Kushiro Minato Festival
I couldn’t believe how many people were in Kushiro?such a huge crowd!
It’s definitely the Minato Festival. So many young people everywhere.
The first day features the Tairyo-bayashi parade,
where groups of people run while pulling boat-shaped floats.
It’s a festival unique to the spacious quake-resistant wharf.
Kushiro Port Festival
The first day kicks off with the Tairyō Bayashi Parade.
Floats are pulled around using the wide earthquake-resistant wharf.
Participants shout loudly and give it their all with full energy.
Be careful?if you fall, you might get hurt!
Thanks to the cool weather, there are lots of spectators too.
Kushiro Minato Festival
This float belongs to the Kushiro Nihon Buyo Hanayagi-ryu Jutoyosi-kai.
The person dancing so boldly is Ms. Hanayagi Juhoki.
She teaches us traditional dance.
A bit mischievous?
She’s a wonderful friend.
Kushiro Minato Festival
The main event on the second day is the Citizens' Dance Parade.
Over 1,000 people dance along Kita-Odori, the street that stretches from Kushiro Station to Nusamai Bridge.
We long-term visitors are welcomed just like local citizens.
Unfortunately, it’s drizzling today. While the cool weather is nice, everything’s wet and soggy.
Because of that, the parade ended in less than half the scheduled time.
It felt a little short… but still enjoyable.
Kushiro Minato Festival ? Day 3
Today’s event is the Yumekoi Watashi boat ride.
It takes place between Nusamai Bridge and the floral clock?such a peaceful scene.
Since the Kushiro River has hardly any current, it’s perfect for a leisurely boat ride.
“A Fun Band”
That’s the name of this brass band.
The performance was held at MOO-EGG.
If you look closely, you’ll notice two members wearing hachimaki headbands.
Very fitting for a port town like Kushiro!
Kushiro Minato Festival
We received some photos from a member of the Kushiro Business Study Group.
Despite the rain, they kindly looked after us in many ways.
Thank you very much?we truly appreciate it.
Yakiniku
It’s really unfortunate, but Gyuta, the yakiniku restaurant, has gone bankrupt and closed down.
We went there twice in July.
The beef was delicious and reasonably priced.
The soft serve ice cream was great too.
This photo is from lunch at Bokuzan.
It’s a bit pricey, so we chose the jingisukan instead.
Festival
The Obon holiday has finally begun.
The first events are the FM Kushiro Harutori Summer Festival and the Harutori Lake Water Festival.
The lakeside at Harutori is bustling with excitement, and I even ran into some friends by chance.
Reunion: 20th Harmony Concert
A concert by members celebrating 20 years since graduating from Hokkaido University of Education, Kushiro Campus.
It was held at the Kushiro Art Museum Art Hall.
The program was structured as a series of solo performances.
At the end, everyone performed together. Looks like they had a wonderful time.
Tiger Lily
One of my favorite flowers.
Right now in Kushiro they’re in full bloom, and the clusters of bright orange along the roadsides are absolutely beautiful.
Sudden Shower
While I was having coffee at the Harutori Lake Nature Center, a heavy downpour hit.
It was truly a sudden evening shower.
After that, the sun broke through the clouds.
Wind Hill Kushiro Super Arena
The main arena’s loop course at Shitsugen no Kaze is 250 meters per lap, with air conditioning that makes running comfortable. Today, I had the whole place to myself. Outside the windows stretches the vast scenery of the Kushiro Wetlands.
Hors d’oeuvres
When the Obon holidays come around, shops put out all kinds of special dishes.
This hors d’oeuvre platter is luxurious yet reasonably priced.
I bought it at Gyomu Super.
Nusamai Bridge
Nusamai Bridge, a landmark of Kushiro, attracts many people who come to watch the sunset.
Unfortunately, today’s sunset wasn’t that impressive, but the sunset season is just beginning.
Wildflower Watching
This is a plant study session hosted by the Kushiro City Museum in August.
It’s a great way to learn about seasonal changes in wildflowers.
Across Lake Harutori, where water lilies bloom, stands the Aeon Shopping Park.
Many of my friends are taking part.
Birdwatching
This is a birdwatching study event organized by the Kushiro City Museum.
