The Journey to Sapporo (29 - 31 Dec)
Hachinohe (八戸) - Apple Town, as we nicknamed it. It was no surprise as Hachinohe is located in Aomori (青森) prefecture, known for its apples. It was a grey, chilly, drizzly day (apparently it rained the whole day in other parts of nearby Japan as well). We hopped onto the bus expecting it to take us to the local shopping centre, Lapia. However, it stopped at the local marketplace. Instead of spending our 5 hours happily trying on clothes before the train ride to Hakodate, we wandered among apple products. Apple tea. Apple sweets. Apple chips. Apple gum. Apple caramel. Apple toys, even. We were greatly amused by the assortment in front of us.
When we got to Hakodate (函館), it was dark. Story of our lives. Nice Day Inn (9-11 Otemachi, from the west exit of Hakodate station) wasn't easy to locate, and we had to enlist the help of a Japanese couple who was holidaying and spoke good English to find out where Otemachi, "opposite Hotel Kokusei", was. When we finally slid open the door to the house, there was no one around. We chose a room then dumped our bags on the floor. Looking at the bunk beds with the futons and blankets piled on top, we haphazardly threw layers upon layers, thinking it didn't matter as we were only staying a night. Well, it did matter when we finally met Saito-san.
"Later, I will make your beds for you," she stated after showing us the map of Hakodate. Upon hearing that we had already made the beds, she threw us a narrowed-eyed look with a wry smile and picked up a small notice on the desk that printed clearly "I will arrange your beds for you." We could only give her sheepish grins as apology.
The famous Hakodate Ropeway was closed; we had missed the closing time by about 15 minutes and it would be closed the next day for New Year holidays. What bad luck! The only thing left to do was to hunt for food in the quiet town. It was only the next morning that we saw how close the mountains were, as if they were just down the street. We did not even have time to explore the nearby Beer Hall, where Saito-san volunteers every morning after her morning walk. Instead, we had to pack up and waddle to the station under the weight of all our bags, with Saito-san accompanying us as far as the morning market. The next time I'm in Hakodate, I would definitely stay in Nice Day Inn again.
Sapporo Youth Hostel (〒060-0806 3-1, Kita 6-jo Nishi 6-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo) was way easier to locate than Nice Day Inn, but the journey there was made more challenging due to the ice and slush on the pavements. We got a whole dorm room to ourselves, and wasted no time in going down to the basement for a much-needed laundry session.
After Sis complained of starvation at 3 pm, we finally headed down to Otaru (小樽), about 30 mins away from Sapporo. I first came to know of the existence of Otaru through the high school anime Lovely Complex, where the characters took a day trip there and had a fun time riding in the trishaws and shopping for bear curry.
Unfortunately it was dark by the time we reached JR Otaru station, and looking for the Otaru Canal (Otaru Unga) was a task, coupled with the sleek ice on the ground. When we finally found the canal though, it looked so forbidding in the dark that I gave up wanting to explore. Instead, we headed to the main part of town, where we discovered charming little stores selling exquisite glass products and orgels (music boxes), and music box melodies wafted along the streets through strategically placed speakers on the sides of buildings.
Due to the New Year holidays, most of the shops and museums were closed, and sightseeing was out of the question with the blanket of darkness. It was with regret that we decided to return to Sapporo.
It was 8+ in the evening in Sapporo when we got back from Otaru. Just the right amount of darkness to admire the fairy-light spectacular of the 27th Sapporo White Illumination at Odori Park! It's an annual light-up along 8 blocks outside Odori Park Station West exit. We skittered along the ice precariously trying to get to the Sapporo Tower, which seemed to be a replica of the Tokyo Tower which in turn is a replica of the Eiffel Tower. After 40 mins or so, which felt way longer, my fingers could no longer operate my camera without pain. It was then I realised that the temperature was an icy 1.6 degree celsius! Time to head back to our hostel for a soak in the indoor bath.
posted by Addy @ 3:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home