Sato-san on the Rat Snakes of Hokkaido

Some of you have commented on the "Nopporo Forest Snake" post (June 22). Dr. Teruro Sato, Yukari's father, shed some light on that post and added some personal information. (He served for years in third world countries teaching farmers and ranchers proper husbandry techniques.) Here is his input:

The snake in your blog photos is highly probably a Japanese rat snake, and we call it Aodaisho in Japanese, which means Blue General (military). I do not know why it is so.

They used to live in my grandparents’ farm house, in particular in the ceiling under the roof during the winter season when it was 20 to 30℃ below zero [blogger note: approximately -4 to -22 Farenheit].

During the night the house inside became very cold after the fire went out, and the snakes crawled into the pocket of my uncle’s working wear hanging on the wall for drying. In the morning he tried to pick up something from the pocket and he gave a high touch with the snake, crying “woo woo."

This snake has no poison. During the Second World War my good friend was a good snake catcher, and he often grilled the snake meat over the charcoal fire for eating. It was really delicious!

In Hokkaido there is only one type of poisonous snake called a pit viper, which is short, looks brown dark, and quick in motion, and we always ran away in the bush as soon as we saw them.

So much for today.

[For further reference, Sato-san suggests: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Rat_Snake]

Happy 4th of July, Blogger Buddies! We're taking a vacation from our vacation here.

We'll be on vacation for two days. We're training it to Noboribestsu, Hokkaido, where we'll take in the Ninja theme park. Sights include active street theater of "ninja warriors" fighting. Will Ruben need to protect us using his boxing skills?

We're staying overnight in a hotel where there is a great mineral springs spa. Tomorrow we will go to the Bear Park to greet some Hokkaido bears. Wonders if there is a bear claws concession stand? (You can buy green tea donuts here @ Mister Donut. Delicious.)

Ruben and Phil Meet the 10 Patty Cheeseburger

We had heard about the infamous 10 patty cheeseburger at Lotteria. Would we be up to the challenge? Did we have what it takes to conquer this greasy mountain of mushy meat and melted cheese? Would we cower like wimps before this blatant heart-attack inducement disguised as a sandwich?

The pictures tell the story. Tomorrow morning: a 40 minute run!

[Footnote: Phil ordered this monster in Japanese!]

Ruben Improvises an Umbrella with a Rhubarb Leaf

Our friend and driver, Tom Owens, said that his wife saw a woman the other day using a huge rhubarb leaf as an umbrella to shield her from the sun. Apparently this is not uncommon in the country, but unusual in town. This story inspired Ruben to co opt his own rhubarb leaf-umbrella.

Otaru Outing

Phil, Ruben, Buzz, Ren, Yukari

Yesterday, thanks to Tom Owens - a fellow translator living in Sapporo, we all enjoyed a day trip through the countryside in and around Otaru, "the sea entrance of Hokkaido."

Otaru's nickname is "the town of hills." We paused during our drive to view a hillside outside the car. Although it was a slightly hazy day, we all had a great time appreciating each other's company.

Later we enjoyed ramen and after that a mineral springs bath.

Ruben Has Yen for a Soft Drink

Among Ruben's early Japanese currency transactions was at this vending machine a block away from our pad. He's going for some Guarana, a popular soft drink with a Dr. Pepper-like flavor, whose active ingredient is derived from a Brazilian plant of the maple family which converts into an effective energy-booster.

In fact, he bought two Guaranas. The second one was for Granddad Phil so as to resolve a bet the two travelers had. Ruben bet Phil that he knew which seats they were going to occupy as they boarded the Delta Boeing 747 for their trans-ocean flight. Ruben lost the bet. The fact that Phil was holding the tickets with the seat numbers on them is immaterial. (Right?)

Follow up: Phil has received some friendly flack from son Buzz about this wager, but he still thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of the Guarana. It could become a favorite of both the bettors.

At the Historical Village of Hokkaido -- Making "Spinning Tops"

After checking out many of the old Historical Village buildings (blacksmith, hotel, etc.), we ducked into the Activity Center where Ruben and Buzz got instructed on how to make Spinning Tops.