Hokkaido's southern coast sits on the edge of Funka Bay, a large, nearly circular inlet of the Pacific that is well sheltered, and about ten kilometres from the town of Date there is a shell mound that records how people lived here some four thousand years ago. Irie is one of the sites that make up the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites of Northern Japan, which UNESCO listed in 2021, a group of settlements and ritual places left by hunter-gatherer-fishers who lived without agriculture but built permanent villages, and who made the remarkable coiled-cord pottery that gives the era its name. The mound consists of discarded shells, fish bones and other debris, along with graves, and it is a rich archive of daily life.
What makes the Jōmon people so interesting is that they were sedentary without being farmers. The mild coast and the bounty of the sea, with shellfish, salmon and sea mammals, allowed them to stay in one place, trade jade and obsidian over long distances and bury their dead with care.
The country around is varied. Date is known as the warmest town in Hokkaido, with a mild climate and little snow, and Mount Usu, an active volcano that erupted in 1977 and again in 2000, rises nearby. Lake Toya, a circular caldera lake, is a short ride inland, and the roads around it circle the water with views of small islands and the mountain behind. Niseko, a famous ski area, is farther away, and the road to it winds through farmland and forest.
The riding in Hokkaido is some of the best in Japan: long roads, light traffic, big skies and a generosity of space rare in the rest of the country. The summers are mild and the best time is June to September, since winter closes many roads. Watch for deer at dusk, particularly on rural roads, and for sudden fog on the coast. Date, with thirty-five thousand people, has fuel, shops and restaurants, while Niseko has fewer services.
The seafood, particularly scallops, sea urchin and fresh crab, is very good, and local dairy products are famous. A hot spring bath at Lake Toya is the perfect end to a day's ride.