We got lost in Hokkaido. Lost in the awe of nature, lost in the beauty of pure white snow, lost in the creativity showcased in Sapporo Snow Festival and lost in the numerous Yakitori Bars we lingered in.
Each year, my birthday gift for Paul would be a sponsored trip to a holiday destination of his choice. Coincidentally, we both wanted to visit Hokkaido this year!
On 4 February, we arrived in Sapporo airport to transfer to Abashiri, located on the eastern coast of Hokkaido. I had managed to convince my husband to go on a wild journey with me to walk on drift ice and board the icebreaker ship under the freezing temperature of -12 degree celsius.
Abashiri, Eastern Coast of Hokkaido
The flight to Abashiri was severely delayed as the weather was horrendous and there were some technical issues with the flight. I could not imagine that this would be a daily normal commute for the other Japanese passengers on this aircraft dressed in their office wear, who have clearly just finished a gruelling work day in Sapporo. We were seated in a small plane, the whole flight was punctuated with turbulence and the landing was hard as the wheels of the airplane pierced through the thick ice and snow on the tarmac. We were the last to board the bus that was waiting for us outside the airport. It was actually the last bus in service for the day! As soon as the bus started driving off, the airport lightings went off!
The first night dinner was fantastic at the Yakiniku Abashiri Beer Kan, right around the corner of our hotel. It was well worth the effort to travel this far for the best wagyu beef in Hokkaido and washing it down with the "Ryu-hyo Draft"which had a distinct clear blue colour reminiscent of drift ice! Off the coast of Abashiri lies the Okhotsk Sea and this low-malt blue beer is made using water from the melted Okhotsk drift ice. In order to achieve the colour blue in the draft, seaweed that are grown locally are used to create the bright blue hue. We also sampled the green "Shiretoko Draft" developed by the Abashiri Brewery in Hokkaido, inspired by the colour of the woods in the Shiretoko wildlife area, an UNESCO world heritage site. I am not a good drinker to start with, perhaps that's the reason why I really like the blue beer. It was light, dry and a little sweet and smooth to me.
It takes luck to see drift ice. The temperature needs to be low enough such that when fresh water enters the sea from the rivers, it lowers the overall salt concentrate in the sea, causing it to freeze. I was a little apprehensive as we were scheduled to board the icebreaker ship "the Aurora"the following day. Hence, I kept peering out of the hotel window looking out for "floating ice" along the river every half hour during the night. Paul had a much restful sleep that night than me. Perhaps because of the arduous journey to get to Abashiri with the constant delays, luck was finally on our side. The temperature dipped overnight and we came face-to- face with the Okhotsk sea covered in ice floes as the Aurora sailed quietly out into the ocean, "cutting" through the ice. What sight to behold!
Our lucky streak continued as we headed to the Shiretoko Peninsula, the southern most region of the Northern Hemisphere, to walk on drift ice! Early that morning, we could see drift ice piled up along the entire coastal road and after putting on our dry suits, we were led out onto the ice by our guide. We marvelled at the sheer beauty of Mother Nature at work and how interesting that we were actually walking on the top of the ocean. After the exhilarating walk on ice, we headed to Kitakobushi Shiretoko hotel's Okhotsk lounge to warm up and enjoy a cup of tea and the breathtaking view of the coast.
As the bus pulled into the parking lot of Lake Abashiri, we could see multi-coloured tents pitched up across the frozen lake. We came here for smelt fishing and tempura cooking. We were huddled together with another couple before being taught how to hook up our baits and fish beneath the thicken frozen surface. The weather was freezing and staying in the tent helped to keep the cold out a little. As city dwellers, we gleed with joy each time we felt a tug and pulled up a shiny silver smelt fish. We have eaten Shishamo at Japanese restaurants but it was a whole new experience to fish them up ourselves. After more than an hour of fishing, we finally got to fry them into yummy tempura but at this point, Paul was feeling really cold and quite ready to head back to the Onsen in the hotel.
Noboribetsu, Southwest of Hokkaido
We spent a couple of nights in a traditional Onsen Rykoan in Noboribetsu. Noboribetsu is Hokkaido resort town famous for its hot spring baths. The thermal waters here are considered among Japan's best with therapeutic properties since this entire coastal town sits on a volcanic land.
Our first stop was to visit Jigokudani or Hell Valley. The unmistakable scent of sulphur was permeating the crisp, cold winter air making a strong statement even before we entered the valley. There was a large platform where one could view the spectacular sights of volcanic activities happening all around you.
It was quite the experience walking along wooden bridges and trails with hot steam vents and geysers expelling sudden jets of water and steam, hissing through the air interrupting the otherwise calm and peaceful morning. We strolled along the the trail for approximately 30 minutes before reaching Oyunuma, a volcanic crater filled with hot spring water. We stood on the observation deck to take in the arresting vista before heading off for some soft serve ice cream.
Back at the ryokan, I could see snow fall outside the hot and steamy Onsen pool. I loved to go to the Onsen early in the morning as I would be able to appreciate the snow covered landscapes outside without any disturbance while soaking away all my troubles. However, the true highlight of our trip to Noboribetsu would be snowshoeing through the thick snow of Orofure pass!
The mini bus dropped us in the middle of nowhere, at least that was how it felt. We stopped in the middle of a long winding road to put on our snowshoe and entered through a narrow path into a breathtaking sight of a forest in pristine white snow contrasted with the bright blue cloudless sky. Before long, we bumped into a hare! Its large long ears stood up immediately upon seeing us before sprinting off into the opposite direction. I have never seen a bigger hare in my life and it felt a little like Alice in Wonderland.
