We got up early, got ready and went down to have breakfast. Breakfast the next morning was basic but adequate.
We walked to the Hakodate Morning Market which was only a couple of minutes away. The market area spanned a few city blocks and was open from early morning till about noon. There was a lot of local Hakodate produce on display, vegetables and fruits. But the main attraction was the large variety of fresh and preserved seafood, including crabs and salmon roe. A few stores had freshly-caught squids swimming in tanks, you could fish them and then have the chef prepare it for you to eat. There were many restaurants in the market area that offered Seafood Rice Bowl. Having eaten (a more western) breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee already we were not sure if we would fancy seafood so early in the morning we decide to give it a miss. Overall it was a nice experience to walk around.
We the walked back to the hotel, checked-out and went to Hakodate station to catch the 10:05 AM Super Hokuto Limited Express 7 to Onumakoen Station. We were not able to get a reservation in advance but were able to find seats in the unreserved compartment about half an hour before the scheduled departure time. The train left on time and in about 30 minutes we were at Onumakoen Station. The Tourist Information Center was right next door and we were able to leave our luggage there for the duration of our visit. I think the fee was ¥600 per bag. They also gave us a brochure and map of the Ōnuma Quasi-National Park and told us about all the activities there.
First we went to the Boat Rental Agency and bought tickets for the Sightseeing Boat tour which were around ¥1100 per person. There were not too many people onboard so we could enjoy views on both side as well as stand outside at the back of the boat. It was great to be on the water and get superb views of Mt. Komagatake, an active volcano. We also passed under the Tsukimi Bridge into Lake Komuna and then back again to Lake Onuma. The duration was about 30 minutes and it was a very enjoyable experience.
After the boat ride went on the Island-hopping Trail (Shimameguri-no-Michi). It took little less than an hour and we crossed many bridges and small islands on the shore of Lake Onuma. There were also many vantage points from where there were panoramic vistas of Lake Onuma and Mt.Komagatake in the background.
Next we took the Oshima Trail (Oshima-no-Michi). It was shorter, only about 15 minutes of an easy walk. It also had a beautiful view spot Mt.Komagatake and we saw the ‘A thousand Winds Monument’.
It was very nice to be outdoors in the crisp autumn air. And spending time at leisure was very atypical, especially for me. Given the amount of traveling we would do for the rest of this week it was nice to take it easy and enjoy nature. We had used our Japan Rail Pass 🔗 and had made seat reservations for our travel for the rest of the day.
We walked back to the Tourist Information Center picked up our bags and headed to the Onumakoen Station. We had seat reservations on the 2:00 PM Super Hokuto Limited Express 10 to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. It was a short ride for about 10 minutes.
We picked up some sandwiches for lunch to have on the train from one of the stores at the station and also picked up one Ekiben, the famous railway boxed meal of Japan. We had seat reservations on the Shinkansen Hayabusa 30 service from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Tokyo. The Hayabusa 30 service from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto ran on the Hokkaidō Shinkansen line till Shin-Aomori and then on the Tōhoku Shinkansen line till Tokyo. It was operated by E5/H5 Series Shinkansen trainset. It was fun to see the countryside in the afternoon and evening light as we sped through the Tōhoku region of Honshū. We covered a distance of 862.5 kms in 4 hour 16 minutes with average speed of 202.15 kmph.
We reached Tokyo on time and had about half an hour before our next train. Many train stations in Japan are famous for their Ekiben made from local and regional food specialties. We had liked the first one we had earlier from Hakodate and were curious to try more. There were many stores at Tokyo station and there were many options to choose from. We bought a Chicken Teriyaki Bento and a Shinagawa Clams Bento; and one Vegetarian Bento, just to see what that was like. We had seat reservations on the Shinkansen Hikari 531 service from Tokyo to Kyoto. The Hikari 531 service ran on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line till Kyoto and was operated by the N700 Series Shinkansen trainset. We covered a distance of 513.6 kms in 2 hour 39 minutes with average speed of 193.81 kmph.
It was already dark and there was not much to see outside. The train journey was comfortable and we were able to enjoy our meals and relax. Although the Ekiben looked small they were quite filling and we could finish only two of them on the train. We reached Kyoto a little after 10:00 PM and walked to Piece Hostel Kyoto where we would be staying for two nights.
We chose this place because it was close to Kyoto Station and that made commuting easy.
There was a lounge area and also a kitchen/pantry area and a garden area beyond that.
Our room was small and basic, a bed, a mirror and a wash basin.
The gender segregated shared toilets were on every floor were extremely clean. The common showers were on the ground floor.
There was also a nice terrace on top.
We had the last remaining Vegetarian Ekiben and called it a night.
