Life in Sapporo Hokkaido, Japan

Kokusai Ski Resort

2023-12-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

If you are thinking of going to Kokusai Ski Resort by bus I recommend catching the bus from Keio Plaza Hotel instead of Sapporo JR Station. The bus starts from Keio Plaza Hotel and usually full, they stop at Sapporo JR Station only to tell waiting passengers to wait for next bus.

When you arrive at Keio Plaza Hotel make sure you go inside the hotel to line up and don't wait outside.

Odori - illumination

2015-12-10T02:11:00.001-08:00

Not much snow this year yet but Odori in full swing, beautifully illuminated for Christmas. It's been a bit disappointed for powder seeking skiers so far but good for the locals.

Shakotan - Hokkaido

2015-08-21T21:23:00.001-07:00

Shakotan is a place worth visiting west of Hokkaido, just a 2hr drive from Sapporo. We rented a car and it was a comfortable drive passing by Otaru.

The views are breathtaking with some nice seafood as the attraction, uni (sea urchin) is a specialty in the area.

After all the sightseeing and walking you can have a dip in many of the onsens around with a sunset view, which is what this area is known for.

Enjoy the pics

Takao-san, Hachijoji, Tokyo

2015-07-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

July is very hot in Tokyo so getting out of the crowded city may not be a bad idea.

I jumped on the train this morning and started to Google a few places, and decided to just go trekking! Somewhere not too far, but far enough to feel like your away from the city.

About a 50 minute train ride on the Chuo line rapid train and get off at Takao (most trains terminate here), change to Keio line and one stop and get off at Takaoguchi.

Now you at the foot of the mountain you can trek up to Mt Takao by 6 different trails which vary from 70-90 minutes, or take a cable car or chair lift.

I decided to chair lift it up and trek down. The view of Tokyo was pretty nice. Now in winter you are suppose to see Mt Fuji, so my chances was very slim in July.

Trekking down was more fun than the chair lift, I would recommend to trek up as well but I was a bit tight for time.

Enjoy the photos everyone and leave some comments...

Tokyo Tower And Roppongi

2015-02-15T06:23:00.001-08:00

Tokyo by night, the old Tokyo tower day and night still looking marvelous since the new Sky Tree was built. Still a favorite for the romantics, lovely lighting..

Roppongi lights up at night as usual, attractive lights and fun night life...

Exploring Tokyo

2014-10-05T01:23:00.001-07:00

Recently relocated to Tokyo, still do the odd trip back to Sapporo.

Spent the weekend visiting places I haven't been in a while. Plenty of walking and great places to vist, Odaiba, Ueno, Tokyo Station, Akihabara etc..plenty of people and various options when it comes to food, even found a Pho restaurant but I think they lack a bit ingredients here, not so nice.... Sushi still the best..

Suzuran Hillside National Park, Takino - Sapporo

2014-05-31T19:08:00.001-07:00

Spent a day at Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park. A nice 25-27 degrees, perfect for outdoors and beautiful tulips on display.

Dad's come prepared, plenty activities for kids and it's fitting for dad' to spend some quality healthy time with their kids.

This was our second time but it's worthwhile mentioning that the facilities are nice and clean. Toilets, waiting rooms, resting places etc. oh I forgot, I am in Japan that's standard.

It's only a half hour bus/subway away, so go for a visit. It's different from your everyday touristy type thing, more of the local Sapporian family weekend place...

Enjoy the pics...

Sakura Season 2014 - Sapporo

2014-05-10T19:42:00.001-07:00

The weather has been kind to us this year in comparison to previous few. Always remember Sakura season is nealy always a month later than the mainland.

Picnics, BBQs, yakisoba, takoyaki, onigiri, the smells that linger in some parks where groups gather.

I just got back from Australia so we cycled down to the local river and neighborhood, it didn't disappoint.

Enjoy the pics..

Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki

2014-05-04T14:36:00.001-07:00

It's been I while since my last post (apologies).

Been doing a bit of traveling back home to Sydney Australia, and currently in Tokyo.

A great reminder I was back in Japan this morning as whole of Tokyo was woken up at 5:20am by 5.8 magnitude earthquake epic center Tokyo, a nice wake up call and something I can never get used to....

That aside, we had a nice meal at a shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot) restaurant, we could also do sukiyaki (pan fried beef) as well so we did both. We suffered greatly after the meal as it was a buffet style for ¥2,590 yen per person, over eating is over rated!!

Sapporo Motorshow 2014 - Sapporo Dome

2014-02-15T03:38:00.001-08:00

I went to the Sapporo Motor-show held at the Sapporo Dome today. It was relatively crowded as you would expect and very entertaining...

Enjoy the pics...

