Just a few minutes down the road and curved into a mountain was the Fish Owl Observatory and hotel. They named the place so due to its proximity to Blakiston's fish owl nesting grounds. The Blakiston's fish owl is an endangered species and is revered by the indigenous Ainu. People could pay to observe only or to stay, which includes the ability to observe.
The family that runs the hotel did not speak a lick of English, and so used drawings to explain when the owls were likely to show up. I was told that they could show up starting around 7:45 PM. They were also nice enough to let me occupy my room before even noontime. The room was barely nine feet by nine feet, but the price was very cheap and included dinner and breakfast.
I spent most of the day reading. I noticed a bulletin on the wall, with English translated rules regarding the owls. No one was to leave the buildings when owls showed up, as it would scare them away. I was on the second floor, with a prime viewing of the area that owls were likely to show up. There were two lights set up to turn on at night, to illuminate a tiny circular pond in the middle of a stream. I noticed someone was picking up traps earlier in the day. They must be placing several fish in the small pond, to attract the owls with easy feeding.
Dinner was delicious. There were other photographers there, as well as a family. As I walked out, a woman mimed taking pictures, and I said yes. She gave me a sheet of paper giving instructions on how best to take pictures.
I consulted Jeremy, who was kind enough to call me at the ungodly hour he chooses to wake up at during the weekends. Then, I waited.
I sat in a chair and read on my kindle, while keeping an eye out for fluttering. I ended up keeping watch for four hours. During this time two owls showed up, or the same owl twice I suppose. They stayed for a while each time and ate a fish from the pond. At one point two deer appeared, sticking their heads barely into the light and took a look at a nearby trap set up, though I am not sure for what. Then they ran off.
Here were some of my favorite pictures from the evening:
The next morning I left for a local airport, which flew me to the Haneda Airport of Tokyo. I had planned to stay in the airport hotel and venture into Yokohama in the night, which I had never been to, and then fly home the next morning. A few weeks before the trip I got an email saying that my flight home from there was canceled. The best they could do was fly me out from the much farther away airport of Tokyo, in Narita. So, after arriving in Tokyo, I took an hour and a half transport bus to Narita Airport and then had to find the free two minute shuttle bus to a local hotel, as there is no hotel in airport, nor any sidewalks going anywhere. The roads there are a confounding maze of loops and roads.
I had chosen chicken curry for lunch at the Hokkaido Airport(Nakashibetsu Airport), and the only thing I'd have considered at the hotel restaurant was curry again. I looked around Google maps for any convenience stores and there was a seven eleven about ten minutes away. I also wanted yogurt in the morning so decided to just get something to eat there. It was closed. Then it showed a Family Mart five more minutes away. When I got close, it showed as being inside a gated area with guards. I gave up and returned to the hotel for curry again.
One thing that was interesting that I noticed when I was eating the curry at the first restaurants was that the waitress gave me a spoon. Looking to my left and right, I noticed that the other people eating Curry we're Givin chopsticks. I asked for Chopsticks and she was surprised. Again at night, when ordering the curry, they gave me a spoon and fork. I had to ask for the chopsticks. I guess I do not look Japanese enough for them.
As I was approaching the elevator, I took a quick look at the vending machines. Ninety percent of vending machines in Japan are for drinks, even if it is a set of three vending machines directly adjacent to each other. Therefore, I didn't think to look carefully as I originally went up towards my room. This time I did. There was a vending machine full of food normally stocked in convenience stores, including miraculously enough, yogurt. I guess the machine was refrigerated. I grabbed the yogurt for the morning.
The plane flight was very comfortable for me, as I was able to get the front row in a section, an exit aisle. I had unlimited leg room and could easily get up to stretch whenever I wanted.
I had a six hour layover in Houston. Then, I flew home from there. I didn't get much sleep on my first flight, so I slept the entirety of this one. Halfway through the flight I was jolted awake by the man behind me, notifying me that I had dropped my phone from my pocket. I thanked him and returned to sleep. When we landed and were standing, getting ready to debark, an extremely tall and oddly acting man approached me, asking if I had his phone in one of my camera bags, that I was using to store medicine. I had no idea what he was on about, and I unzipped the bag and showed him. He was having someone else call his number and we heard the ringing. I checked my pocket, and along with my phone was his phone. I guess I hadn't dropped my phone after all. The man behind me was a nice old man and I didn't suspect any funny business from him. After retrieving his phone, the guy kept muttering about he doesn't put up with that kind of shit and how I shouldn't have started up with him. The guy acted like a crazy, homeless person on a subway. I didn't acknowledge him or engage him in any way. I never saw him again.
This trip was an unusual one in a few ways. It was only my second solo trip, which gave me anxiety again leading up to it. Like the first one, I ended up enjoying the time by myself. There is no pressure to go anywhere at any time, and time taken for my medical issues left me with no guilt. Secondly, unlike all of the other Japan trips, it was almost entirely of me driving, often long distances. Speaking of driving, one other random thing that I came across was that the Japanese people, at least on Hokkaido, seem to only park in parking spots by backing up into them. In other words, they never drive forward into a parking spot. I never noticed this on the other islands. Third, instead of being about visiting places for the places themselves, it was focused almost completely on photographing of wildlife. I encountered more people who didn't understand any English, and everything felt more remote than I am used to. While I started to panic a bit in the first few days, I ended up thoroughly enjoying myself. I also learned the amazingness of shio ramen.
No comments:
Post a Comment