Our luggage had been sent from Hakodate to Asahikawa, our destination in 2 days time, so we were operating out of our smaller bags for a couple of days.

We took a train from Hakodate along the coast to Noboribetsu and then a bus to Noboribetsu Onsen which is a small town full of onsen resort hotels. It had a bit of a ski resort feel to it despite there being no skiing in this area.

When we arrived, we walked to Hell Valley, which is a steaming landscape and the source of the hot water for the onsens in this town. The colours really reminded me of Wyoming.

After that we returned to the hotel and I very much enjoyed the onsen. It was late afternoon and pretty quiet so I had a long soak in the various baths. It’s so peaceful and meditative.

We had a buffet dinner which had lots of seafood including as many crab legs as you could eat!!

I ended the day with another soak in the onsen, something I could definitely get used to!

The following day started with a bus, a train and another bus to Lake Shikotsu, the deepest lake in Hokkaido. There were vast mounds of snow still on the ground, having been cleared into piles. The trees had yet to burst into life after a long winter. It had a bit of a desolate feeling as we travelled, especially as it was quiet too.

We had a canoeing excursion on the lake, we were so fortunate that the lake was calm this afternoon. The next day a storm had blown in and it was decidedly choppy!

Canoeing into the serene lake and marvelling at the landscapes, the surrounding mountains with dustings of snow, was just so idyllic.

It was, however, decidedly cold, and I was grateful for the additional clothes I’d bought in Japan – thanks Uniqlo and Muji!!

We stayed at a ryokan on the lake this evening, with another onsen. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns and have futons and tatami mats in the rooms, and the only bathing and showering facilities are in the onsen. What a good excuse for another long and relaxing soak…

I really enjoyed these couple of days. It felt more off the beaten track than even Aomori or Hakodate, certainly compared to the first half of my Japan travels. It is the off season, so it was very quiet, but that really added to the peaceful ambience. I’ve also discovered that I really like onsens!!

Next, to Asahikawa, the coldest city in Hokkaido…