Posted by Jason.
Karbo and I have been back in Vancouver for almost two years now since our 9 month round-the-world stint. Here's a quick summary of what we've been up to since our return in May 2014:
- Discovered Dino has hepatic cirrhosis and was told that he wasn't going to make it but found an amazing vet who didn't give up on him. Now, Dino's health has stabilized (knock wood!) and he's about to celebrate his 9th birthday in June!
- Found jobs and are both working towards our respective career goals
- Got married!
We decided it was time to hit the road again after a 2-year hiatus. We've both been to Japan before but neither of us have been to the northern island of Hokkaido, so we spent our first two days of the trip in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido and home to Sapporo Beer and the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Our first day of travel looked like this:
Our first day of travel looked like this:
Vancouver -- Hong Kong -- Tokyo -- Sapporo
I lost track but it was at least a 24 hours travel day. We were exhausted when we arrived at our hotel but I was adamant we go for a bowl of miso ramen, for which Sapporo is famous.
After a quick search, I decided on Shingen Ramen. The shop was a 30-minute walk away in minus degree weather, tucked in a side street near the entertainment district Susukino. There were no tables at the restaurant, just a L shaped bar around the open kitchen. Very Japanese and I loved it.
The broth was rich and full of flavours, but it wasn't overly salty. The noodle was perfectly chewy. We concluded it was totally worth the trek.
After a quick search, I decided on Shingen Ramen. The shop was a 30-minute walk away in minus degree weather, tucked in a side street near the entertainment district Susukino. There were no tables at the restaurant, just a L shaped bar around the open kitchen. Very Japanese and I loved it.
The broth was rich and full of flavours, but it wasn't overly salty. The noodle was perfectly chewy. We concluded it was totally worth the trek.
On the 12th we had delicious waffles and coffee at UCC Coffee in the basement of Daimaru department store. We discovered UCC Coffee in Taipei during our RTW trip and loved their waffles. We were very glad to find it again!
Japan is full of department stores and our favourite level is the basement. This is where the magic happens; you can find restaurants, supermarkets, and random food counters. After coffee we spent some time walking around the basement of Daimaru, trying all the free samples being shoved in our faces.
Japan is full of department stores and our favourite level is the basement. This is where the magic happens; you can find restaurants, supermarkets, and random food counters. After coffee we spent some time walking around the basement of Daimaru, trying all the free samples being shoved in our faces.
We spent the afternoon touring the Shiroi Koibito Park. Shiroi Koibito is a popular chocolate cookie that is sold only in Hokkaido or at international airports throughout Japan, and is one of the best-selling souvenirs in Japan.
The park includes a beautiful European-style factory. The self-guided tour was interesting as we got to see how the cookies are made from scratch. The rest of the park consists of a soccer field (Ishiya, the company that makes Shiroi Kibito, is the official sponsor of the Sapporo J-League soccer team), a rose garden, a mini train ride, a toy museum, and a few dining outlets. Pretty random stuff but hey, it's Japan.
The park includes a beautiful European-style factory. The self-guided tour was interesting as we got to see how the cookies are made from scratch. The rest of the park consists of a soccer field (Ishiya, the company that makes Shiroi Kibito, is the official sponsor of the Sapporo J-League soccer team), a rose garden, a mini train ride, a toy museum, and a few dining outlets. Pretty random stuff but hey, it's Japan.
Sapporo is also known for its namesake beer, so even though the Sapporo Beer Museum was closed for renovation, we paid a visit to have lunch at its beer garden. We tried Jingisukan (Japanese way of saying "Genghis Khan"), a Japanese style bbq mutton dish popular in Hokkaido.
I paid an additional 1,700 JPY ($20 CAD) for the all-you-can-drink option. I ended up only having 4 beers within the 2 hour limit so it wasn't THAT much of a bargain. The whole meal cost about 6,000 JPY ($75 CAD). Not going to lie, it was a bit of a tourist trap but the bbq mutton was delicious and I got to try beers that are not served anywhere else so no regrets there.
I paid an additional 1,700 JPY ($20 CAD) for the all-you-can-drink option. I ended up only having 4 beers within the 2 hour limit so it wasn't THAT much of a bargain. The whole meal cost about 6,000 JPY ($75 CAD). Not going to lie, it was a bit of a tourist trap but the bbq mutton was delicious and I got to try beers that are not served anywhere else so no regrets there.
Another Hokkaido delicacy is its crab, especially snow crab, so for dinner we went to Kani Honke, a chain restaurant specializing in crab dishes. We shared a 8,000 JPY ($100 CAD) multi-course set in a private room. It tasted great, but we were hoping for more crab. Was it worth the money? Probably not and we likely won't go back, but we're glad we tried it.
On the 13th we checked out of our hotel and took a day trip to Otaru. Our friend Godfrey recommended this seaside town for its sushi and scenic canal. With the JR Pass we had unlimited access on the Japan Rail so we decided to check it out.
After a 45-minute train ride, we arrived at Otaru train station. The station is right beside the Sankaku Fish Market. We resisted temptation because we wanted to see what other options there are within the city. We walked towards the shore and along the main street until we settled for a random sushi restaurant selling a 10-piece set for 1400 JPY ($17 CAD). While the sushi was fresh and tasty, it didn't blow our mind and we were just not quite satisfied.
After much debate while walking along the picturesque streets of old town Otaru, we decided to go find Isezushi, one of the highest ranked restaurant in Otaru. However, by the time we got there they were closed for lunch service! I guess it wasn't meant to be...oh well, we enjoyed our time in Otaru nonetheless!
After a 45-minute train ride, we arrived at Otaru train station. The station is right beside the Sankaku Fish Market. We resisted temptation because we wanted to see what other options there are within the city. We walked towards the shore and along the main street until we settled for a random sushi restaurant selling a 10-piece set for 1400 JPY ($17 CAD). While the sushi was fresh and tasty, it didn't blow our mind and we were just not quite satisfied.
After much debate while walking along the picturesque streets of old town Otaru, we decided to go find Isezushi, one of the highest ranked restaurant in Otaru. However, by the time we got there they were closed for lunch service! I guess it wasn't meant to be...oh well, we enjoyed our time in Otaru nonetheless!
We took the train back to Sapporo and made our way to the airport for our evening flight back to Tokyo, which ended up being a much longer journey than we had expected...