The day began today also on nice quiet farming roads. Fields of potatoes, mainly. With some daikon (large white Japanese radish).
We did manage to avoid the narrow bit of Route 334, but at the cost of some steep hills. Good for the soul. Like chicken soup, only less comforting. And despite the cold start in the morning, it was getting very hot later in the day. Perfect excuse to drop into a cafe (read: smokey old-style Japanese coffee bar) for some iced coffee and cake. The cake is ‘rare cheese cake’.
Quite unlike much of the Japanese coastline, the coast of Shiretoko Peninsula seems relatively untouched. Nice sweeping vistas and unrestrained waterfalls. It is worth noting that today was one of the few days on this trip we had blue skies.
Our campsite for tonight was at the Shiretoko Campground in Utoro. It comes complete with wild deer who wander freely through the campground. We apparently set up our tent right next to where a family of deer bunk down for the night; even so, with all the warnings about storing food away from one’s tent during the night (to avoid encounters with bears), it was quite disconcerting to hear the dear pacing about outside at night.
Route Map
Distance: 40.1km | Time on bikes: 2h 56m | Average speed: 13.6km/h | Bears: 0
Financials: Food: 3,723yen | Accommodation: 800yen | Onsen (hotspring): 1500yen
1 thought on “Shiretoko Loop Tour Day 3: Shari to Utoro”
The cheesecake cafe was a welcome break from dodging traffic. There’s a few km of highway with no shoulder, unlike most of the Shiretoko Loop.
At Utoro we styed at the hilltop camping ground. It was crowded and didn’t have enough toilets, but the sunset was fabulous.
We set up the tent and biked to the Shiretoko Five Lakes. The walk around the lakes was delightful.