I am a big fans of Japan, been there almost every year. i am also a member of Toyoko-Inn, I like staying in this hotel, reasonable price with breakfast, some even with Dinner.
Hope to see more of your pics.
Hope to see more of your pics.
HOKKAIDO [A Travelogue] - limwhow & SereneXMM
- Thread starter limwhow
- Start date
ei bro, very nice and detailed documentation... i am waiting for you to post your pic when you're eating live octopus! it's quite famous there in japan, right?:thumbsup:
Malsam, I should be the one saying thank you for coming by and giving me your affirmation on the sharing of memories. I hope you will continue to achieve what you set out to - preservation of times and memories on film (memory cards...).
Why, thank you, speedtest99! Now at least I know of another Toyoko-Inn member.I am a big fans of Japan, been there almost every year. i am also a member of Toyoko-Inn, I like staying in this hotel, reasonable price with breakfast, some even with Dinner.
Hope to see more of your pics.
Thank you for coming by and posting on my thread. Like yourself, I hope to be able to visit the other parts of Japan when I... er, grow younger, and am able to take more time off the grind of life.
Brother Wurdelak, thank you for your praises!
Haha... yes, there was the live octopus definitely... hahaha...!
Hey, thanks for coming by my thread and I hope you enjoy my humble shots, Wurdelak!
Day 2: Sapporo
The Ramen of Hokkaido -
Lunch at Ramen Kyowagaku 拉面共和国 (らめん共和国
Even before setting foot on the shores of Hokkaido, everyone already knew that Hokkaido is famous for its Ramen.
But there were so many stores, so many styles... where to eat and what to choose from?
Many a kind-hearted friends have posted on theirs and mine Facebook telling me which were the nice ones and which ones to avoid.
Honestly I was utterly confused.
I've read up before-hand that there were a few types of Ramen famous in Hokkaido:
So we were literally spoilt for choice. Which again, was a total nightmare for this newbie Tour Guide.
But to make things simple, although deep inside my heart I knew that there were plenty of nice tasting ramen all over Sapporo, I opted for the easy way out. For those new to Sapporo and simply don't know where to go, don't think too much. Just make straight for this location: JR Sapporo Station - ESTA shopping mall - 10th Floor - Ramen Kyowagaku.
There were many stores selling all kinds of Ramen here. It was really a tikam-tikam game for us.
Here is just a record shot of the place. Yours truly and the half a head taller son...
.. the girls were good for they led the way in helping me tikam-tikam to choose a Ramen shop.
Finally we ended up eating in this shop called Dai-shin 大心.
Why? Very simple. Because the cartoon is very very cute. You know girls lah.. they just go by cartoon and colours mah...
Many people have asked, is it expensive eating out in Japan.
Well, apparently Hokkaido is not as expensive as in bigger cities like Tokyo.
But one bowl of Ramen at any chaplunk store would also be around S$10+.
Here is the menu for reference: the version that costs 750 yen = S$12. And the version that costs 1000 yen = S$15+.
The Ramen of Hokkaido -
Lunch at Ramen Kyowagaku 拉面共和国 (らめん共和国
Even before setting foot on the shores of Hokkaido, everyone already knew that Hokkaido is famous for its Ramen.
But there were so many stores, so many styles... where to eat and what to choose from?
Many a kind-hearted friends have posted on theirs and mine Facebook telling me which were the nice ones and which ones to avoid.
Honestly I was utterly confused.
I've read up before-hand that there were a few types of Ramen famous in Hokkaido:
- Shoyu Ramen (Soya sauce ramen 酱油拉面
- Shio Ramen (Salt ramen 盐拉面）
- Miso Ramen (Bean paste ramen 豆瓣浆拉面
- and different cities in Hokkaido have their own version of Ramen.
So we were literally spoilt for choice. Which again, was a total nightmare for this newbie Tour Guide.
But to make things simple, although deep inside my heart I knew that there were plenty of nice tasting ramen all over Sapporo, I opted for the easy way out. For those new to Sapporo and simply don't know where to go, don't think too much. Just make straight for this location: JR Sapporo Station - ESTA shopping mall - 10th Floor - Ramen Kyowagaku.
There were many stores selling all kinds of Ramen here. It was really a tikam-tikam game for us.
Here is just a record shot of the place. Yours truly and the half a head taller son...
