Mount Usu and Cape Kamui

Our last full day was full of highlights, as the Japan Tourism Board and local Hokkaido government gave us special permission to explore areas that were otherwise restricted. We started out by hiking the back areas of Mount Usu Eruption Park, seeing parts of the volcano that few travelers get to see. This park serves as a memorial to an intense volcanic eruption that utterly altered the landscape in 2000. 

Something seemed surreal and otherworldly about the area even before you started noticing the signs of civilization that were nearly extinguished. Our guide pointed out that the erratically hilly turf that we were hiking on was a major highway just over 20 years ago, suddenly covered and transformed by the eruption. As we trekked on, we came across dilapidated schools and destroyed cars, further evidence of the violence possible on the ground underneath our feet. Amazingly, there were no casualties during this last explosion, but it still served as a sobering reminder of the power of Mother Nature. 

The evening found us arriving at Cape Kamui, a small peninsula jutting into the Sea of Japan. The cape is a popular place for travelers to visit during the day time taking in “Shakotan Blue”, a nickname for the brilliant color that you can see radiating from the ocean. However, we were granted special privileges to hike the cape just after the gates closed and all the other visitors had left for the day! 

Cape Kamui is an incredibly beautiful place during any time of the day, but it was even more impressive to start our hike in the waning daylight, as the vibrant shades of the sea and the rocky cape seemed to change with each passing minute. We got to the end just as the sun was setting, scrambling up a rocky scree to take in the view as the light of day was replaced by that of the lighthouse beacon and squid fishing boats. Soon our headlamps were needed to illuminate our way back, leaving with a sense of joy and wonder and hoping that our cameras could even begin to do this special place justice.