We still managed to get out there and do some camping this summer, despite COVID running roughshod over many cities on Honshu. Not gonna lie, it is worrying. But up here in Hokkaido life goes on, and so do our yearly trips south of Obihiro to Snow Peak’s Tokachi Poroshiri campground.

This year’s trip did not involve the non-stop rains we have been accustomed to, though we did get a few showers. Our main goal this year was to catch and keep enough yamame (cherry salmon) to have a tempura feast. Fortunately the small rivers to the east in the region, known locally as the Tanzan (湛山), are teeming with fish, and we managed to find the perfect drive in location. We caught more than enough!

We got to try out some of our new fishing gear, fishing simple keiryu style, using salmon eggs per usual. It’s been a very long time since I’ve harvested a fish, so it took a few fish wiggling around in my new Daiwa creel, breathing their last breaths, to become comfortable with taking their lives.

We had a very nice tempura feast that evening and put a few of the larger fish on skewers to cook over the coals.  So many yamame were caught that we had enough for breakfast in the morning!

It was definitely one of the more interesting dining experiences while camping in Hokkaido. We supplemented our fish intake by sampling soft ice cream and gelato from several local establishments. Our current favorite is Tokachi Fromages.