Blogs from Hokkaido, Japan, Asia - page 9

I'm finally at the last few days of my trip. Otaru is the last town I am stopping at. I took an early train (0830) from Hakodate back to Sapporo because there are only a few shuttle bus from Otaruchikko station to the hotel I am staying. I guess I should correct myself - I didn't stay at hotels whilst I was in Sounkyo and Abashiri, they are more like resorts. You can actually stay in the hotel and not go anywhere. And it'd be the same in Otaru. I have been to this resort in Otaru. Seven years ago. Just like I have stayed at the hotel in Sapporo before. I am staying for two nights in Otaru. I am debating if I want to head down to the whiskey making town close by tomorrow ... read more

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Hakodate!!! Today I wandered round the fish morning markets (like the locals) and enjoy the smell of fresh seafood, which I missed massively since I don't get that in England much. The hotel didn't include breakfast so I had brunch at the local market - Raw Tuna rice and it tasted so good. So fresh! Then I went back to wander round the old Brick Warehouse and had another look at the shops. I even ventured into 2 museums - Kahei Takadaya and Ryoma Sakamoto. Both of them were from Hakodate and have left interesting Japanese history. Ryoma Sakamoto was featured in one of the massively annual Japanese historical drama. Then I ate again. I think this trip more like eating my way through Hokkaido more than ever. After that I went up ... read more

Today I finally gone and done the deed. Have my haircut. The sound of hair being cut off (dried) is massively daunting. And the "shooop shooop" sound is also very daunting. Seeing your own hair going to waist length to less than shoulder length is also very strange. From waist length it went to just over shoulder length. Just enough length for them to sculpt out the right haircut. An hour later, I am about 2 stones lighter. Not kidding. Even the hair dresser was saying "takusan no ke". Which means - lots of hair. I now have a fringe and a half a bob. It's quite nice. I am no longer cool - I am now (apparently) cute. I had ramen for lunch at Ramen Kingdom. It was so so good. Then I went shopping. ... read more

I went up the mountains today on the gondola and it was absolutely breathtaking. It snowed overnight, the snow was perfect for skiing as well as cross country. I only went up to Mount Taihetsu, it's just over 2000 feet. I spent a whole morning playing in the snow. It was amazing and so so beautiful. I tried to get up to Ryusei (not nagareboshi as I thought) and Ginga but I couldn't find the road up the mountain. I am a little bit depressed about that part because I was so looking forward to that. I went back to the hotel and made the most of things that I meant to do when I haven't had the time. And due to some unforeseen circumstances, I didn't go to the hotsprings today. So I got a ... read more

So today I did what I planned to do. Only the sake brewery is more like an old school brewery museum that shown old bits of a brewery rather than showing you how to brew sake. And the beer museum is for lunch rather than a beer museum like Sapporo. I walked for miles too, because the beer museum isn't open when I got there so I went to brewery and then walked all the way back for lunch. And between sake brewery and beer museum I went and looked at a very old shopping street on Asahigawa. After lunch I wandered back towards the hotel, stopped by a shop that is similar to Boots and bought half of the shop (Japanese beauty stuff is amazing). I went back to the hotel and rested for a ... read more