函館から大沼・小樽・札幌・岩見沢・追分・白老・登別を経て室蘭へ

20. From Hakodate via Onuma, Otaru, Sapporo, Iwamizawa, Oiwake, Shiraoi, and Noboribetsu to Muroran.

Hakodate and Muroran Lines of the Imperial Japanese Government Railways.

This practically circular route will enable the hurried traveler to get a cursory view of Sapporo, the capital city; the interior of the island; an Ainu Village; and Muroran, and it includes a short steamer trip across the beautiful Volcano Bay. Those whose time is unlimited are recommended to supplement it with the trip to Kushiro (described hereinafter) and that to Wakkanai, on Soya Strait, at the extreme northernmost point of the island. All are off the regular beaten tracks of travel, and all are replete with interest. Picturesque, romantically beautiful Japan is seen here in another form; stern, gray, cold, and rugged; primeval men in a primeval wilderness. The region bears more or less the same relation to Japan proper that Canada does to Florida; with its semi-Arctic fauna and flora, magnificent scenery, and invigorating climate; but rendered doubly interesting by the mysterious, pre-historic Ainu.

Many of the Japanese one meets speak a little English, and strangers have no trouble in getting about.

Several trains leave Hakodate every day for (179 M.) Sapporo, the capital of the island. A good plan is to board an early morning train that reaches Sapporo in the afternoon. This gives one an interesting daylight ride. Best views from the left side of the train.

A day can be spent to advantage in Sapporo, where there is a comfortable hotel (p. 352) and things to see. Good bento with salted salmon as an ingredient, is on sale at the principal stations en route. Also a good jam, or marmalade made of apples (rinyoyo), and strawberries (ichigo-yokan).

From Hakodate to Muroran (291 M. beyond Sapporo) is 470 M. Trains make the journey in about 12 hrs. (from Sapporo); fare from the latter place, ¥22, 1st cl.; ¥15, 2d cl. By boarding an early morning train one can reach the Ainu village of Shiraoi early in the afternoon, inspect it between trains, and proceed to Noboribetsu, which can be reached early in the evening. An hour or two the next A.M. will suffice for this, and by returning to the rly. and proceeding to Muroran, one may devote a little time there before boarding the steamer for Hakodate (or Aomori).

Hakodate (see above). After the tawdry suburbs are passed the train crosses a rolling country of bad roads, and maize plots larger than one sees in S. Japan. Shaggy ponies laden with creels of vegetables for the city markets amble along the muddy highways; the wretched huts of the natives seem peculiarly unfitted to withstand the rigors of a severe winter. In spring, a host of wild flowers deck the hills, which are enlivened here and there by great color blotches made by the yellow coreopsis. The uninteresting station of Nanae is near the site of one of the earliest Gov't Experimental Farms established on the island. The peasants one sees working in the fields look like animated bundles of rags — each man serving as his own scarecrow. From 11 M. Hongo the line ascends over a stiffish grade into wooded hills, whence one commands wide vistas over fields brilliant with purple iris and other flowers. Lovely features of the landscape are the beautiful green bushes of the elderberry (Niwatoko) laden with crimson berries that form striking contrasts with the glossy leaves. — Beyond the Togeshita Tunnel (2614 ft. long) two shallow lakes, the favorite resorts of the Hakodate people, come into view.

16 M. Onuma (Inn: Taiseikwan, ¥4), and 17 M. Onuma-koen. Onuma Lake (boats to hire) is contiguous to Junsai-numa, which derives its name from the pretty waxen lilies or water-buckler (Brasenia peltata) that idealize its surface and are gathered for their edible roots. The near-by volcano of Komagatake (or Oshima Fuji, 3800 ft.) is usually ascended from this point (guide, ¥3 for the round trip). The trail leads over scoria; the boiling pools in the crater (last eruption in 1856) are inferior to those of Noboribetsu, and the views are but a trifle wider than those more easily obtained from the highest hill behind Hakodate. The ravines of the lower slopes are choked with wild flowers, prominent among them white hydrangeas.