Sapporo Snow Festival 2014 - Susukino & Odori

2014-02-11T01:30:00.001-08:00

Some more pics of Snow Festival 2014 at Susukino, after that we made our way to Odori again.

Today was the final day before they tear it all down. Again it was very crowded being a public holiday today, and of course very cold :)

Enjoy the pics...

Sapporo Snow Festival 2014 - Hokkaido

2014-02-06T05:37:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I last posted so apologies.

This year's snow festival at Odori Park. A very cold night but worthwhile, many locals and tourists out enjoying themselves. Plenty of food-stands to keep everyone's stomach full whilst watching bands and illumination show with snow sculptures in the background. I really liked the big Sochi sculpture of the current Winter Olympics.

Enjoy the pics and leave any comments if you got a chance to attend or plan to come in future events...

Christmas in Sapporo, Hokkaido

2013-12-22T08:32:00.001-08:00

It definitely feels like Christmas in Sapporo. It's -5 degrees celsius with heavy snow, it's all lit up and there is plenty of people about, couples, families and tourists all enjoying themselves down at Odori Park. A wonderful illumination display, people are queuing up to snap photos, nobody cares about the snow, it's all part of the Christmas feel.

Meanwhile, back home in Sydney it was 42 degrees celsius, it's been crazy hot lately. I am used to Christmas at the beach, yep BBQs at the beach!

Definitely different to what I am used to but enjoying the change. Some nice pics of Sapporo Factory and Odori as we head off to Tokyo for the New Year.

Mount Moiwa - Sapporo

2013-11-20T18:50:00.001-08:00

A quick trip to mount Moiwa with my friend Leo from Sydney. A short tram ride from Odori (¥170), until I decided to get off 3 stops too early, we walked the rest but got there eventually. A shuttle bus picks you from the tram station but we decided to walk up to the rope way since we were in the mood.

Up the top the views were spectacular, would have been better if it was a clear sunny day but it was nice nonetheless.

A few pics from the top observatory, enjoy...

Noribetsu Hell Valley - Hokkaido

2013-11-16T21:25:00.001-08:00

Visiting Hell Valley and Oyunuma at Noribetsu with my friend Leo from Sydney. We stayed one night at an onsen hotel and it was a very relaxing experience, many tourists and great sunny weather. We trekked thru the area and it was quite peaceful, no one around as everyone were either in tour buses or cars. I would recommend trekking as it was very enjoyable, enjoy the pics...

Autumn - Maruyama & Sapporo Beer Museum

2013-11-03T19:02:00.001-08:00

Autumn is usually the wetter part of the year, with weather getter colder and people preparing for the cold winter ahead in Sapporo. So making the most out if the wonderful scenery around the area, sharing some nice pics I took a week ago...

Disney Land & Sea

2013-11-03T18:54:00.001-08:00

Some pics of our trip to Disney Sea & Land. Being in October the theme was Halloween, plenty of nice decorations and lights. It was very busy over the 2 days with plenty of people, some rides required up to 2:30 hrs queue.

Enjoy the pics...

Laid Back - Hokkaido

2013-09-25T00:21:00.001-07:00

People outside of Hokkaido sometimes jokingly refer Hokkaido to "dekaido", because of its size considering Japan is such a small country. The word "dekai" means big, commonly used more casually. "do", pronounced as "dou", of course comes from the word "Hokkaido".

People from the mainland are flocking to Hokkaido in the summer to escape the hot sticky weather. With the nice quality food at cheap prices compared to Tokyo, plus the nice alps and scenery, it's a wonder why it's such a popular destination.

A lot of foreigners are also visiting for the very same reason, making Hokkaido such a popular place. It allows foreigners to experience the unique Japanese culture with a more laid back environment compared to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. People have more time and are often more friendly as they are not on a hurry and less stressed.

On that note. I have shared a few photos of northern Hokkaido I saw at amateur photo gallery. Also some food photos I took myself of a variety of nice food available. A great example of why people love it here..

Share your comments and experiences if you have been to Hokkaido. Also drop a question if you are planning to travel..

Sapporo - Susukino Omatsuri (summer festival)

2013-08-06T23:50:00.001-07:00

Another great summer annual event. Omatsuri at Susukino, otherwise better known for its night life. Full of people, food, beer...

Sapporo Laksa Fix

2013-08-06T18:57:00.001-07:00

Found a place for my Laksa fix! Singaporean Restaurant in Tanuki koji Susukino looks pretty good, seems busy and has the street food feel..

Ramen In Summer?

2013-08-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

It's 29 degrees and I am missing my ramen. Go to a ramen shop in the summer and cold ramen dishes are a hit, unless you are like me, I still prefer a hot ramen.

