Hokkaido-Tokyo 2017
- Jer
- Dec 30, 2017
- 37 min read
Updated: Aug 21, 2021
Introduction
The idea of a Hokkaido trip was initially planned a few years back but it was shelved due to the Fukushima 2011 incident which led to widespread panic over travelling to Japan (even though Hokkaido is VERY far away from the site of the nuclear plant, 1000+ km away based on Google Maps). A few months back, my family along with my aunts and uncle decided to plan on a year-end family trip but was unsure of where to go. Someone then mentioned, "Why don't we go to Hokkaido, its the perfect season to go since we are going in December!". Voila, and that is how the planning of a Japan trip went underway.
Disclaimer: Most photos were taken with my smartphone (an OPPO R9s) so pardon if the quality is really really bad. :(
Brief Details of the Trip
Duration: 9-19 December 2017, 10D9N (9 Dec was spent travelling to Japan)
Cities/Towns Visited:
- Sapporo 札幌市
- Yoichi 余市町
- Otaru 小樽市
- Asahikawa 旭川市
- Noboribetsu 登別市
- Hakodate 函錧市
- Nanae 七飯町
- Tokyo 東京都
- Fujikawaguchiko 富士河口湖町
Accommodations Locations
- Nest Hotel Sapporo Odori (Nearest Stn: Odori Subway Station, 大通駅)
- Route Inn Grantia Hakodate Ekimae (Nearest Stn: JR Hakodate Station, JR函錧駅)
- Airbnb Apartment (Nearest Stn: JR/Subway Ikebukuro Station, 池袋駅)
Day 0 (Singapore -> Narita, Tokyo)
As we had booked our flights separately, my uncle and his family departed to the airport first while the rest of us (Big Aunt family, 4th Aunt family, grandmother and our family) took a chartered bus to Changi Airport. How overjoyed we were because we got to depart from the newest terminal of Changi Airport, Terminal 4 since we were flying to Japan with Cathay Pacific Airlines via Hong Kong.
(Interior of Changi Airport T4 Check-In Counters)
While I must say that the interior of the airport terminal looks spacious because of the automated counters and hardly many counters with desk attendants, the terminal did not live up to the hype of living to the expectations of a new one as compared to back when Terminal 3 was first opened. The lighting in the terminal was quite dim (not sure if it can be seen from the picture) as they used natural lighting and we had arrived at the terminal at 4pm. The stores and dining facilities in this terminal was also limited due to it being smaller in comparison to the others.
My 4th aunt and big aunt's family had their flight at 6.00pm while my grandmother and my family had our flight at 8.15pm, so I had the luxury of time to wander around the new terminal and use their free wifi. The good thing was that the terminal had their security clearance right after customs so it allowed people to buy food and drinks and board the plane with it. I managed to buy a Coffee Bean Vanilla Frappucino before boarding the flight so yay to that.
(Parents and Grandmother waiting to board the plane)
Unfortunately for us, our plane had departed at 8.28pm (based on the data from flightaware because I forgot the time) and arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 12.19am. That meant that the 14mins of delay time had eaten into the ultra tight transit time that we had of 1hr as our flight to Narita International Airport was at 1.05 am. Luckily, the gate was not too far from our arrival gate so we managed to make it with 5-10mins to spare after clearing customs check. So it was off to Narita!
Day 1 (Narita, Tokyo -> Sapporo, Hokkaido)
(View from airplane during descent to Narita Airport)
After a 4hrs nap on the airplane, we finally touched down on the tarmac of Narita Airport Terminal 2. We proceeded to exchange our JR Pass Coupon, which we had gotten from the travel agency for our own JR Pass. The process was actually quite simple and easy as the personnel was able to speak in English and so we were able to smoothly communicate. The only thing was that we had to exchange 16 passes (15 Adults and 1 Child) so it took quite a while (oops). We soon took the Narita Express from Narita Airport Terminal 2 Stn to Tokyo Stn and changed to the Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen to travel up to North Japan.
(Top: Narita Express, Bottom: Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen)
Of course with another 4hr journey on the Shinkansen, we wouldn't want to be starving on the journey there so we got some bentos from the famous Ekibenya Matsuri (駅弁屋 祭). With a large array of bentos, it's a definite must-have when passing by Tokyo Station. I got a seafood bento because I was craving for salmon so badly.
(Top: Ekibenya Matsuri Store in Tokyo Station, Bottom: Seafood Bento)
Living up to the expectations of a nicely prepared bento, paying ¥1,350 was worth it for a nice meal inside our tummies as the Shinkansen rocketed down the line.
(Top: Honnoriya Store in Tokyo Station, Bottom: Seafood Bento along with Oyster Onigiris)
In addition to the bento, I also got some oysters onigiri that I chanced upon in Tokyo Stn at the Honnoriya Store within the station (ほんのり屋). The oysters inside were plump and juicy as they were wrapped within the nice triangular shaped sushi rice and seaweed. With each of them costing around ¥300-¥400, I felt that it was really worth it as a grab-and-go snack if you were in a rush and want some food for the growling stomach.
(Fambam at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station)
After a long journey along the Shinkansen, we finally arrived at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, which we had to transit to the local line for another 3hr journey to reach Sapporo Station. With our stomachs famished from the 7hrs we took just to come up to Hokkaido, we decided to settle for some restaurant located in Paseo, an underground mall, which was located right opposite the JR Gantry Gates.
(Top: Fambam at Ezokko Ramen Restaurant, Bottom: A Sapporo Ramen Set Meal)
This Ezokko ramen restaurant (えぞっこパセオ店) caught our eyes not just because of the large number of seats available which could accommodate our family of 17, but also the fact that we were able to try the Sapporo Ramen! Sapporo Ramen is yellow in colour and curly instead of the normal ramen we see in restaurants such as Ajisen Ramen or even famous ones like Ichiran or Ippudo Ramen. I ordered a set meal partly because of its value (It was 1,300 yen (?) if I remembered correctly while a normal bowl of ramen was up to about 800 yen (?)) but also because I wanted some gyoza.
