<wonglp> Traveling with my mirrorless pen

[wonglp]

December was a lucky month, as my wife gotten 2 free lucky draw air tics to Hokkaido, so off we went without our kids, thankfully mum-in-law offered her help. So with only 2 weeks prior to planning. Had to scramble through trip advisors, wikitravels, and an excellent resource here on CS, an amazingly entertaining yet detailed travelogue by CSer limwhow . So off we went on a 7 day trip free and easy. Was very excited to have my first "photography" trip without kids means much more freedom!!! Unaware what bitter coldness awaits us. In anticipation of thick gloves and coldness, I brought 2 Olympus Pens, with a few lenses on a think tank retrospective 10, as well as bought one from Amazon Japan to pick up at a lawson store One Pen with UWA (7-14 mainly), the other is zoom/telephoto/prime.

Here's what we planned initially...

Day 1: Arrive New Chitose Airport --> Pick up car, took a package which costs about 27K yen (about 400sgd) with GPS. Booked a nissan cube coz we thought it looks very cute. Snow tires, GPS, 4WD. off we go. Next stop was Noboritetsu.
Day 2: Noboritetsu, Hell Valley, and drive towards Hakodate, stopping at Lake Toya viewpoint for lunch.
Day 3: Hakodate and surrounding. Mid afternoon go to Mt Hakodate and stay till sunset.
Day 4: Drive towards Otaru and stop by Niseko.
Day 5: Otaru.
Day 6: Sapporo
Day 7: Home sweet home.
Was actually thinking about Akan for crane watching/shooting but the drive was too far, like 300km east of Sapporo, and we were covering mainly west peninsula, so had to drop the idea, and also, I'm not a birder nor have the equipment to shoot cranes, west side seems more interesting for wife as well. Total distance traveled, about 1000km.

 

[wonglp]

The free air tickets was actually taking EVA air, pain point, was transit in Taiwan, and airport tax costs about $400/pax. plus point (if my daughter was here though), was the Hello kitty plane I actually never knew there's such a plane till now, not as if I really cared, but who's complaining since it's free?

#240 Hello Kitty Plane
E-P3 + Olympus 14-150.



#241 Hello Kitty overdose...
E-P3 + Panasonic 25/1.4

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[wonglp]

Day 1: Arrived at Daiichi Takimotokan Hotel, Dai-ichi Takimotokan
Likely the oldest hotel here since 1858, and the first, as the name would have implied "&#31532;&#19968;&#28381;&#26412;&#39208;"
We booked the rooms direct from the web as it was cheaper and had more options (buffet, room style etc). Another resource we used (instead of the usual hotel.com, agoda, asiaroom, was japanican.com which has good rates for some hotels, usually better than those common ones).
A few reasons we took this hotel is apart from historical,
1. Onsen (hot bath) was simply wonderful, there's many types, some for beautifying, some for therapeutic, some for health. Frankly was never an onsen person as very paiseh to "show off" butt naked to strangers, but after a couple of times, one becomes oblivious
2. Next to Hell Valley
3. Buffet with free flow snow crabs

We paid about 27k Yen ($400) including buffet, pretty reasonable, considering the hotbath, and the splendid buffet that would cost at least $80/pax back home.

The room, we chose a japanese style, so we slept on tatami.

#242 Room

This was before our dinner, we were thinking of laying the tatami when we are back from dinner, but it was done after we came back. great service! rooms a little jaded though, still very cozy nonetheless.

EPL5+Panasonic 7-14mm.



#243 Everyone's ready for Onsen

It's a very relax sight to see everyone wearing yukata for dinner, and then relax over onsen, its advisable to do that 30min after meal.

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[wonglp]

Food in hotel was splendid, dinner and breakfast the buffet restaurant looks bit like a big canteen though. Here are some shots to share.

#242 Shoyu Ramen with freshest ingredients


EP3+Panasonic 25mm/1.4



#243 Unlimited all you can eat snow crab!

EP3+Panasonic 25mm/1.4



#244 Don't know what ingredients but it taste so fresh and good.