The crest of the ridge is reached at Komagatake Station (570 ft.), whence the train descends over the Hime-gawa, to a tangled valley, then skirts the shore of Volcano Bay. 30 M. Mori (Inn: Yamaka, ¥3), an unkempt, evil-smelling fishing-village, is sometimes made the port of embarkation for 24 M. Muroran (in 3 hrs.; fare, ¥2.10, Japanese food) on the opposite shore. The small steamers usually leave twice daily, from the pier at the right of the rly. station. The Torisaki-gawa, which flows by the town on the N., is a busy

fluvial route down which logs come from the interior. Scores of mats covered with putrifying fish adorn the sea beach, and the smell hangs heavily over the vicinity. For some miles the rly. follows the contour of the shore, passing forlorn hamlets whose roofs are held down by hundreds of cobbles; the people have no passion for pulchritude, and the cleansing qualities of the broad ocean that stretches away at their feet are apparently unknown. Many of the fishing-boats are painted in gaudy colors; have long, upturned stems like Malay

proas or those of the Vikings; and are hauled up on the beach by primitive capstans worked by half a score villagers. Beyond 38 M. Ishikura the rly. turns inland and crosses an upland plain sown to potatoes and maize, only to return later to the shore. The bright blue ocean dimples in the sunshine, and the half-wild horses that graze on the silent land add a primeval note to it. Beyond 70 M. Oshiyamambe the line crosses territory as wild, as wooded, and as lonely as Kentucky must have been when Daniel Boone first saw it. Long snow-sheds alternate with tunnels and tangled jungles, in which small clearings have been made and where rough settlers may sometimes be seen washing river-sand in search of gold. Magnificent trees, wild flowers, and wild grapes are everywhere. Fine streams rush beneath the lofty forest trees, and one sees an occasional fisherman thigh-deep in them, or perched on a mid-stream boulder whipping for the fine trout with which the Yezo rivers abound. Beyond 117 M. Hirafu, in Shiribeshi Province, the fine Shiribeshi-yama (8000 ft.), often called the Yezo, and the Hokkaido Fuji, comes into the range of vision (right) and marks the highest point in Yezo. In the deep ravines on its sides the snow lingers till late in July. After threading a tunnel and crossing the Shiribetsu-gawa, the line ascends over a gentle slope to Kutsuchian (Inn: Kanda, ¥4), a new town on a plain reclaimed from the forest. The imposing mt. is now seen to good advantage at the right, the eye sweeping up from the base to the (8 M., 5 hrs. on foot) summit. Climbers usually make the ascent (July and Aug. are the best months) from here, and the innkeeper provides a guide for ¥2.50. The triple craters, now quiescent, are of no interest, and the view is circumscribed. — The uninteresting Yamada Hot Springs are 5 M. distant. The Guchiyasu Tunnel (3330 ft. long) intervenes between this point and 127 M. Kozawa, whence the ocean is but 7 M. (tram-car) distant. The train now ascends over a stiff grade through a region of seared and mutilated forest trees — relics of the great fire of May, 1911. The Inaho Tunnel (5841 ft.) pierces the pass of the same name, in a region where silver and coal are mined. Beyond is a long narrow valley with hills rising abruptly on both sides, noted for wild flowers in July, and for maples in Oct. After passing 140 M. Shikaribetsu, the train traverses

one of the finest fruit-growing regions of the Hokkaido; here thrive apples (considered the best in Japan), peaches, pears, cherries, and other fruits, along with vegetables and grain. When the peaches begin to form they are inclosed separately in paper bags to protect them from insects, and the trees then present the appearance of being done up in curl-papers. A fairly good highroad traverses the valley, past Niki and Yoichi stations, beyond which the hills recede to a distant horizon and the valley flattens out into a wide cultivated plain. The rly. curves broadly to the right here, and the Japan Sea comes into view at the left; the villagers live by fishing for herrings.

