#30 - Walking in a Winter Wonderland
The route which we were taking took us far into some of the most remote areas of Japan â here, being as fair haired as I am garners a lot of attention and peeking glances. Whilst waiting at the station for our next train, I flicked through the maps on my phone to make sure we were on the right track. All of a sudden I noticed a school boy behind me peering at my phone over my shoulder. He quickly looked down at his own phone checking something, and then pushed it in front of me, on the screen it read: âI can help you get there faster.â
He showed me the new route on his phone and then proceeded to tell my travelling companion that we were taking the wrong route. My old friend was adamant that we were fine. They had a short discussion and then seemed to agree on something. The boy turned to me and instructed in perfect English that we needed to change platforms. I looked up at my companion and he nodded in agreement.
Now with our new navigator, the three of us hoped on and off multiple trains and reached Osaka in half the time our previous route would have taken. Before we parted ways Toyomiâs old companion pulled out a small sweet bean cake and handed it to me. I thanked him for his gift and also thanked the boy for his help, and with that we bid each other farewell.
From Osaka Central Station I headed for Suu-chanâs home where a small get-together was taking place. One of Suuâs friends had recently been discharged from hospital. To celebrate her good health Kanji whipped up some amazing food, and The band âColoursâ also played a small performance for the delighted guests.
Suu and her guests were all relieved and jubilant at their friends turn for the better.
We ate many delicious appetisers, and dinner was a Thai inspired noodle dish. I donât know why, but eating food from other countries in Japan always felt really odd â like in my mind Japanese people only eat Japanese food â I have no idea where that logic came from.
We had a great night of beer and laughter, and whilst talking with Suu and Kanji, I asked if they had any suggestions for my trip to Hokkaido. The consensus was that because I loved meat, I must go to the restaurant âGenghis Khanâ, famous for its all you can eat meat and all you can drink beer. Suu-chan was very reminiscent about Hokkaidio, and she talked of how she and her daughter spent time there many years ago working on a seaweed farm.
The next day as I sat in the boarding lounge I remember feeling very nervous as I was not sure what to expect from my upcoming trip. It was the middle of winter, and with possible temperatures of -15 °C I hoped that I had packed appropriate clothing.
  With long delays at the airport due to the snowstorm I didnât reach Hokkaido until late that night. It is a different feeling landing in the snow, the plane slides a lotâŠ
From the airport I caught the train into Sapporo where I would be staying for the next few days. When I emerged from the central underground station a white world lay before me. Everywhere there was snow: it fell from above, and was piled meters high on the side of the road. I had never really experienced cold or snow in my life, and I found it amazing that whilst walking down the street the snow which fell upon my brow stayed frozen â you donât get wet because the air temperature is so cold.
As Sapporoâs Winter Festival was currently taking place literally all accommodation was fully booked â bar capsule hotels. Foreigners tend to dislike capsule hotels as they are somewhat claustrophobic; however they are incredibly cheap, and do have all the necessities you really need.
After pulling on three layers of clothing (top and bottom) I made my way out into my first day in the freezing cold. The sun was out, and with map in hand I headed to the first of the Winter Festivalâs attractions. Along the way the cars driving along the ice covered roads really caught my attention. Obviously people were confident driving in these conditions. I was amazed at the way they slid around corners, tyres spinning, before slamming on the brakes and skidding into the line of traffic at a red light.
The weather for this yearâs festival had not been ideal as it was too warm. The ice sculptures which were lucky enough to have been placed in the shady areas were fine, however those in direct sunlight had melted somewhat, losing the pristine detail of their amazing forms. Â
Whilst taking this photo at Sapporo Central a few people heartily fell over destroying themselves on the ice.
After purveying the array of ice sculptures I made my way around the collection of mini snow sculptures. Here I came across a quintessential entry from New Zealand which had been designed as a rugby ball wrapped in the silver fern.
Sapporoâs Central Park, rather than being large, is amazingly long. The stretch spans 15 blocks, beginning here at the old museum building, and finishing about 1.5kms to the west at the iconic Sapporo TV Tower.
