Five More Lakes Down! : Abashiri and Akan Areas

Such a lucky day it was.
We managed to conquer the record five lakes today!

⑳ Lake Abashiri （網走湖） in the morning light

Lake Abashiri, our first target of the day, was quite easy as it was only 10-minute drive away from our hotel.

Yes, drive.

This time we had a car and a driver, and it made all the difference. Travelling in Hokkaido without a car is just a waste of time unless that's what you intended, or maybe that's actually the case for almost all the scenic places around the world. I guess I'm too used to living in Tokyo that I never felt the need for a car.

Ace kick-skating by the Lake Abashiri (Not a pose!)

Tarzan-ing by the ㉑Lake Notoro （能取湖）

Anyways, we started off from Lake Abashiri, went on to Lake Notoro, and then all of a sudden, our driver/guest participant Mr. T noticed a lake-looking object on his navigation system.

Why, BRING IT ON.

It reads, "Riyaushi River"...a hint so unreliable.

Change of plans, we say, and that's what Ace and I are both so good at.

We started looking for the lake that only appears on the navigation system, and we kept on searching for a good hour straying in and out of some farms (personal property, yes) until we decided we should give it up and get going.

And that's when we took our last chance and tried a road that seemed like leading to the right direction.

There we found it, the hidden Lake Riyaushi.

Man, were we happy.

Could it be...?

Oh no, this must be...

YEEEESSS!!! Lake Riyaushi unveiled!

㉒ Lake Riyaushi （リヤウシ湖） down!!

Finding Riyaushi was the day's most adventurous, the most grandeur goes to Lake Kussharo, and the most fantastic was Lake Mashu.

㉓ Lake Kussharo （屈斜路湖）, simply magnificent.

Lake Kussharo down!

At the top of the world.

Sunset at the Lake Kussharo

We enjoyed the greatest view of the Lake Kussharo against a backdrop of a gorgeous blue sky (and that, of course, led to our shooting jumping photos) and also in the sunset.

Next Lake Mashu, a caldera lake famous for always being foggy, was unfortunately not foggy at all but stood in a solemn night's blue.

It's told that a person (especially a girl) is unlucky if Lake Mashu was unfoggy when s/he first saw it, for some mystical reasons, but I'd say we were so lucky to see it so clearly.
The very sight of the lake was magical enough to me.

㉔ Lake Mashu （摩周湖）

After the Lake Mashu, we went on to Lake Akan to stay for the night.

Marimo, a moss ball

It was too dark to see the lake, but we kept on being lucky until the very end of the day: there was a big festival (Marimo Festival) held by the native Ainu people gathered from all over Hokkaido.

Ainu's Marimo Festival:
Totem Poles similar to those of Northwestern Native Americans

We saw a few hundred people marching with a torch in their hands, listened to the Ainu singing and dancing, and I even ran into a famous Egyptologist, Professor Sakuji Yoshimura.

Five lakes down and 5,000 yen donated through JustGiving!

- Hero