My Time Capsule: Hokkaido: Akan National Park

19.2.13

Hokkaido: Akan National Park

Hokkaido, February 2013

During my trip to Japan last week, I visited one of the oldest national park in Hokkaido; Akan National Park. It's an area of volcanic craters and forests which was established in 1934.

There were some places that I visited in the area, the first one was Iozan, the sulphur mountain. When I was on the way to the mountain, I saw very thick smoke from afar and I thought: "Whoa! that mountain is burning!". Of course it's not, the smoke comes from the steaming sulphurous vents in Iozan. As soon as I got off the bus, my nose catch the unpleasant smell from the mountain. And the closer I walked into the mountain, the smell was getting more and more intense. It smells like a rotten egg. Or even worse it smells like someone who ate a rotten egg and fart non stop. Yuck ! Okay, let's not discuss it in any further detail. I was kinda glad that my nose was frozen because of the cold weather :p


Iozan the Sulphur Mountain

hold your breath and smile :)

Then I made a quick stop in lake Kussharo because there were a lot of beautiful white swans swimming gracefully in the frozen lake. They will come close to you when you have food in your hand. The swans were really hungry, they will eat anything from bread, pop corn, and chips. But they can be quite aggressive too. I saw a kid was crying and running frantically because one swan was trying to eat a candy on his hand. I was laughing when suddenly the swan decided to chase me. Geesh ! no offence, Odette !

lake Kussharo

Odette the angry swan :p

saw a lot of this beautiful deer during my road trip

an Ezo deer passing by

Next stop is lake Mashu, one of the world's clearest, most transparent lakes. It is a caldera lake lying 315 meters above sea level, born from the fires of a massive volcanic eruption nearly 7,000 years ago. The lake is known for the mist and fog that often forms here, and as its name in the Ainu language, “Kamuy-tou” ("Lake of the Gods"), implies, it presents a stately and mysterious atmosphere.

Lake Mashu


There's one interesting story about lake Mashu, since it has an image of being "always covered in fog, and only sunny once in a blue moon." Because of this, it's said that those who see the lake when it's sunny and without fog will either not be able to marry until later in life, break up with a loved one if with that person at the time, or be unable to advance their career, and therefore jinxed. Phew! Glad it was foggy when I was there, hehehe :p

see! it's foggy, right ?

with my twin sista :p

It was getting dark so I headed to my hotel in Lake Akan to have dinner. I had a traditional multi course Japanese dinner, called Kaiseki. So basically it's like a Japanese style fine dining. All the food is prepared carefully and presented on plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the taste. Before entering the dining room, everyone has to take off their shoes. Then we all sit on a low chair and everyone get their own table with 10 kind of assorted dishes
those are all mine


It was a lovely new dining experience for me. I was enjoying my food when the waitress preparing another dish for us. I took a glimpse of it and thinking "Oh, they are going to serve sashimi (very fresh raw meat or fish sliced into thin pieces) for us". While I'm not a fan of raw meat, usually I don't mind to taste a bite or two. Then suddenly I catch a movement from the fish." OMG! is the fish still alive?" I asked the waitress. She smile very sweet and nodding, "Yes, miss. It's Ikizukuri" That means the preparation of sashimi made from live seafood and it is consumed while still alive. And just like that, I lost my appetite. How can I eat the meat while the fish is still breathing, wiggling and staring at me? I put my chopsticks down and staring blankly. I feel like crying at that moment. I was imagining that someone is mutilating my body while I'm still conscious. Feeling the pain from the knife slicing off my skin into the flesh *shudders*

believe me, this fish is still alive and wiggling at this point :(

Feeling brokenhearted, I left the dining room and decided to stroll along the street in front of the hotel. There are numerous of shops selling traditional Ainu handmade souvenirs made from wood. I also watched a fireworks above the frozen lake Akan which is presented every night at 8 during the Ice Festival. It was pretty, as I need something to take my thought away from the poor fish.

snowing !

one of the souvenir shops


FREEBIES time !!!

I've bought some sweets from Japan for you. Kit Kat Green Tea, Kit Kat Sakura, Kit Kat Strawberry, etc.
How to get them ? Just follow this 3 steps below.  Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy ! :D

1. Follow my twitter @twitdebbzie and "like" the Facebook page, My Time Capsule
2. Tweet this: Freebies! Kit Kat from Japan for you. Let's join http://www.debbzie.com/2013/02/hokkaido-akan-national-park.html  via @twitdebbzie
3. Leave your email address and your twitter name on the comment box below


this is for you !!!