159 M. Otaru (Inn: Etchu-ya, Kito, etc., ¥4), the port and capital of Shiribeshi Province, with 80,000 inhabs., is one of the most important shipping-points in the Hokkaido; nearly 200 vessels enter and leave the harbor each year, taking with them coal from the Ishikari Valley, dried herrings, rly. ties, and many island products. Five thousand tons of peas are shipped each year to Great Britain, — Steamships of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha maintain regular communications with Hakodate (207 M.), and the ports between Otaru and (196 M.) Wakkanai. Also with (1169 M.) Kobey via Yokohama. For fares see the company folder. The snowfalls of the region are severest in Feb. From Nov. to March the sea is apt to be rough, and westerly and northerly winds blow fiercely. Calm seas prevail during April-Oct. Though second in importance to Hakodate as a port city, Otaru contains nothing to interest foreigners. — Beyond the city the rly. (sometimes called the Temiya Line) runs along a ledge reclaimed from the high bluff at the right and protected from the boisterous sea (splendid views) by a costly stone revetment; as a rule, through trains do not stop at the suburban stations of Aseari and Hariusu — both near the sea-wall.

At 167 M. Zenibako, noted for its salmon fisheries, the train enters Ishikari Province and runs inland over a beautiful wide plain. The big horse-breeding farm at the left just before Sapporo is reached is called the Makomanai; it bears a strong likeness to a Kentucky establishment, with its attractive stables, fine meadows studded with haycocks, and animated by blanketed horses being led about by jockeys and grooms. A good highway leads hence to the capital.

179 M. Sapporo (or Satsuporo), capital of Yezo Island, with 71,000 inhabs., stands on a broad, hill-encircled plain watered by the Ishikari River, in Ishikari Province, in lat. 43° 04' N., and in long. 141° 21' E. It dates from 1869, is the most attractive city in N. Japan, and represents the first efforts of the Japanese Gov't to colonize the Hokkaido.

When the Bureau of Colonization was established, and Count Kuroda became the Governor of the Hokkaido, he engaged 40 American experts to

come out and bring with them ample supplies of harvesting machinery and other mechanical appliances, seeds, trees, etc. On their arrival he set to work improving the island, and incidentally the future capital. For this a beautiful level plain with a sufficient slope to insure drainage was selected, and avenues 160 ft. wide running N. and S., and intersecting streets from 100 to 120 ft. wide were laid out and flanked by sidewalks and shade trees. This work was done before a single house was built. The effect secured is pleasing, and no city in Japan is airier, sweeter, or more attractive. It is kept scrupulously clean, and the numerous fine granite and brick edifices in Occidental style impart an air of solidity that is heightened by spacious and handsome parks adorned with statuary. A garrison is located at Sapporo, where Gov't maintains the Hokkaido Agricultural Experiment Station (Noji Shikenjo), and the Agricultural College of the Imperial University (Tohoku Teikoku Daigaku), opened in 1876 and modeled after the Massachusetts (U.S.A.) Agricultural College. The fruit trees from America now produce bountifully, and the region is celebrated not only for its fine fruit but also for delicious preserves. The Sapporo Beer brewed by the Dai Nippon Brewery Co., Ltd., is likewise known for its excellence. The hills behind the city are criss-crossed with trails that lead to many picturesque spots.

Arrival. The finest quarter of the city is near the rly. station, and the chief points can be reached on foot in a few min. No cabs. Jinriki, 35 sen an hr. The best of the several hotels is the Yamagata-ya (5 min. walk; jinriki, autos, from the station). Rooms only, from ¥5, according to location (the best are in the foreign wing); meals (foreign food), ¥2 each (salmon — masu, a specialty). Japanese food and accommodations in this and in the Hohei-kwan (inn), from ¥4.50 a day inclusive.

The best shops are on the main st., Nishi O-dori, which runs S. from the station entrance. On the same thoroughfare is the fine granite home of the Hokkaido Colonization Bank (Takushoku Ginko); near by is the equally imposing Post-Office, facing a pretty park with a bronze statue of General Nagayama. The bronze statue in the park 3 squares W. of this is of Count Kuroda, one-time chief of the Colonization Bureau. At the extreme W. end of the city stands Maruyama Park, with a Shinto shrine called the Sapporo Jinja. A joyous festival is celebrated June 15 — 16 each year. The handsomest of the parks (2 blocks back of the Yamagata-ya Hotel) is laid out on the lines of a botanical garden, contains numerous indigenous trees carefully labeled, and adjoins a smaller botanical garden. Within the first is

The Hokkaido Museum (Hakubutsukwan), open Wed., Sat., and Sundays, from 8 to 5; admission, 2 sen. There is a small collection of stuffed animals and birds from Yezo and Saghalien; bird, fish, and animal traps, prehistoric pottery, mineral specimens, and Ainu relics and belongings (clothing, domestic utensils, models of boats, and what-not), significant of the low order of intelligence of these unfortunate people. The big Yezo (stuffed) bears and eagles are worth looking at.