.. the girls were good for they led the way in helping me tikam-tikam to choose a Ramen shop.
Finally we ended up eating in this shop called Dai-shin 大心.
Why? Very simple. Because the cartoon is very very cute. You know girls lah.. they just go by cartoon and colours mah...
Many people have asked, is it expensive eating out in Japan.
Well, apparently Hokkaido is not as expensive as in bigger cities like Tokyo.
But one bowl of Ramen at any chaplunk store would also be around S$10+.
Here is the menu for reference: the version that costs 750 yen = S$12. And the version that costs 1000 yen = S$15+.
Well, but I must say, the taste and the smell and the portion all are certainly unique.
Something which certain Japanese restaurants in Singapore have tried to come close to, but never exactly the same...
Here, the Grandfather dishing out his specialty... haha...
[Translation: "Here, let you all have the special seaweed rice," said Grandfather.]
Fortunately I did assign the elder sister to learn some simple Japanese phrases together with me prior to coming to Hokkaido.
For the effort paid off as she was able to order hot tea and hot water for the Grandparents when I was not around...
.... and she knew how to get to the toilet... Hahaha...
Something which certain Japanese restaurants in Singapore have tried to come close to, but never exactly the same...
Here, the Grandfather dishing out his specialty... haha...
[Translation: "Here, let you all have the special seaweed rice," said Grandfather.]
Fortunately I did assign the elder sister to learn some simple Japanese phrases together with me prior to coming to Hokkaido.
For the effort paid off as she was able to order hot tea and hot water for the Grandparents when I was not around...
.... and she knew how to get to the toilet... Hahaha...
The First Slip on the Icy Pavement
Well, so far we have been lucky... all of us.
Despite the snow and the frozen ice on the pavement, we haven't had any fall yet.
Close calls, yes. But no outright fall... until this young man here decided to give the Hokkaido pedestrian pavement the official slippery index a good test... right after lunch.
Haha... our first fall in Hokkaido.
Well, so far we have been lucky... all of us.
Despite the snow and the frozen ice on the pavement, we haven't had any fall yet.
Close calls, yes. But no outright fall... until this young man here decided to give the Hokkaido pedestrian pavement the official slippery index a good test... right after lunch.
Haha... our first fall in Hokkaido.
Day 2: Sapporo - onwards to Hokkaido Old Government House!
By the time we finished lunch at Ramen Kyowagaku, it was already quite late.
One thing that i have miscalculated and for which until today I am still slapping myself again and again on my cheeks, is that during Winter, the day time hours were very short.
That is why by the time it came to 1-2pm, we were basically rushing to meet all our destinations.
Thus, it was with a heavy heart (a figure of speech) that I had to announce that we had to give the Hokkaido University a miss.
Why? Because we were on foot and did not have the luxury of a tour coach and a professional tour guide.
But heck... let's move on to the rest of the sights.
En route to the Hokkaido Old Government House, we past by some interesting sights that were unique to Japan, maybe to Hokkaido...
... yet another Ramen Den...
Forced-marching through the streets of Sapporo... haha...
Yodobashi Camera... apparently this is quite a famous place to buy photographic equipment in Sapporo.
But... nah, I think I've got most of my camera equipments already lah... no point adding on to my check-in luggage weight...
By afternoon, most of the snow in the morning has stopped. And the temperature nudged to just above zero. A lot of the snow has been cleared off the side of the road and the pavements, leaving only the remaining bits and pieces on the leaves...
It was 3:14pm by the time we reached this part of Sapporo on foot... and we haven't even come to the Hokkaido Old Government House...
Wah lau eh.. if there were ever to be a test for Newbie Tour Guide, yours truly will fail with flying colours...
Imagine.. Late for every single one of the sights! Haha....
By the time we finished lunch at Ramen Kyowagaku, it was already quite late.
One thing that i have miscalculated and for which until today I am still slapping myself again and again on my cheeks, is that during Winter, the day time hours were very short.
That is why by the time it came to 1-2pm, we were basically rushing to meet all our destinations.
Thus, it was with a heavy heart (a figure of speech) that I had to announce that we had to give the Hokkaido University a miss.
Why? Because we were on foot and did not have the luxury of a tour coach and a professional tour guide.
But heck... let's move on to the rest of the sights.
En route to the Hokkaido Old Government House, we past by some interesting sights that were unique to Japan, maybe to Hokkaido...
