Goodbye, Honshu. Hello, Hokkaido!

This was it! By the end of today, we’d be on Hokkaido, “settled” (used very loosely) in Hakodate, our new home. Our plan for today was mostly logistical: After waking up, eating breakfast and using the hotel’s onsen, we’d pack up and head to Aomori. There’s a ferry there that would take us to Hakodate, complete with (predictably), a dog friendly room for Einstein. Here’s an idea of what our day looked like.

Our hotel room didn’t have a shower, so we were to use the onsen to wash up. For the uninitiated, onsen are Japanese hot springs, usually found either as standalone buildings or in hotels. They have baskets or lockers for your clothes, and wash stations to shower at before you get in; going into the onsen before washing is a no-no. You’re also naked, bathing with other people, so it might come off as uncomfortable to some people. I don’t mind it.

As an aside, tattoos aren’t really “a thing” in Japan. Well, they are, but they have a connotation of being related to the yakuza, Japan’ mafia, so they’re not as accepted as they’ve become in the US and elsewhere. This can become difficult when attempting to use an onsen, as you’re completely exposed. At our stay in Nikko, they requested that guests with tattoos use 4 supplied patches to cover their tattoos when using the onsen. In the US, Seri had constructed replica patches out of paper and tried to cover my tattoo. It didn’t fit. I didn’t even use the onsen at Nikko – I was exhaused – so I didn’t get a chance to figure out how that would, or wouldn’t work. Fortunately, in my experience no one has complained (no one really wants to have a naked, tense discussion – especially when the recipient probably doesn’t even understand Japanese). This might become an issue as I more regularly visit places (e.g., gyms or public onsen) where people have a chance to rat me out to management. Seri’s uncle mentioned that there had been “incidents” at his gym whereby grouchy grandmas complained about tattoos, leading to memberships being revoked.

Anyhow, back to Oirase. I went to the onsen around 6:30am, and there was only one other person there at that point. He left soon after I arrived, which left it all to myself. There were two baths: one indoors, and one outdoors. The indoor bath was incredibly hot (although I’m sure Japanese people who use onsen often would scoff at my description), so I opted for the outdoor bath instead. I’m glad I did! Not only was it less hot – but still really refreshing – it also had a great view of the surrounding landscape.

Once everything was packed, we headed to Aomori. We had some time to kill before we had to return the car and board the ferry, so we decided to find a dog friendly cafe and relax a bit once we got there. Seri found a place called Dog Garden Aomori that is a cafe attached to a grooming business, and we stopped in. If you’re familiar with Einstein, you know he’s not super into other dogs. Fortunately we were the only two guests in the cafe when we got there, so he was mostly calm.

The cafe had food for both humans and dogs, so we got Einstein a couple of treats while we relaxed. Seri also had her first parfait of the trip.

A few dogs arrived while we were in the cafe, and Einstein started getting antsy and a bit barky. We even saw two corgis, but Ein doesn’t discriminate when it comes to barking at other dogs. We decided to get the heck out of there, especially when we noticed they started setting up for a dog birthday party (I guess this is a thing?).

The ferry terminal was a short drive away from the cafe, so Seri dropped me and Einstein off and went to return the rental car. Although we had reserved a dog friendly room on the ferry itself, the terminal wasn’t as accommodating, relegating us to a tiny corner room where Einstein had to stay inside his buggy, fully zipped closed. It was fine.

Seri took a taxi back after dropping off the rental car and we boarded the ferry soon after. Having only recently taken the Alameda ferry to San Francisco, it was a lot bigger than I’m used to. It felt more like a mini cruise ship, with a restaurant, (sad) “gaming area,” and various private rooms. Our room in particular had two beds and a little balcony to the outside. Pretty nice for a 3-hour tour (a 3-hour tour). Seri didn’t get this joke.

I tried to nap a bit during the ride, but the mattresses weren’t super comfortable, and my pillow had been shipped to Hakodate. I bundled my coat into a makeshift pillow but it didn’t really do much. Fortunately the trip didn’t take too long, and we stepped off in Hakodate! We were greeted at the exit by Seri’s uncle, Toshihiro, and her first cousin, once removed (her mom’s cousin – thanks, Google), Yoko, who both drove since we had more luggage than would most likely fit in Uncle Toshi’s car. We drove back to Seri’s mom’s house (our home for the foreseeable future), dropped off our things, and turned around to grab dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Along the way, I noticed a British pub called Woodrow’s that Uncle Toshi mentioned had recently opened. The owner lives in England but is apparently in the process of moving over here. Until then, his wife, a Japanese native who speaks English, runs the pub. I’ve yet to go in, but it’s on my list of things to do.

After dinner, we came back to the house, did a bit of unpacking and organizing, and laid out our futons in the bedroom. It still didn’t feel like we’d moved yet, since I’ve been at this house a number of times before during previous trips. In fact, even as of this writing (November 8th), it still doesn’t exactly feel like we live here. Maybe once I start working next week and begin a normal rhythm it’ll feel that way. Whatever the case, I’m happy to be here!