Closing date will be on 28 February 2013. The winners will be drawn at random and be contacted via email. So hurry up ! Good luck ! (closed)

111 comments:

  1. Serem dan sedih juga ya makan ikan hidup-hidup begitu, trus ikan nya siapa yang makan tuh jadi nya? *Penasaran*

    ikutan ya dapetin coklat nya, sapa tau beruntung lagi =P
    frenkey_man@yahoo.com - @frenkey_man

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pas itu kan bareng beberapa orang dari Singapore. Mereka doyan banget makan sashimi ikan yang masih gerak2 itu, huhuhu T.T

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21/2/13 23:00

      I love kitkat, ikutan ya :)

      @ditaku
      blacktopaz@ovi.com

      Delete
  2. celsi_balinese2yahoo.com
    Twitter : Diah Yuliantari

    Mbk.. kembarannya itu aku pkir adik mbk..:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Memang adikku itu, wakakaka. Cuma kalau orang belum kenal banyak yang ga bisa bedain. Padahal ga mirip2 banget, hihihi

      Delete
  3. cuma bisa bilanG WOW setiap liat foto2 mba debb....keren bgt.... aku ikutan lagi kuisnya ya mba...siapa tw beruntung lagi...hehehe thanks a lot mba.....

    hera2chi@yahoo.com / @hera2chi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makasih ya :) Yuk, ikut aja....makin rame makin seru, hihihi

      Delete
  4. Aku ikut mbk..
    celsi_balinese@yahoo.com
    @Diah Yuliantari

    itu kembarannya mbk aku pkir adik mbk..:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Me want Green Tea Kitkat!! Pleease...hehe.. lucky you bisa travelling ke banyak tempat di dunia :)
    Twitter : @diahris
    Email : diahrismayanti@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iyah, aku bersyukur banget bisa dapat kesempatan buat liat tempat2 indah, hehehe. Good luck for the green tea KitKat :D

      Delete
  6. Me want Green Tea Kit Kat....pleeasee hehehe.... Lucky you bisa keliling dunia...

    Twitter : @diahris
    Email : diahrismayanti@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. beautiful hokkaido kak!
    btw, aku juga ga bakalan bisa makan ikannya yg masih hidup itu kak, ga tega :'(

    e-mail: wenni.cristina@gmail.com
    twitter: @WenniCristina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ga tega banget, liat fotonya aja masih kebayang2 T.T

      Delete
  8. Twitter : @tuty_utut
    Email : tuty.utut@gmail.com

    Mauuu....coklatnya bikin ngiler deh

    ReplyDelete
  9. ah...seruuu, btw lempar dimari tuh Kita Kat Green tea nya atuh xixixi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ikutan freebies yukkk....tinggal tulis alamat email n twitter :D

      Delete
  10. azkaodvilia@yahoo.com
    twitter @azkacrut
    Semoga saya beruntung :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous19/2/13 20:03

    azkaodvilia@yahoo.com
    twitter @azkacrut
    semoga saya beruntung! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. azkaodvilia@yahoo.com
    twitter @azkacrut
    semoga saya beruntung :D

    ReplyDelete
  13. e-mail: fathiadiazeva@ymail.com
    twitter: @squidyaz

    ReplyDelete
  14. @squidyaz
    fathiadiazeva@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. azkaodvilia@yahoo.com
    twitter: @azkacrut
    Semoga saya beruntung :D

    ReplyDelete
  16. DebbZie, bosen ga sih dengernya, tapi foto-foto di blog kamu itu keren-keren banget! Aku sampai skrg masih pk Sony Cybershot yg dibeli pas kelas 8 SMP (sekarang semester 4 kuliah), dan masih blm melek fitur kamera juga hahaha. To make it worse, I'm not good at photo editing huhu. Kamu kamera & editingnya pk apa? :-) fotonya lebih keren dari kartu pos souvenir hehe

    Btw, ikut lg yaa kuis nya~ tp username twitterku beda skrg @___rubyslippers
    Emailku: violin0393@yahoo.co.id

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Psstt...honestly aku juga gaptek lho. Seringnya pake mode auto aja di camera, kakaka. Posting2 kemaren pake camera semi pocket Canon G11. Baru posting yang ini pake DSLR Canon 650D. Masih belajar ini :p
      Kalo editing aku juga ga bisa photoshop, cuma pake ACDSee Pro 3 buat terangin atau perbaiki warna aja. Thanks yaaa udah dibilang keren :)

