Bali Hai

The cotton wool clouds, the fine grains of black volcanic sands, the clean sea waters - one can just lie on the beach and while the time away with a tan beneath the balmy tropical sun...

The Volcanic Islets Of Onuma

Ōnuma Park is known for its picturesque, island dotted lakes and majestic dormant volcano, Mount Komagatake. Surrounded by birch and maple forests, a total of 128 small islands can be found in its lakes...

A Journey Over Mountains & Waters

A land of rocky mountains, snaking rivers, steep slopes, deep valleys, and harsh barren terrain. Yet in some places, lush greenery and crystal-clear azure waters abound...

The Bluest Pacific Seas

In the middle of the Pacific Oceans lies an archipelago of islands formed from the fiercest violent volcanoes and made of the browns and greys of cooled lava rocks. The resulting landscape is breathtaking in its purest greens and blues...

Sounkyo's Silver Streams

Bordered by 100-metre cliffs formed by the erosion of tuff, Sounkyo Gorge is situated at the foot of Mount Daisetsuzan - the "roof of Hokkaido", and stretches for 24 kilometres along the Ishikari River...

Susukino's Red Lights

Sunday, July 17, 2011  , , ,  

Sapporo (札幌), Ishikari (石狩)
Hokkaido, Japan
Summer 2011
Susukino (すすきの) is a red-light district located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is one of the major red-light districts in Japan along with Kabukichō, Tokyo, and Nakasu, Fukuoka. Currently, the district is congested with many restaurants, bars, hotels, and adult-entertainment establishments. Susukino is not an official designation of any municipality. Rather, it is a commonly used name for a rough area with uncertain borders.

Susukino is often noted as "薄野" in Kanji, and "ススキノ" in Katakana, and directly translated as "zebra grass field". Various origins for the name Susukino are discussed, but the true origin is not definitely known. One theory is that the area currently known as Susukino was previously covered by Miscanthus Sinensis, literally "zebra grass" ("susuki" in Japanese), a grass native to eastern Asia". Another theory states that the Susukino is named after Tatsuyuki Usui, a supervisor in the construction of the red-light district in Sapporo (Usui is written as "薄井" in Kanji, and the letter "薄" refers to the Susuki in Japanese) .
 
Bright lights, big city, busy junctions...

Many eateries serving a variety of tantalizing cuisine...
(Crab is a specialty here!)

Floor directories for adult entertainment services...
(The directory for these services are different from the dining outlets -
They are more plain and usually do not include brand elements and colours)

These billboards go up sky high!

It's interesting to see how the concept of "beauty" is portrayed here to entice customers inwards...

There are watchers and promoters for the adult services stationed all over town...


A cigarette vending machine located within easy access to all passers-by...

Ramen Yokocho is a narrow alley lined with shops
serving Sapporo's famous ramen in 101 different delicious flavours!
 

Walking human "billboards" which are just so kawaii!

Candy floss is sold in several carts in this district. A friendly pushcart owner gives us a toothy smile...

A bit paradoxical to find a huge religious symbol of the Goddess of Mercy
within walking distance of this district...

A police post is nearby too, with its mini-cars patrolling the district...


The full album is available at:
Susukino's Red Lights

Sources

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    Goryōkaku's Wartime Past

    Sunday, July 17, 2011  , , ,  

    Hakodate (函館), Oshima (渡島) 
    Hokkaido, Japan
    Summer 2011
     
    Fort Goryōkaku (Goryōkaku 五稜郭) is a massive, star-shaped, Western-style citadel, which was built in the last years of the Edo Period for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western powers. Built by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1857-1866, it was located in the center of the port of Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō. 

    Shaped like a five-pointed star, it allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of "blind spots" where a cannon could not fire. In designing Goryokaku, Takeda Ayasaburō, a Rangaku scholar, adopted elements of the designs of the French architect Vauban, who developed fortresses responding to the spread of the use of cannon in warfare. 

    Goryōkaku is famous as the site of the last battle of the Boshin War. On December 9 (lunar calendar October 26), 1868, Ōtori Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizo and their troops entered the fort. A week after Hijikata's death, on June 27 (lunar calendar May 18), 1869, Goryokaku fell to the army of the newly-established Meiji government of Japan, and much of it was reduced to ruin. 

    After the fort had lost its military importance, it was eventually turned into a public park in the 1910s. Over one thousand cherry trees were planted along its moats, making it one of Hokkaido's best cherry blossom spots. It has also been declared a Special Historical Site and is home to the Hakodate city museum. 

    "Special National Historic Site (特别史跡五稜郭跡)"...

    A wall divides the friends from the enemies...


    Many visitors have touched the head of the bronze plaque on Takeda Ayasaburō, 
    the designer of the fort, resulting in a golden sheen...


    The elegant Hakodate Magistrates's Office (函館奉行所)...

    The bark of one the many majestic pine trees that line the fort grounds...

    A lot of empty patches demarcating the original buildings...
    Sunset views of the Goryōkaku Tower (五稜郭タワー) from across the moat...


