Woke up, and checked with the office - thought it would be possible to take a ferry across the strait, and then drive down to Hitachi. But they felt that might be dangerous if I drove into the typhoon, and told me to just wait it out. So I went and did some laundry, and checked out the surfers at Hamaatsuma. There were some pretty big waves at one end, but it was dying down pretty quickly. I was pretty tired, so I didn't go in. Drove out into the country by a river/canal, and read for a bit. After dinner found a parking place and slept.
Didn't sleep well at night, so in the morning I napped/read for a bit. Got going, got lunch, and headed down to the beach again. Watched/took video for a bit at the big end, and then went in for a bit where it was smaller. Not enough energy (or courage) for the big waves. Chilly, but not too bad.
After that, cleaned up/organized the stuff in the car, went to an internet cafe for a bit to catch up on email, start typing the blog, etc. Ate, and then headed to the ferry. Got on board around 12:30, and was asleep by 1. Along the way, I could really feel the swell in the ship's motion. But the weather was nice (at least when I was awake) and it was a pleasant trip. Though the late ferry doesn't have a restaurant, only vending machines, so I was glad I'd brought some instant ramen and snacks.
Overall, the trip turned into ten days in Hokkaido (not counting travel to and from), with about 2200 km of driving. Which doesn't seem like that much, but roads in Japan are really slow, compared to North America. If you can average 60 km/h, you're doing pretty well and there isn't much traffic. But if you get the chance, go to Hokkaido. The natural beauty is amazing, and it's just such a nice change from the rest of Japan - especially in summer - the temperature ranged from around 24C on a hot sunny day, to 16C on a cloudy day, and actually pretty cool at night or up in the mountains. Also, I didn't notice a single shrine or temple that
was a popular tourist stop (I'm sure there are a few somewhere in Hokkaido). Do take/rent a car/motorcycle (or bike - there were quite a few cyclists around). Camping/Hostels/Rider houses, etc. are pretty cheap. Do eat jingis kan at Yuki Daruma, and if you only go to one place, I think Shiretoko is the place - assuming you like the outdoors. Really wild and beautiful - just watch out for the bears...
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