MAP../KANcycling/Map.html../KANcycling/Map.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0

I tend to go to Hakuba in the spring, in late April or early May, when there is still snow on those magnificent mountains. If you hit it just right, the cherry blossoms pop right as you get there and the views are even better. And occasionally along the way you happen upon a field of tulips like this one (undoubtedly grown for shipment to flower shops in other parts of the country).

Alternativeshttp://www.kancycling.com/Hokkaido_Okhotsk/Hokkaido_Okhotsk_Alternatives.htmlhttp://www.kancycling.com/Hokkaido_Okhotsk/Hokkaido_Okhotsk_Alternatives.htmlshapeimage_13_link_0
Story & PhotosHakuba_Story_%26_Photos.htmlHakuba_Story_%26_Photos.htmlshapeimage_14_link_0
AlternativesHakuba_Alternatives.htmlHakuba_Alternatives.htmlshapeimage_15_link_0
RouteHakuba_Route.htmlHakuba_Route.htmlshapeimage_16_link_0
HAKUBAHakuba.htmlHakuba.htmlshapeimage_17_link_0

This bit of seacoast is famous for shinkirou (mirages) -- there’s even a tourist attraction named “mirageland” shown on the map! Years ago on my first trip along this coast, I saw what looked to be the same row of cameramen waiting in this same spot for a shot at a photo. A sign here says that there are two seasons for mirages, spring to early summer and winter, and that each has a different mechanism that produces the mirages and that therefore the mirages themselves are different. Unfortunately, (and needless to say), the distance I had to travel was no illusion, so I had no time to sit and wait for one.

Nuts & BoltsHakuba_Nuts_%26_Bolts.htmlHakuba_Nuts_%26_Bolts.htmlshapeimage_18_link_0