      Delete
  17. Lya Elisa19/2/13 21:23

    I love your story and travelogue. Such an inspiring for me. Jadi pengeen kesana wuaa >.<
    and am craving for those Kit Kat also :D :D
    Puhleassee :))))))
    Twitter : @lyaelisa
    email : lya.elisa@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you yach. Good luck for the KitKat :D

      Delete
  18. Eh dulu pas posting ttg keluargamu, aku pikir kamu yg terakhir loh Deb, cewe sendirian yg betah di perut mommy. :) ternyata ada yang kancrit satu
    ikutan ya freebiesnya :)
    twitter: mia_licious
    mail:miaprayer@gmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahaha, bukan saudara kembar kok. Dia adik aku, lebih muda 8 tahun. Tapi orang sering salah bedain kita berdua, hihihi

      Delete
  19. Dipostinganmu yg terakhir2, yg cerita kalo kamu diperut bunda lebih dr 9 bulan, aku pikir kamu yg bungsu dan cewe sendirian
    ternyata ada kancrit satu lagi
    :) sama2 ayu kok

    twitter: @mia_licious
    email:miaprayerATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous19/2/13 22:37

    Hadirrr.... hehe...
    Twitter: @halim_san
    Email: h471m_03@yahoo.com
    Btw betul loh...aku juga berpikir itu adik cewe bukan saudara kembar :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, itu memang adikku lebih muda 8 tahun. Tapi orang yang baru kenal banyak yang ga bisa bedain, lucu aja, hihihihi

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20/2/13 10:09

      Hahaha...nggak baca comment sebelum gue yg udah disebutin bahwa selisih umur 8th. Tapi betul mirip en kaya twin sister :)

      Delete
    3. sering menyesatkan orang, jadi salah panggil nama, hihihihi ;p

      Delete
  21. Aku mau kitkat debbzie!!! hehe btw g juga kagak tega kalo ada ikan gt. liat hewan kurban pas idul adha aja ogah :(

    btw here is mine
    email : lenny.kepri@yahoo.co.id
    tw : @lenny_indonesia (follback yak!)

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sama, paling ga tega liat binatang disiksa T.T

      Delete
  22. Wow Debbzie, this place's amazing. Looks stunning in the wintertime. Love it, love it! Oh the food, my favourite one by the way! My mouth's watering right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Hokkaido is an amazing place in wintertime. I feel like visiting Narnia :p

      Delete
  23. What a fabulous place. The swans and the deer have completely melted my heart.xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aren't they beautiful? Hokkaido is indeed a fabulous place :)

      Delete
  24. Mbak Debbzie ini mmg manusia yg plg beruntung di muka bumi ini...
    jln2 trs kellg dunia... sgt menikmati dunia yg indah ini... hehehe
    slm kenal ya mbak.... two thumbs up 4 u!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paling beruntung sih bukan lah ya, hihihi. Tapi aku sangat bersyukur dikasih kesempatan buat menikmati keindahan dunia. Salam kenal juga :D

      Delete
  25. My goodness the wiggling fish, I would've done the same sad sad :(
    But really gorgeous view Deb, it looks like some fairy tale, snow tends to have that effect :) Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm still sad thingking about that poor fish :(
      I love the snow, Gy, it does look like fairy tale, yach :)

      Delete
  26. wah punya tempat nongkrong baru
    aku masukin link di bloggku ya, mba
    biar gampang kalo mo maen ke sini

    ReplyDelete
  27. keren banget foto nya, suka banget ama angsa putih di kolam salju :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makasihhh :) Angsanya cantik tapi jutek kalo ga dikasih makan, hihihi

      Delete
  28. Saya suka banget makan ikan, tapi kayanya ga bakal sanggup kalo harus makan ikizukuri, Kak DebbZie..
    Btw, ikutan kuisnya ya, Kak..

