Hokkaido Trip: Warmth in the North

I have thought of revisiting Japan ever since my trip back in 2016. The opportunity was granted recently during our family vacation to Hokkaido. Famous for being winter holiday destination, the weather was rather chilling despite of the summer season. In fact, one of the days we experienced shower for the whole day. We didn't sign up for any tour package and the whole itinerary was planned by yours truly. The trip spanned for seven days which started in the capital of Sapporo before venturing to the suburbs via rented car. It was the month of July and hence we were not expecting blooming cherry blossom. As of July 2019, no visa is required for Malaysians to visit Japan. Exchange rate was RM38 for 1000 yen.

Sapporo

We took the midnight flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 2 and it was a seven hours journey. By the time we landed at New Chitose International Airport, it was already 8am local time. The queue was not as long as I thought as I imagined the crowd back in Tokyo. There were lines of old men checking our passport before clearing immigration, a scene that may be hardly seen back in my own country. There were tour groups who were on the same flight as we were waiting for our luggage from the carousel (we have five check-in bags). We bought JR train tickets and made our way to Sapporo Station, the first pitstop of this journey. Free seating which cost 1060 yen, I looked out the train window sightseeing the peaceful surroundings.

We were welcomed by Pikachu in pilot suit as we were exiting the arrival hall

We hopped onto the taxi (we needed two taxis to accommodate eight of us) to get to Grids Sapporo Hostel and Hotel. One thing we noted about the taxi back doors were they were controlled by the taxi drivers, or they are automated to open and close. I was impressed as I didn't get the chance to use taxi during my previous trip. Our stay was strategically located in the middle of Tanukikoji Shopping Street. As it was still early upon arrival (additional fee was imposed if to use the showering facilities), we left our luggage before walking towards Ganso Ramen Yakocho (Ramen Alley) for our first lunch. It was a narrow alley comprised a number of ramen stalls. Miso Ramen was believed to be originated from Sapporo and hence my order. As we walked on the street, it was sunny but the strong wind alleviated the heat. The strong wind was strong enough to nearly blow my cap off. We explored Odori Park in which the iconic Sapporo TV Tower was located. There was underground shopping street beneath the park too, and this was one of the few in the cities. We checked in to our room as the clock struck 3 and we rested for the evening. Rejuvenated from the long nap, we were up for dinner before calling it a day. It was quite a challenge to find a place that can fit eight of us at one table as most restaurants here usually come with small table of four.

Miso Ramen. The broth is the bomb.

Gyoza, Japanse version of dumplings.

Ramen Alley. The stalls here mostly only operate at 11am but staying open till midnight.

Street in Sapporo. Clear day for our first day.

Sapporo TV Tower

Group of kids chilling at the park. I assumed they were off from school.

Spotted this at Aurora Town, the shopping street underneath Odori Park

Tanukikoji Shopping Street: Sheltered shopping street in the heart of Sapporo. Good place for convenience stores.

We bumped into this eatery as we were looking for dinner place.

Sashimi for dinner

Our second day in Sapporo started with brunch at the underground street market of Aurora Town. My family did a quick shopping before commuting our way to Maruyama Park. The park was apparently modeled after the same site in Kyoto and the tall trees provided good shade as we started to walk towards Hokkaido Shrine. There was a hand washing ritual hut prior entering the small complex, similar to the one I visited back in Tokyo. Our next stop was Beer Sapporo Museum. The free visit started at level three with a quick walkthrough of the history of Sapporo Beer. There was a premium package available if you wish to have a private tour.

Pork Curry. Curry in Japan, ain't that curry for Malaysians.

I was impressed by this self paying machine. My mom only put two pieces of clothing inside the box and it managed to scan the tags. Now I wonder how the scanner works.

This western style building was right next to the entrance of Maruyama Park.

Hokkaido Shrine. Hand washing ritual on the left.

Me at the compound of the shrine

The main building

Vending machine in Japan is totally to die for. I love having them around. So convenient!

Subway in Sapporo, one of the ways to commute around the city. Most of the points of interests are well covered and the lines are not complex as there are only three main local lines.

Sapporo Beer Museum.

Old packaging of Sapporo Beer. The star shines till this day.

It came to my attention that the milk in Hokkaido is such a gem. More so when it is in the form of ice cream. Kinda missing it right now. 350 yen for this sweet pleasure.

Personal memento with this place. Liking the green wall.

We headed back to Sapporo Station via bus for shopping (window shopping mostly) and dinner. Been visiting all three pokemon centres back in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, Pokemon Centre at Daimaru was just another tick in my list. It was relatively smaller though.

