Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's major islands, makes up one-fifth of the country's land mass. Yes, it's not small. And definitely, it has much more to offer visitors than the already popular destinations like Sapporo, Otaru, Furano, Niseko or Hakodate in the central and southern areas of this large island.
Currently, the northern part of Hokkaido may not be as prominent on the international tourist map but a glimpse into the region, even in wintertime when much of its true charm is covered with snow and ice, reveals that this area too has a great potential to soon be shining in the tourism limelight.
Not long after our flight landed at the New Chitose Airport, the international gateway to Hokkaido, we hit the road in a hired van to Katsurazawa Lake, 71km northeast of Sapporo, the largest city on the island.
At this time of year, the lake is frozen. From the walking path further uphill, the lake looks more like a vast barren field covered with snow. Beneath the white snow is a thick layer of ice. Below the ice, fish and other aquatic lives continue to thrive in the cold, yet still watery, world. We're here to do some ice fishing.
As we carefully trod after the local guides on the glaciated lake we passed a number of holes bored into the ice. For me, fishing at these open holes would be nothing short of suicide. Luckily, the guides led us a little further to two tents that could protect us from the chilly wind.
I was delighted to find that inside each of the bright orange tents was a fishing hole and heater. As we were here for the wakasagi smelts, the fishing rod was thin and tiny. Each rod came with a line that had a few hooks attached along its length. Unlike big game fishing, there was no long waiting time. Just a few seconds after you drop the line into the hole, you can feel the vibration of the bites. At that moment, just raise the rod to lift the fish (there were two or three of them each time) out of the water and put them in whatever container you have. Like a basketball game, you can score quickly and frequently throughout the session.
Wakasagi ice fishing can be done at many locations in Hokkaido and there are package tours from Sapporo that include not just transportation to the site but also the fishing rigs and proper shoes and clothing. Our group chose to do it at Katsurazawa Lake because it was on the way of our long journey to Wakkanai, Hokkaido's northernmost city.
Along the way, we stopped by Asahikawa, Hokkaido's second largest city, for more animals (this time not to catch them) at Asahiyama Zoo, to experience the penguin parade, feel the awe of polar bears and the cuteness of the red panda that makes it one of Japan's most loved zoos, plus an alpaca farm in Kenbuchi.
After checking out some of the landmarks in Wakkanai, which is less than 50km from Russia's Sakhalin island, we travelled on a scenic road that runs along the west coast facing the Sea of Japan southward to Rumoi and back to Sapporo. During this leg of the journey, we dropped by a few places, from old homes to natural sites, and try different winter activities.
After the four-day road trip through the vast snow land, I discovered something important. It's something I didn't see. Northern Hokkaido is rich with many more splendid attractions that will reveal themselves once the snow is gone. For sure, I shall return.
