kushiro: where the cold bites and the coffee burns

well well, here i am in kushiro. this place is colder than my ex’s goodbye note. i just checked the weather app and it’s holding steady at -4.2, so pack thermals or perish. the air feels like walking into a freezer with a damp towel over your face. locals? they’re just shrugging it off like it’s tuesday.

“that fog ain’t fog, son-that’s the town exhaling winter itself.”

if the ice gets too much, obihiro’s just a shivering bus ride away. but honestly? kushiro’s got this weirdly magnetic charm. someone told me the ramen at *ichiran soup kitchen will thaw your toes but only if you slurp before noon. i also heard the kushiro marsh trails glow with weird lights at night-probably just drunk fireflies though.

“look for the cafe with the mismatched mugs. their beans are smuggled from sapporo.”

been hitting up kushiro fishery market for breakfast-raw salmon tastes better when your fingers are numb. check their yelp: Kushiro Fishery Market. and for nature nerds, the wetlands are on tripadvisor too: Kushiro Wetlands. official tourism got deets here: Hokkaido Tourism Board.

pressure’s low, humidity’s high-feels like the sky’s wearing a wet coat. but hey, the locals don’t sweat it. they just drink more coffee. which brings me to bean dreams*-tiny joint where the barista’s got frostbite and the espresso’s hotter than hell.

that’s my frostbitten rant. signing off before my fingers turn into icicles. peace out, and don’t forget your thermal socks.