RtG Japan Daily Dispatch - day00 - Flipbook - Page 16
Day 7: Lake Toya to Hakodate, 25 September 2025
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Michael Lutolf and Patt Henderson, 1947 Citroen 11B
David and Jo Roberts, 1929 Chrysler 75 Roadster
one. It finished with some impressive rock formations
towering over us on a storm-lashed coastal highway. The
mid-morning Time Control in the state-run Michi-no-Eki
in Kuromatsunai saw the crews drying themselves in a
warm fug of bonhomie, whilst tucking into some coffee
and cakes in a cafe renowned for its patisserie. Established
in the mid-’90s, these rest stops celebrate local food and
culture and visitors can collect a unique stamp from each
one of them.
A storm-tossed Cape Benkei Passage Control gave
the crews a chance to collect one of the stamps on their
time card and to get up close and personal with a very
tempestuous Sea of Japan. Time was allowed for the crews
to snap a quick selfie with the statue of Saitō Musashibō
Benkei, a 12th-century Japanese warrior monk who is
celebrated here.
The Shimauta River was another cracking piece of
riparian Regularity, featuring a steep hillside away from the
coast with 9km of asphalt and 3km of gravel for the cars to
slither up. Once finished we struck out to the Pacific once
again to complete our second traverse of Hokkaido with
some easy freeway driving and lunch at the Time Control in
the Funkawan Bay Panorama Park, Yakumo.
The Princely Parking Test brought the day to a halt
almost at the door of the night halt at the Onuma Prince
Hotel in Hakodate. As well as having a powerful car, and the
wherewithal to drive it, those crews with a working knowledge
of the alphabet were put at an immediate advantage over
those who had neglected to study their ABCs.
This was our last timed section on Hokkaido, tomorrow
morning we board a ferry and sail for Honshu, the largest of
the four islands, where the adventure will continue.
Bob Harrod and Dana Hradecká, 1974 Porsche 911
www.rallytheglobe.com
