Blogs from Hokkaido, Japan, Asia - page 19

Saturday, 27 December 2008 Another freezing day awaited us this morning as we toured the farm houses of the Hokkaido University (北海道大学). The snow-capped buildings and chimneys reminded us of those structures found in Europe. Lunch was a simple affair at a tiny ramen store near Sapporo station as recommended by M. As usual, the noodles did not disappoint in terms of quality and quantity. After lunch, we ventured our way to the Ishiya Chocolate Factory (白色恋人) located at the western suburbs of the city. The factory building and the open spaces were attractions of their own. It was an added bonus that the factory grounds were opened to the public free of charge even though a fee must be paid to witness the chocolate making process. While the chocolates might not taste out of this ... read more

25th December 2008 ~ Hirafu Village, Hokkaido Christmas last year was special for us as we spent our time at the slopes of the Hirafu Village where the Niseko Ski Resort was located. For a while, we thought we were in some ski resorts in Europe as the staffs managing Niseko were mainly non-Japanese speaking. Even our lodge owner, Mr Mori spoke excellent English due to his many years of working experience in MNCs. After his retirement, he and his wife decided to move to Niseko and operate a lodge out of his home to welcome visitors from the world. Mr Mori had a wonderful dog, Muku. In no time, Muku became our new found friend, who would wag his tail everytime we passed by the entrance. Spending time with Muku certainly helped to alleviate some ... read more

Travelling by bullet train (shinkansen) was a fast, efficient and comfortable experience, which began with us forming an orderly queue by our carriage number which was clearly marked on the platform where the train pulled in precisely to the mark and we boarded in an almost leisurely manner with everybody waiting patiently for their turn to get on and the train pulled gently away exactly on time. So far so not China! Refreshments were served by pretty Japanese girls wearing smart uniforms who bowed as they entered and exited each carriage - bowing is something else to get used to in Japan. Everyone bows ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ and it is quite infectious - you soon find yourself doing it involuntarily! The scenery whooshed by in a blur and we wondered how long the Trans-Sib would take ... read more

Toya Shikotsu National park Laurie: Shoko from Supporo drove us to Lake Shikotsu (about a 40 minute drive as she lives on the south side of Supporo) where we had lunch at a beautiful onsen on the shores of the lake. It was just what I was looking for. An onsen based on a natural hot spring with a rotemburo, an outdoor natural rock pool and it looked out over the lake. We spent a good hour there relaxing and preening. We stayed at the youth hostel that night where we had this amazing grilled dinner and we met a Japanese man who is an expert on pufferfish. The next day, Friday, was a disaster (relatively speaking). Pouring with rain so no go with a walk to the local mountain top. We were given the wrong ... read more

Our first stop at Abashiri was to the Prison Museum. Strange isn't it, must be wondering why we want to vist a prison museum. Well this prison is as important to the town of Abashiri as Alcatraz is to the San Francisco. Had some fun here visiting all the places. We even ate some prison food for 500 yen...huh huh.. Highlight of the day (or our trip!) was our lunch ! We decided to try out Hokkaido's giant King Crab. This one was huge! Price was also huge but it was all worth it once we set our mouths on this delicacy. The crap was prepared in 3 different styes. First up was sashimi style where we sucked on the pomelo looking flesh for starters. The shells were collected for soup making. Next up we ... read more