    @parah1ta
    sp.satiti@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sama, aku juga suka ikan tapi ga tega kalau yang masih hidup diiris2 gini T.T

      Delete
  29. Oh gosh... Kasian banget ikannya Kak. Semoga dia beristirahat dengan damai...(ノへ^)
    ____
    youleene@hotmail.com
    @LaJolieYula

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, ga tega banget pas liat langsung :(

      Delete
  30. Salam kenal Debb, mau ngasih compliment aja blog kamu ini AWESOME, suka gaya penulisan kamu yang ringkas, untuk foto juga aku keren. Mesti banyak belajar dari dirimu sepertinya
    Satu hal yang menyenangkan dan menghibur "keliling" dunia sambil duduk dengan tulisan2 disini

    Here is mine
    T : @yo_nan_iko
    E : niko_bt2000@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your compliment. Aku juga masih belajar nih tentang blogging, jadi masih perlu banyak berbenah. Salam kenal juga :D

      Delete
  31. Anonymous21/2/13 16:21

    amazing journey.. and nice photos, as always :)

    elfandranipahlevi@yahoo.com
    @elfandrani

    ReplyDelete
  32. Kyaaaa~ Salju di mana-manaaaaa ^D^

    webmaster@vanmovic.com
    @vanmovic

    ReplyDelete
  33. Mbaaa DebbZie ini emang paling pinter bikin orang mupeng, hihihi. Makin sering nulis yaa mba, biar bisa bikin kita2 makin termotivasi buat bisa nyusul kesana. And bagi kitkatnyaa dong mba :-)

    ajeng.paramita@gmail.com
    @anyaparamita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mari kita sebarkan virus travelling, hihihi :p

      Delete
  34. wah malah pengen ke Jepang dan jalan - jalan ke hokkaido
    kak ikutan kuisnya ^_^

    twitter : @Ky09r3x
    email : anbu.root@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. aaaaaaa
    Saya malah ingin pergi ke Jepang Dan jalan - jalan ke Hokkaido karena lihat - lihat fotonya
    kak ikutan kuis ya ^_^


    twitter : @Ky09r3x
    Email : anbu.root@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. mbak, ikutan ya. hehehe. saya suka baca blognya.
    @gemgembul
    email : ratna.adorable@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  37. pengen jg kitkat rasa jepang....:)
    @mellisaang
    email add: mellisaanggara@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Yup yup yup!

    The main reason why I love to linger here is the pic!! The fabulous pics! :D :D :D

    ReplyDelete
  39. ikutan yak!!
    twitter : @areNEELA
    email : cro.nilha@yahoo.co.id

    ReplyDelete
  40. Wonderful journey, fabulous photo shoots, interesting posting, Debb!
    I have linked this blog at http://www.kiostour.com
    Go go go, do the travel again....

    Kindest regards,

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ikutan kuis dong, kak:

    email: dinoy.novita@gmail.com
    twitter: @dinoynovita

    thaaanks ^^

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous25/2/13 17:53

    wiggling fish... how could you.... *hening*
    but, how's it taste? *curious* :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. just a tiny bite and I couldn't eat anymore. Feel like crying T.T
      In my opinion it's not yummy. Maybe because I think about the fish too much

      Delete
  43. Mbak, foto yang ada rusanya.. My god, serasa beneran ada disana. Keren bgt!! Berharap bisa beneran ke jepang atau 38 negara lainnya. Anyway, ikutan kuisnya boleh ya mbak ;D @suseliasu email : suselia_soe@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks yaaaa. Semoga beneran bisa jalan2 ke banyak negara. Aminnn :)

      Delete
  44. i wish i can go to japan someday X)) *nabung* aku mauuu kitkatnyaaa *mata kucing*
    @EkaPutriY Email : sekaorca@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sini pusss, aku kasih kitkat, hihihi *toel* :p

      Delete
  45. @i1ndah email: i1n_catlover@yahoo.com

    September giliran saya ke Jepang, as a budget traveler for the first time, doakan saya!! hehehe :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. horeee !!! semoga sukses dan jangan lupa bagi2 cerita ya :D

      Delete
  46. @i1ndah email: i1n_catlover@yahoo.com

    Pengen deh ngerasain salju kayak apa, someday I will.. :))

    ReplyDelete
  47. lemes liat foto ikannya mbak, aduh teganya mereka :(
    ikutan giveaway-nya ya mbak, belum pernah ngerasain kitkat greentea yang kata orang2 enak, semoga kali ini beruntung dan bisa nyobain amiin :D

    widitha.asmariani@gmail.com
    @ditha_ssi

    ReplyDelete

  48. e-mail : Icamarshal@gmail.com

    Twitter :@Cerita_icha

    ReplyDelete
  49. hayukkk, siapin celengan ayam gede buat nabung :D

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous27/2/13 03:43

    Wah,, pemandangannya menarik sekali!! Salam kenal dai Bandung mbak :D

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous28/2/13 00:58

    Wih, aku selalu suka deh liat negara yang kelestarian alamnya bener-bener dijaga kayak di Jepang. Terakhir ke sana pas masih SD tapi belom sempet ke Akan National Park, hikssss :-( Tapi miris ya, Kak, liat ikan diiris-iris dalam keadaan masih idup gt.. Ngga kebayang gimana rasanya. :-P Yah, semoga kapan-kapan aku bisa ke Jepang lagi terus berkesempatan keliling-keliling ke tempat yang seru-seru kayak Kak Debbzie! Apalagi kalo lagi winter gt. Aamiiinnn. :-)

