playing catch-up [part 4: snow bound]
Since I will be returning to Australia in early February, I decided I needed to see as much as Japan as I could in those 10 days my dorm/uni was closed for the winter break.
So after warm sunny Okinawa, I did a complete 180 and headed north for cold snowy Hokkaido.
And never again, despite the cheap fares and the really nice scenary I saw, am I going to travel the breadth of Japan by slow trains and night buses.
Interestingly, both Minki and I thought our little vacation was very fun and exciting. But after we told our friends what we did, they came back with one word - romantic. Huh?
2007/12/28: From Tokyo to Sendai
Sendai's weather was horrible - cloudy and overcast.
Minji's friend [whose name I can't remember for the life of me. Santsu?] took us out for lunch and paid!
He also drove us around Sendai. And he is a lot better driver than Tomoe [sorry Tomoe!].
We first went a a popular vantage point. This photo sucks, but Sendai is a really nice city. While it is large, it has broad streets and promanades, making it feel a lot more spacious that it actually is.
This viewpoint is also famous for this statue. ...but I can't remember who it is meant to be. Twas cold and I needed to pee.
There was also a shrine near by that was being geared up for New Year celebration.
We then got to see his highscool. Creepy ain't it? I guess it doesn't help I took the photo from a moving car.
And last of all, he took us to a 50-storey skyscraper to see Sendai's night lights. But due to my shaky hands and my camera's flash reflects against glass, they only way I can take photos of this kind is to do it in black and white >_<
We were originally going to stay one night at Sendai, but our hotel had a hotspring [heaven on earth], and in order to get a decent deal, we had to stay two nights in a double room.
Heh, found out Minji is an even bigger blanket hogger than I am. While she found out that when trying to win at kick-the-other-person-out-of-bed-for-being-a-pain, make sure that they actually have a side to be kicked off [gotta love the wall].
If weather permitted, we were going to go to an island near Sendai which is meant to be one of the most scenic places of Japan. Typically, the weather was horrid, but we did get some nice winter shots of the bay.
So, instead of going to an island, we went to an aquarium. And got in just as the penguin parade started. Woot.
Was disappointed, only a couple of sharks which kept on circling the top of the tank - making it very difficult to photo them, Nevertheless, this ray greeted us with a smile.
Saw a sealion show. Man these guys are clowns and too cute for words. No piccies, but have VIDEOS! Heh.
Also saw two sea otters get fed. Again, only videos of them and no piccies. One of them was really greedy and after it ate it's own piece of seafood, it would promptly go and steal its partner's one if the handler wasn't quick enough to distract it with more food. And seeing sea otters eat shellfish has to be one of the most adorable things ever.
Afterwards, took more piccies of Sendai's night lights since Minji loves sparkly stuff, while I got a big kick out of the taxi rank at the station. First thought: invasion!
Visited the hot spring one last time. Wasn't as good as the first night, which was empty except for the two of us, as it was crowded. But more amusing as this little boy was complaining to his mother about how the water was too hot and it hurt and no he really didn't want to get into the water and his mum was mean because didn't he just tell her it is hot! This got lots of 'awwww' from everyone in the nearby vicinity.
2007/12/30 - 2007/12/31: From Sendai to Hakodate [stopover at Aomori]
Spent most of the 30th travelling from Sendai to Aomori where we spent the night. Aomori was a pretty boring experience. We arrived late, so all the restaurants were closed, and we had to resort to KFC. of all places, for dinner - and the staff were RUDE!
It was pretty freaky for me, before we turned in for the night there was no snow on the ground, and when I woke up the next day, this is what greeted me! I didn't actually realise how FAST snow can cover the ground and just pile up. And it is gonna be an absolute bitch to get those bikes out.
Here is a piccie of the type of train Minji and I rode for most of the trip! Look how tiny it is!
Hakodate [AKA the place where Minji and I WALKED everywhere] has really nice sushi! Minji and I made really loud and embarressing noises when we ate at this sushi place for lunch, to the point that the store owner was pretty much fawning over us and asking if there were any particular sushi we wanted made. I can't decide if the fresh prawn or crab one was more delicious.
