Dawn comes very early at Lake Shikaribetsu on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. By 4:30 AM, I sit up from my thin futon and see the pink and orange sky lightening over dark water. It’s the beginning of another day at the Hotel Fusai, a traditional hot springs hotel that sits right on the lake. Here, I got a little education in Japanese culture: Shoes off before you enter your hotel room. It’s acceptable to wear your bathing kimono to breakfast and dinner, but wrap the right side around yourself first, as the left first is for burial. Don’t expect coffee in your hotel room—green tea is more likely.
I spent two weeks in Hokkaido, mostly traveling with small groups. As is frequently the case in group travel, I was the only person in recovery. Fortunately, nobody in my little group was pounding down liquor. I got to see some of the wonderful things Hokkaido offers visitors.
Outdoors Hokkaido
Outdoor activities are usually good for sober folks. It’s hard to drink while biking or zip lining, and how much booze do you really want to carry in your daypack on a hike? Many of us find serenity and spiritual connection with nature—which Hokkaido is full of.
I’ve been zip lining several times before, but Air Trip in central Hokkaido was different in several ways. It combined a short zip line course with nature and eco information, so it was more educational than your average zip line. Also, the line attached to your back, so you sailed prone through the forest like flying! Our guide, Kazuaki Shimada, aka Charlie, introduced a theme for each zip line. “We transform into dragonflies,” he said of a practice line at the beginning of the course that skimmed low over a pond. On other zips, we aspired to resemble maple seeds, flying squirrels, nightingales (while making the traditional Japanese nightingale cry Charlie taught us), and eagles. While we were eagles and instructed to hunt for fake mice arranged on the ground below us—all silly, good fun.
Most of my sightseeing time in Hokkaido revolved around Daisetsuzan, Japan’s biggest national park. I spent three nights on the banks of Lake Shikaribetsu, a perfect base for hiking, kayaking, and even swimming if you don’t mind cool water. We also did a contemplative activity called river walking. This involved donning waders like fly fishers wear, walking in the river looking for fish, and learning about native plants. Another day, we hiked through a moss forest and stopped to wait for pikas. The Japanese love this little round-eared relative of the rabbit, which is widely represented on souvenirs (including a toilet tissue cover at my hotel!). Several elderly Japanese people crouched on rocks, waiting silently to see if a pika would emerge. They were there when we arrived and still there when our chatty group left. Their patience impressed me.
Onsen 101
Natural hot spring pools called onsens are extremely popular in Japan, with at least 2900 in the country. Many hotels offer onsite onsens, or you can visit a public one.
I went to four different onsens while in Hokkaido, all at my hotels. My first time, just finding it in the basement of my hotel, felt as stressful as looking for a recovery meeting in a labyrinthine church. Since it was behind a sliding screen, I initially didn’t even see the entrance. Then, there was the challenge of figuring out the men’s side and the women’s when the words were written in Japanese. I loitered until a Japanese woman showed up, then followed her in.
The onsens turned out to be relaxing places once I got the hang of them. Here are a few things to know. Onsens are for nude bathing only. Swimsuits are considered unhygienic. Bath towels and all your belongings are left in the locker area, though you will see small, folded towels perched on people’s heads while bathing. Shower thoroughly before you go in. Don’t chit-chat with strangers. The onsens I visited all had multiple pools of water, some hotter than others. Two of my hotels also had outside hot pools, which I liked the best.
If you have tattoos, you’ll find yourself unwelcome at most onsens. The Japanese associate tattoos with criminals. During the Edo Period (1603-1868), criminals were tattooed to make them easily identifiable. In more modern Japan, the organized crime group, the Yakuza, tattooed their whole bodies. Some onsens offer coverings for small tattoos. Your chances for locals overlooking the tattoo rule are probably better at hotels serving many Westerners than at public baths.
Alcohol in Japanese life
With a little over five million population, Hokkaido has the lowest population density in Japan. This isn’t Tokyo—it’s mostly rural. Fortunately for me, I didn’t encounter any big party scenes, though I’m sure they exist. But I did have a couple of brushes with sake.
I met a couple of folks in the sake biz and asked them about alcohol use in Japan. “Sake is the heart of Japanese tradition and spirituality,” Kazuhiro Takeuchi, a sake expert who has worked in Japan’s alcohol business for many years, told me. Japan is trying to get UNESCO’s Intangible Culture Heritage program to recognize the fermented rice drink.
I also talked to a young woman who promotes sake overseas. She said that sake is mostly an old man’s drink, and now there’s an effort to promote it to young people by making flavors like banana or chocolate, like the vape industry. She told me that guys try to get girls to drink, and not for the reason I’m familiar with. Instead, it’s because of the “Asian flush,” a common East Asian reaction to alcohol. “Their cheeks get red, and the guys think this looks very cute,” she said.