Sapporo Station. It is more than just a transportation hub. It has three malls interconnected which ultimately served as good place for shopping, including souvenirs. More on that in final chapter.

Sapporo Pokemon Centre. I wish I have more yens so that I could just buy the whole shop.

We had our dinner at Hanamaru Sushi in which I read having good reviews online with affordable price range. We took our number and waited for around forty minutes before getting our seats. The waiter/waitress would hold up a signage and call for the numbers for the customers to go in. The sushi were served on the conveyer belt and from time to time, the sushi chef would present additional menu to the customers before placing them on the belt. They kept yelling towards one another and I didn't comprehend but they seemed to be enthusiastic in their work. With sushi craving satisfied, we dropped by Odori Park for night view on our way back to hostel before calling it a night.

Current number was 263 when we picked our number. We expected the sushi to be good with these much of waiting

Surely enough we weren't disappointed. Fresh fish all the way. Though it was funny that my bro thought the green tea on our table was the wasabi.

Bye bye, Sapporo. For now.

Otaru

Checking out from the hostel, we hopped on JR train heading towards Otaru, our second stop for this journey. There were three types of ticket available, depended on the duration of the journey with several trips each hour. For your info, you can use the train from New Chitose Airport to Otaru too. We got ourselves two taxis getting to Canal View Hostel after arriving at Otaru train station. We dropped our luggage (as usual, not available to check in) before starting to explore the street of Sakaimachihondori for lunch. The street was a good place for souvenirs shopping and snacking. There were a lot of ice cream parlors and we can't help ourselves to stop every time. There was music box museum at the end of the street exhibited all kinds of music boxes. There was a steam clock that chimed using the steam (one of them was out of tune). It is one of remaining three functioning steam clock in the world. Glassware is a thing in Otaru and hence it is not a surprise if you come across a lot of shops selling them. I was persuaded to buy one at the end of the day.

Passing by this office building as we walked from Grids Sapporo Hotel & Hostel to Sapporo Station

One of the train stations along the way to Otaru. The population is dwindling as we travelled further away from the capital

Sakaimachihondori Street, heaven for foodies and collectors alike.

Another ramen meal. The broth was slightly saltier than my preference.

Glassware, one of the local products in Otaru

Look at these glass froggies saying "hi".

Another adorable handman crafts in Otaru. If you are able to see the price tag, the set can set you back by 20,000 yen easily. 

Entrance to museum box museum, with steam clock next to it. The clock will chime every 15 minutes.

Little angel music box. Pretty and fragile.

Titanic in the house. 

Famous for being a port city, Otaru is known for its seafood. Usually the first thing that came to people mind would be the king crab. I didn't expect to see any since it was not in season. I was proven wrong as we walked along the street, there were shops selling them and the price ain't cheap. A whole crab can be around 30,000 yen. Quick conversion is around MYR 1000. Our alternative was to go for crab shoulder which only cost 10% of that. We concluded our evening at the famous Otaru Canal. The canal was rather short and it didn't take long to cover the whole place.  There was a cruise named Asuka berthing at the nearby harbour. Trying KFC (or any other fast food  restaurant in that matter) overseas has been one of the things I do when I travel and that was what we had for our dinner in Otaru. My stand maintained; KFC in Malaysia is still the best for me. Knowing the long journey ahead for the next day, we called taxi back to rest early for the night.

1000 MYR for one crab, are you up for it?

Here's the relatively cheaper alternative to have a taste of the king crab meat

King Crab Shoulder, BBQ style.

Slurping these oysters is my guilty pleasure.

Saw my friend posted about this and I went in.

Bought their signature cheese cake. It was so soft and the cream felt like ice cream. It was so good that I bought it twice. Well worth the money in my opinion.

Ice cream parlor: How many flavours do you want for your ice cream?
Me: YES!

Me with the famous Otaru canal.

View of the canal from the other end.

Titanic pose in front from Asuka. Still searching for my Rose though.

My first three days impression of Hokkaido is that the pace was lots more laid back compared to Tokyo, or even Kyoto and Osaka. I believe this is due to much lower population in this region. Public transport is still extensive enough to provide sufficient coverage between the cities. Though for Otaru, it was easily covered on foot to cover the main sites. You still need to commute for further places of interests like Herring Mansion in which we skipped. Despite of the summer season, the temperature here never went beyond thirty degree Celcius. The hospitality of Japanese didn't fail me at this point.

More to unfold in next chapter.

Hint: They are blooming!

Hokkaido Trip: Warmth in The North

Hokkaido Trip: Of Blooming Hills & Fauna

Hokkaido Trip: Volcanic Excapade