Among the places in Japan where, over the years, my trusty old backpack and I have poked about in Japan -- from the southern tip of Okinawa Island, to the far-flung Ogasawaras 1,000-km south of Tokyo, and to Wakkanai and Rishiri Island in northern Hokkaido -- very high on my list of top 10 destinations would be eastern Hokkaido in February or March.
At this time of year, anywhere north and east of Kushiro City, eastern Hokkaido's commercial center, is unforgiving, hostile, even. It's at its worst, weather-wise, with frequent blizzards, below freezing temperatures and bone-numbing winds blowing directly down from Siberia.
Even so, I've never refused a chance to go there and take in its breathtaking winter scenery: mountains, forests and farmland cloaked in deep snow, sea-ice forced onto the shore of Abashiri Bay by wind and tide, abundant wildlife, many hot springs, and of course, all that delicious seafood.
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