Each year during the Winter Festival the park is decorated with gigantic snow sculptures of various themes.
These gigantic sculptures are the real attraction of the festival, and draw visitors from across the globe.
The place was packed with picture taking tourists just like me!
Because there were so many of them, I gave up trying to get to the front to take pictures, and found it was much more interesting to take photos of the tourists taking photos.
Heading through the park I heard squeals of what sounded like fear off in the distance. When I reached where the commotion was coming from, I saw it was just skiers throwing a few backflips off a giant ski ramp.
During the post war boom of the 1950âs many major cities across Japan constructed Eiffelesque towers to transmit television signals to everyoneâs brand new TV sets. Like the many other towers, Sapporoâs is also a major tourist attraction with an observation deck at its upper level.
From atop the tower you are able to fathom the size of Odori Park which stretches into the distance below.
Beneath little ants scurried and skated.
Another amazing aspect of Sapporo is its underground walkways. A great place to escape the frigid outdoor weather, they make navigating the city super easy.
Wandering along the underground walkway I came across the department store at the bottom of Sapporo Station. Itâs always super handy to know: in Japan, if you ever need anything just go to the ground floor of the cityâs central train station. There you will find everything you need, plus much more goodies which you probably didnât.
After spending money I didnât have, and eating cake I shouldnât have eaten, I headed back outside into the snowy conditions to see the rest of Odori Park, and its stalls. My fair hair seemed as much of a tourist attraction as any, and as I wandered about people would come up to me for a chat, and ask if they could take a photo with me.
During the evenings Odori Park is even more magnificent with the snow sculptures illuminated in an array of colours.
Sapporo Tower looked like a Christmas tree; its little lights sparkling in the snowy backdrop.
The following day I headed to the outer suburbs of Sapporo; here the snow trucks werenât as frequent and the piles of snow on the side of the road were as tall as me.
There was no longer a footpath, just mountains of snow to clamber over.
I had ventured here to visit the Winter Festivalâs entertainment park. Indoors was an array of food stalls and small rides to enjoy when the weather outside got too cold.
Outside there were more snow sculptures decorating the park.
Other than to eat food, the reason most people came here was to try downhill tobogganing.
The sports stadium where the rides and food stalls were housed looked like a grey glowing UFO.
I tried to get a ride on this sweet little train, but got denied for being overly large.
On the way back into town I met one of the many mascots I had seen wandering about in the subway station. There is a mascot for everything in Japan; I think he was Hokkaido Rails friendly mascot?
Back in Sapporo I managed to find the famous Royceâs Chocolate shop in the labyrinth beneath the station. I was after the chocolate dipped chips, and raw chocolate everyone had been telling me about. After purchasing some I sat down in the underground walkway and munched away on these amazing goodies. A man came up to me and asked me about the chocolate and then proceeded to tell me about his daughter who lived in Australia with a foreign man (this is what I gathered he was talking about, as he was jabbering away quickly in Japanese.) He then asked âSince you have been so kind to listen to me, can I take a photo of you with your own camera?â He did so, thanked me once again, and headed off on his way.
I had lugged Ya-sanâs solid steel tripod from the mid 80âs around with me all day, and I was determined to make the most of it by taking night shots in old Government House Park.
This park is haunted by crows, and they shrieked from overhead with a few swooping and snapping at unsuspecting photographers.
Walking around all day in the icy cold I had built up quite an appetite. This meal which was a simple hotpot was the best thing I have ever eaten, and could not have been more appropriate to warm and nourish a cold and tired body.
Back at the capsule hotel I was still quite hungry, and most of the box of Royceâs Raw Chocolate (ganache in a box) was still left. I had one piece; I had one piece more; I had the whole box. This was fatal as chocolate keeps me awake; at 4.30am I still lay there wired, waiting for the alarm to go off at 5am.
  No sooner had I fallen asleep the alarm ring-dinga-linged; I jumped out of bed and quickly headed off to meet my tour group at Sapporo Station. I had booked a tour in English to see the ice drift off the north coast of Hokkaido. However when I checked in everyone looked quite shocked and apologised that they couldnât really speak English.
