Muroran is the port that leads to the city of Sapporo, but our Cruise Critic tour had an itinerary that stayed pretty close to sights surrounding the port and we never made it into the city. After leaving the port, we drove into the early spring countryside to the Hell Valley – a thermal area with steam vents and one bubbling pool. The road on the way is called the Cherry Blossom Highway because of the hundreds of cherry trees planted there. We had been assured that they would be in bloom by the time we arrived but because of unseasonably cold weather the buds were swollen but the trees weren’t in bloom yet. The Japanese countryside in very early spring looked just like the hillsides in Oregon or New England at this time of the year.
Japanese Countryside
After being in Yellowstone several times, this little thermal area wasn’t much. We climbed up and down the walkways and were back in the bus much before our allotted time was up. We did make a bathroom stop there and had a good laugh about the “Engrish” sign we found there.
Hell Valley
Bathroom Engrish Sign
We didn’t have far to go before we arrived at the period village that recreated the costumes and living situations of the Edo Period (1603-1867). This was the period of the military shogunate where the warrior class broke away from the Imperial Court and the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. After the costumed ticket collector met us at the gate, we had free time to wander around for about half an hour before the Ninja Show was to begin. The Princess buses were in the parking lot, but they must have been in one of the shows, because we had the village to ourselves in the light rain. The costumed sales people in the shops all came out to be available for pictures.
Ticket Collector
Samurai Statue
Garden Pavilion
Red Building
Our first stop was in the Samurai Museum where, in addition to the history of the Samurai, they also showed exactly how the Samurai steel swords were made.
Samurai Museum
In a little side alley, there were shabby little vignettes of how the common people lived with very battered looking figures. This area could definitely do with a little cleaning and painting. I did have to laugh at the child in the squat toilet, though, because things haven’t changed that much here in the past 400 years.
Parasol Maker
Squat Toilet
They had a fun house there with scary figures popping out at you in the dark. Scary things for the Japanese are giant cats, dragons, ghosts, and cracks of thunder after flashes of lightening. We just walked through thinking “How quaint”, but I could hear the little Japanese kids crying all the way through.
Then it was time for the Ninja Show. Luckily, the guide had briefly told us the story before we left the bus because the entire show had no subtitles. Basically, a poor man and his Ninja son were looking for gold in an absent warlords house when a couple of other bad Ninjas came with the same idea. Mostly it was just a lot of slapstick with swords being brandished. As we had gone into the theatre we had all been given pieces of rice paper about 4” square. The custom, as printed in the brochure, was to wrap coins in the paper and then throw it onto the stage in appreciation of a good performance. Later in the bus, one of the guys said “What was the deal with the papers?” After someone got out their brochure and read about the custom, he said, “I wondered why my paper didn’t go very far. If I had known that, I would have written 'Good job' before I threw it".
Ninja Show Practice
After the Ninja Show, we walked past the souvenir store back to one of the buildings just outside the village gates that was a restaurant. We had previously ordered either chicken with udon or soba noodles or a fish stew. The chicken and noodles were also served with water lily root, squash, bean sprouts, fried tofu, mushrooms, sliced onions, cabbage, and carrots. At the table, we had a bowl miso soup and a bowl of rice. The rice was a bed that you put all the things that you would choose from the wooden steamer on. There was also a dipping sauce that you poured over the whole thing. And, of course, plenty of tea. The folks who had the fish stew had all kinds of fish and shellfish in a rich broth. I had a taste of the broth and was really sorry that we couldn’t have had both. It was delicious!
Popular Souvenir Shop for Foreigner
Steamer Boxes
Now that we had full tummies, we got back on the bus to go along the coast to Toyako Lake and to the adjacent volcano.
Toyako Lake
When we arrived at the tourist center at the base of the volcano, we discovered that the access was by cable car but no one had mentioned to us that it required yen only to buy tickets. There was no ATM available and they wouldn’t take a credit card, so we never did get to see the volcano. But those from the ship that took that cable car ride said you couldn’t see anything anyway because the clouds were sitting on the volcano.
Steam Vent Opposite Volcano
During the time allowed for the cable car, we browsed in the tourist shops. Outside one of the shops, a guy was whittling a wooden figure and I went in to take a look at all the fantastic things he had carved. At the back of his shop, he had a chain that included a block and tackle, a lantern with a figure inside and a bucket at the bottom. All of this was carved from one piece of wood about 5 feet long. I bought a little wooden owl and then I bought a bear with a fish in his mouth. The artist then carved the date and what I assume must have been his signature on the bottom of the little platform the bear stands on.
Carving Shop
Signing Piece
Back on the bus again, we headed back to the city of Muroran to go to a department store. It turned out to be a store like a Super Walmart with food, clothing and everything else you can think of. We were delighted because we were able to buy sake, beer and wine to enjoy for the next seven days at sea.
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