From Sapporo the train runs E. through the suburbs and affords good views of the wide streets of the capital; the big structures at the right and left of the tracks are the brewery and malt-house of the Dai Nippon Brewery Co. Sawmills, flour-mills, hemp- and flax-factories, preserving-works, etc., impart a busy air to the outskirts. Beyond the suburban town of Naebo the country is highly cultivated. Prominent features in the landscape are the wide fields of hops (Humulus japonicus; Jap., mugura) of a species differing slightly from the common hop (H. lupulus) of America, and in steady demand by the brewers of the country. The farmers support the vines on poles arranged like those of a wigwam. The rly. soon curves broadly to the right and traverses a lovely plain, prairie-like in its extent, drained by shallow tributaries of the Yubari River, and delimned on a far horizon by lofty blue hills. The

double brick-kilns by the wayside are worth a passing glance because of their odd shape. Near 185 M. Atsubetsu, the highroad which started so bravely from Sapporo loses its metropolitan character and degenerates into a rutty nonentity out of keeping with the magnificent character of the country — which resembles a rich section of Illinois or Kansas. — 192 M. Ebetsu, on the banks of the Yubari-gawa, contains a big papermill (seishi-jo) of the Fuji Paper Co.; the river, which here joins forces with the Ishikari, furnishes part of the power. The pulp is obtained from the practically limitless forests of the island.

At 204 M. Iwamizawa the rly. goes in a S.E. direction to 228 M. Oiwake, where it turns again and runs S.W. toward Volcano Bay. A branch rly. runs N.E. to 27 M. Yubari, with the widely known Yubari Collieries. There are extensive coal-pockets and coke-ovens at Oiwake, and the few American cows one sees in the adjacent fields are perhaps the prototypes of vast herds that will some day roam this splendid country. The conspicuous features of the small towns along the line are the immense piles of logs that await shipment southward. Here and there a corduroy road stretches across the marshy lowland; the tangled wilderness is gay with flowers and growing things, and is perchance the home of the great brown bears which the Ainu hunt bravely and successfully. The houses one sees are a combination of frame and thatch — a concession to the fierce blizzards which plague the region during many months of the year. The district is newer, cruder, and less tidy than that about Sapporo. Many seared and naked trees rise from small patches of reclaimed land, and between them are raised potatoes and maize, the latter as food for the half-wild ponies of the island. The trails through the forests which extend for many miles in the interior are made by Ainu hunters.

256 M. Shiraoi, a poor village, stands contiguous to one of the largest Ainu Settlements in this part of the country.

The traveler pressed for time can leave the train here, visit the Ainu Village (called Kotan), and later board a train and reach Noboribetsu or Muroran early in the evening. Hand-luggage can be checked at the station; 2 sen each piece. The station-agent will find a boy to accompany one (25 sen ample) as guide; a station-boy is better, as his official position makes him welcome with the Ainu and enables one to inspect the interiors of the houses by invitation rather than by intrusion. The people are gentle, submissive, courteous, and harmless. They show less curiosity than the visitor; forbid the children to molest or follow him; respond amiably to salutations, and welcome rather than repulse foreigners. If the traveler will provide himself beforehand with some candies, foreign knick-knacks, a bit of flashy, oroide jewelry for the poor women drudges of the households, or anything that pleases children, their gratitude will be so genuine that he will feel repaid for the forethought. The womenkind will then bring out their wedding finery and deck themselves with it, — great strings of blue beads, hammered silver or metal ornaments, and the like, — and other heirlooms, or tribal treasures, will be displayed for inspection. Usually every charm known to these poor untutored folks is employed to please those who show an interest in them. By proceeding from the station to the main st. of the Japanese town, turning right and walking to the 2d rly. crossing, one will come to the terminus (left) of the main st. of Kotan. This runs right through

