Enjoying Asahikawa

June 19, 2023

We have been evolving since we started travelling in Japan. For us, the safety of our trikes is paramount in making a decision about accommodation. We love our trikes but they are big and even when folded, it would be a challenge to take them into most of the rooms here. At home, we wouldn’t consider leaving them locked outside, but we did that here, in a narrow space between the hotel and its parking garage. It was our only choice.

The Amenek is a new hotel with rave reviews…we agree. The onsen on the top floor gives views of the city, plus there is an outdoor section with 2 individual baths. Men’s onsen takes up half of the floor and the women the other. Superb. Due to our frequent use of Booking.com we qualify for a good discount and this place was $80 including taxes.

We are centrally located across from the train station and on the other side an interesting food and huge pedestrian area with cafes and restaurants.

We really enjoy wandering through a good supermarket and checking out local delicacies, plus they offer good quality take out options. Here are some of the highlights today. The seafood section is huge and we had to rely on google translate to identify some of these.

We took some sushi for dinner in our room.

Waterlmelon and cantaloupe are prized fruit of the region. This one is fairly reasonable at 1980¥ each.

Luxury fruit is a big thing in Japan. It is often used as a special gift. These 2 mangoes cost 28500¥ ($285)

Followed by the uniquely delicious and creamy Hokkaido soft cream.

The wide pedestrian walkway outside our hotel extends for several blocks. Bronze sculptures like this are frequently seen along the way. This man and his cat was our favourite.

Japan is a country of vibrant and creative store fronts.

It is an adjustment for travellers to be prepared for the absence of garbage bins. We try to always have a bag with us which we tie to a trike. (“take your trash home” is from our Google translate photo)

A gentle reminder to park to the side of the pedestrian area.

The five floor Aeon shopping centre has a floor dedicated to restaurants and cafes. Incredible choice and most were reasonably priced.

From a steak dinner to a kids happy meal.

Families and teens love this place. We watched some young guys play an intense incredibly fast game. Wow, we feel beyond that.

Every book store has a huge area reserved for the beloved Manga books.

Pet stores always are a bit disturbing for us, but the animals seemed well cared for.

What a sweet face, worry about those folded ears though. As only a cat can do, it watched the puppies next door with disdain for their antics but curiosity.

$2,640.00 for this sweet cat or they offer a payment plan.

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Suzanne GibsonFun window shopping with you!
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10 months ago