A local dignitary gave each member of my group a bottle of sake on the first night of our trip. I graciously accepted it in the hotel lobby and then gave it away in the elevator. There was also a group trip to a sake factory in Asahikawa. I toured the factory but excused myself for a walk when they went into the tasting room. I later asked one of the other group members what it was like. “It tasted like alcohol,” he said. Okay. Not missing anything extraordinary.
Meeting Japanese people
The Japanese people I met were polite, considerate, and diligent. When I was in the small town of Higashikawa, a local mentioned that they prided themselves on excellent coffee. I asked where to get a good espresso, thinking he’d reveal his favorite haunt. Instead, he conferred with two other people and made multiple phone calls to make the best recommendation.
Hierarchy and filial duty are important in Japan. I’m vegan (which is much harder than being sober in Japan), and one of my guides told me he’d been vegetarian for two years while living in New Zealand but gave it up when he returned home. “How could I tell my mother I wouldn’t eat her curry?” he asked. Such an attitude was far different from my American individualism, family reaction be damned.
While I don’t conform enough to feel at home long-term in such a polite and harmonious society, visiting was a joy. I don’t know when I’ve been so comfortable walking around in an unfamiliar place at night, armed only with Google Maps and Google Translate, yet unworried about being mugged. One morning, I went for a run in Asahikawa, Hokkaido’s second-biggest city, and found no one living under the river bridges. And not even any trash or graffiti! It was awesome to visit somewhere so clean and safe.
We met some inspiring characters. On a bike ride, we stopped at the edge of Higashikawa to chat with fifth-generation rice farmer and former big air snowboard competitor Aoki Takuya. From his rice field, we could see the glorious Daisetsu Mountain Range, where he spends the winter snowboarding. “Rice in Japan, we feel it’s tasty and good,” Takuya told us. “Other countries put things on top, but we prefer to eat it plain.” As a person who drowns most food in hot sauce, this proclamation struck me as a metaphor and reminded me to appreciate simplicity. Might I be missing life’s more subtle flavors?
Photographer Koetsu Ichinei has been photographing the Daisetsu Mountains for more than fifty years. He shows his enormous nature photos in Japan’s biggest photo gallery, a former elementary school just outside Daisetsuzan National Park. The gallery might also have one of Japan’s longest names. It’s called The Hall of Hokkaido Mountain Photography, the Sounkyo-Daisetsuzan Photography Museum: The World of Koetsu Ichinei. In his younger days, Ichinei hauled his heavy old film camera up to camp in the mountains for one month in winter, and two or three months in other seasons. Now that he’s 84, he hauls the same old camera up but only stays for a week. He goes alone. “I love the nature here,” he tells us through a translator, his eyes sparkling. “Time flows so quickly. Two months is nothing here.” His photos show endless vistas of red and golden leaves in autumn, and deep snow in winter. He tells us stories about staying in a snow cave when the temperature is below zero and it’s too windy for a tent, and his many encounters with bears. One of his favorite photos depicts where he got stuck for a week due to weather, with only enough food left for a day. The photo reminds him of that experience, he tells us, and of how he valued the mountain even more after that.
Which was another metaphor for us to reflect on. People in recovery have had rough experiences in life. But can we value our lives more because of the hardships? Getting a chance to travel to a place as different and fascinating as Japan provides a new lens on life. And memories of peaceful mornings watching darkness retreat, revealing a gorgeous lake right there in front of me.
About Teresa Bergen
Teresa Bergen had the great good fortune to quit drinking very young and has enjoyed long-term sobriety. She lives in Portland, Oregon but travels all over the world as a travel writer. She also works in the oral history field, helping to document and preserve history. Learn more HERE.
#ADDTOCART: Get Teresa’s Sober Travel Handbook HERE
WHAT A TRIP! We trip as often as possible because travel is our jam! Here you’ll find insider information, tips, and honest reviews from a sober perspective. The pandemic is messing with our future tripping mojo, but no worries. We have plenty of really good trips from our past to share. So, come…. SOBER TRIP WITH US!
Did you have a life-changing, globe-trekking sober trip you would like to share? Send us a postcard or write to us at thesobercurator@gmail.com
Looking for something more localized in the USA?
SOBRIETY IN THE CITY is your guide to substance-free adventures and events in cities across the United States. We’re bringing you hidden gems, local hangouts, art exhibits, unique attractions and pop-up events, limited shows, and tours. Being fully present allows us to enjoy life to the fullest. But we’re still taking it in all just one day at a time.
You can depend on SOBRIETY IN THE CITY for clean, creative alternatives to make the most of your time in these amazing cities.
We’re curating lots of ideas and content on how to live your best sober lifestyle in cities across the USA. Make sure to check out these cities where we have Sober Curators actively keeping us up to date with the latest events and hot spots to check out.
DALLAS – MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL – SEATTLE
A Disco Ball is Hundreds of Pieces of Broken Glass, Put Together to Make a Magical Ball of Light. You are NOT Broken, Friend. You are a DISCO BALL!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
