About Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the most northern island of Japan lying between longitude 41°21' and latitude 45° 33' North . It has a total area of approximately 83,451 square kilometers and accounts for about 22% of the total area of Japan while accommodating only about 5% of the total population. This means means it has large areas of pristine wilderness and ample area for farming and agriculture. Hokkaido boasts six national parks, five quasi-national parks and 12 prefectural parks. The combined area of these parks is about 10% of the total area of Hokkaido.

Note: Itinerary areas circled in blue

Originally inhabited by native Ainu, Hokkaido's development began in 1869 with the establishment of the Colonization Commission. Over the past 136 years Hokkaido has seen significant development and population growth, with the capital of Sapporo now being the fifth largest city in Japan. Fisheries and agriculture have been the foundation of Hokkaido's growth.

Hokkaido has a relatively cool climate compared to the rest of Japan. Spring sees abundant amounts of flowers and grasses bloom. Summer is generally mild and pleasant, with little or no rainy season and all flowers and trees are in full bloom. Autumn is cool and offers the wonderful attraction of trees in autumn colors of various shades of red, yellow, brown and gold. This is an especially beautiful time to consider hot spring tours, as most hot spring hotels will have out door bath areas to sit and take in the amazing colors. Winter can be very cold with large amounts of snow falling during the winter season, especially along the Japan Sea coast. This is a great time for skiers, snow boarders and other winter sports lovers to consider holidays. There is also the world famous Sapporo Snow and Ice Festivals with hundreds of sculptures on display.

(Source: http://www.hokkaidoguide.com/)

Scroll down now right to the bottom for a day-by-day account of my Hokkaido vacation!

Day 7 (21 Oct): Narita - Singapore

This was the only morning in the trip that we didn't have to rise at 6am :)

The Japanese breakfast is a simple affair; porridge, pickled vegetables, egg roll and condiments. We saw the locals mixing an half-boiled egg into the porridge:

Close-up shot (I slurped this up with some soya sauce):

Our last hotel in the trip, Narita Excel Hotel Tokyo:

Our flight home was an evening one so we had like three hours of spare time. We went to the nearby Aeon Narita Shopping Centre (http://www.117narita.com/) which houses Jusco (anchor store) and 180 specialty shops. I bought two long-sleeved T-shirts (each at 1,900 yen/S$24.13) - would have bought more clothes had the season being spring/summer instead.

We found a pet shop (quite a spacious one) which sells live breeds, provides grooming services and is well-stocked with a range of pet supplies. For the two pet shops that we came across during this trip, I noticed they offer a wider range of cat stuff as compared to those in Singapore. The range of cat food sold is about the same except they cost less. And of course, we bought something for the girls: a fishing-rod toy (this didn't turn out as exciting as I thought it would be) and two large-sized scratching boxes (this would have cost like S$20+ for one in Singapore but we got TWO for the same price here). I was quite tempted to buy the Marukan cat grass which cost only S$3 plus per box - Grimlock had to stop me. “猫毒”中得不浅啊！ And we were running out of luggage space. Of the three, only Braun appreciated it the last time they were given cat grass (but she puked the next day); Skoda was contented with looking at the "greenary" while Mikki had a better time playing with/pulling out the grass.

A pair of kittens on sale at the pet shop. At least this pair has each other for companionship. The one outside the litter tray was quite playful - it kept going around the box, wanting to spring a surprise on the other one.

One of the must-do things on the trip was to visit the local supermarkets. I've always admired the Japanese for their innovative minds (coming up with something to meet almost every daily need) and their creativity in packaging. We finally came across a supermarket in Aeon (and a big one too). Had a great time walking through the aisle and we ended up buying 10 boxes of Porky chocolate sticks (for my dear nieces and nephew and for our own consumption) - the flavours are not sold here in Singapore and each box cost 148-178 yen (S$1.80-S$2.26). Also bought a pack of dark Meiji chocolate - cheap, 78 yen only (S$0.99) - this is sold at S$1.70 at the Liberty supermarket, Raffles City (we just bought one pack yesterday :) nice, try it for yourself!).