Hakodate is also a beautiful city with lots of old western-influenced houses and warehouses.
How do you say the equivalent of 'it was pouring with rain', but using snow instead?
Hakodate is also famous for it churches and Japanese shrines which were all pretty much next to each other.
Minji and I decided to be exciting [my original plan for New Year's was to sleep, while Minji's was to watch TV], and went to the top of a nearby mountain for the countdown. The ropeway was pretty nifty, and the night view is meant to be spectacular.
One small prob, we didn't count on the cloud cover.
And this is us in the minutes after the New Year started!
And then it took us an hour and half [instead of hald an hour] to walk back to the hotel -_-;;; because we took a left instead of right at somepoint.
2008/01/1: From Hakodate to Sapporo [brief stopover at Otaru]
To kick start the New Year, we had gorgeous weather. And the scenary we saw is what makes the long slow train so worth it.
Made a brief stop at Otaru before heading to Sapporo for dinner - I had really really nice crab tempura - and to see the old warehouses.
2008/01/2 - 2008/01/3: Sapporo
After spending two nights at $25 a night hotels, Sapporo seemed like paradise. We stayed with a friend, Mari, from Tsuda, and she and her parents were really nice and took us around Sapporo. First stop had to be the ropeway of course. This is something exhilarating about seeing a city from up high.
While we were waiting at the top of the mountain for the snowmobile that was to take us back to the ropeway, Minji decided to try and make a snow angel. She wasn't very successful. And we must have been a sight when the snowmobile finally came! The three of us were fooling around in knee-deep snow and trying to push each over. Mwah, the advantages of being tall and sturdy!
We next saw the William S. Clark statue. He is famous for helping out Sapporo's academic scene in 1860s/1870s and for for saying 'Boys, be ambitious'.
And of couse we also had to see the former Hokkaido Government Office Building [I think that is how you translate into English...], and the Sapporo Beer Garden Museum. Heh.
And just opposite the Beer Garden was a Genghis Khan restaurant. OMG, Genghis Khan is to die for. Basically it is lamb BBQ. The lamb was from good old Australia, it was so soft and tender and hardly any smell at all. I have to say, being away from Australia and eating meat from around the world, Australia meat, on whole, is definately top quality. And I had beer for the first time in years, since we were so close to the Sapporo Beer Garden that we just had to have Sapporo beer. ...And I still am not a fan of beer, but Genghis Khan I am.
The next day we went to see Mount Okura Ski Jump. That thing is massive, and scarier than a roller coaster. Any one who skis off thing is made of iron and steel plated.
Mari's father is a maths lecturer at Sapporo Uni, so we got a nice tour of the grounds. It is a really pretty uni, and very spread out, which reminded me of ANU. And just we could have a complete set, we also took a photo of ourselves with the bust of Clark.
Sapporo Clock Tower was a lot smaller than I imagined. Aren't clock towers meant to be massive so that people can jump off them?
While Minji and I miss out on the snow festival which isn't till the first week of February, we did get to see the electric light exhibition.
Afterwards, Minji and I had to hand around for the bus back home >_<. Man, Sapporo was fun, and I have to say, bathing in a Japanese house was interesting. Obviously you wash yourself in the shower, then afterwards you soak in the bathtub. But what surprised me is that you do not empty the bathtub after someone has been in it. So pretty much everyone uses the same bath water to soak in. It makes sense as everyone is clean when they enter the bath, but I have to admit it was an odd experience.
2008/01/3 - 2008/01/5: From Sapporo to Tokyo
Getting home was a bitch! Did you know, by plane, it only takes an hour and half from Sapporo to Tokyo? Well, by slow train it takes a lot longer. And since Minji and I were pretty much poor by the end of the trip, we decided instead of staying at a hotel [since the trains don't run at night] to take the night buses instead.
We left around 11:30pm on the 3rd [Thurs], and didn't arrive in Tokyo until 6am on the 5th [Sat]. OMG, I couldn't believe how long it took us. So Minji and I have agreed, next time we're going, we are so flying.