The review of the ramen was that the noodle was cooked just nice but the broth was a little too salty for our taste buds to handle. The broth matched the rice better so I took some to mix with the rice. The gyoza was very good as it matched the soy sauce as well as the mustard on the side of the saucer gave it the right tingling sensation as the gyoza came into contact with our mouths.
(View of Odori Park from Exit 2 of Odori Station)
After the meal, we took the Namboku Subway Line to Odori Station, which was where our accommodation was. By the time we had exited the station at 10pm, most of the shops had closed and the lights display at Odori Park had been switched off. We scurried to navigate and find our hotel in the midst of the chilly weather and settled in at the Nest Hotel Sapporo Odori.
Day 2 (Sapporo, Hokkaido -> Otaru, Hokkaido -> Sapporo, Hokkaido)
(Accommodation for the 4 nights in Sapporo)
The after effects of reaching our accommodation late after the long train journey caused me to oversleep due to fatigue and we departed from the hotel at 8am. We departed for Sapporo Station to catch an early train to Otaru as we were going to spend the entire day at Otaru. At Sapporo Station, we got some pastries at the Mister Donut shop, located right beside the ticketing machines at the JR station, We then hopped onto the train bound for Otaru!
(Top: Pastries from Mister Donut in cute packaging, Bottom: Front window of train bound for Otaru featuring a rainbow)
Our families split up at Otaru Station as some of us were interested in visiting a whisky distillery at nearby Yoichi town while others were more interested in absorbing the sights and sounds of Otaru City. Of course I was much more interested in exploring the whisky distillery so we caught the next available train to Yoichi!
(Exterior of Yoichi Station)
The Nikka Whisky distillery was a 7mins walk away from Yoichi station and it was packed with many tourists. The village also gave off a very castle-like structure as we entered the gates and saw the buildings within the distillery. We walked all the way in just to go to a building that had free whisky tasting.
(Top: Side Gate of Nikka Whisky Distillery, Bottom: Group photo at the distillery)
So we walked up to the second floor and the interior was like a little cabin with tables and chairs. There were loads of glasses all filled with whisky, ready for visitors to take free samples. We were each entitled to three cups: Single Malt Yoichi which had 45% alcohol content, Super Nikka which had 43% alcohol content and Apple Wine which had 22% alcohol content. As clueless tourists, we had no idea that there were guides on how the alcohol was best enjoyed, so we drank it purely, with no ice and no dilution or whatsoever. Other than the Apple Wine which was pretty decent (just a more bitter apple cider), the rest were very bitter and strong if taken pure, so do refer to the guides for how its best enjoyed. :') They also had free flow 100% Apple Juice and Asahi Tea for those who did not want to try the alcohol (or needed something to wash down the throat heh).
(Top: The alcohol samples all ready to be served, Bottom: Guides on how to enjoy the samples)
After the trip to the whisky distillery, we boarded the train back to Otaru station to have our lunch. Just outside of Otaru Station, there was a seafood market named Sankaku Market (三角市场), which name was derived from the shape of the seafood market being triangular in shape. Upon entering the market, there were so much seafood being displayed. Since it was a local market, all the prices displayed were local prices so we did not need to worry about them scamming our money just to enjoy a bite of the sea. The locals were so friendly and even allowed us to take photo with the king crab that they were selling!
(Top: Entrance to Sankaku Market, Bottom: Sis and I with a giant king crab)
We found a restaurant that was selling a variety of seafood at reasonable prices so we decided to try the restaurant. The restaurant was very popular and there was even a waiting list as tourists and locals alike waited outside patiently to go into the restaurant to dine. After ordering our food, we were given seats and 10mins later, our food arrived. Upon first sight, the food looked nothing less than amazing!
(Top: The restaurant located in the market, Bottom: The fresh seafood we ordered)
The presentation of the food was absolutely gorgeous! They were so generous with the salmon roe (You wouldn't expect such generous servings in restaurants back in Singapore) and the salmon slices were decently thick! The total price for my family? It was around 7,900 yen. Expensive? Nah, I think it was worth paying the price to enjoy such goodness in a coastal city such as Otaru. #worthit
After the sumptuous meal, we walked from the market to the Otaru Music Box Museum, which was quite a long walk (1.8km based on Google Maps). As we walked, the sun started to set and we got tired so we rested at an ice-cream shop, which sold an interesting multi-flavoured ice cream cone. My sister got the multi-flavoured one while I got an ordinary matcha one.
(Top: Scenery of a random canal en route to the Music Box Museum, Bottom: Colourful ice cream)
After having our ice cream, we walked a little further and finally arrived at the Otaru Music Box Museum (小樽オルゴール堂). By the time we arrived, the sky was already dark and so the lights were lit around the museum. Within the museum, it sold an array of music boxes such as the iconic clock tower outside of the museum, or even sushi music boxes. The music boxes were quite damaging to the wallet, so it was really just a nice exhibition for us to admire.
(Top: Music Box Museum Otaru, Bottom: Interior of the Music Box Museum)
Afterwards, we headed to Rokkatei (六花亭) for some nice dessert options. At Rokkatei, they sold one cream puff for an affordable price of 90yen and you are also eligible for one free cup of coffee for every transaction! How great sounding that was! Unlike the hard cream puffs sold in bakeries, this cream puff was soft and filled with oozing cream as you sink your teeth into it. With the chilled dessert along with a cup of warm coffee, they make a nice pairing for some snack to munch on.
(Top: Rokkatei Otaru Canal Store at night, Bottom: A cream puff and the complimentary cup of coffee)
We soon headed off to see the Otaru Canal (小樽運河), which is most probably the most famous landmark in Otaru. While I must say that the canal is iconic because of it being a historic site rather than a scenic one, the Otaru Canal was not as beautiful as how it was shown in posters. Maybe it would have seem better in the day than the night if there were more people walking along the canal?
(Otaru Canal at night)
We headed back to Sapporo as there were not much left to explore at Otaru. We went back to Sapporo Station (which was about 7pm) and explore the Pokémon Center Sapporo (Avid Pokémon Fan remember?) on the 8F of Daimaru at Sapporo Station.
(Top: Otaru Station, Bottom: Pokémon Center at Daimaru Sapporo)
Of course with me being a Pokéfan, I was impressed with the large variety of the goods available and just could not resist the temptation to get some of the goods back!
