Blogs from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, Asia - page 7

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

When we got to Sapporo we met up with our first Servas family. Servas is an international organisation to build links around the world by hosting travellers from other countries. We found Shoko through the list. She has 2 boys, 12 and 14 and they sounded interesting. We asked if they would host us in Sapporo. I was a bit worried about meeting up with them. I didn't know if we would get on and if the boys would get on. I didn't know how much English they had as Weixiong, Shoko's husband who was away in China had previously done the talking in the arrangements. It worked out fantastically! Shoko's English was great -- and we were able to have good conversations. She is very involved in the organic food movement; through the school and ... read more

This morning, Mike surprised us with his new look. Nick's first comment of the day (at noon -- yes that was his first comment of the day) was that he looks like the Village People. Commence the gay jokes. Even Megumi said he looked gay. haha He became Freddy Mercury for the day. Our day began with one of the only few movies/tv in English in Nick's apt -- Tomb Raider 2 (it's a box set, so we still have entertainment for tomorrow). We actually intended to go to the beer garden (Sapporo factory) but got waylaid on the way. First was lunch at Mos Burger, something like McDonalds. A tasty burger and a souvenir glass (ok, so they weren't giving away the glasses, but they're cool! We noticed the security cameras on the way out... ... read more

The main city of Hokkaido. Sapporo was like the gateway to many parts of Hokkaido since it had good train infrastucture and an international / domestic airport. However, we didn't go further than Sapporo. Time was a determinant and I was less enthusiastic abt seeking koyo (autumn foliage) any more. Last bid in finding koyo was a visit to the Hokkaido Uni which was right opposite our lodging. At least, this wasn't a futile trip. There are green, yellow, brown, red all over the campus... this was more like the scene I wished for... My stay in Sapporo was marked by great food & cool weather at night. (Pics only shown half of the stuff I had eaten) Sadly, I couldn't take in many more meals. At this point in time, I also had to satisfy ... read more

My trip up north today was fairly uneventful. Despite not knowing a lick of Japanese (I counted up today -- I know 5 words total), I managed to get on the train, transfer twice, check in and get on a plane, and even get food. Not bad for a completely foreing country. It's funny -- whenever I needed to say something, I had a reflex to say it in Spanish. If only... The train system was actually pretty nice. Very clean, quick, efficient, and cheap. They even have TVs in the local "metro" trains. High tech. I was struck by the generous variety of hairstyles. I felt like I was looking through one of those books at the hair salon -- ranging from garrish to quite stylish. I also noticed how everyone seems to have better ... read more