The program today promised adventure canoeing Lake Kussharo, which is the moat lake of the Kussharo caldera. The caldera formed in response to a Plinian eruption 100,000 years ago, and after its collapse a resurgent dome formed that lifted the central and northwestern portions of the caldera floor, thus leading to formation of a moat along the south, southeast, and east of the caldera floor. It is very large lake, and we only went a few hundred meters on it before turning around and heading for the outlet and headwaters of the Kushiro River.
We had retained the services of four guides, who provided all the gear and pretty much could do all of the work. We tried to help with the paddling, but with friendly comments my guide made it pretty clear that I was just messing up his control of the canoe, so I just relaxed and enjoyed them float down this very scenic river. The Japanese are fascinated by their ability to control nature, so in Honshu it is unusual to find an unmodified river; but we are in Hokkaido, where the environment is less straightjacketed into submission. The Kushiro could not be called a wild river because there are very few rapids, but it is green and peaceful, so I had a great time.
We canoed for about 8 km. Had we gone for another 3 days and 80 km we could reach the Kushiro Wetlands, but we had already seen the wetlands so we passed on the experience.
Lunch was at a nearby town, where this older man ran the restaurant single-handed, being cook, waiter, and everything else. Needless to say lunch took forever, and I had the chance to go to the post office to buy stamps to send a postcard to Ronnie. The postmaster was delighted at having a foreign client, so not only did he give excellent service, but also made me a present of two packs of tissues and two blank postcards. Traveling through Japan is such a gentle and easy experience.
After lunch we drove for a couple of hours to the northeast of the island, and for the first time in my life I was able to gaze over the Sea of Okhtosk, which faces the Kurile Islands. This sea gets chocked with icebergs in early spring, but by now it is as limpid as a sweet summer morning. Our plan was to do a preliminary hike in the Shiretoko National Park, just to stretch our legs. From the Visitors’ Center we walked an easy couple of kilometers to the edge of a volcanic plateau that overlooks the sea and forms a cliff maybe a 100 m in height. The best part of the cliff is formed by a massive basaltic lava flow, which in turn is overlain by a breccia unit, out of which seeps a waterfall of groundwater that cascades to the sea (locally called the Furepe Waterfall, very reminiscent of Burney Falls in California). It was a lovely walk where we saw many deer and were continuously spooked by the potential of meeting an Asian Brown Bear.
Our hotel has a lovely view over the sea, and we had yet another fabulous Japanese meal before enjoying an awe inspiring sunset and heading up to our beds. Actually, this is our first encounter with a Japanese style hotel (a luxury hotel, mind you), where the floor is covered by tatamis, and the bed is a futon that was set on each of our rooms while we were at dinner. I think I will sleep quite soundly tonight.
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