(Our haul of Pokémon Center merchandise)
We then took the Namboku Subway Line back to Odori Station and had a 10mins walk to Sapporo Ramen Yokocho at Susukino (ラーメン横丁) (Please take to Susukino if you ever want to go to Sapporo Ramen Yokocho instead of Odori, we did not know that beforehand :x)! With many shops to choose from, we went into one of the shops that had enough seats to accomodate the 8 of us and quickly settled down to get a hot and steaming bowl of Sapporo Ramen.
(Top: Sapporo Ramen Yokocho/Ramen Alley, Bottom: Miso Char Siu Ramen)
The ramen in this shop was better than the one we visited yesterday as this broth complemented the noodles very well. The char siu was also very well prepared and with a price of 1000 yen, I must say that such a nice ramen is definitely enjoyable! Finishing that, we walked back to our accommodation with glee on our faces.
Day 3 (Sapporo, Hokkaido -> Asahikawa, Hokkaido -> Sapporo, Hokkaido)
Once again, we set off on an early train bound for Asahikawa, which was northeast from Sapporo. At the train station, we had to board another bus and ride for another 20mins before reaching the entrance of the Asahiyama Zoo (旭山動物園).
(Top: Bus from Asahikawa Station, Bottom: Asahiyama Zoo)
We got to the zoo at around 1045am, and the staff were saying that there was a penguin walk at 1100am, so we scurried into the zoo and we were just in time to catch the penguins waddling on the snow as curious people lined up just to see them. It was like the Penguins of Madagascar, smile and wave boys. :) Lucky for us, the walk was only conducted once that day (It can be up to twice a day) and such walks are only conducted in the winter season.
(Penguins huddling and walking together as a group)
Coincidentally, we walked up from the penguin enclosure just in time to see the feeding time for sea lions! They
are so cute as they belly flop their way up the snow just to get their food!
(Hungry sea lions yearning for their meal of fishes)
Since we departed from Sapporo really early, we decided to skip breakfast and have it at the zoo instead. The zoo sold a wide selection of rice, noodles and snacks too! I decided to get some curry with fried chicken and runny egg for my brunch. Oh boy was the curry good as it was sweet but a pity for the small portion of rice. On the bright side, the small amount of rice allowed me to inhale the other kinds of food such as the cream of chicken soup and a potato croquette with beef.
(Top: The menu for the eatery at the zoo, Bottom: Fried chicken with curry and runny egg)
We then proceeded to spend the rest of the day looking at all the different animals in the zoo. They had animals such as polar bears, wolves, sika deers, owls, eagles, tigers and hippos! Take a look at all of the amazing animals!
(From Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Fox, Hippo, Reindeer, Wolf, Owl, Polar Bear, Sika Deers, Snow Monkey, Tiger)
We spent the entire time there till the zoo closed at 330pm, which we subsequently retreated back to Sapporo for dinner. A well spent day at the zoo!
(Group photo before leaving the zoo)
My cousin suggested having Okonomiyaki for dinner and we happened to chance upon one the previous day at Daimaru, so we went to have some Okonomiyaki for dinner at Tsuruhashi Fugetsu (鶴橋風月)! We had no idea that this restaurant was quite famous in Osaka and even had one branch in Suntec City (Had no idea only until the point of publishing this post)!
(Okonomiyaki prepared right in front of you! Mmhmm)
Definitely a good experience for Oknomiyaki to be enjoyed in Japan as it is definitely prepared differently from those you see in food fairs in Singapore. The Okonomiyaki had a lot of cabbage, which was apparently very satisfying to my mum, and it was much bigger than those you see sold in fairs (My dad underestimated the portion and wanted to order more).
The pancake was fried till it was crispy on both sides before being covered in sweet okonomiyaki and sour Japanese mayonnaise sauce. For my parents, they felt that the sauce was overloaded and overpowering if given the regular serving (as shown above) but it was sort of okay for my sister and I until we started reaching the end when it got abit too much for the tastebuds to handle. Nevertheless, we finished it! :)
We looked at our watch and realised that it was 0725pm. We left the group first and rushed to Odori Station. Why? Oh because we had previously received a discount voucher from our friend who had recently been to Hokkaido and the voucher entitled us to buy 6 cheese tarts from Kinotoya Bake Pole Town Shop at a discounted price of 972 yen instead of 1080 yen!
We got lost at Odori Station and went into Aurora Town at first (The entire Odori Station is just an underground maze :( ) but I managed to sprint and asked the locals using sign languages and some English before arriving there at 0757pm, right before it closes at 8pm. I had an anxious look as there were around 10 cheese tarts left on display and the customers in front seemed like they were going to clear the cheese tarts on display. When it got to my turn, the helpful staff told me "Wait 7mins, baking, okay?". I was like, "Yes yes, arigato, arigato" and proceeded to purchase 3 boxes of this goodness.
(Top: The freshly baked cheese tarts being loaded into the 3 boxes I purchased, Bottom: Half a dozen of cheesy goodness)
We did not know that this store was actually the original founding stores of the Bake cheese tarts sold in Singapore at ION, NEX, Westgate and Tampines Mall (Again, until the point of publishing this post)! When we brought it back to the hotel, the cheese tarts were still warm so my sis and I began eating (We did not wait for the rest to come back as we were excited to eat the cheese tarts). The cheese tarts were SO GOOD. The crispy crust of the cheese tart as you bite had the sound of a cookie cracking and the Hokkaido blend of cheese was so awesome! With each piece being way cheaper than that of Singapore, highly recommended to try this goodness in Hokkaido! 10/10 confirmed! Nice treat before we dozed off into la la land.
Day 4 (Sapporo, Hokkaido -> Noboribetsu, Hokkaido -> Sapporo, Hokkaido)
Once again, we woke up ultra early to catch an express train to Noboribetsu at Sapporo Station around 0720am and we got some quick food from Family Mart inside Sapporo Station. My sushi set only costed 600 yen for 10 pieces and the canned peach alcohol (which I fell in love for the entire time I was in Japan) costed 152 yen.