Lunch was on our own - we were getting a little tired with Japanese food by now so we headed to Hard Rock Cafe. I had terriyaki chicken chop, this was served with a delicious Japanese rice ball (the rice was slightly vinegared yet a little sweet, wrapped in seaweed). Grimlock had a beef burger that was served with a blue cheese dip on the side (so yummy!).

We had to do some repacking when we got back to the hotel. We started on the trip with two luggage bags and came home with three bags, all packed to the brim. And two more shopping bags that we hand-carried up the cabin.

To sum it all up, I had a most wonderful time in Hokkaido - from taking in the nature sights (there is so much that Hokkaido has to offer), having tried different types of Japanese food, the shopping was of the right amount, finding out it was not that 'bad' afterall to go on a group tour, brief interactions with two fellow cat lovers, the lovely company of Grimlock...many many pleasant memories!

Day 6 (20 Oct): Sapporo (扎幌) - Chitose (千岁) - Haneda - Narita

After breakfast, we visited the Tokeidai Clock Tower (扎幌市时计台). An umbrella we brought along came in handy because the sky started to drizzle.

The Clock Tower's history as extracted from a website: "The development of Sapporo as the capital of Hokkaido began in 1869, with the help of many foreign experts, engineers and educators. The Clock Tower was built in 1878 and is therefore regarded as both a historical and cultural symbol of Sapporo. The Clock Tower was originally called "Embujo" - meaning a 'military drill hall' - and served as a drill hall for the Sapporo Agricultural College (currently Hokkaido University), which was the first institution for Agricultural Studies in Japan".

"Dr. William S. Clark, President of Massachusetts Agricultural College, was invited as the first vice-president of the Sapporo Agricultural College. During his tenure, he designed the curriculum with military training, similar to that of MAC. Professor William Wheeler took over after Dr. Clark and planned to build a military drill hall, which was later called the Clock Tower. It is said that Governor Kiyotaka Kuroda of the Hokkaido Development Commission proposed renovating the tower by installing a large clock, which was manufactured and purchased from the E. Howard Watch & Clock Co. of Boston, Massachusetts. The construction of this new addition was completed in 1881".

"The simple and practical features of the Clock Tower's wooden structure are typical of American houses found in the Mid-west and West during its colonization. Rooms on the first floor were used as laboratories, lecture rooms, and exhibition space for zoological, botanical, and mineralogical specimens. The second floor was used for physical education training as well as a ceremony hall.The Clock Tower was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 1970 and is now a museum that is also used for various cultural activities. The Clock Tower continues to serve as a historical landmark, telling stories of early days in Sapporo. The clock after which it is named continues to run and keep time, and the chimes can be heard every hour".

Layout of the Sapporo city:

Then, we walked over to the nearby Odori Park (大通公园) located in the heart of Sapporo. Odori (大通) means "large street" in Japanese. It stretches east to west through Nishi 1 chōme, Ōdōri to Nishi 12 chōme, Ōdōri ("Nishi" means west, and "chōme" is a block in Japanese), and divides the city into north and south sections. Odori Park spans about 1.5 km and covers 78,901 m². During the urban planning of Sapporo, it was originally designated as the main street but it eventually became a park. Throughout the year, many events and ceremonies such as the Sapporo Lilac Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival are held in the park, and local landmarks including the Sapporo TV Tower and the Sapporo City Archive Museum are located within its boundaries.

Odori Park with the Sapporo TV Tower in the background (the NHK TV station is beside the tower):

Next, it was time for some retail therapy at the Sapporo underground shopping mall which was within close proximity. The mall accomodates approximately 150 shops and restaurants.

