Join us as we carry on in our search for the best summer holiday locations for grown ups!

Roads trips are always a good way to unwind, driving in Hokkaido in the summer will let you experience the freedom and serenity that nature brings. Hokkaido is well-known for its picturesque lakes, Lake Shikaribetsu, being one of the many. 810 meters above sea level, the lake is located at the highest altitude in Hokkaido and looks like a scene right out of a painting.

If you would like to enjoy the pleasures of living near a lake, there are numerous hotels, such as Hotel Shukuhan and Hotel Fukuhara, available to visitors. Hotel Fukuhara is one hotel that is perfect for sight seeing. Centrally located, the hotel even boasts a tea ceremony room, many excellent views, a natural hot spring and generous hospitality.
 
 Hokkaido is also heaven for seafood lovers as it serves some of the best seafood around. While there, do try the Oshorokoma, a rare fish which can only be found in Lake Shikaribetsu. The Oshorokoma tastes like a sweet fish and is exquisite with a salt grill. The summer season is also incidentally the hairy crab season and if you are a sashimi lover, you should also try the Shakotan Shrimp and Shikaribetsu salmon. But do not worry if you are not too keen on seafood, you can always indulge in the famous Tokachi black hair beef and hot pot rice.

Another activity to do in Hokkaido is to visit the forest near Lake Shikaribetsu. You might want to hire a guide who will take care of everything for you and will lead you to explore the majestic forest. Suit up with the appropriate gear and try your hand at river fishing as you arrive at the flowing, clear-watered, mountain stream, a prime place for catching rainbow trout and Oshorokoma. The hard work you put into catching the fish will be duly rewarded as whatever is caught can also be eaten for lunch. Even if you do not catch enough for lunch, you can visit the nearby supermarket to supplement what you have. Hanasaki crab, scallops and pork, which is famous in the area for making pork on rice, is available. Bask in the great outdoors and fill up your belly by enjoying a sumptuous barbeque lunch with all the food that you have!

Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a bird, insect or even pollen floating and flying through the air in the forest?  Take an “air trip” before you leave and whiz through the forest on a steel wire to satisfy your curiosity. It is one invigorating ride not to be missed, with 5 different routes for you to enjoy. The ride lasts for approximately 2 hours, but time does fly when you are flying and enjoying such a spectacular view.

After enjoying nature, on your way back to Obihiro City, do remember to stop by the famous Banei horse racing complex. In Banei horse racing, sleds called “Usanko” are pulled by horses as they race around the track. In the past, the race was held at 4 separate locations, but today, it is only held here in Obihiro. If you’re feeling lucky, you might even want to take your chances and place a bet on a horse to win some extra cash to spend on your next meal.

For a good dose of traditional culture, you might consider taking a trip down to Gujo Hachiman to experience and be part of a summer dancing festival that lasts through the night among other things along the way. In order to reach the festival, one might take the train and alight at the Gifu station and spend some time venturing about in the area.

Located north of the Nobi plains, Gifu grew along the Nagara River and flourished as the castle town for Nobunaga Oda and Dosan Saito during the civil wars. Also, in the Edo Era, it became a passing through town on the Nakasen Road. In Kawara (riverbed) town, the atmosphere of the Edo era still holds strong. Strolling along the roads that are lined by old houses with latticed windows makes one feel thoroughly immersed in history.

The richness of the culture is felt as one discovers Tomijiro Sumii Shop, the only shop in town making and painting Gifu fans. Established in the middle of the Meiji era, the fans are made of Japanese paper from Mino and Mt. Kinka bamboo. Holding true to the tradition, the Gifu fans are still 100% hand made with an average of 10,000 fans being made and sold annually. Coated with lacquer, the fans come in a variety of shapes with beautiful artwork and a glossy finish, making the fans looks very stylish. The fans also come in handy in helping to dispel the summer heat and will definitely come into use while at the festival.

If you are looking for an interesting place for a meal, why not try Bunkanya, a small renovated house from the early Showa Era that sits along the Nagara River. The restaurant is extremely popular with the ladies and serves a fusion set meal which changes each month. The restaurant serves a colourful variety of 10 dishes that mostly have a Western spin to it, an example is the squid sauté stuffed with rice. With a menu that compliments the summer season extremely well and the Nagara River in full view, whetting your appetite, dining at Bunkanya will be a wonderful experience.

Another symbolic event of the summer that one should not miss out seeing is Ukai or cormorant fishing, a unique way of catching the famous Nagara river sweet fish. Ukai usually occurs in the night and accommodation along the river may be a wise choice.  Sugiyama – the house of a cormorant master – makes a good place for watching Ukai. Well-known for their hospitality, Sugiyama also has a gorgeous view with the river and the city’s symbol, Mount Kinka, in sight. This place will definitely be a relaxing getaway for city dwellers.

To prepare for Ukai, it may be wise to have an early dinner. Why not enjoy the seasonal sweet fish that is carefully prepared by the chefs in different styles, including sweet fish sashimi seasoned with kelp and even different types of sweet fish served on a charcoal grill. That is not forgetting the sweet fish hot pot which is not available elsewhere. There is absolutely nothing better than enjoying the delectable taste of food in season!

