I was fortunate to have visited Japan before the 311 disaster. Hokkaido is the second largest island in Japan, I think of it as the Tasmania of Australia. The scenery is heavenly, the produce is fresh and the locals are as friendly as you’ll find anywhere in the world.
Day 1 – Sapporo (札幌)
We landed in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido on a Saturday evening. Sapporo is only a short 2 hour flight from Osaka. Domestic airfares are cheap and can be booked online in advance. As soon as we landed, we noticed the temperature drop. Hokkaido is a fair bit colder than the main island and famous for its ski fields and snow festival during winter.
After a smooth check-in, thanks to an English speaking receptionist, we were ready to venture out for our first glimpse of the city. Our hotel was perfectly situated above an undercover strip of shopping mall. Shops are open late into the evening, some even into the morning, perfect for night owls.
If Japan is famous for Sushi then Sapporo is famous for Soup Curry. What is soup curry, you ask? It is a clearer and thinner type of curry, more like a spicy soup. Soup Curry restaurants are all over town and we picked one which featured in a local Japanese tourist guide. Since this is the only dish on offer, all we had to do was select our accompaniments and spice level. I’m not sure if we were just extremely hungry and cold or the food was just sensational, probably both, but we all agreed at the end of the trip that this is definitely meal of the trip.
Day 2 – Otaru (小樽)
We rose early the next day, bento box in hand and headed for the train station. Today we’re going on a day trip to a little nearby town call Otaru. It is known for its romantic atmosphere and is a popular weekend getaway for the locals. After a 30 minute train ride and a short walk, we were surrounded by streets lined with food stalls, chocolate and dessert cafes and handcraft souvenir shops, but we only had eyes on one thing – Sushi. There are many famous sushi restaurants in Otaru, many of which have been in operation for generations. We picked a local favourite and walked in. The place was already filled with guests but we were lucky to get a table upstairs. To our surprise, the restaurant was packed full with diners before noon.
The menu is filled with colourful pictures (yah!) so we knew exactly what we were ordering. The sushi sets range from approximately A$50 to $100 and a-la-carte is also available. It’s not cheap but sushi is an upper-class cuisine in Japan and sushi chefs are very well respected.
Our sushi arrived shortly and we could barely hide our excitement. Each piece resembled a masterpiece and glowed with freshness. The sets may look small but we struggled to finish.
There are also many famous Hokkaido cake and sweets shops along this street. A few snacks to look out for and try are grilled giant scallops and a 6-layer ice cream cone. Each layer a different flavour made from local produce.
It was already dark by the time we got back to Sapporo. We set off to the Ramen Street where a dozen ramen houses operate side-by-side along an alleyway. The food must be good in order to survive such a competitive environment. The one we picked was already full and we had to wait outside for seats. Lucky for us, people in Japan are super fast eaters and vacate as soon as they’re done. Turnover is quick and the wait is never long. We bumped into another group of tourist and they told us they’re already on their third bowl. We followed their recommendations and ordered the seafood special. Patiently we waited and watched the one-man band prep, cook, clean and wash all on his own. My miso ramen (a Hokkaido specialty) was topped with giant scallops, crab claws and prawns along with the usual bamboo shoots, seaweed and shallots. I now understand how our neighbours managed to go through three bowls, delish.
Day 3 – Sapporo (札幌)
Our next day started with brunch at Nijo Market (local seafood market). We ordered a set of their famous sashimi sampler. I must admit, it’s probably a little weird for most to eat raw fish for breakfast but hey we’re in Japan and it’s certainly something I can get used to.
There is a famous white chocolate cookie which used to be exclusively available in Hokkaido only. Although it is now commonly available across Japan, we couldn’t resist the chance of visiting their Chocolate factory. The factory runs self-guided tours which takes you to the heart of the factory - the production line. This simple melt in the mouth chocolate cookie is a must for all, even if you don’t visit the factory. Sorry I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the cookie, they were all gone before I pulled my camera out.
On the way back into the CBD, we decided to stop by a famous park to see if we might be lucky enough to catch the last of the cherry blossoms. There were still some temporary food stalls along the pathway, built especially for the cherry blossom season, which is a good sign. We hiked up to the highest part of the park and in front of us was a field of cherry blossom trees. Cameras in hand, we went berserk. The cherry blossoms were indeed pretty but I failed to see what all the fuss was about. Then, something happened. A gust of wind swept through and the cherry blossom petals were blown in all directions. I stood there in awe. The world seemed to have frozen in time. It was like seeing pink snow drift from the sky. This is the magic of cherry blossoms.
It was lunchtime and we headed for a chain ramen restaurant. Yep, ramen again! And once again I couldn’t resist the seafood options. I had miso ramen with jumbo scallops, corn and butter. I wonder how many more bowls before I get sick of ramen.
For dinner, we visited a restaurant that specialises in crab. It was hairy crab season and it’s always a good idea to eat what’s in season so we selected the hairy crab banquet. There were too many dishes to talk about, the meal highlight was of cause the hairy crab and we got one each. Yep, a whole crab each. In addition, we had crab tofu, crab sashimi, crab tempura and crab rice. We were all crabbed out by the end of the meal.
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