A pleasant discovery:





This dispensing machine caught my eye - look at the variety of cigarettes brands:

The "damage" (things I bought for myself): a watch (2,625 yen/S$33.34) and a 2008 cat desk calendar (1,995 yen/S$25.34, from the Kinokuniya bookstore - very nice!). In slightly more than a month's time, the calendar will "surface" in my office :)

Japanese ladies are a very fashionable lot. Too bad this was not quite the 'right' season (ie autumn) to be shopping for clothes and shoes. Most of the stuff are jackets, turtle-necks, woollen skirts/pants, scarves, gloves, boots...unsuitable for the tropic weather in Singapore yah? (Also good lah, otherwise the "damage" to my wallet would be substanial :p )

Next, we went to the Chitose Salmon Aquarium, the first in Japan that shows the underwater world of an actual river (Chitose River).

Admission ticket:



Brochure:

It seems salmon is less costly in Hokkaido. The fish can be quite pricey in supermarkets in Singapore and if eaten as sashimi, you get like five slices for $15-$20. At some of the steamboat lunches during the trip, the slices were quite big and thick and even used as stock for the soup base.

An Indian fishwheel - this facility has been used to catch adult salmon returning to their chosen spawning ground in the Chitose River since 1896. It has played an important role in the proliferation of salmon and trouts in Japan. This fishwheel is a reproduction of the one used a long time ago by northern American indians, and now this structure is known as something unique in the world.

Surrounding view:

The next destination wrapped up our time in Sapporo/Hokkaido, the Chitose Factory Outlet Mall Rera (http://www.outlet-rera.com/). Time for retail therapy again (about four hours)! Lunch was on our own. We had a very delicious omelette rice (served with a meat pattie and a yummy gravy sauce) at a food court within the mall. The omelette was semi-solid, just the way I like it!

As stated on the mall's guide map: "Outlet goods are discounted products including name-brand retailer's goods in stock, products whose production has been discontinued and sample products. They are marked down 30-80% but have no quality problems".

The "damage":
1) Me - Coach handbag (44,100 yen/S$560)
2) Me - Benetton bag (2,900 yen/S$36.83)
3) Me - A pair of Miss Sixty jeans (13,800 yen/S$175.26)
4) Grimlock - A Hugo Boss long-sleeved shirt (12,075 yen/S$153.35)
5) Grimlock - A local brand long-sleeved shirt
6) Grimlock - A pair of Energie jeans (10,800 yen/S$137.16)

We aren't suckers for branded stuff but when there're good bargains as these, we just have to do the natural thing ;) (I almost ended up buying one more bag, from Hugo Boss - my head eventually won the battle over my heart, ha ha ha...)

We left for Chitose Airport and took an evening domestic flight back to Narita Airport, Tokyo. We took dinner (Japanese BBQ buffet) later than the "usual" timing, at close to 9pm. "Something else" on the dining table became another key highlight of this trip - Kobe beef, paid out of our own pockets (9,000 yen/S$114.30). We had it done medium rare (the chef didn't disappoint). There was no seasoning whatsoever, yet the beef tasted soooooo good, truly sensational! And great value too (you can't get such big pieces at that price in Singapore)!!

Hotel: Narita Excel Hotel Tokyo. This was the last hotel in the trip. We stayed at a different hotel on every night and I'd say all five hotels were of decent quality (ie of four-star standard).

Day 5 (19 Oct) :Sounkyo (昙云峡) - Otaru (小樽) - Sapporo (扎幌)

Leaving Sounkyo behind us, we headed for Otaru (小樽) and the first tourist attraction of the day was the Otaru Canal (Otaru Unga). As extracted from a website: "The canal used to be a central part of the city's busy harbor in the first half of the 20th century, when large vessels had to be unloaded by smaller ships, which then transported the goods to warehouses along the canal. The canal became obsolete, when modern dock facilities allowed for direct unloading of larger vessels. Thanks to a citizens' movement, however, a part of the canal was beautifully restored in the 1980s instead of being landfilled, while the warehouses were transformed into shops, cafes, museums and restaurants". The canal used to be longer and now just 400m of it remains.

