Quite arguably one of the world's most photogenic places, Shakotan is a somewhat remote penninsula off the east coast of  Hokkaido. It's accessible only by car or bus (and a pretty slack-assed bus system it is on this side of Japan, coming round  just two or three times a day) but in my humble opinion, is more than definitely worth the effort and planning it takes to get  there. Unlike almost every other place I visited in Japan, the pace of life slows to a crawl in Shakotan. People live life just to  live it, catch fish just to eat them, and boil themselves in some hot-as-heck beachfront hot springs just to....uh.....boil  themselves. Still way off the beaten path for backpackers and money-burning package tourists alike, there you can really get  a sense of what life might have meant to Japanese people before the war. The few people who live and work in Shakotan  never fail to crack a smile at a stranger, the seafood comes quite literally straight out of the water and into your stomach,  and the scenery is no less than amazing. Shakotan is famous for it's "Uni", or Sea Urchin, so if you're into extra-slimy, raw  seafood, this is your Mecca.

 There's only one hostel in the little fishing village of Yobetsu (the closest town to the Shakotan area), a house that obviously  survived the war and has been kept up really nicely by a fisherman's family. It's a simple joint, and from the photos on the  wall, you can tell there's a long history of summer backpackers (almost all Japanese) who ventured to Shakotan for some R  and R. For 2700 yen (about $23 US) you get a tatami room to yourself with a view of the town and a breakfast and dinner  that is TO DIE FOR. I was stuffed silly at this place by a very kind "hostel mother" . It was some of the best home cooked  seafood I've ever have the good fortune to eat. The lovely lady even drove me over to an outdoor hot spring right down on  the beach so I could boil my oversized, fish-filled gut after the meal. Now that's good backpackin', folks. Shakotan has one  road and only a couple of real trails for hiking, but if you don't mind hiking down the lonely highway (it's just two lanes and has  little or no traffic), you could spend hours by the cliffs clicking photos of the rocks peeking out of the turquoise-tinged sea.  Just go there, people. GO!

 Shakotan Youth Hostel site