The Cycling Paradise of Your Dreams

My alarm was the sound of a black woodpecker. I looked out the window of the hotel, but could not see it. We had a great time last night talking about the 270-degree panorama from Kaiyodai in EAST HOKKAIDO, the observatory on Milk Road, and I must have had a little too much to drink. Today's bicycle trip was a 26-km one-way trip from Misato Guest House in Teshikaga Town surrounded by forest to Sunayu Campground on Lake Kussharo in EAST HOKKAIDO.

The lakeside campground on the Wakoto Peninsula, a short distance from the Sand Bath / Onesen Campground on Lake Kussharo, is a place where I have fond memories of bringing in air-powered kayaks for fishing with my seniors from work and enjoying BBQ and bonfires while enjoying the blissful comfort of the outdoor chairs we each brought with us. It is also a place of memories for me.

Kusshi Road (in JAPAN)

Today's course will be a straight and flat road through the fields, unlike yesterday's ride through the pastureland, so we plan to take a break at a cafe with delicious sweets and learn about the Ainu people at the lakeside museum. In Teshikaga, we will be able to experience various aspects of real Ainu culture that we would never think of if we were living a normal life.

After riding along the Pilot National Highway, we will turn onto Kusshi Road at the fork, which is surrounded by trees on both sides and covered with lush vegetation like a natural archway, making it a spectacular cycling spot where you can ride your bicycle while bathing your entire body in the forest.

Let's learn about Ainu culture in Teshikaga　of JAPAN

On the Kussharo Highway, there is an Ainu Folk Museum facing Lake Kussharo, where visitors can learn about the history and culture of the Ainu people, and experience "trying on Ainu folk costumes" at the museum. About 8.4 km from the junction of the pilot national highway, we arrived at today's turnaround point, the Sunayu Campground along Lake Kussharo. The Rest House "Retala Chip" here is a recommended rest stop, with a beautiful view of Lake Kussharo spread out from the restaurant's windows. The lake cape here is a rare place where hot spring water gushes out when the beach is dug, and it is time to turn on a little switch in your mind when you dig the beach with a shovel and enjoy a footbath while gazing at Lake Kussharo.

Compared to the cycling areas in Biei and Niseko, Teshikaga, which is located further east than Obihiro, tends to have fewer opportunities to be visited by cyclists, even among Sapporo residents.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Kushiro Marshland to Teshikaga area is a sacred place, as is the hilly and spectacular nature route and the forested cycling route to Lake Kussharo, the largest caldera lake in Japan.
Takashi　Mizuguchi