Category: 旅のしおり_COLO’s Traveler Guide

In February, I visited Taiwan as a tour guide for my family trip. Even though the guide work ended up taking only about a half of the entire trip, I deserved a little reward for myself. Since I had already taken time off at work to go to Taiwan, I figured I should plan one-night weekend getaway.

For a Japanese person, a hot spring (“onsen” in Japanese) is the perfect way to treat yourself. With only two days, it is tempting to go somewhere nearby, but I believe travel is all about seeking an escape from the everyday. I wanted to go somewhere far away.

There is an onsen called Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen on the JR Gono Line in Aomori Prefecture. It is an inn famous for its seaside open-air baths, and I love the quality of the spring water – it is salty and has a little oil floating on top. Since the Onsen is not crowded in winter, I decided to revisit there.

The number of miles required for a Japan Airlines award ticket fluctuates based on demand. On the other hand, as long as I have enough miles, it is easier to make a reservation. For this trip, I planned to fly to Aomori Airport then take a bus to Hirosaki to catch the Gono Line. On the second day, I planned to take the Gono Line Rapid Service to Shin-Aomori, then take the Shinkansen to Hakodate for a sushi restaurant. From there, I would just take the last flight from Hakodate Airport back to Tokyo. It was just a combination of places I had visited several times before, so I thought there was not much to think about.

I had been constantly changing my travel plans in Taiwan. Since this was a trip rewarding myself after the Taiwan trip, it was probably better if it was not too novel.

When I boarded Hokkaido Shinkansen at Shin-Aomori, it turned out to be a train that stopped at every station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. It came to my mind that just going all the way to Hakodate might not be very interesting. Man is a thinking reed. I found myself thinking that it might be a time to think about something.

Once I get like this, I cannot stop myself.

I got an idea of taking “Donan Isaribi Railway (South Hokkaido Railway)” from Kikonai Station to Hakodate Station. I checked the timetable on the Shinkansen and found a train with good connection. Upon the train arriving at Hakodate Station, I would take a bus to the sushi restaurant and arrive right on time for my reservation. Even though it meant wasting a part of the Shinkansen fare, I decided to get off at Kikonai Station. I made that decision just one minute before the Shinkansen arrived at Kikonai.

The Donan Isaribi Railway was a local railroad. I boarded an old Japan National Railway (JNR)-style diesel train, the kind that even JR Hokkaido probably does not use anymore. Even more, a train passed at an intermediate station was painted in JNR’s vermilion color, adding even more charm to the experience.

True to its name, which includes “Isaribi (meaning fishing lights),” I was able to enjoy a leisurely journey on the Donan Isaribi Railway while gazing out at the sea of southern Hokkaido. I regret not buying a beer beforehand even though I had a little time to kill before the train departure.

By shifting my perspective just a little, I made a new discovery. Just because it was a reward trip to myself, I should not make it by inertia. After all, man is a thinking reed.

COLO’s Traveler Guide: Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen & Hakodate

The times listed are based on the schedule at the time of my visit.

Day 1

Tokyo Haneda 07:15 (JAL141) > Aomori 08:35
Aomori Airport 09:00 (Konan Bus) > Hirosaki Station 09:54
Hirosaki 10:21 (JR Gono Line) > Fukaura 12:44

Lunch: Sailing

Fukaura 14:42 (JR Gono Line) > WeSpa Tsubakiyama 14:57

Accommodation: Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen

Day 2

WeSpa Tsubakiyama 10:38 (Resort Shirakami 1) > Shin-Aomori 13:27
New Aomori 13:59 (Hayabusa 17) > Kikonai 14:49
Kikonai 15:19 (Donan Isaribi Railway) > Hakodate 16:22

Dinner: Kihara

Hakodate 19:30 (JAL588) > Tokyo Haneda 21:00

I visited Hong Hong for the New Year’s holiday. Because it was the dry season, the weather was perfect. I had a really wonderful time enjoying dim sum and bars. That said, I do believe winter is a time to enjoy the cold, so I would like to visit a snowy region.

