Another cruisy day, not quite as warm and sunny but still lovely.

Our first stop was only 100 metres down the hill at Otatomari Marsh, a very popular tourist stop with all the tour buses pulled up (engines running, diesel fumes and noise ruining the ambience). About a 1 km walk around the lake which Elsie enjoyed and then we stopped into the tourist shops and found giant roasted scallops, yum! And Hamamasu flower flavoured ice cream which was actually delicious too.

Again we took some side roads and stopped off at a fisherman's boat inlet, kind of a natural inlet that they have blocked off to form a sheltered spot to bring the boats up. The water was amazingly clear (would've been tempted to jump in if it was warmer) and there were kina growing on the rocks.

Next stop, we weren't sure what it was but all the tour buses were there so we pulled in. It was a seal viewing spot with two baby leopard seals. We fed them some fish with chopsticks and they were amazing. Apparently they live in the Wakkanai aquarium in winter and then come to this sea enclosure for the summer season. Elsie loved watching them swim about.

Time for lunch, a rather disappointing noodle shop, nothing like some of the fantastic meals we have had elsewhere for similar prices. Still, there really weren't any choices and it certainly filled our bellies.

Moving on we saw a tiny orange shrine on a rock and a few more kms down the road we were at Kutsugata. I had planned on staying at the seaside camp but it was quite windy and exposed so we headed up to the Rishiri forest park camp which is very quiet (although not free like the other one -still only 300 yen $6).

Check in got complicated as we tried to fill in the form, then an intentions form for Shane to climb the mountain tomorrow (even though he wasn't sure about doing it due to the weather). Eventually we escaped to the onsen for a much needed wash, and raced back to cook up some tea and get Elsie to bed.

That was two hours ago and she's still awake so no more afternoon naps in the trailer for that girl!

Oh and we passed the 500 km mark too.

For anyone interested in insects and bugs there are plenty here, Shane is currently photographing a fantastic huge white moth, there were things that look and act a lot like NZ cave wetas in the toilets, thousands of black beetle like things on the rocks at the sea, and I just saw an ant as long as my fingernail. Yikes. The biggest pest though is the crows. They got our milk and snacks from under the tent fly this evening. They have also apparently learnt how to open zips. Have to be ultra vigilant.