The tour guide brought us to this small, cosy restaurant situated along the coastline for lunch. The winds were so strong that I felt an uplifting below my feet (my teeth were knocking against each other).

Our lunch... There was also a grilled fish - no seasoning was needed except for a dash of salf; the freshness was distinct. We paid for the sashimi out of our own pockets (8,000yen/S$101.16) - I don't think you can get such variety, quality and value back in Singapore. The red pieces above the prawns were tuna belly - yum yum ('melted' away in the mouth)! It takes a local to seek out such "gems" (ie point us to such places).

Next, we visited the Otaru Orgel Doh which houses the Otaru Music Box Museum, and Kitachi Glass reputed for its antique lamps and hand-blown glassware.

A map of the entire area:















Musical "boxes" of all sizes, shapes, make and era...

MEOW... This installation was just next to the traffic junction/road but I wouldn't want to miss this photo opportunity. Cats seem to be well-received in Japan, all thanks to the auspicious Maneki-neko ( 招财猫).

A building opposite the Otaru Music Box Museum. See the cat figurine on the facade?





"Hi, welcome!" (look at these cuties sitting on the staircase inside the building above)

I got this from one of the shops, a "Hello Kitty" (HK) speciality store. HK stuff are widely sold in a lot of the places we went to during the trip. I'm not a HK fan. I needed a new spectacle box for my sunglasses and this looks pretty.

Next, we proceeded to the Asahi Beer Factory (local beer).

The making of beer:

Bits of Asahi's history:









Modern-day packaging of Asahi beer:





Poster girls, from yester-years to current times:

Cheers! The tour wrapped up with an unlimited flow of beer in the visitors' area. No worries, we were sober when we walked out. The beer warmed me up nicely for the cold weather :)

Our last stop of the day was Susukino, Hokkaido's night life district. Look out for the top of Grimlock's head towards the end of the clip - yup, that was the only bit of him caught on film in all the postings, hee hee...



There was a row of alley streets, written in kanji as "狸小路". I dunno why but I find the name cute and kind of like it, ha ha ha...

To our delight, we came across a pet shop but we were dismayed to see the sale of live breeds. Puppies and kittens were each kept in isolation :{ - don't think encaging at such a young age will have any positive impact on their overall development. Hope they all go off to good homes soon...

This litter of puppies was "showcased" right in-front of the shop:

An interesting tri-coloured puppy:

Two glum-looking kittens:

I think the puppies have been drawing more human attention than the kitties. When we walked near the enclosure, this kitten (a Somali tagged at 158,000 yen/S$2,006.60) got so excited and started to get very playful (he/she did a couple of somersaults). We didn't want to give him/her any false hope so we moved off right away after I finished the very short video clip.

Dinner was on our own. We popped into one of the restaurants there, named "初代一国堂". It proved to be the right choice because we saw a regular stream of locals coming in and the ramen was good (the noodles were springly and level of cookness was just right)!

Grimlock's order, soy sauce chashu ramen (900 yen/S$11.43):

My order, miso pork cube chashu ramen (1,000 yen/S$12.70):

A close-up shot (the pork 'melted' away in the mouth):

Gyoza on the side (300 yen/S$3.81):

We went to one of the shopping malls and on one of the floors, there was a shop selling cat-themed gifts/精品店 (http://www.catworks.gr.jp/). The shop owner has five ragdolls - he pinned up their photos on a notice board (they look gorgeous!). There are photos of his cats and of fellow cat lovers on the website. Again, there was a language barrier. I bought a pair of cloth coasters (I'm using them now in my office, each costs 367 yen/S$4.66)) and Grimlock bought a drawing (840 yen/S$10.67) which he has pinned up in his office. The cat in the drawing resembles Skoda; the big, round eyes and when Skoda does her 'bunny' rows, she likes to put up her paws too.

Hotel: Apa Hotel & Resort Sapporo. This hotel sits on a hilltop with beautiful, lush surroundings. Again, we didn't wake up early enough to take a walk around the premises.