The Sapporo Clock Tower is the oldest clock tower in Japan. The building is of American design and is one of the few surviving western style buildings in Sapporo, a city which was developed in the1870’s with assistance from the American government.
We noticed bright lighting on the sidewalk and could see could that they were filming a segment for the news. As we rode by, the Mascot, the journalist and the audience all turned and waved at us. It turns out out that the headquarters for The Hokkaido Broadcasting Company TV station are in the building beside us.
Th orange chubby character in the blue hat was born in 1998. This mascot is known as “onchan” and he has gained nation wide popularity. His bio shows that he was born on planet Parade somewhere in Outer Space. He always does his best, always tries to be positive, but is a little bit hyper. Barry and onchan made a real connection. We decided to have a coffee in the Tulley’s shop that was located inside the Hokkaido Broadcasting studio building. As we drank our coffee we watched onchan on the monitor.
We watched the genuine awe and excitement on the face of this little girl as she watched Onchan during the filming. She so loved the opportunity to meet and hug one of her heroes.
Onchan was tuckered out from working and rested with the others in the lobby of the station. Everybody was pleased that he had been so wonderful with the little girl.
The Sapporo TVTower is modelled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is a popular place for tourists and you can take an elevator to the top for a great view.
Odori Park is a special part of the centre of Sapporo. It is actually a street but it is a green space with walkways, fountains, gardens and it stretches for 12 blocks . It is a green oasis with 92 types of trees and it is a much loved area for special events, socializing and just sitting in this special place in the middle of the city. Many of Sapporo’s seasonal events are based here, such as The Snow Festival in the winter, Lilac Festival in the spring, Yosakoi Soran Festival in the summer and the autumn food Festival in the fall
Dogs aplenty…so many people were walking their dogs in Odori Park.
This fellow stopped to chat and wanted to know all about our trikes, where we are travelling etc. He spoke English fluently and said that he had spent a year in the UK learning English. He is from China and like us, is visiting Hokkaido to escape the heat and the rainy season.
When we were last in Sapporo, two years ago, we chanced upon the Yosakoi Festival. We were riding and heard loud music, saw huge crowds and pulled over. A lucky moment for us to be in the right place at the right time. This festival originated in Kochi on Shikoku in 1954. The Sapporo version began 35 years ago and has grown to be a festival in Sapporo that now hosts roughly 30,000 dancers from Hokkaido, the rest of Japan and overseas. Performers in the festival need only respect 2 rules. To have Naruko (wooden hand clappers) in their hands as they dance and to incorporate a phrase from the Soran Bushi in their song. Naruko were originally hung in fields to scare away birds due to their clacking sound and Soran Bushi is a traditional folk song which fishermen sing while fishing for herring. How lucky we are to have happened upon this special event a second time.
It is a very festive affair. Along the 12 blocks of Odori Park, crowds of people are gathered enjoying the festival with countless food and drink stalls.
Today is the opening of the Festival, so tonight the stage is reserved for local groups of all ages who will perform. The atmosphere is electric and the performances are amazing. It takes much work and practice. The energy required for their performances and the training and skill that goes into it make this a special event. Usually there are two men who wave the immense flags in sync with the dancers which is quite dramatic.
A young group from Sapporo performed well on this opening night.
Every winter, there is a Munich Christmas market in Sapporo at Odori Park. Japanese and German stalls sell Christmas decorations, food and hot mulled wine to help promote friendly ties between the two cities.
Making our way back to the hotel we encountered some of the teams who had performed. People are celebrating. It is fun to visit Sapporo at times like this.
In celebration of a good day and our tour of the brewery, we are enjoying our favourite Japanese beer, Sapporo Classic, which is a special brew and only available in Hokkaido.
