Day 9: Rishiri Island 52km off the coast of Hokkaido
Once again my eyes jerked awake to the sound of my alarm next to my head. ‘Why oh why am I getting up this early’ ran through my head as I worked to get my clothes on within the confines of my one man tent. It was still dark outside and the morning calls and songs of the birds that filled the forest around me were just beginning. Sometime during the night the wind had finally died down and as I crawled out of my tiny abode I was wrapped in the stillness of pre-dawn.
The walk to the top of the more than a hill but much less than a mountain went by pretty quickly but today as I approached the summit I noticed someone else. A young guy about my age had already set up a tripod (with 6×7 format camera mounted on it) and was patiently waiting for the sun to rise. ‘Good morning’ I said with a cheerful energy that I didn’t quite have. He smiled back, ‘Good morning. Do you need me to move my tripod so you can set up?’ ‘No, that’s okay’ I replied as I wandered around the summit looking for interesting angles I hadn’t thought of the day before.
The calm before then sun rose was only broken by snatches of conversation as both of us looked eagerly towards the East, hoping for something spectacular. There were some clouds along the horizon so I knew it was either going to be a breathtaking view with splashes of hot color or not much. Just as the ball of fire that keeps our planet alive began to make its appearance so did crowds of people.
Well, not crowds of people but two by two they made their way up the steep escarpment talking quietly. Each couple was greeted by a friendly ‘good morning’ by those of us already there. Everyone seemed in good cheer despite the early hour.
Finally the moment arrived, or rather the series of moments that photographers love. The sun began its majestic arc through the sky passing through the clouds and setting them on fire. The sounds of shutters opening and shutting were quite apparent as all of us worked to get the perfect picture.
Once the ‘moment’ had passed I began to talk with the young man had set up the tripod; the usual things of where are you from, what do you do, the weather. It was a cheerful conversation and both of us were in a good mood after the event we had just witnessed. Just like the previous day my energy quickly wore out and the clouds which had burned in the early morning light now blocked the remaining golden light that accompanies the sun just after it rises so I decided to call it quits and head back to my tent. I handed my business card to the guy and returned to my little fortress of solitude.
I didn’t think much of the morning, a typical (and fun) time but nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until later that afternoon as I was getting off the ferry back in Wakkanai that I I realized how important that little conversation had been. I was lost in my own little world planning the rest of my afternoon and the next day when suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder.
‘Hey, how’s it going?’ the guy I had met earlier that morning asked. Startled, I replied, ‘pretty good, you?’ ‘Not bad. So where are you headed?’ I thought for a moment, ‘well, I’m not quite sure yet but my next destination is,’ I reached back into my memory for the name on a highway sign I had seen, ‘Abashiri.’
Abashiri is a town about 300km away from Wakkanai and be gotten to by taking a road down the Eastern coast of Hokkaido. That road is considered pretty lonely by people who live here meaning not much traffic and sparse civilization. I figured it would be an interesting path to take and it might take me two or three days to make it. No way did I think I would get a ride like I did from Asahikawa to Wakkanai.
‘Really? If you want I can take you all the way there since I’m heading down to Kushiro (a port town on the Southeastern coast).’ At this point my jaw dropped and thoughts of doing a little exploring of this Japanese town with Russian on its road signs disappeared. You see an opportunity like this you take it. ‘Wow, that would be great. Let’s do it,’ I laughed. Not even out of the ferry terminal and already I had a ride. Moral of the story: talk to everyone because you don’t know how you will next meet them.
This guy was great, similar interests and a passion for travel. Turns out he had traveled to a bunch of countries in Africa and done some things that others, not I, would consider pretty crazy. As we barreled down the road his eyes constantly searched for a place to pull over and grab a shot of the quickly dropping sun. We had already taken pictures of the sun as it rose so why not as it set. The car occasionally crossed over the center lines but since there were no other cars it really didn’t matter, we were on a mission.
We stopped at one place next to a bridge with a wonderful vista, great for a sunset, but that wasn’t good enough. A few pictures and we were on our way. Down the road, ten, fifteen, twenty kilometers, the sun was beginning to hide itself behind the rim of our planet and leave behind only its purple and orange light. Frantically he, Aki, searched for a spot. Off on side roads we traveled through farmland going for high ground in the flat lands of fields.
Finally we stopped. There was no higher spot then the one we sat upon. As he set up his camera and I snapped off a few half hearted pictures, too busy laughing at the situation, an old farmer emerged from his house and began to talk with us. Aki, in the midst of trying a picture, still managed to talk with the aged man. I glanced over at his house and couldn’t help but laugh again, and this time much harder. The farmers whole family was standing out in front of the house watching the goings on of this strange pair of guys with cameras. We finally pulled out of their and got back on the road. Some 250 kilometers still lay in front of us and it was almost 7.
It was about 10:30 when we finally got into Abashiri. Both of us were clueless about what kinds of hotels they had but a quick check around the train station revealed a few low cost places. I had thought about pitching a tent somewhere but sleep pulled on every muscle in my body and it was too dark to search for a site. Dragging my bag from Aki’s back seat I bid him farewell and a safe travels for the remaining 3 hours of his drive. He wrote his cell phone number on the back of one of my business cards and was off. I turned and headed into a hotel ready to get some sleep.
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Yeah – a lesson i’ve found in the past, and a good one. Another fun lesson hiding here too – one I use when I can – “Get Higher” Way to often I take pictures at eye level, it’s easy to get lower – but often times, it’s good to get higher – that’s the real reason ansel adams drove about in a pickup truck – so he could mount the tripod ontop of it…
Glad things are looking up on your trip – or at least it seems it.
I’m finally mostly recovered from my trip to Shikoku – I love being on rivers in kayaks… I don’t particularly enjoy being thrown from boats and subsequently being tossed about by class 4 whitewater – but it is one hell of away to “wake up” again.