Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [497]
Toipirka Kitaobihiro Youth Hostel (;30-4165; http://homepage1.nifty.com/TOIPIRKA/english/main_eng.htm; dm from ¥3200, breakfast/dinner ¥600/1000; ) is an attractive log house with Western-style beds and nightly tea time. It’s near Tokachigawa Onsen, a cluster of resort-style onsens and hotels along the Tokachi River. If you phone ahead, the staff can pick you up from the station in Obihiro.
If you want to stay in Obihiro proper, just step outside the station and look up – just about every popular chain has an Obihiro location, and almost all are within sight of the station.
Butadonburi butadonburi (barbecued pork over rice) is an area speciality. Panchō (; 22-1974; dishes from ¥850) is across from the station, and is all that’s on the picture menu.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Obihiro’s tiny airport is located about 25km southwest of the city. From here, there are domestic flights to various destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and others. Buses between the airport and JR Obihiro station (¥1000, 45 minutes) are timed to connect with arrivals and departures.
BUS
There are a few departures in both directions between the bus terminal adjacent to the station in Obihiro and the Chūō bus station in Sapporo (¥3670, 4¼ hours). There are also regular buses running between Obihiro and Kushiro (¥2240, 2½ hours), Asahikawa (¥3150, 3¾ hours), Sōunkyō Onsen (¥2200, 80 minutes), and Ikeda (¥590, one hour).
CAR
Rte 274 runs between Sapporo and Obihiro, while Rte 38 connects Obihiro to Kushiro.
TRAIN
Frequent tokkyū run on the JR Nemuro line between Obihiro and Sapporo (¥7020, 2½ hours), and between Obihiro and Kushiro (¥4680, 1½ hours). Kaisoku run on the same line between Obihiro and Ikeda (¥440, 30 minutes),
Return to beginning of chapter
IKEDA
015 / pop 8470
Located amidst the grape fields of the eastern Tokachi plain, Ikeda is a small farming town that became famous in the 1960s when the municipal government started experimented with winemaking. While conservative oenophiles might not consider Japanese wines in the same league as Old World classics and other New World upstarts, pull out a bottle of Ikeda and decide for yourself. Judging by the giant corkscrew sculpture in the station, the folks here hope you will.
Town maps are available at the tourist information desk (572-2024; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct) inside the JR Ikeda station.
In our humble opinion, some excellent wines are made at Wain-jō (; Wine Castle; 572-2467; www.tokachi-wine.com, in Japanese; 83 Kiyomi, Ikeda-chō; admission free; factory tours 9am-5pm), set on a hillside overlooking the town. A tour guides you through the production process (in Japanese only) and there’s a tasting afterwards. To get here head south along the train track from the station; you’ll see the hill on your left shortly afterwards (look for the Ferris wheel).
What goes well with wine? Cheese of course! The rather optimistically named Happiness Dairy (; 572-2001; http://happiness.presen.to/index.html, in Japanese; 104-2 Kiyomi, Ikeda-chō; admission free; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays in summer, 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-5.30pm Sat, Sun & holidays in winter) takes you through the entire process, from walking in the wheat fields with the milk cows to tasting the final product, be it fresh cheese or rum-raisin gelato. From Wain-jō head east on Rte 39 about 200m, then turn left at the T-junction, head 500m north and turn right at the cross section. Go 300m, and the shop is on your right.
There is also a burgeoning artists’ community in Ikeda that produces some lovely craft goods. The Moon Face Gallery & Cafe (; 572-2198; 132 Kiyomi, Ikeda-chō; admission free; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) displays works by locals while serving up tasty cappuccinos and espressos, while the Spinner’s Farm Tanaka (; 572-2848; www12.plala.or.jp/spinner, in Japanese; admission free; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-5.30pm Nov-Mar,