Day 01 (21st Dec, Sat)
Singapore – Chitose – Noboribetsu
(-/-/D)
Hotel: Noboribetsu Mahoroba (Hot Spring) or similar
It's been a trip a year in planning, wifey has always wanted to go Japan, again and again (especially since our last trip to Hokkaido in Autumn 2009). We finally made the booking around June this year with Follow Me Japan (FMJ) and decided to plonk the dough for our very first white christmas ever! FMJ chartered SQ flight which is able to land in Chitose (directly into Hokkaido!) without the usual transit in Tokyo. The departure was 7am and we were zombies at T3 Changi and hence no images at the airport not on the flight. Reaching the Chitosa around 4pm local time, it was already pretty dark and I was super famished (SQ only provided one meal!), the convenience store at the airport practically wiped out with emptied shelves! It was about an hours journey to Noboribetsu Mahoroba famous for their hot spring!
Forgetting to snap the room first, I made a big mess of it promptly before we tucked ourselves into Yutaka wear and hurried to have our first onsen. Mahoroba was to turn out to be the very best onsen for the whole trip, with Sulphur, metallic Alkali and some salt onsen. Dinner was boring enough and so was the breakfast. Highlight was the onsen in the morning as I had it outdoors, scenery was simply postcard perfect! And I saw and uncle with a DSLR shooting at the onsen! How daring!
Day 02 (22nd Dec, Sun)
Noboribetsu – Hakodate
(B/L/D)
Hotel: Yunokawa Hanabishi (Hot Spring) or similar
Although Hokkaido is renowned for its spectacular scenery and fresh
seafood, it is not always known for its history. Many know that
large-scale development of Hokkaido began in the late 1880’s, much later
than the rest of Japan mainland. However, little did people know that
Hokkaido was the last stage in the Boshin War – the war that altered the
entire course of Japan’s history. Built in the last years of the Edo
period, the star-shaped fort of the
Goryokaku was the
place where the remaining army of the Shogunate fought and fell against
the New Meiji government. Learn about this significant piece of history
today and gain a deeper understanding of Japan’s deep history.
Other places: Noboribetsu Hell Valley, Onuma Quasi-national Park
It was prompt check out and straight to our first sight seeing. Not having done much homework for the trip, I was happy to be on a tour bus and ordered up and down the bus. Temperature hovered around 0degress and it was pretty cold but weather was superb with clear blue skies.
Wifey trying to operate her Olympus Stylus 1!
Looking to stress my own camera (dominantly using Samsung S4 Zoom), with blown highlights here and very good shadow areas.
The lens passed it's limits with a burst of red flares!
This 'hell valley' has natural sulphurs and other minerals which several neighbouring onsen hotels tape their resources from!
It was off to some lunch venue along the way to Hakodate and guide was raving about how good the king crab is at this location but there was king crab served for lunch! Anyway, a too cute/crazy toy craving for a snap.
Wifey enjoying her lunch while I wasn't impressed with mine.
The start of the realisation that the top products in Hokkaido winter - Prawn, crab, scallops, uni. can't remember what the yellow thing is called, but it wasn't good.
The first experiences with snow is always a magical one, especially if you're a kid /teenager. Here teenagers in our tour bus rushing out to 'taste snow' when it got pretty snowy.
Wifey seems unimpressed!
A trip to some frozen lake in the middle of heavy snowing left me with zero pictures of the *yawn place. Highlight was this 'dumping' in see sauce and also in red been paste. I'm not a fan of dumplings but this is pretty good. The red bean paste is awesome, though a tad on the sweet side.
Onwards it was to Hakodate City. Weather was great and hence we were left off at some place and had to walk to base of the Hakodate ropeway to board a cable car to the top of the hill to have this view. It was freaking WINDY all the way and the guides commented they've never seen such long queues for the cable car (and it was the Emperor's birthday eve, and hence sort of a public holiday). Being cold, standing in a queue, and having wind blasting at you, is not fun! And the view isn't that great once the blue hour has gone. Night to forget and we arrived at our next hotel too late for a onsen before dinner.
Finally, a nice clean shot before I mess up the room. :P
An underwhelming dinner ..again!
Day 03 (23rd Dec, Mon)
Hakodate
(B/L/D)
Hotel: Yunokawa Hanabishi (Hot Spring) or similar
Opened in 1859 as one of Japan's first international trading ports along
with Yokohama and Nagasaki, Hakodate has experienced contact with
various foreign cultures. This sense of history is palpable in the
sloping streets of
Motomachi. Strolling around is the
best way to explore the picturesque churches, temples and old consulate
buildings that bear testament to the rich and varied history of
Hakodate.
Other places: Trappistine Convent, Hakodate Bay, Mt Hakodate Ropeway
First stop, it was to a convent where the 80+ nuns do not have FB accounts, no gmail, no smart phone and no internet. Immaculately groomed lawns, nicely furnished shop selling cookies / handicrafts made by the nuns, they nuns must be superb in entrepreneurship or have very good sponsors/backing. Founded in 1898 by 8 nuns from Europe, they've managed to spread the Catholic word to many places in Japan. There was a picture of the 8 nuns which depicted them to be damn bored (forgot to snap that image!)
I LOVE MILK. Oh, did I spell that out in capital letters? Hokkaido is known for it's superb weather patterns, and with very purity water, fertile volcanic soils, anything and everything which can be grown will taste superb. Milk, Cheeses, Ice cream, butter, bread are all superb examples. I was on the hunt for good experiences in the milk! Here a superbly wide array left me speechless. Highlight of milk was a glass bottle with dark blue wordings, bought it at the convenience store at Hanabishi and I was never to repeat that 'eureka' moment of pure terroir!
Lunch was a little hike (via MPVs) up a slope on Hakodate to
Kaiseki Kira, a michelin-starred eatery.
Expectations were high and they didn't disappoint!
Highlight was their Soya products, with layers of depth, sophistication.
Lobster was a let down, wifey's vegetarian set came with a 'ha gao' which was made of radish, and OMG, radish never tasted so good! And finally, the trip (eating wise), turned for the better.
Afternoon was spent learning 'candle making'. I thought it was going to be lame and boring which turned out rather true, but seeing everyone in tandem having fun, we thought it was better than expected!
Class full of happy participants!
Some of the finished candles and it was off to a nap and onsen before heading out for dinner.
At the centre of Hakodate City, a giant x'mas tree from Halifax, Canada stood tall! And at 6pm, there was song and dance on stage and a countdown to mark x'mas, + a good 5mins of fireworks. Worthy of mention is the Lucky Pierrot burger joint, which uses only fresh meats compared to other fast-food chains. Lucky Pierrot has known to beat McDonald's on a few locations when set up next to them etc.
And it was off shopping and avoiding the chilly air with the very best Cheesecake I've
ever eaten. Fluffy, light as air, float in mouth with adequate balance of dairy and flour, it's 5 stars all the way!
Another good dinner at Fumoto, also michelin starred. highlight was the smoked salmon sushi wrapped in banana? leave, goose shabu shabu.
Hokkaido 2013 Part 4