... yet another Ramen Den...
Forced-marching through the streets of Sapporo... haha...
Yodobashi Camera... apparently this is quite a famous place to buy photographic equipment in Sapporo.
But... nah, I think I've got most of my camera equipments already lah... no point adding on to my check-in luggage weight...
By afternoon, most of the snow in the morning has stopped. And the temperature nudged to just above zero. A lot of the snow has been cleared off the side of the road and the pavements, leaving only the remaining bits and pieces on the leaves...
It was 3:14pm by the time we reached this part of Sapporo on foot... and we haven't even come to the Hokkaido Old Government House...
Wah lau eh.. if there were ever to be a test for Newbie Tour Guide, yours truly will fail with flying colours...
Imagine.. Late for every single one of the sights! Haha....
Day 2: Sapporo - Finally, Hokkaido Old Government House!
3:28pm.
Finally we arrived at the Old Government House.
This house was quite a spectacular sight. From about 100metres away as my GPS indicated its position, we could already see the red bricks of its walls.
And once we stepped through the main gates and into its garden compound, our breaths were taken away by its grandiose, and the whole un-touched, un-spoilt, un-stepped-on sheet of white snow on its land.
With the coniferous all around, it was indeed a sight to behold and I would state here and now that we would never forget this structure ever for in my mind, it was representative of Sapporo, and Hokkaido.
{distortion - taken by UWA.)
This Old Government House was constructed in 1888 and it was built by the local Japanese Architects but modelled against the Massachusett State House.
The building was characteristic of the buildings during the Meiji period in Japanese history, when the Japanese Government was opening up itself and reaching out to Europe and America for their technologies.
I really liked the park.
It was totally quiet and peaceful despite being smack right in the middle of the city of Sapporo.
And standing here looking at these three elegant Japanese ladies making their way through the park, I felt as though I was in a movie.
3:28pm.
Finally we arrived at the Old Government House.
This house was quite a spectacular sight. From about 100metres away as my GPS indicated its position, we could already see the red bricks of its walls.
And once we stepped through the main gates and into its garden compound, our breaths were taken away by its grandiose, and the whole un-touched, un-spoilt, un-stepped-on sheet of white snow on its land.
With the coniferous all around, it was indeed a sight to behold and I would state here and now that we would never forget this structure ever for in my mind, it was representative of Sapporo, and Hokkaido.
{distortion - taken by UWA.)
This Old Government House was constructed in 1888 and it was built by the local Japanese Architects but modelled against the Massachusett State House.
The building was characteristic of the buildings during the Meiji period in Japanese history, when the Japanese Government was opening up itself and reaching out to Europe and America for their technologies.
I really liked the park.
It was totally quiet and peaceful despite being smack right in the middle of the city of Sapporo.
And standing here looking at these three elegant Japanese ladies making their way through the park, I felt as though I was in a movie.
... a reverie broken by the laughter from my children.
These rascals have found the smooth, perfect snow too tempting and proceeded to add noise into the smooth landscape.
姐姐
哥哥 getting ready for yet another snow ball fight...
Goodness, it was a wonder that the Sapporo police hasn't come after us...
妹妹... again, with a Singaporean-made Japanese-snow-man... right in the middle of the field of the Park of the Hokkaido Old Government House!
... and who else but our lovely on her Nex5... shooting in the classic, relaxed SereneXMM style...
These rascals have found the smooth, perfect snow too tempting and proceeded to add noise into the smooth landscape.
姐姐
哥哥 getting ready for yet another snow ball fight...
Goodness, it was a wonder that the Sapporo police hasn't come after us...
妹妹... again, with a Singaporean-made Japanese-snow-man... right in the middle of the field of the Park of the Hokkaido Old Government House!
... and who else but our lovely on her Nex5... shooting in the classic, relaxed SereneXMM style...
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you ask me why? haha, everybody ask me this question.
Japan is a safe city and people there are friendly, i like the onsen, food, service and culture, lost of surprises in my yearly trip.
Yupe! :thumbsup:
Acpical yah, acpical... you only looked at the pretty girls on the street yah?! :bsmilie:
Don't look until you slip and fall down yoh... hahaha..
I am sure Hokkaido was much different in the other seasons. And equally lovely if not more so as compared with Winter.
Thanks for coming on board Acipcal!