(Convenience store food for a grab-and-go breakfast)
We arrived at Noboribetsu Station and took the bus from Noboribetsu Bus Station to Noboribetsu Onsen Bus Terminal to go to Noboribetsu Jigokudani (登别地獄谷). Noboribetsu Jigokudani, or known as Hell's Valley, is a valley that displays the sulfurous waters as well as the hot steam rising from the ground due to the volcanic activity happening around the area. As such, the area has very strong "rotten egg smell" due to the presence of sulfuric gases present in the surroundings.
(Top: Bus Directory from Noboribetsu Train Station, Bottom: Noboribetsu Jigokudani)
The scenery was very beautiful as the natural landscape was left untouched and the steam vents with steam coming out of them was very fun to take photo as it sorts of give a misty feeling around the area. Unfortunately, we could not go up the trails as the snow was too thick and it was quite steep for tourists to hike so it was closed and out of bounds.
(Just look at the white smoke!)
We proceeded down for a lunch at the town of Noboribetsu Onsen and found on the internet of a recommended local dish: Noboribetsu Enma Yakisoba. After asking the tourist information center on the best place to have it, they recommended us to have it at Onsen Ichiba (温泉市場).
(Top: Recommended local dishes in Onsen Ichiba, Bottom: Noboribetsu Enma Yakisoba)
As we ordered around 10 plates of yakisoba at once for our group, the noodles took quite long to prepare. When the food arrived, we were quite surprised as we were really hungry by then but the portion came out to be as shown above. The noodles however weren't really suited for my palate as they were quite dry (maybe because they cooked a large order and it may not have been cooked evenly :( ). The waiter also told us that it must be cooked with chili so I was worried at first, but it turned out to be not that spicy as I had imagined. I managed to finish the food within 5mins upon arrival so that could show how hungry I was/ how small the portion was.
After that, we hurried down to the bus terminal to catch a bus to Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura (登別伊達時代村)! It is a historical theme park that has a setting based on the Edo period (1603-1868) and the village itself is just stunning! The houses, the people, the beautiful pond in the middle was absolutely gorgeous as it felt like a winter wonderland with all the snow everywhere!
(Top: Entrance to Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura, Bottom: The village itself)
In this theme park, there were many different attractions such as the theaters that show the Ninja and Samurai shows, as well as exciting features such as a cat temple and a ninja maze too!
(Top: Cast of the Ninja Show, Bottom: Cat temple)
We were also craving for some ice cream after playing inside so why not get some here! We also met a lady beautifully dressed and decided to take a photo with her!
(Top: Mixed Matcha Ice Cream from a streetside store, Bottom: Group photo)
By the time we had ended our tour of the place, the sky was getting dark and so we went on our way back to near our hotel for dinner. My cousin managed to find a nice soup curry restaurant (Not a typo but its soup curry and not curry soup) but it was unable to accommodate all of us and so part of the group went to have MOS burger.
The soup curry restaurant, named Soup Curry Dominica, was tucked in the first floor of an office building and had a cozy atmosphere as the interior was like a wooden hut. They also gave people many choices on the meat/vegetable to choose from and had an English menu for us to refer to when ordering.
(Top: Exterior of the restaurant, Middle: The menu showing different combinations you are able to choose, Bottom: My soup curry)
I had a red curry soup with hamburg, large amount of rice and spicy level of 3. The soup curry was at an all new level of curry I had ever tasted. This curry is not like those curry that you have with your prata or murtabak but it tastes sort of like a cream of tomato soup but less starchy and more "pepper-y". The hamburg portion was also quite good as it was just a little smaller than palm-sized. However, I felt that the vegetables stole the limelight as the vegetables were so good and complemented the curry really well. As a non-spicy eater, choosing level 3 spiciness was just nice for me if I wanted that tingling sensation on my tongue from the curry. The sour tomato base and the spicy curry matched really well and I really enjoyed the combination. If I had the chance to come Hokkaido again, this is definitely on my itinerary!
It was a stone's throw away from our hotel so it was a blessing that we need not walk so far back to the hotel too! Back we went as we pack our stuff to go to Hakodate the next day.
Day 5 (Sapporo, Hokkaido -> Hakodate, Hokkaido)
As we wanted to catch the noon train from Sapporo to Hakodate, we had time to spare in the morning so we walked to Nijo Market (二条市场) which is 800m from our accomodation. Nijo Market looked bigger than the Sankaku Market we went to in Otaru but the price of the seafood here was more expensive than that of Sankaku Market. We still ventured into the market in search for a nice breakfast to satisfy our stomachs.
(Top: Exterior of Nijo Market, Bottom: Crabs sold at the market)
After exploring the market, we decided to have a taste of crab, which was a must-try since we have been going to seafood markets. We went to the corner shop of the market (札幌かに工房) which specialised in selling crabs. The restaurant had a big signage and was operating on the opposite side of the road, just opposite its stall in the market where it had the live crabs on display.
(Top: The exterior of the restaurant, Bottom: The variety of seafood dishes it sells, with crab being its specialty)
My mum, my sister and I ordered crab hotpots with different small bowls of rice while my dad ordered the chirashi don. I could not hold my excitement any longer when they served my crab hotpot with salmon sashimi and crabmeat mini doburi after 20mins.
(Top: Chef preparing the seafood as he slices them delicately, Bottom: My family's meal)
"Mmhmm" I went as I took the first sip of the crab miso soup simmering inside the hotpot. The miso soup had the taste of the sweet crab as the crab flavor gave the soup an extra upgrade of goodness. The crab leg meat inside the soup also soaked up the flavor and tasted really great. With a price under 2,000 yen for this crab hotpot, I finished the entire set and felt so satisfied with the meal. Thumbs up to a crab meal like this! :)
We walked back to the hotel and grabbed our belongings before heading to Sapporo Station to catch the train to Hakodate. On the way back, I rounded up some cheese tarts again as they had given me one more voucher during my previous visit, I was so early that in fact I was the second customer of the day and managed to get two boxes of the cheese tarts before we left for Hakodate. Yay to cheese tarts! After that it was onwards to Hakodate!
(The Limited Express Hokuto train to Hakodate)
By the time, we reached Hakodate Station, it was around 430pm and we headed to our accommodation, Route Inn Grantia Hakodate Ekimae, for check-in. The sun was setting and the decorations started to light up, creating a nice ambience to take photo.