    Sebelum pergi mau ninggalin e-mail dulu deh, putimas.inc@hotmail.com & @creepeera. Kali-kali bisa 'nyicip' Jepang dikit, hehehehe. Keep on traveling dan terus share cerita-cerita di blog ini, ya, Kak!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Miris banget lihat keadaan si ikan, biarpun daging udah diiris2 begitu, dia masih gerak2 terus. Sedihhhhh T.T

      Delete
  52. salam kenal :D ikutan kuisnya yah.
    email : tini_wae@yahoo.com
    twitter : @tantisetyo
    fb : istantini.setyo

    ReplyDelete
  53. Wah, aku baru nemu Blog ini. Senangnya. Meski dengan Bahasa Inggris tapi mudah dimengerti. Salam Kenal Mba Deb. Mulai saat ini aku akan ikuti perjalanan Mba Deb. Senengnya nemu Blog yang berbagi Ilmu seperti ini.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salam kenal Nonoy, makasih udah mampir kesini. Semoga kamu enjoy mengikuti perjalananku ya, hihihi :D

      Delete
    2. hehehe, iya. Baru baca 2 postingan aja bikin aku envy banget. Jadi pengen nabung dan bisa keliling dunia kayak Mba Deb. Ohya, aku ijin ngubek-ngubek Blognya ya. Hehehe *sekalianbelajarbahasainggris

      Delete
    3. Pastinya enjoy Mba Deb. Baru baca 2 postingan. Keren semua. dengan foto-foto yang disajiin, berasa ada ditempat. Hehehe, aku ijin ngubek-ngubek Blog Mba Deb ya. *sekalianbelajarbahasainggris :D

      Delete
    4. Yuk, sama2 belajar bahasa inggris. Aku juga masih belum bagus2 amat, makanya aku latihan pake nulis blog, hihihi :D

      Delete
    5. banyak manfaatnya ya blog ini, bs belajar inggris sekaligus menikmati indahnya makanan dan perjalanan dlm bentuk foto

      Delete
  54. Hello dear,
    need your favour..
    may i know, what's flight that ur taken by form Tokyo to Sapporo?
    and how much it is? I've already done to Tokyo & Osaka
    And the next plan should be Hokkaido + Sapporo.
    ANd which hotel that ur staying up? How bout the price too?
    Thanks.
    Fatin - Malaysia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Fatin,
      The flight was JAL and the for the price I think you should check it on some websites. Since the price would be vary depends of peak or not peak season.
      I traveled through some city in Hokkaido thus I stayed in different hotels during my visit. The one I stayed in Sapporo was Chisun Grand Sapporo hotel :)

      Delete
  55. Wow....HOKKAIDO...Jadi pengen ke Jepang. Masak belajar belajar bahasanya saja tapi belum pernah ke Jepang saya.

    Heeemmm....Tampilannya gunung bersalju dan mengeluarkan asap tampak keren, tapi kok baunya kayak telur busuk ya.
    Itu Angsanya gak beku apa?

    HAH....setauku makanan Jepang emang penyajianya masih mentah dan fresh. Tapi kalau masih hidup gitu saya belum pernah tau. Mungkin kalau saya di suguhi itu nafsu makan saya hilang juga kayaknya. OMG masih hidup di suruh makan.

    Benar-benar liburan yang sangat berkesan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iya, kasian ikannya diiris pas masih hidup gitu. Sedihhhh >.<

      Delete
  56. I've been there a week ago, but the very thick fog covered my sight to witness the clearest lake in Japan, Mashu Lake.
    It was not more than 3m sight. *sigh*

    "It's not just about the destination, but the journey"

    http://makanangin-travel.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it's supposed to be foggy in Mashu lake, most of the time. It means a good luck for you :)

      Delete
  57. abis lahiran ini aku rencana mw ke jepang mba., jd mw baca semua postinganmu yg ttg hokkaido ;)..

    ReplyDelete

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