothing but praise for the guy, he's patient with us camping dummies, full of advice, and really goes out of his way to help us overcome any weaknesses we have in the way we hike. This was definitely a life-changing experience for me, and without a doubt, the absolutely best time I've had in Japan so far. In fact, I plan to join this trek again next Summer. Seems like I'm a sucker for pain.

6/8
I arrived in Sapporo after a sleepless night at the airport. The tour guide was scheduled to pick me up in the evening, so I did a little exploring.... and I can seriously tell you that there is absolutely nothing worth seeing in Sapporo, except the food, the food is top-notch. The "chocolate factory" was a complete disappointment, and while I was at it, I visited one of Japan's most disappointing landmarks which is the Sapporo Clock Tower. The jingisukan (lamb barbecue) with a Classic beer at the Sapporo Factory Beer Garden cheered me up though. Although, for some strange reason, they placed my lonesome at a 6-person table when they had plenty of smaller tables around... so there I was, alone, cooking a lamb barby, downing beer, and taking photos as I did, at a table big enough to fit another half a dozen people. Nothing wrong with a girl eating alone in the West, but here, the waiters burst out laughing round the back, and people were pointing and saying, "Sabishii ne," which means "that's kinda lonely isn't it". Whatever, they're just not brave enough to walk in a restaurant and dine alone. A boy at the next table said, "Kakkoi," which means "cool," well at least the boy knows class when he sees it ;)

Anyway, got picked up by the guide in the evening and met my other two camping companions which happened to be two guys, one from Singapore and the other from the States.

7/8: Day 1
After a night at the guide's, we travelled to Asahidake Onsen, the starting point of the trek. We hiked up Mount Asahidake (2290m) which is the highest peak in Hokkaido, before hiking down 500m of loose gravel and snow to reach our first camping ground.

8/8: Day 2
We hiked to Hakuun-dake (2230m) where we set up camp. I did a side trip to Midori-dake (2020m).

9/8: Day 3
We hiked about 7km, and spent the night at out first mountain hut. After a couple of days without a proper bath, the guide and I decided to hit the natural pools. The water is fresh off the snow at 5 degrees C. He jumped in twice, and I was the winner with 3 jumps... it does get pretty addictive. My other companions wimped out.

10/8: Day 4-6
A storm was beginning to brew. It ended up delaying us for a further 2 nights. Winds were blowing at around 50mph. Our guide decided against taking us across the boulders. Strong winds, inexperience with boulders, especially weighted down with our backpacks was not a good combination.

13/8: Day 7
The weather clears and we hike to Mount Tomuraushiyama (2141m) where we camped for the very last time.

14/8: Day 8
We entered bear territory and hiked for 12km to reach Tomuraushi Onsen where we spent our last night. There weren't many lady hikers there, so at times, I had the whole hot spring to myself. I lost 4kg from the trek, the Singaporean - 7kg, the American - 3kg, and the guide - 9kg. When I got back from Hokkaido, and had a health check, my resting heart rate was 52bpm. Wanna condition your body in a week? Go trekking.

15/8: Day 9
We bought some nice seafood for a barbecue at the guide's at Shintoku (which ironically happens to be a town miles from the sea), and rode in the baggage compartment of the train to finally reach Sapporo. The evening ended with a Japanese barbecue and karaoke at a local bar.

16/8: Day 10
Returned to Tokyo.