(JR Hakodate Station)
As we still had time to spare, we decided to shift forward our schedule and visit the Red Brick Warehouses along the bay today instead of tomorrow so we departed from the hotel at 530pm and walked 1.3km to the Red Brick Warehouses (金森赤レンガ倉庫).
The sky got dark when we went to the warehouse and the exterior of the place did not seem like there was much activities to do at the warehouse. Venturing in, we realised that the warehouses inside was like a shopping mall that had stores selling many different handcrafted items. They even had an art museum inside that showcased Christmas themed drawings done by kids.
( Top: Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse, Bottom: The shopping street in the warehouse)
We had to get dinner so we went to explore the place for food options. My cousin researched on internet and found a Japanese Burger Chain named Lucky Pierrot, that could only be found in Hakodate area and so we decided to patronise the main store that was right beside the Red Brick Warehouses.
(Lucky Pierrot Hakodate Bay Main Store)
This burger chain sold many different kind of items: Curry Rice, Omurice, Western food, Pizza and many more! We were curious to try the different food so we ordered different kinds of food: My dad ordered fried noodles, my mum ordered curry rice, my sister got the Omurice and I got the famous chicken burger (that came in a set) along with a croquette.
(Top: Wide selection of food at Lucky Pierrot, Bottom: Chicken Burger Set and an à-la-carte croquette)
Living up to its popularity, the famous Chinese Chicken burger was really nice as the chicken was crispy and the sweet sauce drizzled on it was very yummy. The fries inside the mug was good too as the cheese and meat sauce made it feel like fries dipped in lasagna and the fries are also very thickly cut. With the set meal costing 702 yen, I feel that its very worth the price for such a wonderful tasting burger set meal. The croquette was not really appetising for me as it was quite dry on the inside so I was sad about the croquette. To make up for the loss, both my mum and I got some matcha ice cream which costed 238 yen each! My cousin got the hokkaido soft serve ice cream too! Ice cream for the win!
(Top: My cousin and her love for ice cream, Bottom: Cousins unite!)
We took a cab back from the warehouses and rested early?! Nope, not if there is an onsen at our accomodation! Hahaha this being the first time going to a Japanese onsen was really fun I guess hahahaha. At the 13th floor of our accomodation was an onsen! Just what we needed after walking so much for the entire trip, so we went to the onsen!
(Onsen sign in front of the lockers)
So we went in and the onsen experience was ultra shiok! The water was at the temperature of 42 degrees celsius and since the onsen was located on the 13th floor, it overlooked the entire Hakodate Bus Terminal and station (provided you stood up and saw the view but nope not me, I definitely did not have any courage to do that). After staying inside for around 20mins, it feels just nice as you exit the onsen and feel clean after the therapeutic bath. I went back to my room and had to open the window because the room was just too hot (I think there is a centralised heater in the hotel so it was quite hot?) and after that, I fell asleep peacefully within 10mins. Thanks onsen! :)
Day 6 (Hakodate, Hokkaido -> Nanae, Hokkaido -> Hakodate, Hokkaido)
The early bird catches the worm as we took a train at 0854am from Hakodate Station to reach Ōnuma Koen Station at 0930am. We headed off to the nearby tourist information center to ask for directions on the trails to take when trekking in the park. At the tourist information center, they were selling huge red apples and I mean really huge red apples. We got one and they offered to cut it into 4 slices so each of us got one slice. Yum as we continued on our quest in venturing the snowy lands at the national park.
(Top: Ōnuma Koen Station, Bottom: Huge red apples)
In 10 mins, we reached the Ōnuma Quasi-National Park (大沼国定公園) and said, "Hey mandatory group photo" so we took a group photo with all of us and the signboard there. They even had benches for us to stand to take photos, how nifty was that.
(Group photo at Ōnuma Quasi-National Park)
We then proceeded on to trek on a supposedly trail that will take us 50mins around the park, walking across 7 bridges in the midst of the trail. Immediately after crossing the first bridge, we were awestruck by the scenery at the park. The view of the Hokkaidō Koma-ga-take, a nearby stratovolcano, was simply breathtaking. Furthermore, there was no other people around us as we trekked so it gave us a very serene environment to be taking photos and enjoying the snow.
(The Hokkaidō Koma-ga-take at the back, along with me)
(My sis, my cousin and I on top of a snowy slope)
(The volcano in the middle)
(Time to go on a trip!)
Nearing the end of the trail, we spotted a nice long fallen tree log that could accommodate us all so it was photo time! Lucky there was a tree nearby that I could clip my tripod to (Though my 8s timer shot could have been better if it was longer :( )
(Group photo #2 for the trekking team!)
We went back to reunite with my uncle's family at Hakodate Station and purchased a 1-day tram ticket at the tourist Information Center, located in the station, to explore the city area. At the tourist information center, there were people that were able to speak to us fluently in both English and Mandarin, so it was really easy to communicate with them.
(Top: One-Day Tram Ticket, Bottom: City tram)
We wanted to have lunch before going to see the famed attraction, Goryōkaku, so we took the tram from the Hakodate Ekimae Stop to Goryokaku-Koen-Mae Stop, which took around 30mins. However, the tram station is still a 10 - 15 mins walk from the tram stop so be prepared to walk quite a distance before reaching the fort. We chose to dine at the nearby Kantaro Gourmet Sushi-Go-Round restaurant (函太郎). As we chose to sit as a group, we did not sit around the conveyor belt but instead sat in a room and ordered our sushi from a tablet PC.
