July 11, 2011 - East Hokkaido (3-Days)
Itinerary (July 8-10, 2011):
Day 1: Asahikawa - Biei - Furano
Day 2: Asahikawa - Sounkyo - Kitami
Day 3: Kitami - Shiretoko - Abashiri
The first two days were overcast with intermittent sunshine in the late afternoon. Driving-wise, it was certainly doable and very enjoyable.
However, I don't necessarily recommend this itinerary unless you are prepared to drive 2.5 hours to Utoro on the morning of Day 3. Next time I would keep driving down to Teshikaga to catch Lake Mashu in the morning (with an extra day to explore that area, and spend the night in Utoro). Or Abashiri, etc.
Kitami is actually an adorable city - the area around the Comfort Inn Kitami was busy at night with locals/tourists milling around the eating and drinking places.
While I enjoyed driving because I took tons of pictures en route, by the time we arrived in Shiretoko, fog had enshrouded the mountain.
Around 10:30 AM, it began pouring around Oshintoko Falls. White fog clamped down like cotton stuffing beyond Utoro.
My traveling partner enjoyed the "mysterious" setting but I was definitely disappointed.
So, if you don't want to see just a puddle, be sure to arrive early in the morning. Or maybe this is something that dissipates in the latter weeks of July.
On the drive back to Abashiri we stopped by Koshimizu. We were a bit battered by the freezing costal wind. To get this shot I passed the actual Flower Park and parked at a rest area closer to Abashiri.
Hope you enjoy your trip!
