Saturday, April 24, 2010

Japantrip 2009 part 4

After a nice snowy onsen soak and breakfast that morning, it was time to go to the next destination: Sapporo~

In the morning during breakfast it was somewhat foggy but it cleared up when we left for Sapporo.

Foggy Lake Shikotsu.

The icicles prove it was cold over there.

We have spent most of the time that morning driving to Sapporo. So nothing exciting happening...

Daytime Lake Shikotsu pics taken from the car.


Snowy hills.. Don't want that snow coming down.


Using frogs as signs makes you reluctant to run them over.

After arriving at the hostel it was time for some lunch. We decided to get some Miso ramen as that was one of the items on the Hokkaido to eat list. The strong and somewhat spicy soup warmed us up nicely.

The rental car had to be returned at 19.00 so we decided to drive to Otaru as we had plenty of time. Otaru is a small port town not far from Sapporo.(30 min drive) It is famous for its canal, glass factory and buildings of European design. Otaru, being on the north coast of Hokkaido, gets a lot of snow in the winter. Something that was very much confirmed when we arrived.

A tranquil Otaru port


Almost looks like a poor guy has been snowed in after falling asleep on the bench


Christmas tree made of Christmas trees.


The canal famous for the night view.


Another Christmas tree, but this one is made with illuminated glass balls.

Some balls up close

After walking around for a bit, it was time to return to Sapporo and return the car. Before we returned the car we had to fill it up but the navigation system proved to be not very accurate when it comes to gas stations. After finding one we experienced the very nice service of a Japanese gas station. The service being: a service person guiding you to a spot, filling up the tank, cleaning the windshield and telling you when it was safe to get back on the road again. Not getting that anywhere in the Netherlands.

The drop-off point was near Sapporo station so we also got to see the station a bit.

As we were quite hungry after returning the car we dropped by an izakaya for dinner. There one of the thing I had, was another item on the Hokkaido to eat list: Hokke. Hokke is a salted and sundried fish and prepared over a charcoal grill. As it is a fatty fish, the fat melts when grilled giving it a very nice taste and aroma. Goes perfectly with beer. I can recommend it to anyone.

Finished eating we returned to the hostel for some sleep.

Next post more about the days we spent in Sapporo.

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