知床旅情(三) - 雙瀑篇 A Journey to Shiretoko (3) - Twin Falls

知床旅情(三)-雙瀑篇

知床半島的天氣變化得很快，本來還有點陽光，轉眼便烏雲密佈，颳起大風，在斜里轉乘巴士到青年旅舍時，還開始下起大雨來。六月初的北海道其實仍然頗冷，不單止高地上積雪未融，就算在海平面的高度，颳起風時，仍能感受到一陣陣寒意。

差不多整個知床半島都是國家公園的範圍，部份道路有車輛管制，行走的巴士也不多，七八月以外的非旅遊旺季，班次更是稀疏。青年旅舍在岩尾別川下游、知床半島的中央部份，每日只有班次稀疏的巴士經過。半島沿岸大都是高聳的懸崖，知床連峰的溪流注入大海前，在崖壁上形成無數大大小小的瀑布，是名符其實的山海飛瀑景觀。計劃中是乘巴士往青年旅舍時在中途下車，參觀其中一處著名的山海瀑布「オシンコシンの滝」，再乘一小時後最後的一班巴士到青年旅舍。巴士在寒風冷雨中行駛，正在思量著是否依然按計劃中途下車，車窗前忽然現出一道壯闊的瀑布，立即毫不猶疑地按響了停車鈴。

瀑布就在路邊不遠處，可能不是旅遊旺季，加上天氣關係，遊客不多。旅遊車送來了的一批日本遊客，都湧到紀念品店裡去了。我不打算光顧，無謂阻礙了別人做生意，沒有進內。站在店外的屋簷下哆嗦著，陪伴我避雨的只有店主養的肥貓，也許牠也嫌店內太擠擁，走出來透透氣吧。終於等到雨勢稍停，幾個箭步就衝上了泥濘滿佈的步道，直奔瀑前。

落差50米的「オシンコシンの滝」是知床八景之一、日本百大名瀑之一，又稱「双美の滝」 (雙美瀑布)，亦稱夫妻瀑布，原因是瀑布由兩道平行的瀑水組成。雨後的瀑布，更為壯觀，不單只瀑前揚起陣陣氤氳，原本並排的雙子瀑，已變成上半的三瀑和下半連成一幅的瀑水，就像一位在日本傳統「神前式」婚禮上的新娘，穿上潔白絲綢花嫁禮服「白無垢」，拖著裙擺緩步踏上神壇。

原本還可以沿山路繞到山上，從另一個角度觀賞瀑布，但因為等候停雨時躭誤了不少時間，加上大雨後山路泥濘一片，還是放棄了。

A Journey to Shiretoko (3) – Twin Falls

The weather in Shiretoko peninsula could change dramatically, jumping from sunshine to rainstorm in a few minutes’ time on my way to the youth hostel at Iwaobetsu. It was still rather cold in Hokkaido early in June. The mountains are still snow capped, and I could feel the chill even staying at low ground.

The youth hostel by the Iwaobetsu River bank at central Shiretoko could be reached by bus. Most parts of the peninsula were countrypark land, and traffic was under strict control. Except in July and August, there were very few bus services in the park each day. Lined by the shoreline cliffs, Shiretoko peninsula is a paradise of coastal waterfalls. Streams of the Shiretoko Mountains plunged down from the cliff tops before running into the sea. My original plan was to get off the bus and visit the Oshinkoshin Fall on my way to the hostel, and hopped on another bus one hour later. The bus moved on in the chilly rain. Just when I was hesitating on whether I should change my plan or not, a wide and roaring waterfall came into my sight through the window all of a sudden. This surely did helpe me to make up my mind.

The waterfall was located right beside the road. There were few visitors at the time, but they had all crowded into the souvenir shop. I was not planning to but anything so I just waited outside for the rain to stop, side-by-side with the fat cat which probably had just escaped from the over-crowded shop. The rain started to die down a bit. I took no time to waste and  ran straight to the waterfall.

The 50-meter-high waterfall was one of the eight famous sights of Shiretoko and classified as one of the top 100 Japanese waterfalls. It is also known as the "Twin Beauty Falls" and "Husband-and-wife Falls" due to the two parallel water streams that made up the waterfall. After the heavy rain, the waterfall became  even more spectacular, not only covered by the sprays sent out by the falling water, but the twin falls now transformed into triplets, with the lower parts merging into a lace curtain of water, resembling a Japanese bride at a traditional Shinto wedding ceremony on her pure white silk shiromuku (the traditional wedding kimono).

There was a trail leading uphill to another viewing platform for the waterfall, but I had to give up the side trip since the trail was extremely muddy and  too much time had already been wasted on waiting for the rain to stop.