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Human Again

Map of Hokkaido with the route of “Human Again” highlighted. 🗺 The author’s route across Hokkaido and two of its outlying islands, from east to north

Human Again is a series of dispatches from a walk across northern Hokkaido, in August and September 2022. It is the second part of my circumambulation of Japan.

It continues the journey, from the same spot and on the same calendar day, described in These Walking Dreams, the diary I kept on my 4,300-kilometer walk across Japan which finished in Nemuro on August 21, 2017.

Map of Eastern Hokkaido with author’s route from Nemuro to Utoro highlighted.

Death will be like the end of the summer holidays: August 22—27, 2022

Nemuro → Lake Furen → Attoko → Honbetsukai → Shibetsu → Rausu → Shiretoko Pass → Utoro

Map of Northern Hokkaido with author’s route from Utoro to Cape Sōya highlighted.

A fascination with places that look remote: August 28 — September 9, 2022

Utoro → Shari → Abashiri → Lake Notori → Tokoro → Lake Saroma → Monbetsu → Okoppe → Cape Hinode → Ōmu → Esashi → Hamatonbetsu → Onishibetsu → Cape Sōya

Map of Northern Hokkaido and the islands of Rebun and Rishiri with author’s route highlighted.

And you’ll climb a mountain and stand all alone at the top, and then you will have to come all the way home again: September 10–14, 2022

Cape Sōya → Wakkanai → ⛴ Rishiri Strait → Kafuka → Shiretoko → Kafukai → Kafuka → ⛴ Rebun Strait → Kutsugata → 🌋 Mount Rishiri → Oshidomari → ⛴ Rishiri Strait → Wakkanai