(Top: Exterior of Kantaro Sushi Goryokaku Park, Bottom: Fambam all in one room)
We eagerly ordered many assortment of sushi as we were curious to taste seafood at a sushi restaurant founded in the port city of Hakodate. In no time, the sushi was served and the presentation was adorable as they had little flags that were decorated around the plate of sushi. Aesthetics on point! :)
(The different plates of sushi we ordered feat. cute little flag with an octopus on it)
Well, you may have thought that dining in the restaurant was expensive, but surprisingly it was not! We sort of ordered around 7 plates of 5-sushi platter and also 4 bowls of chawanmushi and a bowl of soba noodles and it turned out to be around 7,700 yen (even cheaper than our expenditure at the Sankaku Market!). The sushi was quite nice and the platters offered had unique flavors such as the sushi with grilled meat and sour plum sauce on top of it. The cheapest plates of sushi such as the tamago sushi only costed 130 yen per plate for two pieces of sushi, which is even cheaper than some of the sushi chains in Japan. Definitely worth coming to, especially if you want to experience conveyor belt sushi having such quality sushi being served to you. ;)
At 3pm, we headed off to the historical fort Goryōkaku (五稜郭) which was right outside the restaurant as we entered from the back gate. The fort was iconic due to the fact that it had an iconic star shape. However, this can only be visible from the Goryōkaku tower, which required an admission fee of 900 yen. As we were not willing to pay the price to squeeze with the crowd just to catch the glimpse of the shape, we decided to just hang around within the fort.
(Information on the fort right outside the back gate)
However, the fambam decided to have some fun and decided to engage in activities such as a snowball fight as well as building a snowman because simply there was so much space in front of the former Magistrate's Office. Just look at them enjoying themselves!
(Top: Snowball fight, Bottom: The pioneers of a great snowman)
We played till dusk and proceeded to take the tram to find food for dinner. After taking the tram to Jujigai Stop, we realised that there were no food options in the vicinity at that hour (It was 8pm) and decided to split up as some of us wanted to go and visit Mt. Hakodate (函館山) while the others just wanted dinner, so the dinner team went back first while we hiked for 10mins to reach the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway station.
(The round trip Mt. Hakodate Ropeway ticket)
Up we went, as the carriage travelled up the ropeway and 4mins later, we arrived at the top. We hurried up to the observatory and the night view of Hakodate was spectacular. It was lucky the view was clear and unobstructed (even though it started to snow around 10mins after we went up). The aerial view was simply beautiful and no doubt it being dubbed as one of Japan's three best night views.
(Top: View of Mt. Hakodate at night, Bottom: The snow gathering on the hood of my cousin's jacket as she admires the view)
We went down after a while as it was getting quite cold and took the tram back to outside the train station and found a seafood restaurant that was still open at the Hakodate Morning Market so we decided to dine there (I cannot seem to find the name of the restaurant but it is located right in front of the cross junction). I decided to have some tempura squid as I felt like trying out something different than the normal seafood. Squid is also the symbolic fish of Hakodate, so I wanted to try some locally)
(Tempura squid donburi)
The tempura was okay but maybe a little too much oil left on the food made it cover the taste of the squid, so I had to wash it off with the tea. Other than that, the sauce provided did not have much taste and I had to abandon dipping it.
The customer service was nice though as they were very friendly and personable.
With us not having anymore hunger pangs, we went back to our hotel and went to the onsen again since it was our last day in Hakodate, so we might as well utilise our facilities thoroughly right? After dipping into the onsen, we went back and sleep soundly as we prepare for another long ride back to Tokyo.
(Group photo at the onsen!)
Day 7 (Hakodate, Hokkaido -> Ikebukuro, Tokyo)
We woke up to a beautiful snowy scenery outside out hotel as my mum said it snowed at around 430am and so the entire city was coated with a fresh layer of fluffy snow (which explained the water puddles near the window in the morning as I had left it open the previous night).
(View of our hotel from the opposite hotel)
We caught a 9am train to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station and got on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo station. At Tokyo station, we changed to the Marunouchi Subway Line to get to Ikebukuro, which was where our accommodation was.
(Marunouchi Line Subway Train)
We headed off to find our Airbnb apartment to deposit our belongings as they were very troublesome to lug around. After navigating in the vicinity for 15mins, we found our Airbnb apartment tucked away along a small road.
(Our 3 storey Airbnb apartment)
After dropping off our belongings in the house, we went to find our dinner at the downtown area of Ikebukuro. My cousin recommended us trying out the Ippudo Ramen restaurant in Ikebukuro and so we headed off in search of that delicious ramen that have been advertised as the "most famous tonkotsu ramen shop in the country". As we headed into the city area, we were greeted by brightly lit signs and the crowds chattering away as they were on the streets. Such a lively city at night, I thought.
(Downtown Ikebukuro)
Just round the corner, we spotted the large wooden signboard of Ippudo Ramen (博多一風堂) and was delighted to see that there was no queue to enter in the store, so we waited for the tables to be cleared before proceeding in and ordering their ramen. I ordered a normal char-siu tonkotsu ramen with an additional portion of noodles and my family also ordered 10 pieces of gyoza.
(Top: Ippudo Ramen Ikebukuro Store, Middle: Gyoza, Bottom: Tonkotsu Char-Siu Ramen with extra serving of noodles)
With the ramen being even cheaper than half of the price of that you get in Singapore, that's such a steal! The ramen's broth was so good as it has such a rich taste and the soup was just so appetising! The onsen egg was so perfectly runny too. Mmhmm, it was a relief that I got an additional serving of noodles as I slurped up all the noodles in glee. A definite must-try when in Japan as it is so worth the price!
We got back to our accommodation and had a birthday party for my aunt and I as it was both our birthdays that day! I got two cakes, which were rectangular and small, which flavors were matcha and strawberry while my aunt got a strawberry round shortcake. We sang the happy birthday songs and enjoyed our cakes. Really loved the matcha cake because the green tea taste was just superb. What a memorable birthday for both of us to have it overseas. :) We soon slept soundly after finishing the cakes.
(Happy Birthday boy with the cake)
Day 8 (Ikebukuro, Tokyo -> Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi -> Ikebukuro, Tokyo)
We departed from our accommodation early and took a subway from Ikebukuro to Shinjuku as we had booked a highway bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station that departed at 0745am in the morning. We decided to take a highway bus because our JR pass had expired the previous day and the highway bus was faster and cheaper than taking the railway.
(Top: Exterior of Kawaguchiko Station, Bottom: Blue Rose flavoured ice cream)
By the time we had arrived at Kawaguchiko Station, we wanted to avoid the lunch crowd and so we proceeded to get some food at the nearby Houtou Fudou (ほうとう不動), which sold the famed gourmet dish of Houtou Noodles that are specially found in the Yamanashi Prefecture.
