Thursday, June 12 – Heading back to Kushiro

 

Bob and I joined the others for a chilly bird walk at 6 AM; we turned onto a dirt road that I hadn’t seen before.  It led up through thick ferns and low bamboo to a stairway that descended to the stream that passes our hotel, but here stopped at a lovely waterfall.

After our breakfast buffet we took our luggage down to the front entry of the hotel. The staff knew we were leaving this morning and had taken our shoes out from their cubbies and laid them out on boards, so we could walk out in our socks onto the “clean” boards, slip on our shoes and proceed from the hotel!  The attention to detail at this hotel is quite amazing!

Shoes of departing guests laid out

Giant Butterbur, a very common plant

We drove to a campground in the Kushiro Shitsugen Wetlands National Park, a huge wetland that is slowly silting in and becoming meadow and then eventually forest.  The Red-Crowned Cranes were thought to be extinct in the early 20^th century, but a small breeding group was discovered in this wetland in 1924, resulting in the preservation of this large area for the cranes, and as a result, preservation for many more species.  We drove to an overlook and could see deer, eagles, heron, etc. grazing and hunting in the area.

Panorama of the wetlands

Our drivers took us into Kushiro to a restaurant for lunch.  We entered a large building, walking upstairs beside a huge saltwater aquarium containing lots of fish, large rays and some sharks.

I don’t know if those animals end up on the customers’ plates or are just for show!  Bob and I ordered beef curry and rice on Mark’s recommendation and got large plates of delicious curry that we couldn’t quite finish.

After lunch, we drove another hour to the Kushiro City Museum, situated on top of a hill and designed to appear as a crane taking off in flight.  An impressive building with three floors of exhibits, starting at the top with exhibits of Ainu clothing and tools.

Crane-shaped museum

Ainu weavers showing facial tattoos

Model of an Ainu weaver

Our vans drove us another hour to the Taito Hotel, owned by a photographer who had decorated the place with shots of cranes in flight. We got an upstairs room with shower, as the downstairs ones only have bathing in the onsen - which Bob has successfully avoided the whole trip.

We had our farewell dinner and settled in for the night.