You can see many different wild birds.
We even spotted a kingfisher.
But taking photos was difficult.
So instead, I took a picture of a deer.
Asuka3
The brand-new Asuka3, which just entered service this July, docked in Kushiro this morning.
Rather than the Kushiro Port earthquake-resistant pier, it feels more like the Kushiro River.
From Nusamai Bridge, you get a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.
And the view from the top floor of my hotel is wonderful too, isn’t it?
These are my friends who are staying in Hokkaido for three months in their camper van.
We met through skiing in Hakuba, and I’ve been grateful to them every season since.
Since today was the only chance to see the Asuka3, we enjoyed it together.
A photographer friend also came along.
Kushiro Citizens’ Bon Dance
To the rhythm of the Hokkai Bon Song, people keep dancing nonstop for 60 minutes.
Even just walking that long is tough.
I took a few breaks along the way, but it was still a really fun event.
About 1,300 people joined the dance along Kita-Oodori Street.
Pacific Saury
We had some freshly caught saury.
It was at Senchan Shokudo’s Kushiro Market branch, which was recently featured on TV.
This year’s saury are really big.
Almost every customer was ordering them.
It was a real treat.
Bon Dance Photos
I received some photos from a member of the Kushiro Business Study Group.
Thank you very much.
Thanks to you, I had a wonderful time.
Much appreciated.
Kuchoro River Nature Restoration Tour
I joined a study tour hosted by the Kushiro Wetland Nature Restoration Council.
Measures are being taken to remove or reduce sediment flowing in from the Kuchoro River.
The goal is to create an environment where plants and animals can live naturally.
They are also cultivating seedlings to plant trees along the surrounding boundaries.
It was a very enjoyable day.
Fidelis
The giant yacht Fidelis docked at the Kushiro earthquake-resistant wharf.
I compared its size to that of people.
Looking it up, I found some astonishing facts: it’s 56 meters long, costs over 5 billion yen, and renting it for a week is 38 million yen.
There really are some incredible things in this world.
Townscape Walk
This was a historical tour of Kushiro organized by the Kushiro City Museum.
The main highlight this time was visiting Hongyoji Temple and listening to the head priest’s talk.
In this once-prosperous area, you can learn about Kushiro’s history.
There are many materials related to the poet Takuboku Ishikawa.
We even saw the original manuscript of his Hyakushu by One Person.
Sennosuke Aquarium
On the day of the Kushiro Town festival, the Sennosuke Aquarium was open to the public for free.
It was truly wonderful and very impressive.
River Rangers Study Session
We received a report from the Kushiro Wetland River Rangers office about the study session.
We had a great time together with the elementary school students of Shibecha.
The milk from Shibecha Town was delicious.
Cosmos Flowers
In Kushiro, the cosmos have started to bloom.
Once the Obon holidays are over, the autumn breeze begins to blow in Kushiro.
It’s a bit chilly?hahaha.
Fisherman’s Wharf Moo
The area around Nusamai Bridge is Kushiro’s downtown district.
The long-distance bus terminal is located inside Moo.
From here, buses depart and arrive for destinations all across Hokkaido.
Cooking Class
I joined a cooking class hosted by the Kushiro Business Study Group for long-term visitors.
We cooked dishes following the recipes on the menu.
It was quite a full program!
NHK TV and the Kushiro Newspaper came to cover the event.
Many thanks to all the staff for their hard work?I really appreciate it.
Silver Nova
The cruise ship Silver Nova docked at Kushiro’s seismic quay.
It came from Alaska over the course of a week, and will then circle Japan before heading to Tokyo.
This cruise’s main program is a 20-day course.
The minimum cost is 2 million yen per person.
Every cabin comes with its own butler?an extravagant voyage.
Unlimited caviar.
I love the photo of it alongside the fishing boats.
Chorus
There are people singing in a chorus at EGG.
Everyone is dressed very warmly.
That’s right?here in Kushiro, even during the day the temperature stays below 20°C.
Kushiro is great.
Ekisutora
I didn’t know there was such a place in Kushiro.
Super delicious and super inexpensive.
I got these two for under 1,000 yen.
Just perfect.
Sending this from Kushiro, where as always it’s under 20°C ? chilly but refreshing.
