I stayed overnight in the town of Bifuka, taking pictures upstream from the mouth of the Teshio River in the manner of the Edo period explorer Takeshiro Matsuura.In my dream, I was told to go back to “Sarobetsu Wilderness”.Since I was not going to follow the omens, which occur several times a year, I went to the Sarobetsu Marshland Center in the town of Toyotomi.Although the Ezo kanzo, a typical marshland flower, was not yet in full bloom, Rishiri Fuji welcomed me.

Sarobetsu Marshland Center

Inside the center, the nature of Sarobetsu Marshland and the history of its development are introduced.

Dredge for excavating peat from the river bottom.

Sarobetsu Marshland and Rishiri Fuji.

Arctic azalea (Rhododendron indicum)