Delay Day #1

Woke up at 5, and checked out the sunrise. Very tranquil. Walked around, then drove out to Cape Chikkyu, stopping for photos a few times.

After, I drove back up the coast and into the mountains towards Shikotsuko. From the road the previous day, I'd seen an odd looking mountain,

and from LP and the Touring Mapple, had figured out that it was Tarumaezan, another active volcano. The strange shape was the lava dome rising up in the middle of the crater. I stopped here and there on the way. Bifue falls was nice, and not at all busy.

Koke-no-domon was not really worth visiting as long as the actual gorge is closed.

Got to the parking lot at the end of the dirt road at Tarumaezan. The thermometer at the tozan posto (mountain climbing post - where you sign in/out for hiking) was 13C.

Hiked up and then around the crater, which took about 2 hours, start to finish. Did get to surprise three foreigners. As they approached, I couldn't tell if they were American or European, so I just said "konnichiwa." As they passed me, one of them said something in American English, so I asked them what it was like at the top or something. Which surprised them, as I think they'd thought I was Japanese, and now they thought I was having fun at their expense. Which I was, but not really intentionally...

Drove back to Tomakomai, and had jingis kan (barbecued lamb) again, but this was not a good restaurant. If you're in Tomakomai near the Comfort Inn don't go to the nearby all-you-can-eat place. It was terrible. I should've just enjoyed the memory of the first place. At the hotel, the ferry company called again, and cancelled the next afternoon's ferry as well. Then, because of my car, they told me the next available space was at midnight (sailing at 1:30am) on the 2nd. Oh well.