Bicycles were assembled at a cycle station outside Hakodate Airport. It was very nice to be able to borrow an air pump from the airport. The bike bag used for the flight was shipped by courier to the hotel in Sapporo, our final destination for the trip.
*Because there is a limit to the size of courier service, we recommend that you check the size of your cycling bag (case) in advance.

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From Hakodate Airport, we set off for Chomannbe on day 1. The temperature at the start of the ride was 23 degrees Celsius. Rain was forecast, but fortunately it held off, and the ride got off to a good start!

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Visiting Goryokaku, one of the most famous spots in Hakodate. I wanted to go to the observation deck of Goryokaku Tower for a panoramic view of Goryokaku and the city of Hakodate, but I did not have time this trip. We learned about the history of Goryokaku from the signboard at the entrance of Goryokaku Park.

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Hasegawa Store is a local convenience store that operates mainly in Hakodate. Its signature product, yakitori bento, is not chicken but pork belly skewers on a bed of rice topped with nori seaweed. The pork belly is not pre-made, but is grilled to order at the store's grill. You can choose from a variety of flavors, including "tare" (sauce) and "shio" (salt), but this time I chose the "tare". The sweet sauce goes well with rice and keeps the chopsticks moving.

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Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station is the terminus of the Hokkaido Shinkansen as of July 2022. In front of the station sat "Zushi-Hokki-", the official character of Hokuto City, Hokkaido. To be honest, he looks unapproachable, but I mustered up the courage to take a commemorative photo. The character is said to be based on Hokki-gai, a specialty of Hokuto City, and Hokki-zushi, which is made from Hokki-gai and hukkunko, rice from the southern part of Hokkaido.

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We headed north on Route 5 and stopped at a spring water spot in Yakumo Town to rehydrate. The spring water is located on the premises of a local beverage manufacturer, Yakumo Beverage Co. We refilled our bottles with cooled water and took a break. While we were here a lot of locals arrived one after another with water tanks to draw water from the spring.

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About 90km after the start, we were getting hungry, so we ordered "fried chicken," the signature dish at Harvester Yakumo, a restaurant built on top of a hill. My first bite was "Delicious! But it tastes like KFC." We later found out that Harvester Yakumo used to be a test farm for Kentucky Fried Chicken, where the taste of KFC was developed.

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Driving on Route 5, we found a building that looked like a theme park as we entered the town of Chomannbe. It is a candy factory and store that was renovated from a closed elementary school. Upon entering the premises, loud original music was playing, creating a chaotic atmosphere. Inside the store, they sell sweets (many of them Korean for some reason). It was a dreamland of sweets that children would love to visit.

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We rode the 120km distance at a faster pace and arrived at the inn for a soak in the natural hot spring to recover from the fatigue of the first day. After soaking in the hot spring, we were presented with an array of Hokkaido's gourmet delicacies, including sashimi, crab, tempura, beef, etc. We were so satisfied with the great feast that we couldn't finish it all.

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