So after warm sunny Okinawa, I did a complete 180 and headed north for cold snowy Hokkaido.
And never again, despite the cheap fares and the really nice scenary I saw, am I going to travel the breadth of Japan by slow trains and night buses.
Interestingly, both Minki and I thought our little vacation was very fun and exciting. But after we told our friends what we did, they came back with one word - romantic. Huh?
2007/12/28: From Tokyo to Sendai
Sendai's weather was horrible - cloudy and overcast.
Minji's friend [whose name I can't remember for the life of me. Santsu?] took us out for lunch and paid!
He also drove us around Sendai. And he is a lot better driver than Tomoe [sorry Tomoe!].
We first went a a popular vantage point. This photo sucks, but Sendai is a really nice city. While it is large, it has broad streets and promanades, making it feel a lot more spacious that it actually is.
This viewpoint is also famous for this statue. ...but I can't remember who it is meant to be. Twas cold and I needed to pee.
There was also a shrine near by that was being geared up for New Year celebration.
We then got to see his highscool. Creepy ain't it? I guess it doesn't help I took the photo from a moving car.
And last of all, he took us to a 50-storey skyscraper to see Sendai's night lights. But due to my shaky hands and my camera's flash reflects against glass, they only way I can take photos of this kind is to do it in black and white >_<
We were originally going to stay one night at Sendai, but our hotel had a hotspring [heaven on earth], and in order to get a decent deal, we had to stay two nights in a double room.
Heh, found out Minji is an even bigger blanket hogger than I am. While she found out that when trying to win at kick-the-other-person-out-of-bed-for-being-a-pain, make sure that they actually have a side to be kicked off [gotta love the wall].
If weather permitted, we were going to go to an island near Sendai which is meant to be one of the most scenic places of Japan. Typically, the weather was horrid, but we did get some nice winter shots of the bay.
So, instead of going to an island, we went to an aquarium. And got in just as the penguin parade started. Woot.
Was disappointed, only a couple of sharks which kept on circling the top of the tank - making it very difficult to photo them, Nevertheless, this ray greeted us with a smile.
Saw a sealion show. Man these guys are clowns and too cute for words. No piccies, but have VIDEOS! Heh.
Also saw two sea otters get fed. Again, only videos of them and no piccies. One of them was really greedy and after it ate it's own piece of seafood, it would promptly go and steal its partner's one if the handler wasn't quick enough to distract it with more food. And seeing sea otters eat shellfish has to be one of the most adorable things ever.
Afterwards, took more piccies of Sendai's night lights since Minji loves sparkly stuff, while I got a big kick out of the taxi rank at the station. First thought: invasion!
Visited the hot spring one last time. Wasn't as good as the first night, which was empty except for the two of us, as it was crowded. But more amusing as this little boy was complaining to his mother about how the water was too hot and it hurt and no he really didn't want to get into the water and his mum was mean because didn't he just tell her it is hot! This got lots of 'awwww' from everyone in the nearby vicinity.
2007/12/30 - 2007/12/31: From Sendai to Hakodate [stopover at Aomori]
Spent most of the 30th travelling from Sendai to Aomori where we spent the night. Aomori was a pretty boring experience. We arrived late, so all the restaurants were closed, and we had to resort to KFC. of all places, for dinner - and the staff were RUDE!
It was pretty freaky for me, before we turned in for the night there was no snow on the ground, and when I woke up the next day, this is what greeted me! I didn't actually realise how FAST snow can cover the ground and just pile up. And it is gonna be an absolute bitch to get those bikes out.
Here is a piccie of the type of train Minji and I rode for most of the trip! Look how tiny it is!
Hakodate [AKA the place where Minji and I WALKED everywhere] has really nice sushi! Minji and I made really loud and embarressing noises when we ate at this sushi place for lunch, to the point that the store owner was pretty much fawning over us and asking if there were any particular sushi we wanted made. I can't decide if the fresh prawn or crab one was more delicious.
