Photo Tour of Japan | Sounkyo Ropeway

Feb 14 | Evan | No Comments |

The station for Sounkyo Ropeway is next to the visitor’s information center in Sounkyo Onsen and the “town center” which has most of the restaurants, small shops and convenient stores in the area.  It’s kind of like a really small strip mall.  Don’t expect too many choices, but you can find the standard ramen, curry, soba, udon and so on.  The Sounkyo Ropeway consists of two levels, the cable car and then dual chair lift to go even higher.  Stopping at the first level is probably good enough for most people and on the roof of the station, there is a nice observation deck offering spectacular views of Sounkyo Onsen area and other mountains of Daisetsuzan National Park.

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I recommend going either early in the morning (when these photos were taken) or for sunset.  The general hours are from 6am – 7pm in the summer but different in the winter.  You can check with your hotel or download the English Brochure PDF  here to see more information, all hours during the year.  If you can read Japanese, or want to translate the website, here is the Sounkyo Ropeway website.

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan?  Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

Photo Tour of Japan | Ginga Waterfall

Feb 12 | Evan | No Comments |

Continuing with our exploration and photography tour in the Sounkyo Onsen area, we stopped by Ginga no taki or Ginga Waterfall.  There is actually a second waterfall next to this one but we found Ginga no taki to be easier seen and more photogenic.  You can view the waterfall from the parking lot area, or walk closer to the stream or even hike up the mountain for an elevated view.  There are two observation decks on the opposite side of the waterfall and it is certainly an easier hike in the fall than the summer!   Again, like other places in Hokkaido and the Daisetsuzan National Park area, there is always the potential for bears and other wildlife.

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The parking lot area doesn’t close, so you visit Ginga Waterfall as early as you want, but as you can see, sun/shadows can be a little tricky here.  The surrounding area is also very nice during the fall season.   There is also a small gift shop that sells souvenirs, local food and drinks.  Of course standard Japanese vending machines are here as well.

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan?  Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

Photo Tour of Japan | Oobako

Feb 10 | Evan | No Comments |

Oobako is the beginning of the gorge that makes way for Sounkyo Onsen and the Sounkyo Gorge.   Oobako is about 10 minutes from the Sounkyo Onsen area and has parking directly next to it.  You probably won’t need a whole lot of time here, as the area is quite small, but certainly worth taking a few minutes to stop by and take a look around.  There is a slightly elevated platform over looking the river but if you don’t mind hoping a small rail you can get down to the rocks and the river.   Like most places in Hokkaido and certainly like the Daisetsuzan National Park and surrounding areas, there could be bears or other wild animals.

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan?  Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

Photo Tour of Japan | Sounkyo Onsen

Feb 09 | Evan | No Comments |

Sounkyo Onsen is the central part of Hokkaido and northern part of Daisetsuzan National Park.  As we continued to tour around Hokkaido, we stayed in Sounkyo for 2 nights.  The Sounkyo area is basically inside the Sounkyo Gorge, which starts with the entrance with Oobako.  There are a few waterfalls, nice hikes, lake, small but pleasant town center, photo museum, ski slopes and ropeway up to Mount Kurodake.  If you are considering going, here is the Tourism Association of Sounkyo website.

For this post, I am displaying a gallery of just one part of the gorge area.  The Sounkyo Gorge goes on for quite a bit and if we had more time, we would have wanted to explore the gorge a little more for other photographic opportunities.  We saw a few from the bus on the way out, but there really aren’t too many places for a bus to park along the road!

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan?  Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

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