Oma and Shimokita peninsula

JjjMmmm 17/10/14

Oma is a smallish town in a very remote part of Honshu, the northern most tip of the island.

On the day of our visit there the wind was blowing very hard, and seas were whipped up and spray was being blown off the top of the waves. 

Even the seagulls were grounded. 

There was no doubt that this is a tuna fishing area.

And this one is for Doug -

 That is Joe.... :(

Some of the locals fish the kelp out of the ocean on windy days like this! 

In fact while we're at the tip a rain squall started and sleet was visible -snow which didn't hit the ground but stung on your face. 

Continuing down the west coast we came across some stunning coastal views, difficult to capture in photos.  

This is wave mitigation in action. There are concrete blocks just at water level. Even with this heavy sea the area behind the blocks is calm. The waves just seem to disappear amongst the blocks. 

 No not a Muslim woman! This is a selfie of me in my wind/cold protection gear! 

The day ended with a fabulous camping spot, sheltered from the wind. We found this by taking a dirt track next to a bridge. It is a most opposite the "Lake House". 

41.27317°N 140.88518°E 

Honshu, Oma

17/10/14

Hakodate has an old section with some great buildings. This is my favourite...

We are now waiting at the ferry terminal in Hakôdate, for the ferry to Oma. We will spend a few days in the national park there. The cost is ¥32370 (about $324). If anyone needs to contact us urgently (probably no wifi there) please phone our daughter Emma (0407 148680) who can contact us via satellite.

We established after lots of inquiry that AGM batteries are not used in Japan. So we had to settle for standard deep cycle batteries. We bought them from an RV shop. 

We have had the opportunity to see inside a few Japanese RVs in the last week. They are beautifully finished inside in timber, much like a yacht, but small by our standards. They have no toilet or shower, or cook tops. This gives them more room of course for beds and dining settings. They have a microwave. 

There are public toilets everywhere in Japan, and also public baths (onsens). These are available in many truck stops and towns. Travellers use them and so don't need ensuites in their RVs. It is a nice system. 

We are now finished our tour of Hokkaido. As you can see we have seen a fair bit of it!