After arriving at Kikonai Station, the southernmost station in Hokkaido, from the Shin-Aomori area, I boarded the local Donan Isabiri Railway for the first time. What surprised me first was the lack of air conditioning. The windows were half-open, and fans were spinning. Even in midsummer, this might not have been a problem temperature-wise in Hokkaido until now (though it's pretty tough in today's climate—but once it started moving, the breeze felt nice). Then, seeing the colorful triangular-roofed houses and the cute station building designs floating past the window, I felt it strongly: "Wow, it really is different from Honshu—I'm in Hokkaido!" The sky was clear and the air crisp, so I could enjoy a beautiful view of Mount Hakodate.
Dōnan Isabiri Railway