Sitting in the overly heated bus the frozen windows slowly de-thawed as we headed out on our journey.
At our first pit stop I pumped myself up with some coffee and admired the way the snow sparkled in the morning sunlight.
The day was crisp and perfectly clear â an apt opportunity for sightseeing.
By 11.30 am we had been traveling for a good 4 hours.
By this stage I was quite hungry as I hadnât eaten anything since last nightâs chocolate splurge. Low and behold there were free snacks to try at this stop: I was a bit cheeky and tried everything a couple of times, but didnât actually buy anything.
With lively commentary and stunning frozen scenery the next hours travel flew by. We had reached our destination Monbestsu which is a small fishing village situated on Hokkaidoâs northern coastline.
We had some free time so I wandered around and explored the small village.
Even here within harbour the oceans frozen flow had breached the protective walls.
We were to meet at the famous fishcake factory for lunch so I headed back to meet up with the group.
The fish cakes came in all different forms and were a mixture of minced fish, a glutinous substance and flavourings. We were given a selection of the cakes warmed, which were accompanied by a steaming hot cup of green tea.
After our simple lunch we made for the Garinko II Ice Explorer Terminal, here we were to catch the boat out into the frozen seas.
Everyone piled aboard, and as we departed, looking back at the view of the small town, everything was white for miles.
The small harbour which we departed from was protected from the Okhotsk Sea by a gigantic wall which snaked its way off into the distance.
No sooner had we left the harbour the slushing crunches of the boat striking the sea ice began.
For Japanese, the people on this boat were very pushy, and everyone clambered for the best photo taking positions.
Being tall I was able to take photos of the expansive ice flow from behind everyone else.
As everyone âoohedâ and âaahedâ at the present spectacle, the roar of a jet engine diverted some peopleâs gaze.
We were surrounded by a sea of endless ice, and it stretched far beyond my gazeâs sight.
I found it interesting that seagulls in Japan look exactly the same as seagulls in New Zealand; other creatures like wild pigs and crumb nibbling sparrows looked different here.
After a few hours sailing the icy seas we headed back into shore and finished our trip by having our photos taken with the Garinko II.
With the boat ride now over we headed for Monbetsuâs tiny fish market. Here I got sucked in by a scheming old grandma who promised her prices were reasonable (back on the bus the tour guide said the grandma had charged me double).
Our bus ride back to Sapporo had a few stops along the way, and as we neared the end of our journey twilight approached.
We arrived back at Sapporo Station shortly after 7pm. I was starved after the busy day, and whilst wandering the labyrinth of shops beneath the station I came across Ikameshi. Ikameshi is squid stuffed with rich sticky rice: this had been one of the must try things Toyomi had told me of, and it didnât disappoint.
The following morning I journeyed to Asahikawa on the bus. Asahikawa is a relatively small city with a population of only 350,000 people. The city sits right in the centre of Hokkaido, and is surrounded by mountains; it holds the record for the coldest temperature recorded in Japan at â41 °C.
It was definitely colder here than back in Sapporo, and the amount of snow in this city was on another level.
I trudged through the central gardens, and in some places I ventured sunk into the snow well past my knees.
The gardens were dotted with hundreds of little snow men, each one of them decorated by school children from the city.
I had mentioned to the owner of the backpackers I was staying at that my friends had insisted I visit Genghis Khan whilst in Hokkaido. He said that the restaurant is great but it is overly priced and suggested I visit a smaller family run restaurant which offered the same dishes at reasonable prices. That night I had lamb for the first time since leaving New Zealand, it is amazing how the senses (namely taste) could bring back such vivid memories of home.
Asahikawa is super easy to get around in as the streets are laid out in a grid pattern with one main walkway directly down the centre.
The main reason I had ventured to Asahikawa was to visit the famous Asahiyama Zoo.
The zoo is renowned for its up-close encounters with ice loving animals.
I was hella excited to see the wolves as they are my favourite animal. As I approached their enclosure growls and yelps could be heard as some of the pack had little scuffles.