I was heading back home to Sydney mid July and couldn't resist the temptation of having a ramen at New Shin Chitose Airport. The first ramen shop on the right as soon as you enter ramen area does the best prawn base soup ramen, despite the hot summer I always manage to even finish the soup as well.

Give it a go whenever your at the the airport in Sapporo.

Moerenuma Koen - Sapporo Hokkaido

2013-06-26T00:17:00.001-07:00

Moerenuma Park was designed by Isamu Noguchi, he basically turned the rubbish dumping area into a nice park. The park is about a 15-20 min bus ride from Sapporo with a nice restaurant, but people mainly visit for the natural surroundings, the playgrounds are very uniquely designed and the kids will love it. You can also rent bicycles and ride around, visit the pyramid glass house and other various attractions.

A worthwhile place to visit, especially if you got kids, but plenty of things for adults. Perfect place for picnics or you can buy bentos or snacks there.

Enjoy the photos and drop a comment..

Lake Toyako - Sapporo, Hokkaido

2013-06-25T04:58:00.001-07:00

We went on a 1 night family trip to Lake Toyako. Toya is about an hour and a half from Sapporo by train, we went by train but you can probably get a coach bus cheaper, nice and easy trip with beautiful scenery along the way. Ocean on the left and mountains on the right, comfortable trains and very fast. Once arrived in Toya it's a short trip by local bus to Toya Onsen.

Now for those who don't know, lake Toya is a result of live volcanoes where it's filled up and now a lake. It's one of the deepest lakes in Japan and it doesn't freeze in winter because of its depth. The volcanoes are still live and you can see the heat steam coming up when your on the mountain.

The town is very small and hardly anyone on he streets, but there are bus loads of Chinese and Korean tourists. The hotels are quiet old, don't have too high expectations from the websites as they all look very nice. The service is very friendly and we enjoy the local company, it's not like 5 star hotels but warm service.

We caught a taxi up to the rope way to Mt Usu, it's about 1700 yen as not that frequent bus services around. Once up top of Mt Usu the view is spectacular, the lake and if weather permits you can see Yotesan, you could mistaken it for Mt Fuji, maybe Hokkaido version. There is a few walking tracks up top and you can see the volcano is very much live but of course safe. At night there are many local restaurants which are very nice if you take a walk. Once back in hotel you can enjoy the baths till late.

Next morning it's back in the bath before we hop on the cruise on the lake for some more spectacular view. By the way all the Hotels are more or less in front of the lake with lake views.

After the cruise we decided to go and see the remains of the last volcano, it's a walking track half way of the bus trip back to the train station. I must say it was very interesting as they have just left the houses, roads and whatever was affected by the earthquake volcano. The mountain is very much alive and you can see all the steam coming up, there are also before and after photos to give you some idea of what it was like.

It was a nice short trip and very pleasant with all the nice natural scenery. Enjoy the photos...

Smoking In Restaurants

2013-06-12T20:49:00.001-07:00

One of the things Japan has been very slow in adopting, is smoking in restaurants. While Japanese people are very friendly and super considerate of other people around them, smoking in restaurants is a whole new element. Most restaurants are divided into non smoking and smoking but you can still smell it pretty bad, better restaurants have smoking rooms or good ventilation which are nicer.

It takes a bit for foreigners to get accustomed to especially if you are a non smoker or have children. What surprises and angers me the most is sometimes people light up around us when there are kids, or sometimes you see a whole family with young kids dinning in smoking areas/rooms because their parents smokes. These rooms you can sometimes see are just so smokey and I can't comprehend how the parents can put their children through that, it's like smoking in the car with your windows closed with your kids in the car.

I mean don't get me wrong, there has been improvements in this area as well. I have been living and coming to Japan for past 20 years and still remember the Japanese airlines being one of the last to allow smoking up the back of planes. A lot of public areas prohibits smoking and Japanese people are very law abiding people, in fact they excel in this area.

It's a somewhat a touchy subject depending on if you're a smoker or not, some people feel very strongly about it so I guess there is no right or wrong. Being a non smoking family with kids we tend to take a bit more notice for our daughters health sake.

Like I said, it's no right or wrong but feel free to comment if you have an opinion on this, certainly would like to hear your views...

KFC in Japan Much Nicer?

2013-05-23T01:49:00.001-07:00

It's a case quality in Japan. I doubt many people would come all the way to Japan and eat at KFC, but if you ever get sick of eating the local food and need a change, try the chicken at KFC. It taste much better and I put down to the quality of the chicken, they probably change the oil they deep fry it in or maybe even oven bake it. I find that it's less oily, back home the oil virtually drips off the chicken.

Surprisingly a lot of women eat at KFC, or maybe because all the men are at work during day time. Give it a shot and leave a comment if you think nicer, or maybe it's my imagination....