The Wandering Old Man in Furano's Lavender Fields and Shirahige Falls: 'The Unemployed Man's Solo Trip to the Northern Land ⑩'

Hello there. I am a professional unemployed person, a former salaryman turned free spirit, wandering around Hokkaido while shaking my scruffy, unkempt beard and flabby fat. Hokkaido is huge. My belly is also huge. These days, I feel like saying silly things. Honestly, I am quite exhausted.

Well then, it is the morning of Wednesday, July 8th. While taking a morning walk in the beautiful park at 'Roadside Station Hana Road Eniwa,' where I made my base last night, I thought about where to go today while looking at the map and the weather. Having cleared the conditions for distance and weather, and for the simple reason that I knew the place name from the game 'Momotaro Dentetsu,' I decided on 'Furano.' As usual, when I asked AI for recommendations, it suggested 'Farm Tomita,' so I immediately drove my clunker there.

■ Stylish lavender fields and an out-of-place old man

The road to Furano was rich in nature and worth driving. I spend all my time driving during this trip, but driving while looking at the vast and beautiful scenery of Hokkaido is not bad at all.

I only had the knowledge that it was a 'region famous for lavender,' but as I approached the destination, traffic started to jam, and it took time to enter the parking lot. I got out of the car and headed to the lavender fields. The weather was the usual 'mostly cloudy with the sun peeking out occasionally' that I've experienced since coming to Hokkaido, but the view of the vividly spreading flower fields was still wonderful. I took lots of pictures and wandered around.

The temperature was quite high, so I decided to have some lavender soft-serve ice cream. The lavender-scented soft-serve is just right for a hot day. However, the area is full of couples, tour groups, and foreign tourists. In such a stylish and glamorous space, a scruffy, lonely old man is licking soft-serve ice cream all by himself, enjoying the scent of lavender while recalling memories of aromatherapy oil. Objectively speaking, there is probably no sight more out of place than this.

As I was walking around the park taking pictures, a couple asked me again, 'Could you take our picture?' Of course, I readily agreed and took two shots for them. Since I basically wander around alone, I am often asked to take photos. In short, the probability is high because I wander in the same place for a long time, and I probably look like a harmless, vacant-faced fool who has nothing better to do. I am a convenient 'free stock photo' old man who gets asked for favors even when just sitting blankly on a bench.

■ The rational business model of the Blue Pond

After sightseeing to some extent, I set my next destination as 'Biei Town's Blue Pond.'

When I arrived, the parking lot was large and well-maintained, but the parking fee was 1,000 yen. As a recent trend, there are more and more systems where paid parking lots are set up at natural tourist spots to collect money. Since maintenance and nature conservation naturally cost money, I think this is very reasonable.

My impression of the Blue Pond boils down to the phrase, 'It really is a blue pond.' It was so blue that it's a mystery why it has this color. This place is also full of foreign tourists on tours, all taking pictures like crazy. However, you can finish looking at this pond itself in 5 minutes. 1,000 yen for 5 minutes, and since the turnover of cars is extremely fast, it is quite a good business from the operator's perspective. Perhaps because it was a weekday, the turnover was good enough that you could always park somewhere. The pond is blue, the earth is blue, and I am still green.

■ A 6km round-trip walk and the majestic 'Shirahige Waterfall'

While looking up what to do next, I found that there is something called 'Shirahige Waterfall' about 3 kilometers further into the mountains from here. If it's 3 kilometers one way, that's 6 kilometers round-trip. For an unemployed person who is used to walking, it's just the right distance for a stroll. Since I didn't want to bother moving the car, I left it in the parking lot and headed to my destination on foot.

The path is properly maintained as a walking trail, but most people probably just drive there. The only people walking on this path were a pair ahead of me. I walked steadily through the nature filled with white birch trees at a pace of about 10 minutes per kilometer. Since it was a mountain path, I honestly thought, 'The way there is so long,' but it was good exercise.

When I arrived at my destination after about 30 minutes, there were indeed many foreign tourists. The 'Shirahige Waterfall' I was aiming for does look like a 'beard' if you call it that. Unlike a dirty old man (me) with a fluttering stubble, it was a very majestic and superb view, well worth seeing.

After looking at it for about 10 minutes and taking pictures, I headed back down. Since it was a downhill slope, I occasionally jogged a little. There were about 3 groups and 10 people I passed who were 'walking just like me,' and all of them were foreigners. Well, in a typical Japanese time-performance-oriented trip, people probably wouldn't take the time for a walk like this. It's a luxury that only an unemployed person with plenty of time can afford.

■ Asahikawa Ramen and the Unwavering 'Bath Cancellation'

I returned to the parking lot and set my next destination to 'Roadside Station Asahikawa.' It looks like I'll be able to arrive by the time it's past evening. Thinking, 'If I'm going to Asahikawa, it has to be ramen,' I started driving. I remember being incredibly tired, but honestly, I have almost no memory of the journey. I just kept driving.

I arrived at the roadside station and ordered Baikoken's Asahikawa ramen (soy sauce, 1,030 yen) at the attached food court. I was hungry, and my tired body was desperately craving salt, so it was unbelievably delicious.

However, ramen alone wasn't enough, so I bought side dishes and beer at the supermarket next to the roadside station and started an after-party (evening drink) in the car. And then, before I knew it, I passed out in the car. ...Yes, today, without wavering, I am part of the 'bath cancellation crowd.' I just don't have the energy for it.

I'll keep tomorrow's schedule completely free. I think I'll head to a hot spring nearby that has a co-working space attached. Tomorrow, I intend to cancel my bath cancellation, get into a hot spring, and wash away today's sweat, evil thoughts, and stubble. Traveling is fun, but driving and sightseeing take a lot of physical strength. I'll rest well tomorrow.

The journey continues.