🧵6/ Rainy 08:30 at #Kyoto Fushimi-Inari Grand Shrine, head of 30,000+ shrines, to feel #Shinto power through Inari (god of rice 🌾 with fox messengers 🦊). Immediate rewards: rare encounter with shrine maidens & priests, crowdless group photo at the torii gates tunnel, wish-come-true lucky charms… ⛩️⛩️⛩️

Lastly, the director of #Chitose Aquarium taught us about local #salmon preservation. This endeavour required laws and much scientific research to start succeeding, and is facing new challenges as the climate crisis worsens. Underground windows reveal the riverbed and wild fish! #biodiversity

I enjoyed my first time #rafting 🛶 Pure water, autumn leaves, salmon, birds, and a Japanese guide who lived in Canada welcomed us. This #Chitose route suitable for novices (request Niseko for challenging #AdventureTravel), kids, elders, and groups of ±25 is also doable on evenings (great for MICE).

Our last day in #Chitose started with a jaw-dropping #sunrise over Shikotsu lake, visible from my and all adjacent rooms at Marukoma Onsen Ryokan inn. You can easily sleep here if you book your room 6+ months in advance. #JapanTravel