(Top: Signboard of Houtou Fudou, Bottom: Interior of Houtou Fudou)
As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, we saw the waiters carrying hotpots around as well as many customers slurping away at their Houtou Noodles. Eventually, we decided to just get 2 servings of Houtou noodles (wait till you see how huge the serving was), 1 normal bowl of soba noodles and 1 serving of .... horse sashimi for our family of four. Yes, you read that right. Horse meat, a delicacy in Japan. " I got to try this definitely" I thought to myself.
(Top: Houtou Noodles, Bottom: Horse Sashimi known as Basashi)
The serving for Houtou Noodles was definitely more than a normal serving of noodles you see Japanese restaurants selling. With the hotpot being filled with mushrooms, cabbage and pumpkins as well, the serving overwhelms the customer with its portion. Even though so, the noodles were nice to eat as they were of the appropriate hardness and you could slurp them just like udon noodles (just that they are more flattened out). With one bowl costing 1,080 yen, you sure cannot argue about the value of the noodles!
The horse sashimi had a unique appearance as well (I would have mistaken it to be beef if I had not known of its identity beforehand) and was served with minced garlic and ginger at the side. However, the taste of it was surprisingly ordinary as it felt like simply a cold piece of meat (After researching, the horse sashimi had to be freezed at -20 degrees for 48 hours to kill any bacteria present in the meat). While my mum preferred to eat it with the minced garlic only, I preferred it to be dipped into the soy sauce instead for some flavour. Overall, I think that other people might have differing opinions on the basashi so it is an interesting food to try when in the area.
After clearing out the food, we took a 13mins stroll to the Mt. Kachi Kachi Ropeway (カチカチ山ロープウェイ) to take the ropeway up to see the view of Mt. Fuji from Mt. Tenjo. When the ropeway reached the top and we disembarked, the view of the Kawaguchiko town was so pretty!
(Top: Mt. Kachi Kachi Ropeway round trip ticket, Bottom: View of Kawaguchiko town from the ropeway station)
A little further up we went and we reached the observatory deck that was packed with many tourists hoping to catch a nice glimpse of Japan's tallest mountain. Lucky for us, the weather was clear and Mt. Fuji could be viewed so beautifully. The photos speak for themselves!
(Top: A nice day to admire the magnificent Mt. Fuji, Bottom: A nice weather, a nice photo)
We stayed for around 1hr at the top before proceeding down the ropeway again and heading back to the train station at 0215pm to catch the bus. But before that, I got myself a peach flavoured ice cream! Ice cream is life. :D
(Peach ice cream enjoyed in the chilly weather)
So by the time we arrived back to Tokyo it was dusk and most of the kids (including me) wanted to go to the Mega Tokyo Pokémon Center at Ikebukuro before it closed (The store closes at 8pm and it was 6pm). So off we went in search of the place of Pokémon goodies!
(Top: Shopping Street en route from Ikebukuro Station to Sunshine City, Bottom: Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo)
This Pokémon Center was around twice the size of that in Sapporo and it sold a larger variety of Pokémon merchandise. Keychains, plushies, water bottles, stickers, socks and many more! It was simply a Pokémon paradise!
(Happy boy)
At the store, I chanced upon a counter which wrote about certain goodies you can get from the Pokémon Center on your birthday month and so I decided to ask about it. The procedure was that you have to present any identification documents to prove that your birthday was that particular month, after which you were entitled to the birthday privileges! You will be entitled to a birthday card, a birthday crown (I had to choose between Pikachu and his friends or a Comfey crown), a free Pokémon, transferred via Infrared, to celebrate the occasion (Again, I had to choose between Pikachu, Eevee or Comfey) as well as a 5% discount coupon to be used strictly on the day of your visit. It was such a special moment and definitely something that I will remember! If your birthday falls within the month of your visit, I highly recommend this activity to make your Pokémon Center experience a memorable one!
(Top: A photo of me with my crown and birthday card, Bottom: Pokémon Center employee gifting me a Pikachu)
With a happy haul of goodies, we proceeded to CoCo Ichibanya (CoCo壱番屋) at the basement for dinner and I ordered a Chicken Katsu Curry Rice and added a scrambled egg along with it. We were famished and had to wait for 20-30mins before our food was finally served.
(Top: CoCo Ichibanya Sunshine City, Bottom: Chicken Katsu Curry Rice with scrambled egg)
As we did not know that we could choose the level of spiciness, I felt that the curry was a little bit spicy (most probably the curry level was about a 3 or 4) but the scrambled egg was very nicely cooked and the slices of chicken were thick and not too dry. I think that for a first try at CoCo Ichibanya (I have not tried it in Singapore before), its quite nice to eat and I would definitely take an opportunity to patronise in Singapore if possible.
After having our dinner, we began a long walk back to our accommodation and fell asleep soundly after spending a lovely day.
Day 9 (Ikebukuro, Tokyo -> Tsukiji, Tokyo -> Akihabara, Tokyo -> Harajuku, Tokyo -> Shibuya, Tokyo -> Ikebukuro, Tokyo)
Before we knew it, we reached the last day of our trip in the Land of the Rising Sun. We woke up a little later than usual and went off to visit the largest wholesale fish market in the world before they relocate next year.
(Signboard of Tsukiji Outdoor Market)
When we got to Tsukiji Market (築地市場), we were not surprised to see many tourists already there, walking around to try the fresh seafood available at the market. We split up into our respective families and eagerly went to join in the crowd in getting our hands on the food available and tried our best in conveying what we wanted to them. I got some octopus skewer as well as grilled oysters and they were very good, thumbs up!
(Top: Octopus skewer coated with teriyaki sauce, with the backdrop of the market crowd, Bottom: Grilled oysters)
We chanced upon a store called Nisshin Tasuke (にっしん太助) that was selling unagi donburi and was packed with many Singaporeans waiting for their food. We decided to join in as well and ordered 3 bowls for our family; 2 unagi and scallop don for my dad and I while 1 extra large unagi don shared among my sis and my mum.
(Top: Crowd outside Nisshin Tasuke, Bottom: Unagi and Scallop Donburi)
With it being an unagi specialty store, I was no disappointed as the unagi was coated with teriyaki sauce and grilled to perfection. The scallop was also big and grilled nicely and was a really nice combination with the unagi. This place is a must visit if you wish to try unagi as we had not encountered many places that sell unagi during the past few days. However, do note that the seating space is limited so you must be prepared to wait if you wish to sit inside and dine.