Fresh Pacific Saury
This is sushi you can only find in Kushiro.
The sushi chef’s comment was, “You can’t really feel autumn unless you eat it raw, right?”
Ah, sorry?on the mainland, it’s still midsummer.
Regional Learning Course: “Ainu Culture Lecture”
I joined a study session hosted by the Kushiro Long-Stay Business Research Association.
I attended a lecture by Ms. Ruriko Sembongi.
With guidance from staff of the Kushiro City Akan Lake Ainu Policy Promotion Office, I experienced making a mukkuri (traditional Ainu mouth harp).
It had been a long time since I last held a carving knife, and I really enjoyed the hands-on crafting.
COSTA SERENA
The massive cruise ship docked at Kushiro’s West Port. Since it’s twice the size of the Asuka III, it couldn’t berth at the earthquake-resistant pier. The West Port is far from the city, so I wonder if the tourists are really able to experience the best of Kushiro.
For the past few days, my smartphone was broken, so I couldn’t upload any photos. Now I’m using a new Google Pixel 8A.
Photo from the Community Learning Course “Ainu Culture Lecture”
I received this photo from the Kushiro Long-Stay Business Study Group.
Everyone is holding the mukkuri they made themselves.
I was able to play mine the next day,
though producing different scales is a bit difficult.
Oyakodon
When you think of it, you think of Nakau.
The soft, fluffy eggs are absolutely delicious.
At just 450 yen, it almost feels too good to be true.
9月12日:写真を撮っていただきました:
料理教室とムックリの製作です。
有難う御座いました。
I had my photo taken.
It was at the cooking class and during the mukkuri-making session.
Thank you very much.
Deer in Kushiro
Today, a group of deer appeared at Lake Harutori, right in the middle of Kushiro City.
They don’t attack, which is good, but it’s still a little scary to get too close.
The locals, however, just go about their walks as usual.
Sanma Festival
It’s the Sanma Festival at Sennosuke Main Store.
This shop was recently featured on the TV show Banana Man’s Seka-kku Gourmet.
During this three-day holiday, they serve 1,000 fish each day.
Super delicious! The tsumire soup was packed with ingredients and really nice too.
Kushiro Donpaku Fireworks Festival
This year, we watched it from the hotel.
By the time the fireworks ended at 8 p.m., it had started raining heavily, making things quite difficult.
Kitaodori Street was jammed with traffic.
The heavy rain and strong winds continued, and the Donpaku events scheduled for the following day, the 14th, were canceled.
What a shame!!
Sanma Festival at Sennosuke Main Store
It’s the second day of the Sanma Festival.
This time, it’s crab soup.
Packed with ingredients and super delicious.
Of course, the sanma was great too.
Mt. Meakan
The volcano is actively erupting.
The current eruption alert level for Mt. Meakan is 2.
From the gym, you can see the Akan mountains across the vast Kushiro Marsh.
Fresh Perilla Leaves
We received some fresh perilla leaves from someone whose garden is full of them.
They have such a wonderful fragrance.
Completely different from the ones we usually buy.
Amazing?so fresh and delicious.
Meat and Rice that Move the Soul
Back home, I wasted no time enjoying a steak.
Meat really does bring a sense of satisfaction.
Next door, a Sukesan Udon has just opened, and it’s incredibly popular.
With such long lines, it looks like I won’t be able to try it for a while.
9月27日:スイーツ:
シャインマスカットと白桃とバニラアイス。
美味しいに決まってる。
Sweets
Shine Muscat grapes, white peaches, and vanilla ice cream.
Of course, it’s delicious.
Pacific Saury
Even though I just got back to Kashiwanoha Campus, I grilled some saury.
The reason is, I managed to get some big ones?size 9 per box.
At the Sanma Festival they were size 13, and last year they were size 20.
That’s the number that fits into a 2-kg styrofoam box.
Delicious?super delicious. Hard to believe it’s even tastier than the ones from Kushiro.
Eel
As soon as I got back, I cooked eel.
The rice was, believe it or not, California rice.
Aeon has been importing it in large quantities, so now it’s really cheap.
Both the rice and the eel were super delicious. Totally satisfying.
Since this rice is Japonica, of course it’s bound to taste great.