Last year, I skipped the snowshoe trekking at Goshougake Onsen and went to Mt. Moriyoshi to see the snow monster instead. I figured I should definitely go to Goshougake this year, but when I asked my wife where she wished to go, she said she wanted to visit Oirase Gorge.

There are many things in life that are better left unknown. So, I intentionally not asked her why, but I suspected there was a high possibility that she was not interested in snowshoe trekking.

When I visited Oirase a few years ago, I stayed at Hoshino Resorts. Maybe because I handle cost management at work, I am actually not a fan of the Hoshino Resorts where I feel everything is well managed in terms of cost and efficiency, but I wanted to see the fireplace designed by Taro Okamoto.

I am strict with the company’s finances but pretty lax with my own. Even someone like me was able to know staying at the Hoshino Resorts right after returning from Hong Kong would cause a cost management issue to myself. Since I have been to Oirase several times, I have a sense of the area. This time, I decided to stay at a local hot spring inn and join a public bus tour.

Last time, I booked an airline award ticket to Misawa Airport and headed to Oirase via Towada City by buses, but I could not find benefits other than getting a free flight. While it certainly helped my cash flow, the travel time was fragmented by too many bus and flight sectors which left me exhausted. In fact, I found the itinerary had more downsides than upsides.

Cost management is not simply about reducing expenses; it is about ensuring that spending yields the most efficient results. As I keep lax on my own finances, I tend to be lenient when it comes to weighing the pros and cons on my own. Despite I was able to find award ticket this year too, taking the Shinkansen would be financially acceptable even right after returning from Hong Kong. On the Shinkansen, I can sleep for two or three hours after boarding, making the trip a lot easier. This is to say that I would have more efficient trip.

If I stay at the Hoshino Resorts, they will arrange all activities. However, I had to check and book the activities by myself for this trip. After looking into it, I found that in addition to a famous bus tour to see the winter scenery illuminated at night, there were various other activities available.

I had assumed I would have to take some local buses to get to Oirase, but there was a daytime bus tour. By taking this tour, I could see the winter scenery of Oirase Gorge and then head to a hot spring inn. Even more, there were snowshoe trekking tours available in Oirase. Since there were two snowshoe trekking courses, I decided to sign up for both.

Since I did not intentionally ask my wife, I did not know why we did not go to Goshougake Onsen at the first place. Therefore, I did not foresee any issues if I scheduled the snowshoe trekking. I suppose.

I simply did not know the fact. Ignorance is knowledge and power. Importance of information management is in here.

While I have different finance management standards for work and personal life, when it comes to information management, I adopt the “need-to-know principle” in my personal life just like at work.

COLO’s Traveler Guide: Oirase Gorge

Times listed are at the time of visit.

Day 1

Ueno 07:38 (Hayabusa 3) > Shichinohe-Towada 10:37

Shichinohe-Towada Station 12:30 (Tour Bus) > Oirase Gorge Onsen 16:23

・Oirase Gorge Night Tour

Accommodation: Nonohana Yakeyama-so

Day 1 Tips
・At Yakeyama-so, if you are participating the Night Tour, they will serve dinner at 17:30 instead of their regular 18:00 or after.

Day 2

・Snowshoe Walk Frozen Waterfall
・Winter Oirase Snowshoe Walk
・Oirase Gorge Night Tour

Day 2 Tips
・I hoped that if I joined Night Tour twice, it would have good weather at least once, but it snowed both times.

Day 3

Oirase Gorge Onsen 08:57 (Local Bus) > Towada Art Center 09:47

・Towada Art Center

Towada Are Center 11:42 (Local Bus) > Shichinohe-Towada 12:20
Shichinohe-Towada 12:54 (Hayabusa 20) > Omiya 15:40