As we continued to hike along with our guide, we finally caught sight of the breathtaking view of the Juhyo ice trees of Japan. These trees are known as "snow monsters" as only the perfect combination of high altitude, freezing winds and the right amount of snow can cover these Maries Fir trees making them looking like colossal monsters living in the snow. It was indeed a magnificent sight not to be missed if you are travelling around Noboribetsu during winter.
Although this was definitely a must-do in winter, there were only the 3 of us around the region for the entire morning. Coming from an urban city, it was a very rare chance for us to feel at one with the sheer beauty of unspoilt nature. Of course we had to roll about in the snow and make snow angels in the soft powdery snow!!
We left Noboribetsu with cheerful spirits after biding goodbye to the adorable penguins waddling about at the penguin parade of Noboribetsu Marine Park.
Otaru, Western Hokkaido
Next up, we headed to Otaru, a quaint port town just next to Sapporo, for the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival. February is the perfect time to visit both Sapporo and Otaru Snow Festival at the same time.
We alighted from the train and set out to the Otaru Seafood market to fix those hunger pangs first. We eventually settled on a store selling red king crabs (Taranagani). Freshly caught off the Okhotsk coast, we chose to steam it to retain its full flavour. Ordering a hokkaido king crab in the Otaru Seafood market and tucking in heartily before slurping up a bottle of old school pepsi (for him) and a cup of piping hot ocha (for me) are the moments I would always cherish in life.
We strolled on the footpath from the Otaru Canal to the surrounding areas to admire the creativity artwork of the shop owners and residents. Snow statues of different shapes and sizes as well as lanterns with intricate motifs and interesting designs were on full display in front of the shops and outside the residences. Soft flickering candle lights in these statues and glittering lanterns made it a really memorable walk as we were fully soaked up in the festival spirit.
The warehouses along the canal with its brick style architecture were covered in snow capped roofs with icicles hanging from them. The warm yellow light from the windows and the small buoys holding candles in the canal illuminated the warehouses in an amber glow under the purplish evening skies. I could not think of a more romantic place to be at the moment.
(Edited later) Although we had such a wonderful time here, I did not understand why Paul did not bring along snow boots so we had to spend a good 45 minutes looking for a pair of suitable shoes so he would not freeze for the night! At this point, I had no idea when I enjoyed the cold so much! My body temperature was higher than his!
Sapporo, The Capital of Hokkaido
As the taxi pulled right up next to the hotel, we stepped out into freezing wind and powdery snow falling onto the tip of our noses and eyelashes. It did not take us long to gather our luggages and seek refuge from the cold. Once settled, we made our way to the Izakaya across the road for some much needed beer and yakitori. Who knew that this unassuming store along the Tsukisamu Dori would be hands down the best yakitori we have had in Japan! The sweet aroma of grilled meat and the sound of clinking glass of beer were all we needed to warm our hearts and souls. To top that off, we felt really blessed as the American sitting next to us on the bar counter either got too drunk or took an instant liking to us and took it upon himself to settle our bill.
We braved this winter landscape to visit the Sapporo Snow Festival, an annual event which started off from a few snow statues built by a few high school students back in 1950.
Despite skidding a few times on the icy walkway and hanging on to Paul with my dear life, I was still blown away at how spectacular these ice sculptures were when I reached Odori park. Larger than life horse racing tracks, colossal cartoon characters, life size parliament houses and perhaps the biggest nissin cup noodles you would ever come across in your life! Some of these structure were more than 25 meters wide and 15 meters high!
More than a hundred smaller sculptures could be found along the 1.5km Odori Park and some of the sculptures were even used as stages for performance and entertainment! We were lucky to be staying near the Susukino area, the city largest entertainment district. This was another site for the snow festival displaying clear ice sculptures completed with intricate details. Sculptures of mystical creatures, animals, large sail boats, real crabs and fish encased in ice!
No visit to Sapporo would be complete without a trip to Mt Moiwa where one would be greeted by the picturesque view of Sapporo covered in winter snow. We took a streetcar up alongside snow-capped ezo spruce trees to enjoy the view of the city from the top of the 531-meter-high mountain. We watched the sunset disappeared from the horizon and the buildings in the city below lighting up one by one like illuminating Lego blocks.
There were many specialities stores as we strolled along the streets of Sapporo and we particularly fancied shops selling vinyl records and old knick knacks. Our favourite discovery was a Jazz bar on the second floor of a bustling street front. The moment we pushed open the door and entered, we felt like we have stepped into a different world, one which was slow living as opposed to the fast-paced streets below. We spent a few hours here, lost in beautiful Jazzy music and highball drinks.
We love to try out a good restaurant in every city we visit and Sapporo is no exception. We chose to indulge in the Michelin 3 stars French restaurant, Moliere. It was truly an exceptional experience from the moment we arrived at the restaurant to the au revoir as our taxi sped off into the distance. You can read more about this experience here. The meal was a highlight to Paul's trip as he fell sick when we were in Sapporo and one of my core memories was braving the heavy snow and slippery roads to grab doughnuts for him as I battled against the wind with my flimsy umbrella. I felt lucky not to have been blown away!
The phenomenal meal marked the beautiful end to our adrenaline-filled holiday. What a brilliant way to welcome the Chinese New Year especially for me!
*P.S. I edited this post several months later. I recalled sitting in front of the vending machine located outside the natural hot spring of the Abashiri hotel, looking at an instagram post of a friend announcing her pregnancy, feeling happy for her while wondering when I would ever get pregnant. Little did I know, I had a 6-week-old fetus growing inside me, perhaps wishing that her mother would slow down on her alcohol and sashimi intake for this holiday.
The mystery on why I wasn't feeling as cold as I should be was finally solved. I apologized to Paul whom I teased repeatedly on being such a wimp for feeling the cutting chill of Hokkaido in winter. My body temperature was definitely higher than what it would have been normally!