These two walked around in unison; they never entered the petty scraps of the others, they just observed like parents watching their children.
So many sculptures in this land everywhere you go!
This bird just looks like a boss. Ainât no one messing with this mofo.
Walking through the zoo I saw that the temperature had reached -5 °C which was the coldest temperature I had ever felt. I recalled that only a few months earlier I had experienced temperatures above 40 °C â this country is such a place of contrast.
The penguins seemed right at home in these conditions.
Seeing penguins waddle about on land they look so un-coordinated, but under water they move like torpedoes and glide about majestically as if they were flying.
Just before closing time at the zoo the penguins march through the main street, strutting their stuff for the cameras.
A few trees and houses broke up the melancholic whiteness of the landscape.
Back in the city centre I stopped by the department store to buy some gifts for everyone. At one of the sweet shops I purchased some small cakes. Whilst paying for my goods I asked in my best Japanese if the attendant knew of anyplace good I could go for dinner. She looked at me awkwardly, and then politely asked me to wait as she called someone on the phone. After a short while on the phone she turned to me and said her friend owned a restaurant, but she wasnât sure if Iâd like the food â it was very Japanese. I said it sounded perfect, and asked her to show me on the map where it was. Again she looked at me worryingly, politely asked me to wait, and then began talking with some of her co-workers. Now everyone glanced at me worryingly before seeming to decide on something. The girl returned to me and happily told me that her boss said it was ok for her to take me to the restaurant if I liked. So we walked together down the street a short way, and then headed up the elevator of one of the main buildings. When we arrived at the restaurant the staff looked very worried as no-one could speak English, but the girl explained that I understood basic Japanese.
I chose to have beef tongue Shabu-shabu for dinner. Shabu-shabu is a dish where you are served a pot of boiling soup, with raw thinly sliced ingredients; you cook the ingredients yourself by swishing them around in the hot soup.
Great play on the name âdevils radishâ.
I finished my meal by tipping my rice into the leftover soup and boiling it with an egg to make a porridge called Okayu. Okayu is one of the most basic meals in Japan and is one of my favourites.
The next day the time had come for me to head to the mountain. To make the most of the day I caught the first bus from Asahikawa to a nearby ski field about 30 mins away. Whilst waiting for the bus I thought I had experienced cold, but not like this; -13 °C is a temperature which manages to seep its way through ski gloves, and make your fingers ache.
The next few days became a blur of snowboarding, drinking, and eating. The girl whom worked at the backpackers was from Russia, and was married to a Japanese man from here in Asaihikawa. Her husband owned a restaurant which specialised in the famous Hokkaido Soup Curry. That meal had to be one of my all-time greats.
I spent another day up the mountain with a group of Aussies who were staying in the same room as me at the backpackers. After our sweet day of boarding, back at home, the owners brother was back in town and said we should come down to their private bar for a drink. At their bar they fed us and amazing amount of free food and drinks. After a few hours they said we should head to another place for karaoke; here they paid for all of us, plus drinks, plus more food. After that they took us for a feed of Ramen at the best shop in town; they also paid. I was astonished by the tiny old lady cooking at the Ramen shop (she looked at least 80) â what grandma is up at 4am on a weeknight?
The next morning I was up early, and with the others comatosed, I packed up my gear as silently as I could as I was off to my next destination. On my way to the bus station I noticed that once again people were taking photos of this billboard; I have no idea what it is.
I slept during most of the bus ride back to Sapporo, and before heading off on my next leg juiced up on Starbucks and made the most of the free Wi-Fi.
I reached the seaside town of Otaru late that evening and was welcomed by one hell of a blustering blistering blizzard.
I trudged through the snow barley able to see in front of me. When I finally reached my backpackers, entering into its warmth and golden glow was like entering heaven.
The interior was traditionally decorated, and the uniquely Japanese touches made the place feel homely and mystically magic.
In the library there was a wide array of magazines and manga to appeal to all the different types of guests that visited here.
