So, last week I went to Hokkaido.
Small introduction. Hokkaido is the Northernmost island in the Japanese Archippeligo. It is famous for many different things, among anthropologist for its recent recognition of its native species, the 1972 Winter Olympics, and its rice production (very famous . . . trust me).
Oh yes, and its beer. Any Japanese beer that has made it big is made in Hokkaido. Though there are still microbreweries all over the place but all the big ones are all in Hokkaido. Well, except Orion, but noone drinks that stuff anyway.
My method of transport was: Train. But not just any train, the Twilight express. Which zooms from Osaka to Sapporo by ways of a most scenic route. And it makes sure to pass some nice coastline around sunset to optimally use those big windows.
Once in Sapporo I visited all the usuals.
(The former) City Hall
The Clock Tower
The other Tower
You know . . . stuff.
I also visited the “Old Hokkaido Village” which features reconstructed, repositioned (and faked) buildings from all over hokkaido (and sendai . . . for some reason). This place featured some nice buildings and enthusiastic volunteers.
I actually learned a lot. This is where they put children btw. Throughout my blog posts I have mentioned how children are treated here. And yet they all turn out so well. Interresting. And there were some people showing how some of the older crafts were done. And how some of the older games were played.
After the Historically significant visits I made a culturally significant outing.
The Sapporo Beer Gardens
While enjoying some nice beers we were entertained by some Men. Men * Soul to be exact. I mention they were men because you may need confirmation.
Sapporo also has its own conveniently located mountain for nice views. I watched sunset from here and was able to take some nice pictures of the city.
After my city stay it was finally time to meet up with the Fair Maiden and head up into the mountains. Things started great with the bus leaving later than planned and with 5 minutes to change to the last bus into the mountains we were suitably anxious about this. When quizzing the busdriver about this she kicked us off the bus and sent us to another bus that would intercept the bus we would miss somewhere else. The tourist office in neither asahikawa nor at the airport knew of this option.
We made it to the mountains and the views and the weather promised great times.
The first day we would practice. I had parked us next to the highest mountain on the island but going up there straight off the bat might not be the smartest coarse of action. So we went for a nice hike across some saddles and on to a neighbouring onsen village. It was gorgeous and the weather kept great for hiking, sun obsscured yet not raining. The trail did hold its own dangers but it was nothing too taxing and we made it to the other side just fine and within the expected timeframe. And we got the mandatory Raphaëlle-not-making-it-over-the-river-dry photo.
The second day would see our ascent to the highest point in Hokkaido.
It was stunning
It was gorgeous
This was the view from the top
or this one
I’m not sure. All those mountain vistas kinda start to look the same after a while, don’t they.
It was euhm . . . wet and cold. And Raph came without appropriate wet-weather gear.
It really is a gorgeous area, unfortunately it took untill the next day to behold it with some sun. We saw it from the bus leaving for Furano.
Furano is an area famous for its well . . . French-ness. It is famous for flowers (Lavender especially) and its cheese and wine. It also has rolling hills and gentle mountains in the background.
Now, I am allergic to cheese and Raph doesn’t eat it due to her vegan-beliefs (Crazy hipp lady) and we had missed the last of the Lavender season, this left wine. But with the fresh memories of Hokkaido beer we made an effort to find the last of the remaining flowers instead. And we found them. One special slope filled with different flowers from all across the seasons. And no mention of beer at all, which was a first for Hokkaido.
The next day saw me trying to return to Osaka in time for work.
EUGH
Due to me thinking the bold time in the middle of my ticket being the flight time I missed my flight by a good 2 hours (the bold text in the middle of the ticket was the time I bought the ticket, the departure time was normal script lower left) which meant I was stranded in Hokkaido (and not even in Sapporo but Asahikawa airport) some 14 hours away from having to report to work in Osaka.
My two options for getting back consisted of the fabulous Shinkansen network and the 4 other flights going to Tokyo that were all booked solid.
The shinkansen option was a bust as it would take me 2 hours to get to sapporo and the last shinkansen of the day would have left 10 minutes before (typical). However I could report for the 22:00 nighttrain to Aomori and then continue from 06:30 at shinkansen speed to Osaka, arriving at 12:30 in Shin-Osaka (and therefor a good 4 hours late for work).
To take this option I would have to take the 19:30 bus away from the airport.
It being a small airport the last flights left at 19:30 and I could easily cover both possibilities and of the 4 booked flights 1!! person did a no show and I was able to board the cheapest of the remaining flights.
Instead of arriving at Tokyo at a reasonable time I arrived at 20:50. Due to my late boarding (plane’s planned departure time 19:30. Wallys boarding time 19:31) things got slightly buggered up with my luggage (This was already NOT a good day) and when I reached Tokyo proper it was 22:30. 30 minutes after the last shinkansen to Osaka left. Fortunately there are still nightbusses. Mine left 30 minutes before I arrived in Shinagawa, let alone make it to shinjuku.
I got there in time for 1 bus to Osaka, Full
1 bus to Kyoto, Full
and 1 bus to Kobe, Full
Grand!
At 00:31 I checked into a cheap hotel a seedy part of tokyo (gotanda, because you can always find cheap hotels in seedy areas) 2 stations away from shinagawa (shinkansen leaving platform)
at 05:30 my alarm sounded
at 05:50 I woke up again to conclude today was not going to be any better than the previous day
I missed the first train but was in time for the second.
Queueing to buy the ticket for the 2nd train took long enough to make me miss that one aswell (Seriously, the amount of people up, awake and happy at 06:15 is sickening) so I bought a seat on train #3 leaving 45 minutes after #1 but arriving 60 minutes later (I guess the tracks get busier with traffic?)
Arriving at the company I concluded that while I had thought to bring my Japanese – English Electronic dictionary, my notebooks, socks (vacation = TEVA, work = safety boots) and my uniform I had neglected to bring my security badge.
09:50 a colleague arrives to vouch that I, one of 4 white people working among the 6000 souls and standing a good 30 cm taller than the average worker here, am indeed the same person that has been passing the gates for the last 7.5 months and plays volleyball in front of their security station every lunchtime and I am allowed to enter the grounds
10:04 I sit down at my screen, a mere 1.5 hours late (But also 27000 yen poorer).
YEEH!
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Quote of the day:
Molesting,,, hm,, yeah, that’s quite big issue in Japan for guys in a crowded area. Loads of guys are arrested for molesting and loads of ladies say they were harassed. Some can prove he didn’t do it, but mostly cannot. Keep your hands up away from girl’s body. Convince the girl before she tells that to the police that you are innocent. This crime will be proven just by girl’s saying, no matter what guys complain for. Only place to prove is court, until then you will stay in a jail. Horrible, but some girls do really suffer from it and some are just enjoying to make someone get arrested.
– Koizumi, after misinterpreting my comment
regarding molesting airline personell.