After dinner, make your way outside and after 7:00pm, the houseboats on the River Nagara in Gifu are lit up. A beautiful orange colour lights up the river and to get closer to the Ukai action, many choose to sit along the waterfront to watch the happenings. Ukai on the Nagara River has 1,300 years of tradition with its techniques being passed down over the generations, the cormorants specifically trained not to swallow the fish they catch. The fire floating down the river is simply magical and is an event visitors should not miss out on. This takes place every night until the 15th of October.

The next day, take a train north to Gujohachiman, famous for the Gujo dance festival which lasts 33 days, from early July to September. During the Obon season, the people dance tirelessly all night till 4am for 4 days straight.

Before the dancing actually swings into action, you might want to explore a bit more of the town. The water town which is built along the river Yoshida is a good start. The River Yoshida is the upper stream of the River Nagara and is a beautiful emerald green, a bit like sea water. Take your shoes off, cool down and have some fun along the river bank, under the bright summer sun.

For another meal with a view, visit the “Hiraji” buckwheat noodle shop where you can enjoy your noodles while admiring the rustic river views. Made from quality buckwheat flour and spring water, the noodles are of top-grade quality. Do not miss out on the soup noodle with local trout, which comes highly recommended in the summer as well.

Little Kyoto of Okumino is another nickname for Gujohachiman and the old houses provide a soothing feeling for those coming from the bustling cities. Interestingly, this craftsman town of old houses has a mountain stream running in front of each house. The stream is still used by some to do their laundry, though this is not as commonly seen as in the past. This is evident of the ancient life wisdom that can only be found in water towns.

As the time for the night long dancing draws near, tourists might find themselves a bit lost in the masses. But fret not; there are Gujo lessons on weekends specially catered to tourists that will prepare you and allow you to dance the night away when the festival begins. Gujo has many different dances and it would be wise to learn the most famous out of the 10 dances. So long as you don’t have two left feet, you should have no problems mastering the dances within a night. At around 8:00pm, people dressed in a multi coloured yukatas gather and begin the night long dance fest.

Gujo dancing goes 400 years back. It began as a festival in the Edo, when the clan temporarily did away with the class system to promote social harmony. Nowadays, tourists are highly welcomed to join in this extravaganza and some 350,000 people, from all over Japan and the world, gather yearly to join in what has been jokingly called the “Bon Dance Marathon”. The festival gives people such a high, so much so that some still can be seen dancing even after 4:00am when most would typically head back to recuperate.

If dancing the night away is not your cup of tea, perhaps an escape to some of the most marvelous views in Boso will do the trick. Take a nice stroll along the beach and visit Futtsu Point, its southern part. You will definitely be refreshed by the summer sea breeze and intrigued by the many types of seashells that are scattered on the beach.

Apart from enjoying fresh seafood and excellent views in Boso peninsula, amidst the serenity of the surroundings is an activity not for the faint of heart. If you are comfortable with heights, and are looking for some blood pumping action, then you might want to take an exhilarating 10 minute ride in the sky, ‘motor paragliding’. Usually prior booking will need to be done by tourists if you would like to get in on the action. Beginners will be left in the safe hands of pro paragliding instructors who have many valuable years of experience. Motor paragliding allows you to experience speed up to 40 km/hr and heights up to 100 meters, giving you the most breathtaking views of Boso from the sky.

Next, jump aboard the Uchibo line and head to Hamakanaya. Alongside the sea sits the famous Mt. Nokogiri (handsaw). Standing at 330 meters, the place is famous for high grade rock and what remains has the mountain looking like handsaw blades, hence its name. To get an elevated view of the place, you can take a short 3-minute cable car ride to the top of the mountain at a price of 500 yen (S$6.50) for adults. Should you take the cable car to the highest station, the trail will lead you to the temples in the area. Knowing there is nothing below the rock that you are standing on may seem like you are ‘looking into hell’, but the magnificent view ahead will quite easily cast all your fears and concerns away.

There is also something for coffee lovers to look forward to! At the foot of the mountain awaits Misaki Coffee, a café serving coffee made only with spring water. The owner of the café opened shop some 30 years ago, choosing its location on the Boso beach to be near the sound of the waves. The secret to the coffee, which is made by Ms Tamaki, who is also from the area, is the water from Mt. Nokogiri. She says many customers return just to taste this coffee. Apart from the great variety of coffee available, including favourites such as the blue Mountain coffee and Mocha, there is also a great variety of cups that the coffee is served in. The spring water coffee is so tasty and delicious, so much so that many customers ask for hot coffee even in the summer heat!

Apart from being a café that serves coffee, music also plays a critical role in creating the ambience of the café. Hanging on the walls are numerous music records, part of a collection of 700 records, which the owner has had since she was young. You may even request a song to be played and enjoy the precious sound of vinyl that is really difficult to find now, in the age of digital music and mp3 players. Misaki Café is definitely a relaxing and nostalgic place that adults should not miss out on, especially with its prime beach location.

 From Hamakanaya, take a train on the Uchibo Line and head to Katsuyama, an old fishing town, where you can also spend the night. An interesting place to stay is “Oshinaya”, a hotel with an outdoor hot spring and a view. Having just been renovated last year, Oshinaya is a lovely little inn for guests to stay in while visiting the beach in summer. Sitting right on the beach and with only 10 guest rooms available, the inn is famous for its fresh seafood and is also a popular choice amongst many sunbathers.

 So, with so many unique and exciting choices available, why not take a quick trip to end off your summer? Come back feeling refreshed, revitalized and ready to take on any challenges thrown your way.