Hakodate is also a beautiful city with lots of old western-influenced houses and warehouses.
How do you say the equivalent of 'it was pouring with rain', but using snow instead?
Hakodate is also famous for it churches and Japanese shrines which were all pretty much next to each other.
Minji and I decided to be exciting [my original plan for New Year's was to sleep, while Minji's was to watch TV], and went to the top of a nearby mountain for the countdown. The ropeway was pretty nifty, and the night view is meant to be spectacular.
One small prob, we didn't count on the cloud cover.
And this is us in the minutes after the New Year started!
And then it took us an hour and half [instead of hald an hour] to walk back to the hotel -_-;;; because we took a left instead of right at somepoint.
2008/01/1: From Hakodate to Sapporo [brief stopover at Otaru]
To kick start the New Year, we had gorgeous weather. And the scenary we saw is what makes the long slow train so worth it.
Made a brief stop at Otaru before heading to Sapporo for dinner - I had really really nice crab tempura - and to see the old warehouses.
2008/01/2 - 2008/01/3: Sapporo
After spending two nights at $25 a night hotels, Sapporo seemed like paradise. We stayed with a friend, Mari, from Tsuda, and she and her parents were really nice and took us around Sapporo. First stop had to be the ropeway of course. This is something exhilarating about seeing a city from up high.
While we were waiting at the top of the mountain for the snowmobile that was to take us back to the ropeway, Minji decided to try and make a snow angel. She wasn't very successful. And we must have been a sight when the snowmobile finally came! The three of us were fooling around in knee-deep snow and trying to push each over. Mwah, the advantages of being tall and sturdy!
We next saw the William S. Clark statue. He is famous for helping out Sapporo's academic scene in 1860s/1870s and for for saying 'Boys, be ambitious'.
And of couse we also had to see the former Hokkaido Government Office Building [I think that is how you translate into English...], and the Sapporo Beer Garden Museum. Heh.
And just opposite the Beer Garden was a Genghis Khan restaurant. OMG, Genghis Khan is to die for. Basically it is lamb BBQ. The lamb was from good old Australia, it was so soft and tender and hardly any smell at all. I have to say, being away from Australia and eating meat from around the world, Australia meat, on whole, is definately top quality. And I had beer for the first time in years, since we were so close to the Sapporo Beer Garden that we just had to have Sapporo beer. ...And I still am not a fan of beer, but Genghis Khan I am.
The next day we went to see Mount Okura Ski Jump. That thing is massive, and scarier than a roller coaster. Any one who skis off thing is made of iron and steel plated.
Mari's father is a maths lecturer at Sapporo Uni, so we got a nice tour of the grounds. It is a really pretty uni, and very spread out, which reminded me of ANU. And just we could have a complete set, we also took a photo of ourselves with the bust of Clark.
Sapporo Clock Tower was a lot smaller than I imagined. Aren't clock towers meant to be massive so that people can jump off them?
While Minji and I miss out on the snow festival which isn't till the first week of February, we did get to see the electric light exhibition.
Afterwards, Minji and I had to hand around for the bus back home >_<. Man, Sapporo was fun, and I have to say, bathing in a Japanese house was interesting. Obviously you wash yourself in the shower, then afterwards you soak in the bathtub. But what surprised me is that you do not empty the bathtub after someone has been in it. So pretty much everyone uses the same bath water to soak in. It makes sense as everyone is clean when they enter the bath, but I have to admit it was an odd experience.
2008/01/3 - 2008/01/5: From Sapporo to Tokyo
Getting home was a bitch! Did you know, by plane, it only takes an hour and half from Sapporo to Tokyo? Well, by slow train it takes a lot longer. And since Minji and I were pretty much poor by the end of the trip, we decided instead of staying at a hotel [since the trains don't run at night] to take the night buses instead.
We left around 11:30pm on the 3rd [Thurs], and didn't arrive in Tokyo until 6am on the 5th [Sat]. OMG, I couldn't believe how long it took us. So Minji and I have agreed, next time we're going, we are so flying.