the frowsy settlement to the sea, where a splendid surf sometimes breaks upon the beach. Flanking this dirt lane are the wretchedly poor huts (60 or more) of the (approx. 200) people, each surrounded by a little garden in which men, women, and children delve diligently. Side lanes cross the main one at right angles, and are in turn flanked by other houses. The interiors vary with the habits or poverty of the owners. Some are as well furnished and comfortable as the poorest Japanese shack; others are mere styes where the blear-eyed inmates dwell amid vermin and destitution. The town straggles along the beach for ¼ M.; the deep cauldrons sunk in the sand are used for boiling fish for oil and manure. If the traveler has time to spare he should walk along the beach and inspect the curious Ainu boats drawn up there — long, narrow craft, rowed from the side by slender oars. On a foggy day the sea is of a beauty indescribable; gray as a gull's breast, and sometimes broken into great waves, which sweep in from the California coast 4000 M. away vainly to thunder their message of civilisation at the very doors of the unheeding Ainu.

From the platform of the Shiraoi Station one may, on a clear day, get a fine view of the (6 M. N.W.) Tarumae Volcano (3300 ft.), which after many years of inactivity suddenly blew off its head in 1874, and besides burning the splendid forest which draped its sides, deposited ashes over towns 50 M. away. The Ainu still hunt bears in the lower foothills. — Scattered Ainu huts are seen along the shore as the train runs by the sea, and are usually distinguishable from those of the Japanese by the superimposed caps of straw which form ridges that gradually decrease in size as they near the apex. Before reaching 270 M. Shikifu, we cross the Uyoro-gawa, which, before emptying its water in the adjacent sea, turns and follows the shore for some distance, almost within arm's reach of it, yet separated from it by a narrow sand-spit. It illustrates a curious habit of many of the Yezo rivers, which follow this lingering procedure before making the merger. The Fushicobetsu Tunnel, 2000 ft. long, is threaded before the train reaches

275 M. Noboribetsu, point of departure for Noboribetsu Onsen, the small cluster of houses at the Hot Springs 4½ M. in the hills (1½ hr.) at the W.

If there be many passengers on the train the traveler will do well to have the station-agent at Shiraoi telephone to the office of the basha (see p. xci) at Noboribetsu (opposite the station) and have the special basha (¥1.40 including luggage) reserved (comfortable seating capacity for 2 pers.; 4 on a pinch). The fare in the regular basha (uncomfortable when crowded) is 40 sen. The road leads through the main st. and over the hill — turning left beyond the crest. In the rainy season it is execrable — even for walkers. The last mile is through a wild and picturesque region, with a deep gorge and a shallow river at the left, and high hills at the right. The hamlet occupies a narrow plateau at the head of the ravine, and at times is almost enveloped in the sulphurous steam which rises from the hot water. Towering hills inclose it on all sides. The basha usually stops in front of the Takimoto Inn, where a clean room and Japanese food is provided for an inclusive charge of ¥2 a day. The sulphurous fumes are disliked by mosquitoes and other light militia of the air, and they are conspicuous by their absence. By planning to inspect the springs, etc., on the following A.M., one can board the noon basha, reach Muroran early in the afternoon, and take a night boat from there.

A 10 min. walk up the gorge behind the inn (the proprietor acts as guide; fees unnecessary) brings one, without dizzy

