Friday, March 7th, 2025
One week in and the days just keep getting better. Hopefully tomorrow will be a much-needed reset day for the both of us. Yuyu and Hiromi picked us up in one of the town’s hydrogen-powered cars and we drove up to Lake Shikaribetsu, where the Ice Village (Snow/Igloo Village is located. It’s about a half an hour drive from town. It was a beautiful, clear sky and the panoramic view of the mountains was spectacular. Lake Shikaribetsu is the highest altitude lake on Hokkaidō and the drive through fresh snow only added to the experience. We spent about one hour on the lake, visiting the ice bar and some ice/snow structures. The village provides visitors with an opportunity to drive your own snowmobile or you can also get pulled around the lake in an inflatable tube (shaped like a zodiac). The snow and ice igloos contained intricate ice carvings and there was a portable pool to soak in water that is piped in from the hot spring.
It was quite a shock to be greeted by my name as we crossed the parking lot on the way back to our car. Jinseng and his wife Yuki were living in Stony Plain a couple of years ago, where we had an opportunity to spend some time with them. I was completely dumbfounded by Jin’s greeting and it took me far too long to realize who I was seeing. Seeing Jin again was just another completely unexpected treat.
Mr. Yamamoto picked us up in the afternoon, as he had invited us to join him at his Fumanet class. There were about 30 participants and it was certainly a brand-new experience for the two of us. The two hours flew by with lots of encouragement and coaching from everybody. The citizens of Shikaoi have been so welcoming to us.
“Fumanet” refers to a Japanese exercise program, developed in Hokkaido, designed to prevent falls and dementia by promoting light-burden and net-step exercises, encouraging seniors to work together in a fun and sustainable way. – Wikipedia
Me and Dodi hosted our first SS House Potluck tonight. We had 10 guests join us for some great food and engaging conversation. Everyone pitched in to clean up at the end of the evening and our fridge (very small in size) was fuller than when the evening began. Me and Dodi will be eating well for the next few days.
Saturday, March 8th, 2025
There were no scheduled events for the weekend. A couple of hours in the morning was set aside to do some house cleaning. During the afternoon, me and Dodi went for a walk through the community, including a stroll along the main business street.
We decided that we would visit the Hatsune BAR for supper and karaoke. The bar is owned and operated by Yoichi Oki and his wife. We were first introduced to Yoichi in 2005, when he stayed with us during his trip to Stony Plain. In the subsequent trips we have made to Shikaoi, we have been able to reconnect.
The meal we had was exceptional. We started off with three appetizers which were delicious. The rest of our taste experience included edamame, shrimp, gyoza, and spicy ramen, with a local beer on tap to help ease our thirst. The front eating area is very cozy and we shared it with a nice young man and some high school kids. When our meal was done, we moved over to the karaoke bar. This part of our evening was shared with four local men, three of whom came in together. The other was the young guy from the restaurant. Clearly, all of them knew their way around karaoke.
It was a fun evening with Yoichi and his wife being the best of hosts. The microphones didn’t get much of a rest as we alternated between Japanese hits and classics and a variety of American tunes.
As we were saying our goodbyes for the night, Yoichi handed presented us with a gift. He handed me a bag said that they had prepared something for us to have for our dinner, the next day.
Sunday, March 9th, 2025
Today was a down day for the both of us. The Yamamoto’s knocked on our door during their morning and invited us to join them when they travel to Otofuke on Monday to do some errands. I listened to the Oilers, live on 880 CHED, and Dodi went for a walk. I went for a long walk around the perimeter of Shikaoi after the broadcast. We rented a movie on Apple TV and thoroughly enjoyed the meal that had been prepared for us by the Oki’s the night before.
Monday, March 10th, 2025
This morning, we joined the Yamamoto’s on their regular errand run into Otofuke. We parked in a large shopping area and visited a Walmart-like store, a couple of second-hand stores, a clothing store, and a grocery store. We had another excellent meal at the Matsuriya sushi restaurant where we ran into one of the women who participated in the Fumanet class.
On our way home, we stopped at the Tokachi Toteppo Factory for an ice cream and beverage. I remembered visiting this sweets shop on our first visit to the area, twenty years ago. This place is so popular with the locals that it’s hard to get a parking space on Sundays. There is a souvenir/rest stop beside the factory and we checked that place out, as well. We ran into Magumi and her daughter Yui just as we were leaving. They were part of our Potluck Party at SS House, the week before.
“In Obihiro, Hokkaido, famous for its “Sweets Kingdom,” notable cake factories include Tokachi Toteppo Factory, known for local milk and cheese confections, and Ryugetsu, famous for its Baumkuchen called Sanporoku.” – Google Search
The day was quite tiring as there was quite a bit of sensory overload from experiencing so many new things in Otofuke. I could have spent hours in each of the stores we visited just walking up and down the aisles. During the evening, we enjoyed a few snacks (still full from the sushi lunch) and watched a movie on Netflix.
Tuesday, March 11th, 2025
This morning, we were invited to join and participate in a second year (Grade 11) Home Economics class, taught by Tomoko. Tomoko stayed with us when she visited Stony Plain. A grade eleven student from Spruce Grove (on a six-week exchange through the government of Alberta program) was a part of this group of eighteen students. The group was preparation a traditional Japanese food called Mochi. It is rice that is ‘pounded’ into a very heavy, thick dough-like substance. The Mochi was then used to make 6 different products 1. Bean paste wrapped around a fresh strawberry and enveloped in Mochi
2. Mochi with a chocolate center
3. Mochi balls with miso soup
4. Mochi dusted with a sweetened bean powder
5. Mochi topped with bean past and butter
6. Mochi balls in a heated bean sauce
We were able to join each group of students during the entire preparation process and then sat to enjoy the labour of our efforts. In addition to the hard work, we were able to chat with all the students. Quite a few students had a strong grasp of English, so we were able to engage in deeper conversations with them.
It was another good day of learning and conversation.
Stony Plain in Shikaoi 