Trip Report

Long Weekend Cycle-Touring in Japan | Day 2: Yuni to Hobetsu Campground (Hokkaido)

Posted on May 4, 2014
15 2

Posted on May 4, 2014

Yesterday, we forgot to fill our camp stove fuel bottle with gasoline. This meant no warm porridge for breakfast this morning. Which meant a convenience store breakfast for us. For me this meant club sandwiches, a rice ball, yogurt, and coffee.

Last updated Oct 14, 2018

Convenience store breakfast in Kawabata, Hokkaido, Japan

But wait, I get ahead of myself. First we woke up. To glorious sunshine.

Yuni Campground in Yuni, Hokkaido, Japan

Then we went for a walk. And saw little green sprouts of things reaching for the sky after 4 months covered in snow.

New green spring growth in Yuni, Hokkaido, Japan

And we took photos of ourselves enjoying the natural surroundings.

Cycle touring in Yuni, Hokkaido, Japan Chilly morning at Yuni Campground in Yuni, Hokkaido, Japan

One of the first things we did once on the road, and after we had our healthy convenience store breakfast, was get fuel for the stove. 700ml of the top-shelf hard stuff set us back 93 yen.

Filling the MSR Whisperlite Internationalle stove bottle at a petrol station in Kawabata, Hokkaido, Japan

And then we were on the road again. For all of 15 minutes, before we chanced upon a farm-direct vege stall with a fresh coffee stall right next to it. This was turning out to be a cracker start to the day.

Farm-side cafe near Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

Couldn’t really ask for better weather. A stiff tailwind breeze and the classic Hokkaido big skies and wide open farmland.

Big skies near Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

As we approached the town of Yubari (recently declared bankrupt and has appointed a 31 year-old mayor), we chanced upon the Taki-no-ue (Above the Waterfalls) Park. Most impressive in this nice park were the bridges…

Bridge over waterfalls near Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

and public toilets with impossibly large single-occupancy urinals.

Public toilet near Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

Prerequisite double-selfie was partook before moving on.

Near Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan

Past Yubari (or, more precisely Shin-Yubari), we hit our first major climb of the trip. A stiff 315-meter pass, with the usual tunnel near the top. Tunnels have a curious effect on Haidee, inasmuch as she tends to speed up.

Tunnels near Hobetsu Campground, Hokkaido, Japan

Our destination for the night was Hobetsu Campground, about 15km north of Hobetsu Town center itself. For 1,000yen (or, as we found out later should have been 500yen), a tent can be put up on the grounds there. Spacious, cheap, and with a hotspring only 2.5km away, it was a super spot.

Hobetsu Campground, Hokkaido, Japan

And curiously enough, the onsen was part onsen, part post office! Hakua Onsen/Inasato Post Office.

Onsen (hot spring spa) and post office in the same building near Hobetsu Campground, Hokkaido, Japan

The evening got cold as soon as the sun left for the day. On the menu for dinner was pasta with a pesto/mushroom sauce. Hobetsu Campground has a great covered cooking area with lights.

Hobetsu Campground, Hokkaido, Japan

Distance for the day: 55km

Comments | Queries | Discussion

2 thoughts on “Long Weekend Cycle-Touring in Japan | Day 2: Yuni to Hobetsu Campground (Hokkaido)”

  1. Wonderful photographs. Funny to see the canned coffee labelled Mt Rainier. We’re coming up on a string of nice days too here in the Pacific Northwest USA. Wished we had a string of national holidays to spur a little mini bicycle tour.

    1. Thanks Jason. I’m not sure why the brand is ‘Mt Rainier’….an association with Seattle, and Seattle being famous for coffee perhaps?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

See More Like this

Download may take some time

Hokkaido Wilds Foundation

We’ve got affiliate links on HokkaidoWilds.org to help fund the Hokkaido Wilds foundation.

The Foundation gets a small commission on sales from affiliate links, but we only link to stuff we think is worth checking out for people keen on the outdoors in Hokkaido and Japan.

The Hokkaido Wilds Foundation is a fund where 100% of funds are donated to Hokkaido volunteer groups involved in sustainable, safe, and responsible access to the Hokkaido outdoors.

Learn more here

ADVANCED FILTERS

Filter by location

About Filters

REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in.

BEST MONTH(S): Time of year a route is suited to visiting. Some pop all season, some are more limited.

DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Full details here.

FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? Some routes are all about the screaming downhill (freeride), some are more about the hunt for a peak or nice forest (ski-tour). Some are in between. 

MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. More details here.

ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to.

SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location – just click on the crosshairs (). You may need to give permission to HokkaidoWilds.org to know your GPS location (don’t worry, we won’t track you). Or, type in a destination, such as Niseko or Sapporo or Asahikawa etc.

Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions.

Long Weekend Cycle-Touring in Japan | Day 2: Yuni to Hobetsu Campground (Hokkaido) Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.