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Day 3 (7/30/02)

Although the scenery up to Mashike is not much different from much of the Japan Sea on Honshu, it changes dramatically around seven kilometers north of the town - rolling hills of grass on the right, rolling waves on the left... more what one might expect of a Hokkaido seascape. Here and there you also sea white propeller-bladed windmills on the hillsides. In the water you can also see surfers (looking cold even in July) waiting for what would appear to be non-existent waves.

The houses in this area all have fences blocking off the entire front entrance - protection not from high surf (as I originally thought) but wind, and particularly snow. In the wintertime, the wind drives the snow with such force that it builds up to the point where you can't even enter the house - so people block off the entrance like this. According to one person I spoke to, in a severe blizzard it's not uncommon for someone to get out of a taxi and then get lost on the way to his or her front door -- and freeze to death.

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