EP3+Panasonic 25mm/1.4




#245 Cold Onsen egg

First time trying this, and I just can't resist getting eat whenever I see it on the trip!




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[wonglp]

Hell Valley, a valley with much volcanic gases, the most prevalent being sulfur, which gives a strong smell and hence the name Hell Valley. Not a really vast area as the next picture would show, it's about an hour would be all it takes to finish this area. There's more trails I think when it's less snowy. There are 9 types of minerals to be found in the hot springs and thus a truly popular onsen place, possibly one of the best as well. From Daiichi Takimotokan hotel, it's 10 min walk away. Luckily it was good weather.

#244 & 245 Hell Valley, Jigokudani, Noboritetsu, Hokkaido, Japan.


E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm.





#246 Windy walk

It can get pretty windy here as well. Some points I had to hold on to the wooden railings.

E-P3+ Panasonic 25mm/1.4

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[wonglp]

Before departing Noboritetsu for Hakodate, we dropped by a place, Shin-Noboritetsu Bridge, which has a nice scenic valley to boast. It started with really fine weather

#247 Shin Noboritetsu

E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm



& the road was clear of traffic

#248 Shin-Noboritetsu Bridge


E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm




Within 5 short minutes, a quick snow storm came fast and furious, we were really caught unawares, had to dash back to the car after this shot, and clean my cameras and lenses thoroughly after this.

#249 Temple

E-P3+Olympus 14-150mm. A cross processed shot to add some "dramatism" to the situation.



The visibility was as short as 30m. Rather scary, 30km/h was what I went. Shot taken by wife.

#250 Low visibility

E-P3+Olympus 14-150mm.

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[wonglp]

The good thing about traveling free & easy and driving, is surely the possibility to stop the car anytime anywhere (safe of course). We had booked a Nissan Cube beforehand, in Singapore we always said this car look like &#26874;&#26448;&#36710; &#65288;coffin car) and here we are driving it in Hokkaido, unfamiliar with winterly driving conditions, very adventurous or perhaps foolhardy! Below shot was while wife waiting for me to do a long exposure shot, she was watching korean drama in car coz it was too cold for her waiting for me :bsmilie:

#251 Nissan Cube


E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm



#252 Somewhere in Lake Toya


E-P3 + Olympus 14-150mm



#253 Long exposure on Lake Toya


E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm. First test with DIY holder belongs to bro hyperfocal, who was nice enough to loan me his lee big stopper and holder for this trip. A slight right heavy shot.

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[wonglp]

Was rather late by the time we reached Hakodate, or rather the sunset was early like 4pm. At the red brickhouse, Kanemori, there were christmas deco. Here's a shot to share, and wishing all who is visiting or visited the thread for the past year Merry Christmas & a Joyous Holidays ahead!

#254

E-PL5 + Olympus 75mm/1.8

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[wonglp]

...Continuing the journey, been busy recently ;p

Hakodate was the next place we visited. The plan was morning market 函館朝市, late morning walk around Motomachi area, and then by 2pm, go up Mt Hakodate to view the sunset and city view and wait out for bluehour and night view, it has possibly one of the top 10 night views in the world. So much anticipation, but it was not to be.

Here's some from the morning market 函館朝市. A place that sells fresh & cooked seafood & dried seafood as well. A great place to eat fresh seafood for breakfast, just nice as our cheap 3000yen hotel didn't include.

#255, 256

A lady catching live squid, and then processed it at the shop.

EP3+Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8


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[limwhow]

Wow! You all actually drove in winter!
Respect, respect.
Did you have to use chains on the wheels when the snow was heavy?

 

[wonglp]

Wow! You all actually drove in winter!
Respect, respect.
Did you have to use chains on the wheels when the snow was heavy?

