Tuesday, July 21, 2015

# Hokkaido Trip in Summer ♪ 4 days 3 nights Road Trip to Sapporo and Otaru- Prologue





# Hokkaido Trip in Summer ♪ 4 days 3 nights   Road Trip to Sapporo and Otaru
- Prologue - 

Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island
Then smash hit Japanese movie called "Love Letter" and 
the Chinese romantic movie called "You Are the One" did the shooting here!!!

Maybe your impression of Hokkaido is just "winter,"
but in fact,  the beautiful sea of Hokkaido not just appearing in the winter!
Like a lot of friends, they would like to visit Okinawa during winter, 
we this time come to Hokkaido in summer!!

June, it is an early summer!
We came to travel Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Although it is getting hot , it is not yet as hot and humid as in Tokyo.
Use your five sense to feel 
and embrace the mother nature here!

4 days 3 nights   
Hokkaido Trip in Summer 

Let us go over the place we have visited at first here!!
Check it out!



▲ Arriving New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido

Okay!!! Our trip is starting here!!!

★ the SMILE begins @ New Chitose Airport Terminal Building 3F [Ramen Dojo]



▲ Hokkaido Travel with our best choice of rental car - synergy

 [Synergy rent-a-car]
Learned from a friend who lived in Hokkaido!!
Here we go!!
Our partner while traveling in Hokkaido!
Feel the freedom!

★ TOYOTA ALPHARD HYBRID @ synergy rent-a-car

There were a lot of great memories in the trip!!
It is really hard to say what is best!!!!
But anyways, 
we would say, "Food is excellent!!!"
Let see!!


Sapporo's selection 1  [Miso ramen]

Soy sauce-based ramen, meat bone soup ramen, salt-based ramen and miso ramen.
Hokkaido is one of the origins of among Japanese ramen.
So you don't wanna miss out, right!
 Rich flavor and ingredient, 
soft and chewy.
Traditional Hokkaido-style's miso ramen

★ Sapporo Ramen keyaki @ Mitsui Outlet Park Kita-Hiroshima, Sapporo




 ▲ Sapporo's selection 2  [Toukibi]

Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and corn
A variety of vegetables and fruits, gifts from nature to this land in Hokkaido
In this hot hot summer day, we found this cool [toukibi]

Loved by most of the local people in Hokkaido.
Ice cream, which is made by corn and is available in convenience stores.

How was the taste?
Oh my gosh!!
Great!

★ toukibi ice cream @ Sapporo's LAWSON,  convenience store

Sapporo's Selection 3 [Soup Curry]

It is said that the local people get used to eat at least three times a week!!
Really???

Like popular Ramen shops,
local people count soup curry as one kind of the "soul food" here in Hokkaido!
If you haven't tried this, 
don't tell people that you have visited Hokkaido then lol

★ Sapporo local people's selected soup curry @ Sapporo Susukino



Sapporo's Selection 4  - SPECIAL [Sugar Scrub]

Gift from nature!!

Hokkaido is a rich land of sugar!
Therefore, it is sugar scrub naturally made by sugar of Hokkaido!

It is said that the product was born because of the family member of the founder has been plagued by atopic dermatitis.
By chance, the founder discovered that Hokkaido sugar can improve the skin condition with amazing results, 
so they made it to become today's "SUCRE."
If you have chance to Hokkaido,
put it into your shopping list then!
Why?? It is effective!

★ SWEET SKINCARE SUCRE @ 10F of Tokyu Department Store, Sapporo




Sapporo's Selection 5 - Have a great night! [Kirin Beer Garden]

Wanna have a glass of real liquor drink in Sapporo?
Indeed! Kirin Beer Garden!

How fresh!
KIRIN FROZEN beer and Hokkaido delicacies
fresh mutton 
 Oriental BBQ in Hokkaido! "Genghiskhan" party! Yeah!

★ Delicacies party @ Kirin Beer Garden  Nakajima-koen
http://www.kirinbeer-en.co.jp/info_nakajima.html

Our trip is only about food?
Nope...
But actually, 
we did eat a lot not just in Sapporo but also Otaru lol


Otaru's Selection  [Posei Bowl] = seafood bowl rice

Just 30 minutes by JR express train from Sapporo or
30 minutes by rental car!
We have come to Otaru, which is famous of its beautiful canal and music box!!
Yes!!! Seafood bowl rice too!!
"Posei Bowl Rice"




▲ What a great feast?

Highly recommended!!!
Seafood bowl rice in Otaru!
Reasonable!!

Wait!!
Are you serious???
A great meal huh!!
We were all surprised!!

★ Otaru's famous seafood  bowl rice @ posei- don



▲ The excellent  quality of breakfast

The great buffet-styled breakfast at the hotel located in front of Otaru Station!!
Oh my gosh!!!
Totally like the volume and freshness found at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo!

No doubt it is a hotel having PREMIUM in its name!
A day started with a happy morning!

★ Seafood Bowl rice in the morning @ Dormy Inn Premium Otaru





Otaru's Selection- cake of  [LeTAO]

How full after a seafood bowl rice!
Next is the representative of desserts in Otaru.
Okay!!!
3 brothers of [LeTAO]
Oh!! Can't really express in words!!!
How delicious!!

★ Delicious cake  @ Otaru LeTAO


What do you think about our trip???
Food fulfilled all our memory?? lol

Of course, we have never missed 
every corner of the street of Sapporo and Otaru!




Sapporo's Check point 1: 
One of the three "gakkari" sightseeing spots in Japan

What is gakkari?
It means disappointing in Japanese.

