As mentioned in my previous post, driving in Hokkaido is nothing short of convenience. As the places we visited were mostly outside of the main city, having a car to transport eight of us seemed to be a better option to explore around. But, if you decided to do the same, do get ready to burn a hole in your pocket. The toll fee here, could be as higher that the petrol fee. For instance, driving from Asahikawa to Sapporo which was around 140 km apart, the toll was 3900 yen. Quick conversion that gave you MYR 150. Petrol fee that cost around 140 yen per litre, seemed be relatively cheaper in pale comparison. Regardless, this is not to discourage from driving here. All costs in Japan are generally on the higher side.
Yours truly with our rented Toyata Alphard, at one of our home stays.
Lake Toya
After four hours drive from Asahikawa, we checked in at Yutorelo Toyako which was within vicinity from the large lake. It looked so fancy from the inside and it only came to my realisation that this was the most expensive stay throughout our trip, 48000 yen for two Japanese-style rooms, with one private toilet each. We had a quick rest before having dinner nearby, Muroran Yakitori, a decision we almost regretted. The food was great; the pork skewers were a delight and the grilled squids were nyum. We were turned off by the waitress who was adamant for each of us to order a drink and warm water didn't count. Unsure it was a scam for tourists who couldn't comprehend Japanese but we were hungry after a long drive so we just went along with it. It was showering mildly as we exited the eateries but it didn't stop us going to the lake to catch the fireworks show with boat service available to have closer look. We didn't think the show would go on due to the rain as some of the fireworks were actually covered by the clouds.
Our stay in Lake Toya.
Almost felt like staying on high end hotel at this lobby
These pork skewers were such delish!
I felt I would miss out if I don't have this in Hokkaido
Fireworks show at Lake Toya. Only from May to October.
Yukata was provided in the room and we took this opportunity to have our Japanese style family portrait. The place included onsen as one of its facilities. Didn't manage to persuade the whole family to join me for the Japanese experience, two of my brothers and I found our way to the public bath. Undressed ourselves, we found warmth as we dipped into the hot pool of 40 degree Celcius in the cold rainy night. I went for another round of bath in the morning before we went for a walk at the lake. The weather was still on its grey side of the day and the lake water was quite clear as I can see the bottom from the edge. There were some footbaths provided along the walkway. Had herring fish (tasted sweet) for lunch before dropping by Toya Volcanic Eruption Memorial Park. The buildings here were left abandoned after eruption of nearby Mt Usu in the year 2000. Dam was built to prevent mudflow to the town in the event of future potential eruption.
Me in yukata before onsen session.
There was segregation between male and female public bath, obviously.
Lake Toya, volcanic caldera lake with Nakajima Island in the middle
Sweet herring fish for lunch
Abandoned buildings after Mt Usu eruption in 2000
One storey of this block was buried by the mud
Dam that shall protect the nearby community. As of date, Mt Usu is still an active volcano.
Noboribetsu
Forty minutes drive away from Lake Toya is the town of Noboribetsu, which is famous for its onsen resorts. In fact, it was claimed to be the largest hotspring town in Hokkaido. However, we didn't find ourselves dipping into any of those pools as the primary attraction here was the Jigokudani, or Hell Valley, with the sulfurous smell of steams vented from the body of mother earth. It was free to enter. There was Bear Park nearby in which we skipped. We overlooked there was Snow Monkey Park though the best time to visit is during winter season when tendency of the monkeys to have their public bath is higher.
Visible steam, totally not odourless smell from this valley
A little tracking brought us to Oyunuma Pond
Cute signage of the toilet. Men's was on the right.
Spotted few of these devils statues around town
Shiraoi
Our next homestay was just another thirty minutes away in the suburb of Shiraoi and I must say, it was the best stay yet and I wasn't sure if any other place can top it, with affordable rate of course. Toshi, I believe, that's the name of the owner and his wife, a loving looking elderly couple, patiently explained whereabouts in the house despite of their limitation to speak in English. They talked to an app on their phone in Japanese and showed us the translation. Sometimes the app would pick up their words wrongly and they needed to repeat themselves. The house came with its own onsen and their yard was beautifully decorated. There was a steam room but couldn't be fixed due to obsolete technology which meant high repair cost. The yard seemed to be a nice place to have a bbq and the next thing you know, they have the bbq set, too. Coincidentally, it was Shiraoi Port Festival and we could hear the fireworks from our place. By the time we made it there after our BBQ session, the festival has ended though.
Self check-in device. It even came with sound level meter.
Private onsen.
Japanse style yard.