Not worthy of respect limwhow, nothing compared to your travelogues Snow tires and 4wd were provided instead of chains. Though i think chains might be better for such cobditions. Overall great experience, albeit there was one time I almost hit the car in front, was downslope and I braked early but car skidded, last few sec pull handbrake somehow it managed to stop like few cm before car in front..phew

Thanks for popping by and the likes

 

[wonglp]

The Hakodate morning continues with a sumptuous breakfast at a colorful shop. Reasonable prices here and definitely taste very good, we went in coz it looks colorful, though it's quiet.

#257

Random sashimi don shop, E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm



#258, 259

E-P3+Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8

Sweet prawns, scallops, uni (sea urchin), fish roe, scallops...uni didn't have much fishy taste, and my wife who usually don't try uni actually likes it. Total damage about $50 for both iirc, memory failing me but certainly one of the better breakfast (not the best).

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[wonglp]

After breakfast, had a walk to Kanemori, famed Red brickhouse area as the weather was rather good, no snow, bright skies. A port that was opened in 1859, and the red brickhouse was constructed in 1869 as warehouse for the port. As Hakodate is located at the south western tip of the Hokkaido Island, fishery is till today an important industry in Hakodate, apart from tourism of course.

#260 Kanemori Red Brickhouse Warehouse

It was near Christmas hence, the decorations of Santa climbing up Kanemori.
E-P3+Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8



#261 Traffic warden trying to clear traffic

Same lens as above, wide open.

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[wonglp]

#262 Isaribi boats

The boats here docked at Hakodate Bay, next to Kanemori have rows of lights hung on it, this is mainly to attract squids at night.
E-P3+ PAnasonic 35-100 f2.8

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[wonglp]

A short drive to motomachi, hakodate continues. Motomachi is an area that was very much a foreignly developed area - mainly by the Russians back in 1850s, when Hakodate was booming.

#263

Russina Orthodox Church, background is Mt Hakodate
E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm

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[wonglp]

A couple more of cultural diversity in Motomachi area. This Roman Catholic church was rebuilt in 1924, after being burnt down in 1921.

#264 Roman Catholic Church.

E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm



#265 Shopping street in Motomachi



#266 Unwithered leaves

E-P3 + Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8


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[wonglp]

Motomachi does have it's own Japanese tradition charm as well.

#267 Higashi Honganji Temple.

E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm




#267 Trees along Higashi Honganji Temple.

E-P3 + Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8



Good weather unfortunately didn't last long...

 

[wonglp]

Then the strong winds and hailstones pellets started raining on us.

#268 Raining hailstones like pellets

E-P3 + Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8



We decided for lunch at the top recommendations, strangely, not a local ramen-ya/sushi chain, was actually "Lucky Periot" - A burger chain that's only found in the area of hakodate. Beats MOS burger/BK/Carl's Jr hands down (of course red-nose yellowish loud haired clown is not even close)What's different is one: Japanese freshness of ingredients - seafood and veg, teriyaki sauces, and richly flavoured mayo, quite different from heinze with a tinge of sweetness. If only they had this in Singapore!!! Must try if you are there. ...

#269 lucky periot



The food here was good, unfortunately, we were stuck at Mt Hakodate afterwards due to the strong winds, the tram was stopped indefinitely, while we waited and waited. Luckily we were not stuck up there. And during winter, the road drive up there is also closed, well, at least we tried. There goes our city view of Hakodate, slated to one of the best night views in the world

#270 stuck!


Wind was too strong, renders the cable car inoperable. So we missed Hakodate nightview
E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm




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[wonglp]

Not all was gloom as the weather though windy, was not that snowy to restrict photography. Perils of mirrorless and small tripod (Sirui T-025) is during such windy conditions, it can be carried away! Have to watch out. A blue hour at Kanemori and then it was all shopping around there.

#271 Kanemori blue hour

E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm.




#272 Shops inside Kanemori are interesting & colorful. [/B]

E-PL5+Panasonic 7-14mm.

 

[GhostAccord]

A very aspiring thread. Seems like there hasn't been any updates for 2 months. This thread was one of the reason that I decided to go have a go at the m4/3 system. Hope to pick up more ideas and advice.


Cheers
Aaron