    An out-of-place American flag from a concert in the fort grounds...


    Kids on bikes discussing some games together...


    A seagull which flew further inland...


    School children visiting the fort...

    The history of the fort...

    Cannons located at the lobby of the Goryōkaku Tower near the souvenirs...


    Goryōkaku Tower (五稜郭タワー) with its similar star-like base support...


    The full album is available at:
    Goryōkaku's Wartime Past

    Sources

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      The Charming Illuminated Butterfly Of Mount Hakodate

      Sunday, July 17, 2011  , , ,  

      Hakodate (函館), Oshima (渡島) 
      Hokkaido, Japan
      Summer 2011

      Mount Hakodate (函館山, Hakodate Yama) is a 334 metre high, wooded mountain at the southern end of the peninsula on which much of central Hakodate is located. On clear days and nights, it allows an unblocked view of the city and the Tsugaru Strait. The spectacular view of the fan-shaped "illuminated butterfly" has been included among Japan's three best night views alongside the views from Nagasaki's Mount Inasa and Kobe's Mount Rokko.

      Well-known for its seafood and sushi, especially its squid, it is said that the bright lights from the illuminated butterfly attracts squids to the nearby waiting nets of the fisherman.

      Awaiting the ropeway cable car at the base station...

      A mystical feeling as we ascend into the clouds...
        
      Imagine our utter disappointment as the view was completely obscured by clouds right at the top...
       Our guide told us, it's possible that on some nights, the clouds will part for some fortunate visitors.
      So we waited...

      Then slowly, bit by bit, as if by magic, the clouds drifted away - and the butterfly appeared.
      And, like the squids, we were totally charmed by the beauty of the lights... 
       
       




      The full album is available at:
      The Charming Illuminated Butterfly Of Mount Hakodate

      Sources

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      Lake Tōya's Spellbinding Sunrises & Summer Fireworks

      Saturday, July 16, 2011  , , ,  

      Shikotsu-Tōya National Park (支笏洞爺国立公園), Abuta (虻田)
      Iburi, Hokkaido, Japan
      Summer 2011

      Located in the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park, in Abuta District, Lake Tōya (洞爺湖 Tōyako) is a volcanic caldera lake. It is one of Hokkaido's three most impressive landscapes.

      In 1910, as a result of the volcanic activity of Mount Yosomi - one of Mount Usu's parasitic cones, hot springs started to well out of the earth and onsen (hot springs) started to open up for business as far back as 1917.

      The stratovolcano of Mount Usu lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 kilometers in diameter from east-west and 9 kilometers from North-South. The lake's biggest town, Tōyako Onsen (洞爺湖温泉) is located on its western shore. The town Tōyako is located on the other side of the lake.

      Every year 3 million visitors come to the area to see and the active volcanoes and visit the activity centres which are set against the backdrop of Mount Yotei - Hokkaido's very own Mount Fuji.
         
      The majestic view from the viewing platform...


         
      Charming little outhouses with a wigwam... 
        
      A fisherman whiles his time away in a soothing sunset...
       
        
      Dazzling fireworks - Such is the charm of watching fireworks after dinner dressed in a yukata by the lakeside...
        
      The sun rises at 4am here. The amazing view from our window and the spellbinding colours of the Tōya sunrise...

       


      Sources

      • "Toyako Onsen" (16 April 2012). Toyako Onsen Tourist Association. Retrieved from http://www.laketoya.com/en/sight.html (Expired as of 2014).
      • "Lake Tōya" (16 April 2012). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_T%C5%8Dya.

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      Sounkyo's Silver Streams

      Saturday, July 16, 2011  , , , ,  

      Sounkyo Gorge (層雲峡)
      Daisetsuzan National Park (大雪山国立公園)
      Kamikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
      Summer 2011

      The Sounkyo Gorge is situated at the foot of Mount Daisetsuzan, which is called the "roof of Hokkaido". The giant gorge, bordered by 100-metre cliffs formed by the erosion of tuff, stretches for 24 kilometres along the Ishikari River and forms the centre of the Daisetsuzan National Park.

      Of the many waterfalls which grace this canyon, there are two of distinction: 1) the "Ginga no Taki" (Milky Way Falls), where the water falls so thin and sleekly it is like a delicate white thread, and 2) "Ryuusei no Taki" (Shooting Star Falls), where it comes down thick and powerfully. Nicknamed "Onnadaki" (lady falls) and "Otokodaki" (gentleman falls), they are in the top hundred waterfalls in Japan in terms of beauty.



      The full album is available at:
      Sounkyo's Silver Streams


      Sources

      • "Soun-kyo Gorge" (16 April 2012). Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Retrieved from http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hokkaido/souunnkyou.html. (Expired as of 2014)
         
      • "View Spot" (16 April 2012). Sounkyo Tourist Association. Retrieved from http://www.sounkyo.net/english/spot/index.html. (Expired as of 2014)

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