Travel plans/Winter 2025

Friday 2025/02/14

Ideas for Kawaguchiko:

• Onsen guide

• Hotel Mifujien: [1] "This aging hotel is the only one of the ryokan and hotels along Lake Kawaguchiko's northeastern shore which opens its baths to non-staying guests during the day. Its gender separated bathing facilities have seen better days, but the views of Mount Fuji are quite nice." Seems it's open to non-guests at 1pm but [TODO] we should call to confirm.
  • ~2k walk (should be <30m) or we can take the tourist bus which comes ever 15m and costs ¥230
• Onsen "This new facility is run by and located next to Fuji Q Highland. Its baths are a modern take on traditional wooden bathhouses with both indoor and outdoor baths for each gender. Unfortunately, the baths do not face Mount Fuji, but there is a good view of the mountain from the restaurant."
  • access page
  • Get there with free shuttle bus that comes every hour or so at :52 from Kawaguchiko station or go to Fuji-Q-Highlands stop and walk from there. It's not so bad from there.
  • Maybe take direct bus back? This page has description: https://www.fujiyamaonsen.jp/en/access.html#sect02 [2] [3] Seems like the likely options are ~13:30, ~15:30 (every two hours) direct from Highlights.

Dinner in Tokyo:

• Kome Kome maybe for drinks early? Template:DONE call for reservations
• Then maybe the curry place? [TODO] call for reservations

Saturday 2025/02/15

• Okada Garlic
  • Template:DONE get reservations?

Sunday 2025/02/16

• train to Yokohama Kahala
• run before dinner
• Azur:Fancy French restaurant in Yokohama w/ vegan dinner menu (¥12000): https://www.icyokohama-grand.com/data/restaurant/en/2/restaurant_menu08.pdf?20250102075538

Ideas:

• Yokohama Bay Brewing
• Doria
• Chinese food?

Monday 2025/02/17

• train to Tokyo
• run
• ? JR pass for Mako?
• ? JR pass for Mika?
• ? Dinner

Hokkaido trip

Tuesday 2025/02/18

Mika class at 7AM

• travel: fly to Hokkaido. Depart at 15:30 (HND) and arrive at 17:00 (CTS)
• stay (Sapporo): Sapporo Hotel Gracery Sapporo (RESERVED)
• eat:
• fun:

Wednesday 2025/02/19

• travel: train from Sapporo to Obihiro
  • Tokachi line: Sapporo station to Obihiro station 167 mins (no transfer)

• stay (Obihiro): APA hotel Obihiro Ekimae

• eat:

• fun: Samurai Produce will pick us up at 4:30AM (2/20). We'll be back around 11:30AM, so we should check out at 4:30AM. Bring cash.

Thusday 2025/02/20

• 4:30-11:00AM: do jewlery ice (samauraiproduce https://digjapan.travel/en/blog/id=11862) (RESERVED)
• travel:

Option 1: Obihiro （帯広）to Shiretokoshari (知床斜里）station by Ozora line (おおぞら線）to Kushiro + Senmou honsen (釧網本線). Total time including a transfer is 4:43.

Option 2: Obihiro （帯広）to Abashiri （網走）by Ozora line (おおぞら線）to Kushiro + Senmou honsen (釧網本線). Total time including a transfer is 5:32.

Either way, we should stop at Kayanuma station, where we may be able to see tancho cranes. It's a tiny town with an unattended station. Oji Coffee in town seems nice, so if we don't see cranes, we can wait for the next train there. It's 1:51 to Shiretoko Shari. There's also a cottage.

(For future reference, there's an SL train that runs from Kushiro to Shibecha on weekends but it's all booked for our travel dates.)

• stay (Shiretokoshari or somewhere neaby): [TODO] hotel

if Shiretokoshari

Hotel Both

Yumotokan

• fun:

Tancho Crane at Kayanuma station

アトサヌプリ Atosanupuri - hike up to the mouth of the volcano. Get off at Kawayuonsen Stataion. It's a 25 minute walk from the station.

Drift ice walk seems less likely

Friday 2025/02/21

• travel: Shiretokoshair to Abashiri (unless we skipped Shiretoko the day before)
• stay (Abashiri): [TODO] hotel: need good wifi and late checkout

Dormy Inn Abashiri Natural Hot Spring ドーミーイン網走 late checkout at noon

• eat:
• fun:

Shiretoko tour

maybe do drift ice walking

• overnight plans 2/21-22

Mika Academic retreat zoom call from 23:00-02:45.

Mako 2/22 4-10:30AM work

Saturday 2025/02/22

Mako work until 10:30AM.

• do: day in abashiri
• travel: Abashiri to Asahikawa (5 hours, leaving at 9:30pm)
• stay (Asahikawa): [TODO] hotel
• eat:
• fun:

Sunday 2025/02/23

• do: day in Asahikawa
• travel: Asahikawa to Sapporo
• stay (Sapporo): Air Terminal Hotel (reserved?)

Monday 2025/02/24

• flight back at 7:45AM-9:25AM CTS-HND
• M to Seattle at 8:25PM departure HND-SEA