climbing or perilous scrambling, to one of the most interesting spots in Yezo; aptly termed Jigoku-dani, or 'Valley of Hell.' Here, in the highly inflamed, corroded, and disintegrating crater of a moribund volcano, in a place dreadful yet fascinating, near the base of high walls that have been burned and tortured into almost every color of the prismatic spectrum, and now covered by a thin, irregular crust as treacherous as it is hot, are the dynamic, retiring fires of a volcano that has seen better days. Through this rotten crust, where infinite caution is required in picking one's way, and where the stranger should never venture without a guide, burst scalding mud, superheated steam, furiously boiling water, and sulphurous gases that seem to have spurted straight from the white-hot heart of hell itself. The ground is pierced with holes from the size of a lead-pencil to boiling cauldrons 40 ft. in diameter, and from each of these there jerks or puffs, or belches or hisses — oftentimes accompanied by terrifying groans, sighs, or shrieks — sickening emanations and solfataric gases that wound the sense of smell, or burn an exposed hand with diabolical malignity. The gorge is usually filled with the steam that rushes from hundreds of vertical and horizontal vents; in some places with a thin, spiteful wail, in others with the stunning noise of a hundred locomotives blowing off steam in unison. In a small ravine threaded by an angry rivulet of pestiferous blistering sulphur water, is a place where the crust gives way when one ventures on to it, and spitting steam flies out to scald the invader. The stones are crackled with the terrific heat beneath them, and a cane poked into the earth finds no resistance, but when withdrawn is charred and smoking. Some of the streams which rush desperately away from this fuming 'Hell's Kitchen' are dirty gray in color; others are clear (and poisonous); while still others rest long enough in wayside pools to deposit exquisite acicular crystals of sulphur which perish at a touch and disappear as an impalpable powder. Other streams of innocent-looking but white-hot water flow over jade-green beds that sparkle like jewels and are extraordinarily beautiful when the sun's rays strike them. In some places one must keep moving to save one's shoes from burning; in another place, near the center, is a deepish pool, perhaps 25 ft. from the lip, and 60 ft. across, called the Tetsu-no-yu ('hot iron spring') where viscous mud and iron of a bluish-gray color boil and blobber viciously and ceaselessly. Every foot of the gorge shows the traces of volcanism. By climbing to a small, near-by ridge one emerges on a terrace whence far below one sees a second crater, called Oyunuma, with a lake of boiling mud, and walls streaked with red and yellow, and drab and green. Other jets of steam dart out of the mt. side, and hot water bubbles from a score of roaring vents. The sizable snakes (hibi) which infest the place hereabout love the warmth and are harmless.

— Water pours down from this spot to the bath-houses in the hamlet, where promiscuous bathing is practiced. The hills are honeycombed with solfataras and blow-holes, some of which exhale hot air, others cold. There are a number of pretty walks in the neighborhood, but when one gets out of range of the sulphuretted hydrogen, woods-flies become troublesome and interfere with one's pleasure. The maple displays of Nov. vie in beauty with the cherry blooms of April.

Some bold headlands are seen at the left of the train beyond Noboribetsu Station, and a fine surf rushes in from the broad Pacific to die on the shingly beach. An occasional Ainu hut stands in lonely isolation near the shore. 280 M. Horobetsu, a bleak town overlooking the sea, has only its views to recommend it. The group of factories at the right of 287 M. Wanishi constitute the Anglo-Japanese Steel Works; great piles of coal, long docks, and a half-dozen or more big buildings surmounted by lofty steel chimneys give an air of suppressed energy to the place.

291 M. Muroran, a picturesque town (pop. 21,000) in Iburi Province, occupies a pretty site at the foot of a green ridge from the crest of which a superb view is obtainable. Fishing is the chief industry of the tidy little port, and the specialties are mackerel, halibut, sprats, herrings, and an auriculate shell of the Pectinidae (Jap. hotategai), which is made into buttons. The rly. station is within 2 min. walk of the steamer landing (right). At the left of the exit is a restaurant where foreign food can be had. The Maru-ichi Inn (¥2.50 to 5 a day) stands at the left of the station, facing the dock; the Maruhon (same rates) is a few hundred yards farther along the street. Between them is the office of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, whose comfortable ships ply daily to Aomori (see Rte. 17) and Hakodate. Trunks from the rly. station to the dock, 25 sen. The company's launch puts passengers on board free of charge.

The Bay, an indentation in the N.E. side of the larger Volcano Bay (23 M. in diameter, 55 fathoms deep), never freezes, and is filled with excellent fish. The picturesque island which rises 120 ft. above the surface and is surmounted by a lighthouse and girt by a reef is Daikoku-jima. The bold promontories seen at the left as the ship passes out are very striking; the winds and waves have wrought them into many fantastic shapes, and a myriad sea-birds nest in them. The volcano visible at the N.N.W. is Usu-dake. That at the W. is Komagatake. The active volcano (1950 ft.) at the extreme E. point of the peninsula bounding the S. edge of Volcano Bay (so-named by Captain Broughton, who visited it in 1793) is Esan. On dark nights the sky often glows with the reflection of its interior fires. Esanzaki Point is rounded on the voyage to Hakodate or Aomori.