#9

Playing in the Gods’ Playground "Kamui Mintara" - A Journey to Mt. Taisetsu with My Children Chikage Aoyama
Hokkaido Tourism Ambassador / Sapporo Tourism Support Concierge / Freelance Announcer / Training Instructor

"Oh no! I forgot to prepare for daycare! This is bad, I completely forgot..." "It's already this late! Big brother, the kindergarten bus is coming—did you put your socks on?"
This is how I live my days, where each day feels like it lasts only five seconds.

I'm Chikage Aoyama, Hokkaido Tourism Ambassador and freelance announcer. Right now, I'm giving my all to raising two boys, ages 2 and 4! I keep busy every day with MC work and corporate training, but my hobbies are above all else my work and being a devoted fan of my "idols" (my children).

After 10 years, I had the opportunity to revisit Hotel Taisetsu ONSEN & CANYON RESORT, where I visited multiple times when I was a reporter for TVh's "Tabi-Komi Hokkaido."

I dubbed it... "A Family Trip to Hotel Taisetsu." After leaving Sapporo, we headed to "Taisetsu Kamikawa Nukumo." https://nukumo.net/

This free playing facility for families with children, leveraging a former school, is absolutely perfect for kids. The towering wooden walls make even adults want to give them a try. The children had a blast using the large soft blocks to build stairs and use as balance beams together. Inside, there's a paid area with a programming corner supervised by teamLab. When we visited, kids of about elementary school age were seriously engaged, projecting their own drawings onto a large screen.

After an hour of the children working up a sweat, I finally managed to convince them to head to Sounkyo Gorge.
Neither of them had ever seen a waterfall before, so we went to "Ginga Falls." My eldest said, "Look! Lots of water is falling! Where does it come from? Where does that water go?" with great curiosity.
My youngest said, "Scary! Waterfall? Mommy, is this a waterfall?" Each had their own thoughts about it.
This place, called the Gods’ Playground "Kamui Mintara" Mt. Taisetsu, is lush with greenery, and the powerful waterfall is breathtaking. In the cool mist of the waterfall, my children—not just the gods—got to play, searching for insects and listening intently to the sound of the falls.
I wonder if they could feel "Kamikawa Kamui" with their whole bodies?

The renovated interior overflows with the warmth of wood, and the children seemed delighted, squealing with joy.
There's a kids' space in the back of the first floor, where they played on hammocks like swings, went in and out of triangular tents, and played with wooden toys.

He was so shy he wouldn't even let me take a video, but he looked satisfied as he devoured his dessert, and then we headed to the dinner venue.
For families with children, buffets really are the best!
I wonder how old my children will need to be before they can go get what they want to eat by themselves...

Anyway, I locked them in their chairs so they wouldn't run around!
There was a gorgeous spread that went beyond typical buffet fare: Shiraoi beef steak, roasted Ezo deer, sake-steamed clams you prepare yourself, Genghis Khan, pork shabu-shabu, grilled scallops, and tempura featuring wild plants, bamboo shoots, and shrimp.
The unsalted tomato juice available for the children was also wonderful! Honestly, it was on a different level...

I was amazed by how truly delicious everything was.
Even my husband, who's quite critical, said it had been a long time since he was moved by a buffet.
I indulged in the all-you-can-drink whiskey, sours, and beer. Hehe.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the delicious food and drinks.

In the evening, Ainu dancing and singing were performed in the lobby, so we went to see it.
My eldest son seemed to like the sound of the mukkuri (jaw harp), listening intently with his mouth hanging open. At the end, we joined hands in a circle to dance, and they even took commemorative photos with us.

When we arrived at the Sounkyo Visitor Center, my younger son was frozen in his tracks by the towering bear display—nearly three meters tall—and cried out, “Mommy! It’s scary! A bear!”
Inside, we found a large-scale model of Mt. Taisetsu. The interactive feature that lit up different areas when you pressed a button really caught his attention, and we ended up staying for about 20 minutes.

Next, we headed to "Asahiyama Zoo," about an hour from Sounkyo Gorge.
Our main goal was to see the hippos, which we couldn't see in Sapporo. Thanks to one opening its big mouth wide, we'll be able to talk about Asahiyama Zoo every time hippos appear in picture books.
Watching the seals glide effortlessly through the tube on their backs, my eldest suddenly exclaimed, “I can do that too!”—maybe a little jealous of their moves. I couldn’t help but laugh.
We kept chatting about it, and I promised we’d give it a try at his next swimming lesson.
There was also a wild boar kept together with monkeys. Since he had just learned the Chinese zodiac, his eyes lit up as he said, "It's the boar from the zodiac!"

Before we knew it, 4-5 hours had passed, and as it started to sprinkle, our enjoyable "Hotel Taisetsu Trip" came to an end.


This was my first time visiting Kamikawa Town since my children were born, but we were able to spend fulfilling time without wasting a single second.
Wanting to preserve these memories for them, I immediately started selecting photos when I got home. I'm creating photo albums so I can talk about what happened at each place we visited.
I hope this Hotel Taisetsu trip will quietly stay with them somewhere in their hearts even when they grow up...