知床旅情(二)-趕路篇 A Journey to Shiretoko (2)–Getting There

知床旅情(二)-趕路篇

由於香港直飛北海道千歲機場的機票十分昂貴，我採取了飛東京成田機場再轉火車北上的迂迴路線。知床地處日本東北盡頭，全程中途要接駁五次火車一次巴士，行程漫長而緊湊，還要在火車上過夜，但既然已經買了JR火車證，又可以節省一晚的住宿錢，我又是個任何環境都可以睡得著的人，何樂而不為。以前獨遊歐洲的時候，情況再惡劣十倍都捱過了，相比起來，在日本乘夜班火車旅行，仍算是十分安全舒服的事。

自己在外地旅行時，經常利用夜班車，一來省掉白天趕路的時間，一覺醒來已到達下一個目的地，二來又可省掉住宿費。畢竟日本是個細小的國家，加上鐵路系統先進和發達，需要超過8小時的長途車，真是絕無僅有。要利用長途火車過夜，真是要花點心思安排。北海道的鐵路系統相對較疏落，造就了夜車渡宿的條件。

由東京北上的新幹線列車，終站在八戶，要到北海道，得先轉車去青森，再轉夜車上札幌。日本火車有寢台(即臥席)車廂，但附加費用驚人，比住一晚酒店還貴，當然不會考慮，一般都只會在普通車廂坐著睡。但原來青森至札幌的夜車，設有一節特別的臥席車廂，持有JR火車者證不需要額外付款，卻鮮有人知。JR急行"はまなす(Hamanasu)"號夜行列車，設有一節"のびのびカーペット"臥席車廂，因為只有一節，又不用附加費，所以名額經常被預訂一空。

"のびのびカーペット"臥席車廂內觀

"のびのびカーペット"一名源自"Nobi-nobi Carpet"，顧名思義，車廂內沒有床鋪，只在地台上鋪上地毯，大家排排臥，像睡榻榻米一般。地台雖然鋪了地毯，不習慣睡硬板床的朋友，可能會睡不安寧。

列車清晨6時到達札幌，車站內已經有不少趕車上班上學的人，日本人穿州過縣上班上學，也很普遍。由札幌到網走的車程，在田園間穿梭，是個頗愉快的旅程。由網走至知床斜里的釧網本線列車，開始進入知床半島的範圍，列車沿海岸行進，沿途經過保持天然的濕原潟湖，水鳥齊飛，遠處是初夏時節仍白雪蓋頂的知床連峰，好一幅如畫風景。

由東京成田機場下機開始計算，到達知床的斜里鎮，剛剛好用了24小15分鐘。

A Journey to Shiretoko (2) - Getting There

Due to the very expensive air ticket from Hong Kong to Hokkaido, I took a rather long and complicated route via Tokyo, Aomori to Sapporo. Shiretoko peninsula is the northern-east most territories of Japan, and the whole route was made up of 6 train rides and a bus ride, including a over-night ride on the train., but this was really nothing in comparison to my previous European trips. I had already brought the JR train pass, and I could save the hotel money too. That is what I normally do when I am travelling overseas as a backpacker.

The northwards Shinkansen super-express train from Tokyo stopped at Hachinohe, from where I needed to hop on another train to Aomori for another over-night train to Sapporo. They did have sleeping cars on the train, but it was so expensive that I would be better off staying in a hotel for the night. Unknown to many travellers, there is in fact another kind of sleeping car on the "Hamanasu" Over-night Express from Aomori to Sapporo. It is called the"Nobi-nobi Carpet". There is no extra charge for JR Pass holders to reserve a "Nobi-nobi Carpet" place. As its name suggests, the sleeping car is just a single long carpeted platform, and people sleep on it like the traditional Japanese tatami. It is very popular among the over-night travellers and reservation is highly recommended. Not suitable for people who get used to soft bed though.

The Hamanasu train arrived at the Sapporo station around 6 a.m. early in the morning, when the place was already packed with the early birds rushing to work or school. The train ride from Sapporo to Abashiri was rather pleasant as the train dashing through the countryside of northern Hokkaido. The scenic ride from Abashiri to Shiretoko Shari took me right into the gateway to the Shiretoko peninsula, running along the coast, passing through natural wetland reserve for waterfowls, and with the beautiful view of the snow capped Shiretoko Mountain Range as the back ground.

The amount of time took me from the Narita airport to the town of Shiretoko Shari ? 24 hours and 15 minutes exactly.