After reuniting with the rest of the family, my group (consisting of my dad, my 2 cousins, my sis and I) went off to Akihabara while the rest of the family went to Asakusa. Upon reaching Akihabara, we could not help it but admire the trees lined up along the roads of the district that were filled with yellow leaves as they were so aesthetically pleasing! We were so stoked as we walked along the roads and admire all the anime goods they were selling as the Japanese pop music blasted were played from the stores.
( Top: Trees lined up along the streets of Akihabara, Bottom: Exploring the shops of Akihabara)
While strolling, we saw a shop that had many claw machines inside and a Pokémon claw machine caught my eye as there were smiling Pokémon plushies inside the claw machine! It was just so adorable that I could not resist using a 500 yen coin to try my luck. After splitting the coin into 5 x100 yen coins,the coins entitled me to 6 tries at the claw machine. So there I went, trying my best at the claw machine but it always failed as the claw would lift it up initially and then drop it immediately as it started moving towards the hole. When all hope seemed lost at the last try, the claw grabbed the Piplup plushie and just when the claw released the plushie while moving, the plushie flew towards the hole and rolled into the hole. We were so overjoyed that we finally got the plushie!
(Top: Pokémon Claw Machine, Bottom: Cutie Patooie!)
We then proceeded to get some lunch before meeting the rest of them. While my cousins went to get some ramen at the Akihabara UDX, my dad, sis and I went to Mcdonalds instead as we were curious to try the different food available in Japan's Mcdonalds.
(2x Mcdonalds Ebi Filet Burger Meal)
Back in Singapore, the Ebi burger was a limited time only product and I have tried it before. It was juicy and had quite a flavorful sauce back then. However, the Japan one fell short as there was no flavorful sauce to accompany the ebi patty. Despite the ebi patty being delectable and yummy, I felt disappointed by the burger. Even though so, I am quite surprised they offered Qoo in medium sizes (Singapore does not have this option) as I loved Qoo since young and having such an option was really good (for me that is hahaha).
We went back to reunite with the rest at Ueno station before heading down together to Omotesando Station/Harajuku Station. We initially planned to visit the Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) but by the time we got there, the sun was already setting and they were closing already. However, my sister, who went there earlier as she had to meet her friend at Shibuya, managed to take some photos of Meiji Shrine.
(Top: Massive Torii Gate, Bottom: Meiji Shrine at sunset)
We headed off to the busy shopping street of Takeshita Street (竹下通り), located right outside Harajuku station and there were loads and loads of people as we had to squeeze our way through the crowd just to walk through the street. However, this place is really for people who just want to try crepes and also have some souvenirs to buy back such as shirts and accessories so if you are not really a fan of these, you will most probably be like me camping at the entrance off the street and trying to find a place to sit without burning a hole in my wallet on 500yen coffee or a packed and squeezy Mcdonalds (but nope did not find a seat at all, poor legs).
(Top: Harajuku Station, Bottom: Takeshita Street)
After my other family members had finished up their souvenir shopping, we took one station back to the centre of youth fashion and culture, Shibuya. By the time we got there, the sun had already set and so we wanted to find some food to eat. But before that, we managed to snap photos with the famous doggie, Hachiko as well as we had to cross the famous scramble crossing of Shibuya!
(Top: Panorama of Shibuya Crossing, Bottom: Hachiko Statue)
So, we crossed the Shibuya Crossing to get to the other side of the road and seriously, cramming with hundred plus people in that small area is no joke. After we got to the other side, we went to split up to find food. The kids went to have Genki Sushi (元気寿司) and the hype for me was real because I have never tried it in Singapore before. So in we went to the sushi haven after an agonising 20mins wait to enter in the restaurant (because the struggle to clear a table for 6 was real).
(Genki Sushi Shibuya)
We sat down and was told that we only had 45mins to order our food (which was sad but understandable if they did not want customers to hog up their seats). As the time started to tick, we held up the tablet computer and started to go through the menu. "Okay this one who wants, how many, wasabi no wasabi, okay final order confirm okay?", we kept repeating as went down the menu. The thing that made the situation even more intense was that they only had two "trains" to deliver the sushi plates (one could serve 2 plates while the other could serve 3 plates) so we kind of hogged up the trains due to our orders and they had to resort to the waitress delivering to us the sushi plates personally. Oops.
(Top: Our first wave of orders within the first 5mins, Bottom: We cleared 50 plates of food in total)
The food served was typically of the same quality as those that you will find in the Japanese conveyor belt chain restaurants but the price was surprisingly affordable. After we settled the 50 plates above, we were surprised that the bill had not even exceeded 10,000 yen in total. It was around 1,200 yen for each person for the food that we had eaten and for the fill that we ate? Definitely more worth it than if you had eaten the same amount in Singapore.
With a satisfied last dinner in Tokyo, we trudged back and took the subway back to Ikebukuro where we had to pack our belongings to prepare to depart the next day.
Day 10 (Ikebukuro, Tokyo -> Singapore, Singapore)
(Departure Hall of Narita Airport Terminal 2)
We left the accommodation at around 0600am in the morning and headed off to Ueno Station, where we took the Keisei Skyliner back to Narita Airport Terminal 2, which we boarded our plane back to Singapore, transiting via Hong Kong.
Thoughts about the trip...
During the 10 days in Japan, I really enjoyed my time there because the last time I been to this beautiful country was when I was 5 years old. I felt that the duration was just nice for a getaway from the hectic life I was having and I was able to experience the true feeling of winter (Back when I visited snowy places like Harbin it did not snow). Disappointed? Nah, for I am sure I would visit this lovely country again in near future. Till then sayonara!
(Up up and away!)
Word Count: 10000 words (as of this point)
Photo Creds:
- Me
- My mum
- My dad
- My sis
- My uncle
- My Big Aunt
- My 4th Aunt
- My cousin Michelle
Special Thanks to my cousin Xilei and my 4th Aunt for planning the wonderful trip (I co-assisted heh)!
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