Dinner at a local sushi restaurant completed our last day in Hokkaido.

We then took a long drive west, back to the port city of Otaru. The canal street boasts a genuine German style beer garden. A real treat after a hot summer day out.

The train travels thru Kushiro marshland, one of the few great marshes protected under the Ramsar convention. Not particularly a comely river for our taste, but beauty is in the eyes of those who sees it.

Before starting a long drive, we took a fun ride on the tourist train ''Norokko''.

Early next morning we took a leisurely walk to the famous fish market, Washo Ichiba.

Giant crabs are the most highly prized catch of the sea. But beware, you go a few miles too far out, end up in a prison cell in Siberia.

The ferry boat departed Otaru just before midnight, carrying hundreds of us reluctant passengers home.

- Back

The warehouses along the canal are remnants of the glorious days past, when Otaru was called ''Wallstreet of the North''.

The fine morning view of Kushiro station square. A historic church standing in front.

The breakfast at Kushiro Royal Inn is simply amazing. No ordinary brasserie in Paris would match that.

But Sayuri was right. (She always is) It was a solid salmon that eventually surrendered at her feet.
Place the pointer on the pic to see the fish alongside Sayuri's 7wt rod. An amazing feat!!

Kushiro is a commercial hub of the north eastern Hokkaido. There are whole plethora of eating choices that would entertain hungry visitors to no end.

Thanks to the light drizzle and slow rising water, many more fresh schools came into the river to entertain us.

Totally satisfied, we drove to Kawakita hotsprings some 20kms away for a hot dip, and then drove to Kushiro for our last night's stay.

To round up our trip we went to Churui river for some more Pink salmon fishing.

The heavy rainfall a few days earlier prompted fresh run. We were into red hot actions almost as soon as we started.

Returning such fish to the water is so very satisfying. We enjoy releasing beauties almost as much as catching.

Not for your taste perhaps, but Japan is a junk food lovers' paradise. Hokkaido has its own variation of instant noodles, complete with a cup of chinese soup!!

A cloudy morning. Thanks to that we enjoyed a good sleep without being baked in the tent.

We then took an easy walk along the beach.
Riping Hamanasu fruits announce the advent of the northen autumn.

Having had almost enough fun already, we returned to the river just for a few rounds more of chunky pinks. Sayuri then hooked into something more substantial.

''I suspect it's a salmon'' she said. Well I didn't believe it because they usually start running end of August while it's still 15th.