Perhaps we are getting nostalgic - the time is winding down on our 3 month journey in Japan as we only have 2 more weeks before we fly back to Canada. We liked Sapporo on our first visit here about 3 weeks ago and it felt right to just relax and indulge ourselves with a few more days here. The visit to Sam’s Bikes became so much more than we imagined. We spent a long time there, eating great food, meeting interesting people and most importantly, spending time with Sam as he worked on our trikes.
A quick check on Booking.com revealed a great price on Hotel Keihen in the centre of Sapporo and the clincher was that there is an Onsen onsite. We have spent these past few days just enjoying Sapporo going for walks, visiting a great bookstore that we enjoyed last visit (they have English books!) and having great food…plus relaxing in the Onsen in the evening.
We are growing accustomed to having every amenity possible provided, including a kimono or yukata and slippers. As well, the bathroom in your room has good quality body wash, shampoo etc in full sized bottles. Most hotels have an Amenity Bar where you stock up for your stay. We started our trip well equipped, but as the trip has gone on, our toiletry bag has diminished to just a few items.
The square in front of the train station. Just 3 weeks ago we were here when groups of dancers from all over Hokkaido were here for the Festival and they covered the square.
Little did we know then, that the glass dome above ground was a window to an underground world of shops and cafes. This underground stretches for several blocks in several directions. It is very popular and you can imagine how important it is during the cold, snowy winters and hot summers.
Barry’s choice was like an explosion of flavours with each small dish having its own unique taste. The tofu was incredible..we both found it to be silky smooth with an incredible topping.
We haven’t seen many conveyor belt sushi restaurants. They have been having a rough go. As we understand it, some people with Tik Tok aspirations of fame, had been behaving badly..taking a bite and putting it back etc. As well, the pandemic created problems. The result now is that the conveyor belt still exists, but they have pictures of what they offer on sushi plates passing by. We think it is better, as the sushi is freshly prepared after you order. This place was busy with Japanese shoppers. Excellent sushi.
The tamagotchi (egg) was huge, still warm and so tasty.
The other benefit of staying put for a few days is to have the time to research the best use of our remaining time and decide which ferry route works best for us. One choice is to take the same ferry that brought us to Hokkaido..this trip being Otura to Maizuru on an overnight ferry. The timing of this sailing is awkward as it departs near midnight and arrives 24 hours later. The other sailing from Tomakemai to Nagoya leaves at 7pm and arrives two days later at 11AM. We decided that it would be more interesting to travel a different route, plus the Taiheiyo ferry line sounds like it offers a more interesting trip..good food, entertainment etc. Regardless of which ferry trip we do, we will have 3 or 4 tough days of riding in the very hot, humid weather of Honshu back to Osaka. Anyway, decision made…we bought our tickets today and we are heading to Nagoya.
We will have taken 4 ferries on this trip and all have included overnight passage on the ship. The first was Sunflower line from Osaka to Shibushi on Kyushu..a great trip but challenging to book as they don’t man their telephone lines so we had to visit the port a few days ahead to get a booking. The second was from Mizyaki (Kyushu) to Kobe and this time we took our chances and secured a cabin just before departure. The third was our least favourite on Shin Nihonkai line to Hokkaido . This final ferry trip from Tomekomai requires booking ahead as they don’t sail everyday (about 3 days a week) and we don’t have the luxury of time if we can’t get a cabin. No cabin…you don’t travel.
As instructed, we went to the train station and asked at Tourist Information to phone on our behalf as that is the only way to get a booking. All in all, the process took well over an hour, but kudos to the ferry line Taiheiyo as they have a translator available full time to help non Japanese customers. This service and their consideration of the needs of tourists is a first for us with the ferries. The translator secured for us a discount which included 3 meals a day, with the catch being that we had to prepay at a Convenience Store. Okay, another learning curve. We have watched Japanese people using the “Loopi” machine for paying bills, flights etc but of course, it is in Japanese. The clerk at Lawson’s was happy to step in and secure our reservation and print it out. Much bowing and several Arigatos later, we left the store, relieved to have a booking. Good thing we are on vacation as the process took the afternoon to get it done.
Our tickets for our next ferry trip. Arigato Lawson’s.