Day 2: Sapporo - The Clock Tower 时钟楼 (时计台
About one kilometre down the road, we came to the Clock Tower, with the help of the GPS... but not without turning a couple of rounds and asking for a little bit of directions.
It was indeed turning darker already, for by this time it was getting a little colder...
... and the youngest of them all was, more than a little tired to keep her eyes open.. haha..
But the day is not over yet! There were more things to come...
[Translation: "I've played the whole day today and I'm feeling tired and I want to sleep." said AhLiXMM.]
There was supposed to be a very famous Ramen store somewhere just next to the Clock Tower.
But we had no opportunity to explore for we were firstly late, and secondly we had another feast in store for us right after this...
About one kilometre down the road, we came to the Clock Tower, with the help of the GPS... but not without turning a couple of rounds and asking for a little bit of directions.
It was indeed turning darker already, for by this time it was getting a little colder...
... and the youngest of them all was, more than a little tired to keep her eyes open.. haha..
But the day is not over yet! There were more things to come...
[Translation: "I've played the whole day today and I'm feeling tired and I want to sleep." said AhLiXMM.]
There was supposed to be a very famous Ramen store somewhere just next to the Clock Tower.
But we had no opportunity to explore for we were firstly late, and secondly we had another feast in store for us right after this...
Day 2: Sapporo - The TV Tower 电视台 (テレビ台
Just diagonally across the Clock Tower stands the 147m TV Tower.
I used to be the place to go up to to view the cityscape. But now with the newer and higher JR Tower T38, it has lost just that little bit to its new competitor.
But still, its resemblance to the Eiffel gave it its flavour and tourists still flocked to its 93m observation tower to enjoy the view from high up.
But it was a little late for us... so we thought we'd just check it out from below.
Just diagonally across the Clock Tower stands the 147m TV Tower.
I used to be the place to go up to to view the cityscape. But now with the newer and higher JR Tower T38, it has lost just that little bit to its new competitor.
But still, its resemblance to the Eiffel gave it its flavour and tourists still flocked to its 93m observation tower to enjoy the view from high up.
But it was a little late for us... so we thought we'd just check it out from below.
Day 2: Sapporo - Odori Park 大通公园 ~ The Christmas Lightup
Well, December wasn't exactly the time for the Snow Festival which is typically held annually in February in Odori Park.
But on this night, Odori Park was lit up with a different kind of lights - those of Christmas Lightup for it was almost Christmas when we were there.
... all kinds of souvenirs to buy...
... all kinds of handicrafts to marvel at...
... and all kinds of everything to shoot at... SereneXMM working ferociously with her Nex5...
So far so good, the Nex5 hasn't died on her yet despite the cold... hehe...
... and the Japanese Santa Claus came a-Ho-Ho-ing!
Well, December wasn't exactly the time for the Snow Festival which is typically held annually in February in Odori Park.
But on this night, Odori Park was lit up with a different kind of lights - those of Christmas Lightup for it was almost Christmas when we were there.
... all kinds of souvenirs to buy...
... all kinds of handicrafts to marvel at...
... and all kinds of everything to shoot at... SereneXMM working ferociously with her Nex5...
So far so good, the Nex5 hasn't died on her yet despite the cold... hehe...
... and the Japanese Santa Claus came a-Ho-Ho-ing!
Another view of the TV Tower from Odori Park.
Not the TV Tower, but part of the Christmas Lightup...
... and I personally find this one to be one of the most memorable photos for the trip.
It was a terrible photo - poor focussing on the right side, super high ISO and terribly noisy...
But it portrayed exactly the scene and the mood I wanted at that very moment.
Not the TV Tower, but part of the Christmas Lightup...
... and I personally find this one to be one of the most memorable photos for the trip.
It was a terrible photo - poor focussing on the right side, super high ISO and terribly noisy...
But it portrayed exactly the scene and the mood I wanted at that very moment.
of course i enjoy the humor bro! and the best part is the way you've documented your travel!
the japanese santa is just so :bsmilie::bsmilie:
more please!
the japanese santa is just so :bsmilie::bsmilie:
more please!
Hi your photo is great and your description is equal, after going through the first group of picture I gradually feel colder and also can feel like I was there following you guys for a snowmobile ride, my heart was like pumping with excitement then oops reading clubsnap nia nia, nice and thanks for bringing me along into this trip.:thumbsup:
