Hokkaido Trip - Nakkajima Island, Sobetsu Fruit Farm, Noboribetsu Date Jidai Mura, Jigokudani or Hell Valley

Good morning, this is my half eaten Japanese cum Western style breakfast. The bowl of fermented soybeans or Nattō (納豆) on the top right hand corner is what keeps the Japanese so healthy and living to an old age. It can reduce the risk of heart attack. It's kind of sticky and has a pungent smell which I could not adapt to. After one mouthful, I've decided not to continue eating that and just had my fried, hotdogs and milk.

We began our eventful day by taking a cruise ride in Lake Toya to the one of the island in the middle of the lake called the Nakkajima Island.

Upon the arrival of the island, the two white swans are the first animal that greeted us. These two swans are said to be constantly on the move. It sort of migrated over to this island a few weeks ago. This is the first time I saw swans on the grass and not in the water.  

After that we were brought in for a short nature walk to see the beautiful native deer. Deers with horns are male and deers can reverse food from gastric to mouth to chew them again for one more time. Interesting facts.





The tall tress makes it looks dark walking inside. We heard alot of sounds makes by the insects and the crows.





This is just an empty shell of an insect.





The strange looking trees





This is a photo of our tour guide and the guide of the Nakkajima Island





He asked us to guess which is the deer's footprint and the answer is number 3. Later we saw a lot of the deer's footprints on the mud trail.





Xiao Tang told us that our group was a lucky batch cause for the last 10 over tour he brought he have never sighted a squirrel before. This squirrel must be starving and thus came down to find food.





This is what a squirrel eats.

Showing us the difference between one that has been ate by the squirrel and one that has not.

The strange looking tree

Tall trees.

Haha. He's explaining to us why the tree trunk got badly injured in my next photo. It's because the deer's horns get itchy and they rubs them against the tree trunk.

After walking one round, it's time to leave.

And before we leave, they are so considerate that they have this device that allows us to clean out shoe!

Next we went to the Sobetsu Fruit Farm for our free flow of strawberries fest! We were given a scissor and plastic bag to throw the leaves. After that it's up to us to eat how many we can. The weather but we still enjoyed the sweet strawberries.

After that we took a cable ride back to Mount Showa and Usu (昭和新山) where we visited the bear ranch. There was a flight of stairs which we need to climb but I felt so energetic that I climbed up that flight of stairs without much difficulties. Perhaps is the hot spring that improves my body.

After that it's lunch time.

At the seafood market. We have a basic set of food already but if we want extra we need to choose and purchase and pay on our own. We picked a crab and sashimi.

At the Noboribetsu Date Jidai Mura.

After passing the gate, the town of Edo spreads out before us. It's a ninja style houses and we are going there to watch a short comical of the ninja performance.

This looks like Singapore's version of Chinese garden

The haunted house there are not scary at all. Each section inside has a story one. It is said to be very scary when it first opens but kids got frighten by the exhibition inside and came out crying. Thus it became more of a story based.

This is a story about this women who is waiting and waiting for her husband to came home and when her husband finally came home, her neck has grown long from waiting.

At Jigokudani or Hell Valley. The main purpose of going there is to visit the sulphurous boiling pond.

The building in the background is our hotel. Our hotel is the first hotel that the sulphur water will flow to thus we'll get the best hot spring water. :D

Dinner at our hotel

Jackpot machines!