[hokkaido #4] shirogane blue pond, cycling to shikisai no oka and kanno farm🌼
28.9.24 a memorable day where the itinerary wasn’t finalised until the day itself 😆 really wanted to visit shirahige waterfall along with blue pond but that meant walking for like 3km one way or waiting 1-3 hours for the buses — was considering renting a bike from the biruke rest stop but was misled by the latest bus schedule to think that the bus no longer stops there…but actually…it still does! oh well. was thinking that it might not be worth it to travel so long just for one pond but it turned out to be a nice experience in the end 😌 the colour was so pretty.
finally visited the famous flower farm that is shikisai no oka, it was the main reason i wanted to visit hokkaido. no car so we rented bicycles from yamagoya bike hire which is a simple 1 min walk from bibaushi station. the staff there were so helpful and spoke great english! they only had electric bike options but it was affordable imo! roughly 600 yen/hour for half a day. it was my first time riding an electric bike and gosh i’ll never forget that experience of the motor boosting up when you start cycling. i think cycling lets you experience the nature of the fields at a slower pace, can’t imagine getting the same feeling if i were in a car. navigation wasn’t too bad because the shop provided a map and some verbal instructions, plus you can look out for signages on the roads.
kanno farm was quite a last min addition since we took out shirahige waterfall. it’s a good alternative to shikisai for those who don’t want to pay entry fee or don’t have enough time/energy for a larger park. there’s a shop where you can buy souvenirs or snacks including their homegrown corn/potatoes, which was wholesome imo
was really satisfied with how the day went in the end, navigating all the infrequent bus/train timings successfully and not getting lost haha.
[disclaimer: please don’t blindly follow this itinerary without checking the latest bus/train timings on the official websites first]
bgm credits:
riria – anata no soba ni (instrumental by Made Instrumental) https://youtu.be/pvjwQYTGpZc?si=X7usrr6N3_Bxgpuz
bombay bicycle club ft. lucy rose – willow https://youtu.be/RyybNfNhbJg?si=rJt6z816Vop3Vw7_ one of my most played songs of 2024, i freaking love the marimba motif and the lyrics/vibe remind me of nature 😌🌿