Day 6 - Sounkyo to Furano.

So today, we had to wake up a little earlier as the breakfast buffet started from 8am and we really wanted to avoid the crowd. Remember last night ? Yeah, not really keen on that shizzle.

We left the hotel at 915am and headed back to the beautiful waterfall that we went to yesterday in hopes of taking more spectacular photos.

Well, here they are.

There's a souvenir shop just a few steps away from the car park that we saw yesterday and they had this really kawaii animal hat that keeps your head and ears warm but we didn't buy it. But I did so today because it was way too cold. Every time the wind blew, my ears would be frozen and we can't have that can we ?

I bought 2 and then we had a laugh when Uncle Pat decided that he wanted to try it on.

So after we were done goofing around, we drove towards lake nukabira to see what's left of the phantom bridge a.k.a 'Now you see it, now you don't bridge'.

Well, here's photos of our journey towards lake nukabira. Just check out the lovely blue skies.

Well, if you look carefully, you'll see the roads and the tunnel that we had to drive through today.

We finally made it to the town nearby, but we got a little lost, so we found ourselves at the visitor's center seeking for help. Whilst my mum was asking for directions, I went in and looked at the display they had.

Unfortunately for us, the bridge was no longer open to the public. They did however provide tours, but we had to wait 2 and a half hours for the next tour, so we decided to forego it. They did say we could see if from the other side of the lake though and so off we went. We realized we drove past that area when we were on our way up to the visitor's center. We had to park by the side of the road, which we found dodgy, but we did it anyway.

We had to walk through the forest to get to the lake which took us about 10 minutes. Enjoyed a pretty view of the forest though.

And now, for the phantom bridge....

Such a spectacular view isn't it ?

Well, here's a close up of the bridge.

I'm really glad that we got to see the bridge, even though it was from afar, but at least we saw it once before it disappears.

And now, for the wefie.

I know I look real silly with that seal hat, but the fact is, it is so warm and comfortable, it's just permanently stuck to my head.

Here comes the sucky part. We drove and we drove and we drove and we finally saw signs that said 富良野 ( Furano ) which was our destination for the night. It took us 2 hours and 40 minutes and by the time we got there, it was just past 3pm. And you know what ? We haven't had anything to munch since breakfast this morning ! We parked the car at some random carpark and went on foot in search of restaurant or cafe but there was nothing opened. We finally walked into this lovely little house which had a tiny sign that said 'cafe'. Sadly, they had just finished serving lunch. Hungry and knackered, we continued looking and then suddenly, from a distance, we saw this huge ass sign board - 弁当 (BENTO ). I felt like I had struck the lottery. We legged it there, ordered our bento sets, waited and then drove off. But guess what ? I had to wait till we checked into the hotel. I don't know what's worse - Being hungry with no food or having the food right in your face but not being able to eat it. Boo hoo.

It took us about 20 minutes to get to the hotel. Today's accommodation - Furano Hops Hotel. When we got there, it looked like it was some haunted mansion on top of the hill. There was much nearby either, which added to the hauntedness. But can I just say that we had the most loveliest of views from the hotel entrance.

Beautiful isn't it ?

So anyways, the hungry hippo finally got to eat.

As it is now autumn, the days are getting shorter and shorter. It was about only about half past 4 but the sun had begun to set and from our hotel room, we managed to capture the most beautiful photo of the sunset.

After settling down, we decided to go for a walk. By then, it was already pitch dark, but it didn't stop us from exploring our surroundings. There wasn't anything much nearby except for a pachinko and Lawson.

We went back to the hotel to get the car and headed out to dinner.

But first, mama&daugterfie.

So anyways, today's dinner choice - くまげら ( Kumagera ). We googled the post code and went round in circles. We almost gave up, but we made it there in the end. And I'm so glad we did. The food was great.

I love my sukiyaki and so I decided to have it.

And boy was it good. If you do visit Kumagera and you are a fan of sukiyaki, this is a must try. Oh yes, the waitress will ask you if you want to cook it yourself or if you want her to do it. Unless you know how to, I suggest you get her to cook it for you. If the taste is not to your liking, you can add your own condiments to your liking as they do provide it.

Uncle Pat & my mum on the other hand, had their famous sanzoku nabe, which is actually a hot pot made of duck and venison in a miso base. Thumbs up to this dish.

Now this is the other dish you need to try. It was probably the most flavorful pot I've ever had.

So to end this post, I shall leave you seeing white.

おやすみなさい !