Ogigahara Observatory Beyond the forest, the fields of Tokachi stretch on and on

One morning, my friend and I were heading to Lake Shikaribetsu along Hokkaido Route 85. As I drove through the mountains, I kept my eyes on the road ahead and the trees beside it. We pulled over at Ogigahara Observatory. I switched off the engine and walked over to the lookout. Suddenly, the view beyond the fence opened up, and I stopped in my tracks. The fields stretched so far into the distance.

I pulled on my lightweight hoodie and took a step toward the fence, my little bag still in hand. I felt the stone paving under my sneakers, and a low bench stood nearby. A breeze stirred the hem of my skirt and slowly cooled me down after I got out of the car. I thought we’d just stop here for a quick morning detour, but now it already felt like the destination for the day.

Looking over the trees in front of me, I could make out thin strips of woodland between the fields. What I’d thought was one broad green expanse turned out to be divided into all these different patches. I was admiring the view and talking with my friend about whether there might be a road all the way over there. It felt like seeing the plain we’d driven across that morning from above all over again.

The lookout sits at about 800 m above sea level, with views across the Tokachi Plain to the Hidaka Mountains. Looking from the forest in the foreground, across the fields, and on to the mountains, I found myself wondering just how far the view went. I’d planned to take one photo and set off, but I wanted to spend a little longer looking into the distance.

My friend sat down on the bench, so I set my bag on my lap and took a break too. I slowly traced the fields with my eyes, this time from a seat instead of standing there. Sitting there on the mountain made me think we didn’t need to hurry to the next lake. I’m glad we’d left a little breathing room in the morning’s plans.

For lunch, I’d love to try hand-cut soba made with local buckwheat flour in Shikaoi. Tokachi Shikaoi soba sounds like a lovely way to sample the local fare. When I brought up lunch, my friend laughed and said, “I’m getting hungry.” I love pairing a morning spent looking out over distant fields with a meal back in town.