BBQ Night in Shiraoi
Spotted this fox as we drove out at night
Sapporo/Chitose
For our very last day in the trip, we drove back to Sapporo to do last minute souvenirs shopping at Sapporo Station. I bought almost a hand carry luggage size of food snacks back. Generally, any purchase that is beyond 5000 yen can be tax free for tourists and the items will be sealed and can only be unwrapped upon departure from Japan. We checked in our place at Chitose before returning our car. The place seemed to be run by Mainland Chinese and apparently there were lots of Malaysians have stayed there before.
Last morning in Hokkaido. This photo was taken at 5am local time.
We arrived at the airport rather early, around 3 hours before our scheduled 9.30am flight back to Malaysia but most of the shops would only open at 8am. Our flight was retimed several times due to congested air traffic which apparently caused by military aircrafts. We waited in our plane for another hour upon boarding before finally taking off, leaving the Land of the Rising Sun.
Pikachu wonders where to next.
Hokkaido has shown me another side of Japan, the serenity and peace and still doesn't lack of the hospitality of the locals, despite of the minor incident at the airport though that situation can't be helped. I started to miss the vending machines or the mouth watering milk ice cream of Hokkaido. I see myself to return for different season.
Generally people will think of cherry blossoms when it comes to Japan. As a matter of fact, April is said to be the best time for it. However, visiting Hokkaido in the month of July, or may be early August is to witness different kind of blooming. There are a number of lavender fields across northern of Hokkaido but most famous is the one in Furano, or possibly the nearest to Sapporo which is about 2 hours drive away. For this next leg of journey, we rented a car for the ease of transporting as next few pitstops are scattered around the prefecture. Train can be still an option for intercity travel but personal car will give you more flexibility, with higher cost definitely.
Electronic bidet toilet would be the second thing when you ask me about Japam
I booked our car through tabirai.net and the confirmation was almost instant without any booking fee. No credit/debit card details was required. I was actually hesitant at first whether my booking did go through but afterwards I read that most of the car rentals sites in Japan rely on trust and honesty with their customers and hence, no prepayment for each booking. Surely enough, as we arrived at Times Car Rental in Otaru, we have our car ready, 8-seater Toyota Alphard. For the course of four days, the rental was 87, 320 yen (MYR 3313), insurance included. That excluded petrol and toll. We have a quick inspection on our car before commencing the journey further north. For Malaysians, international driving license is required, with a fee of MYR 150 (as of July 2019) and validity of one year.
Furano
Upon our arrival our arrival at Furano, we passed by Choei Lavender Farm and Nakafurano Flower Park and we decided to drop by. The hill was filled with multi-coloured flowers in which I didn't know their names with purple lavenders occupied the top of the hill. There was a chairlift that cost 400 yen for return trip to the top, alternative of walking up the slopy hill. Despite of the cloudy weather, the view from the top was still mesmerising, overviewing the green peaceful flat land of Furano. Not far from the park is the renowned Tomita Farm. The site seems to be more established with ample parking spaces, eateries and souvenirs shop. Obviously, there was more crowd at this farm compared to the previous park. The scale of the farm was way much bigger but it was unfortunate that the cloudy weather earlier progressed to shower hence we couldn't cover much. These farms were free to enter.
These green fields reminded me of Sekinchan
This is to use the chairlift to the top. Alternative is to walk up the hill.
Slowly ascending...
Posing against the magnificent serene view of Furano. There were few mountains in the background which were hidden by the clouds.
This park was smaller than Tomita Farm but not less charming. Minimal crowd allowed us to pace ourselves enjoying the flowers.
One of the sections for Tomita Farm
Lavender-flavoured Ice Cream to conclude our visit at the park
Asahikawa
Another hour drive away is the city of Asahikawa. Upon settling down at our stay, it was already dark and it was time for dinner. After much of searching, we decided to dine at one of the izakayas, which now I know it meant Japanese pub. That explained why the other customers were talking so loudly at the place because, essentially, that's what people do at the pub. We ordered hotpot and I found myself enjoyed grilling the squids.
Found this place through AirBnB. Japanese style home with only one toilet, with separated shower room.
Beef tongue. Nyums
Grilling squids. This wasn't my intended order but it turned out just as well.
The highlight of this part of Hokkaido was Asahiyama Zoo. The zoo was clean and the animals diversity was commendable; from penguins to seals; from monkeys to hawks, you name it. The park was accessible with 820 yen for adults. There was a crowd that was fascinated by "orang utan", native to our country. We strolled around the zoo for about three hours before driving off to another destination.
King Julian detected in Japan, and his clan
I think this was the first time I saw this species, and reminded me of Monkey character in Kung Fu Panda
Reindeer in the north, though Christmas duty was still months away.
I guess Ghost decided to retire here after Game of Thrones ended.
This polar bear was chilling at the edge after swimming around in front of the visitors
This penguin seemed to be going solo.
Trivia question: Can you tell the difference between emperor and king penguin?
You are able to see the animals up close, even when they are within their enclosure, like the seal here
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.
