Bering Sea, finally arriving in Kushiro, Japan.
Rain was predicted and the weather looked questionable, but for most of the
day we just endured gray skies.
Our driver and tour guide were wonderful (ask@uu-hokkaido). They warned us
that because of the time of year and weather conditions we might not have
any crane sightings. The words were no sooner out of our guide's mouth when
we saw what we thought were cranes. Upon closer inspection it was actually a
large cat. A little further down the road we were treated with the first of
many crane sightings. The Red-Crowned White Crane was thought to be extinct
until a dozen of these birds were found in the Kushiro Wetlands in 1924.
Today's visits included stops at Kushiro Shitsugan National Park, Akan
National Park and Lake Onnetoh. The skies may have been gray, but the leaves
on the trees were in technicolor.
In addition to enjoying the beautiful fall foliage, we stopped at the Lake
Akan Ainu Theater to watch some traditional dances and hear the eerie
sounds of the Tonkori, an ancient Ainu instrument.
Before heading back to the ship we stopped at the Lake Akan Border
Eco-museum to see "marimo" - a rare species of moss that grows into large
green balls. They can grow to the size of soccer balls, but take centuries
to get that large.
Lastly, we were treated to a stop at a beautiful private garden.
We were supposed to be headed for Tokyo, but since typhoon Phanfone is
making its way along the east coast of Japan and into the direction of
Tokyo, we will no longer be stopping here, and instead will be making a
couple of extra stops on the western coast of Japan. Since this is my first
visit to Japan, anywhere the captain decides to take the ship will be a new
port and experience. Do not need a "first experience" of a typhoon with
hurricane force winds.
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