It is a famous "Clock tower " in Hokkaido!
It is famous because it has been named the "disappointing" sightseeing spot!
Anyways, 
let's have a memorial shot!!

★ Nothing wrong- Sapporo clock tower

Reference:
Japan's three major disappointment Sightseeing spots
1. Harimayabashi bridge (Kochi)
2. Sapporo clock tower (Hokkaido)
3. The Netherlands slope (Nagasaki)




▲  Sapporo's Check point 2: ! "Hokkaido Government Building"

Compared to the clock tower, 
you can find another kind of charm here!
Exotic Western-style building ane trees are on two sides. 
No wonder it became a public recreation spot for local people in Sapporo 

★ Sorry "Clock tower"  @ Hokkaido Government Building




Sapporo's Check Point 3 :
"Odori Park & Sapporo TV Tower," Winter Snow Festival take place every years 

The world's largest winter event "Sapporo Snow Festival"
Its stage runs through the center of Sapporo Odori Park and where Sapporo TV Tower is standing.
Here your are!
The real face in summer!

★ Jekyll & Hyde? Anna and Elsa? @ Sapporo Odori Park & Tower

Can you see the reflection of TV tower on the pond??
Oh!!! Another impression from the nature.
It is a nice place for a romantic walk in Sapporo then!

Even there are no gorgeous bustling streets nor starry sky,
what a wonderful night here in Sapporo!
It is time to have a rest!

In order to have a comfortably rest for the trip,
we have hotels, which greeted me with awesome breakfast in the morning!



Day 1 in Sapporo: Best Western Hotel Sapporo Fino

How did we choose?
Very simple!
Near the station, spacious room and, good service!

Any others?
umm....there is an elegant lobby~

★ Best Western Hotel Sapporo Fino

Check-in: 15:00    Check-out 10:00
Location: 2-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station North Exit 



Day 2 in Otaru: Dormy Inn Premium OTARU

Breakfast here! Perfectly No. 1
Natural hot spring baths!
Definitely a good choice in Otaru

★ Dormy Inn Premium OTARU

Check-in: 15:00   Check-out 11:00
Positions: 1-min walk from JR Hakodate Line Otaru Station




Day 3 in Sapporo: Dormy Inn Premium Sapporo

Sapporo Dormy Inn Premium
Rooms are spacious and have large baths and massage room
You can also enjoy the downtown Sapporo "Susukino" from here!

Breakfast rating - the highest level of Hokkaido
Baths & Massage - Premium as its name
Convenient for sightseeing - from Sapporo to Susukino!

Getting hungry at night? Do you want ramen?
In the Dormy Inn Premium Sapporo,  free mini ramen (yonaki ramen) is provided during 21:30 - 23:00.

★ Dormy Inn Premium Sapporo
Check-in: 15:00  Check-out 11:00
Location: 3-min walk from JR Sapporo Subway Odori Station north-south line  Tanukikoji 4-chome Exit

Walking on the streets of Sapporo
Feel the cool summer of Hokkaido
Oh!!! Here we have come to Otaru, like the canals in Venice!



▲ Otaru 

Otaru's check point 1
Hokkaido earliest pier opened as the first trading port.
After the railway opened in Sapporo, 
it was as the outport of Sapporo and "Ishikari carbon field," the port of loading.
Trading with Russia Sakhalin gradually flourished the town of Otaru.

Thus, "canal" not only became a symbol here, it has also become a landscape attracting a large number of visitors nowadays.

Port that has the flavor of the sea; the canal of romance
Let's enjoy a variety of beauty in Otaru with all the surrounding!


Otaru's check point 2: Otaru city hall, where movie "Love Letter" was filmed 

Remember that scene of the hospital in "Love letter"?
It was take here at Otaru City Hall!
Remember the scene of the corridor of the hospital?
It was located on the 2F of the building and right in front of the mayor's office lol

★ fresh but nostalgic. . . @ Otaru City Hall


Otaru's Check Point 3 : gourmet restaurants & coffee  & a variety of interesting shops 
Take a walk at [Sakai Machi]

Walked along the canal and  found this beautiful street
Main street of Otaru

The whole street was filled with the refreshing flavor of coffee
 Various gourmet restaurants, including Posei bowl rice
Otaru special products and delicious cake shop LeTAO 

★  With visitors from around the world ♡ @ Sakai-machi




Otaru's Check Point 4: dreamy and fantastic "Otaru Canal"

Speaking of Otaru,
we can't miss here!
Leisurely canal water and patchwork warehouse building
Here is the testimony of Hokkaido Modernization!

Around 6:00 in the evening, what a dreamtime here during sunset.
Just like a master's painting
Van Gogh's Starry Night?

★ Our busy shutter @ Otaru Canal

Enough eating 
Proper rest
Not yet!!


▲ Shopping time! to finish up our trip!

Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo
Are you ready???
for all the outlet price!!
Plus, tax-free !! The most important thing!!

Okay!!! Take all our shopping bags lol
heading to the airport!!!

★ bargain? Not necessary@ Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kita-Hiroshima


Natural and comfortable weather
A variety of interesting experiences and unforgettable taste
Our Hokkaido trip were filled with great memories!

Wait!!!
This is just a prologue of our trip!!

Although only a short period of four days and three nights,
we feel the charm of Hokkaido!
Don't wanna go!!

Gotta be back again!!!
Maybe next time in the snowy winter!!

We will show you more detail 
about our Road Trip to SAPPORO & OTARU


To Be Continued ...



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