The snow storm which had welcomed me had somewhat cleared by dinnertime so I braved the elements and headed out once again. This small home was truly magical as it still had that traditional Japanese feel which is now quite uncommon due to the wests influence.
Lanterns lit my way down the precariously slippery path back to the main road.
The steep road up towards where I was staying was marked by a Torii as there was a shrine nearby.
I thought I could take a shortcut over the hill where the shrine was, so I tramped up the overly snowed mountain side with much difficulty. Atop the hills zenith the small shrine overlooked the currently treacherous and turbulent Sea of Japan. The path I had planned to take was however far to overrun by snow, so I climbed back down the hillside to take the safe road to dinner.
The main tourist area is known as the âromantic quarterâ, and it beautifully combines Japanese architecture with late 18th century European influences. It reminded me of the cities from the anime Full Metal Alchemist.Â
Taking further influence from Europe, there was the beer hall & brewery pumping out intoxicating finery.
As this was a tourist area there were many, many shops selling gifts; they werenât your usual tacky gift shops though. Otaru is famous for its melodic music boxes, and as you entered a store you would be warmly welcomed with an orchestra of many music boxes playing at once.
One of the stores had a âbigatureâ display: there was so much detail in the models; they must have taken an age to create.
In between my touristing I went on a small mission to make sure I knew where to catch my ferry from that night. On my way I came across the most interesting concept. Since there is so much snow here, there is a constant stream of trucks picking up snow from off the roads. The final destination of all this snow is this sump by the sea; here diggers constantly splash the water to helped break up the snow dumped by the trucks. It is amazing the jobs which you can come across which you never knew even existed.
I found the ferry terminal on the other side of the ice sump so I now knew where I needed to go.
As well as music boxes Otaru is known for its specialty sweet shops: of these, Le TAO is one of the most well-known. I resampled a few slices of their cheese cake which I had first come across during New Years.
After wandering about for a time, I then returned to the backpackers to sort my things and get ready for the boat ride that night.
  I had a simple dinner at a family restaurant, and then walked to the ferry terminal whilst getting mightily blizzarded on.
  The ferry building seemed quite epically large for its purpose, but hey!
The staff at the check-in counter seemed awfully worried and flustered when I arrived. From the computer translated passages which they printed out for me, I understood that due to rough weather the ferry would be delayed. This meant I would miss the last train at our destination in Maizuru the following evening. After much more hectic translation they offered to book me a hotel for the night in Maizuru at a discounted rate. After the hotel was organised and I was finally checked-in, I lay down, had a small kip, and waited until the ferry arrived at 12.30am.
The ferry arrived even later than they had hoped. Once on-board everyone had the same idea â shower and straight to bed. I got woken up a few times during the night from being slammed into the wall as the boat reared and crashed its way through the storm.
When I awoke late the next day, the weather had cleared, and it was now smooth sailing for the rest of our trip.
For a ship which could accommodate up to 1000 passengers, this voyage it was eerily quiet with less than 30 of us on-board.
If you were lucky you may see a single soul.
The ship had all the amenities: restaurants, bathing area, shops, and a games room to help pass the time.
I had never been on a massive ship such as this, and one cannot help but conjure thoughts of the movie Titanic whilst aboard â especially with not much going on.
We reached Maizuru at around 1am, roughly 24 hours since our departure. As we had arrived at such a late hour there were no buses or taxis for me to catch from the port, so it was a good hourâs walk to reach the hotel where I was booked for the night. It felt quite odd staying in a hotel room by oneself after backpacking and sleeping in others homes.
  After my night at the hotel my âholidayâ had come to an end. I checked out, waved goodbye to this chapter, and caught the bus back to Osaka to Suu-chans home where the journey had begun.
Looking back at my time in Hokkaido, I think it was one of my most favourite parts of my time spent in Japan. With below zero temperatures and mountainous mountains of snow at every turn, it was such a different and unexpected adventure. Seeing and experiencing a way of life which you previously had no inclination of definitely expands oneâs own horizons. If you love winter sports Hokkaido is one place you must try and visit. The much talked about âpowder snowâ lives up to its reputation!!!
