Winter Hokkaido Trip 2007

Sorry this took me 4mths to compose...

Warning~~ Long Post ahead...

I went on another tourleading assignment on the 15th Feb and this time the destination is HOKKAIDO~~ I was quite worried cos i am extremely afraid of the cold.. This means i must bring a lot of clothes again...

1st day (15/02/07)
Whole day was spent on travelling... International flight, then domestic flight.. By the time, we reached the hotel, it was 11pm plus.. Cant even go for the hot spring..


Yukata with a paper crane.. Wearing yukata the wrong way on the first night... I wore with the right flap over the left, which is only for the deceased... :p


This is how small my single room is for...


Toilet also small small...


See how advanced the toilet is... got washing buttocks system... I know Japan had it already but i never really see (did see it once in Korea before at Myungdong) and use it before.. Now, i finally can try.. Muahaha..


Selling umbrellas... Good for heavy snow days...


Cute snowman and snowwoman outside hotel for phototaking purposes :p

2nd day (16/02/07)
1st stop: White Chocolate Factory, the factory producing the famous White Chocolate, Bai Zi Lian Ren..


Clock tower...


Beautiful fountain inside the place


Glass ceiling in one of the sections..


Display..


Cakes available in the cafe... We did not have time to stay and have a bite there but all the cakes looked so tempting.. Even got one shaped like a pig.. :p


My guide bought this for me...


Strawberry cake.. The cake is white as no egg yolk was used.. Only egg white.. Super nice :p

2nd stop: Otaru Canal

It was one of the filming site for the movie, Love Letter (I think, cos guide said something and half the time, i was not listening.. Bad gal hor...)


Crabs crabs...


Cooked crabs.. Usually the more cheaper these are, the longer the period they were already cooked... One sentence, "cheap means not fresh"...

3rd stop: Music Box shop

We went to this music box shop where customers can DIY their own music boxs but it was take about 1hr, thus most customers did not do it.. No time to do it anyway :p


Free chocolates from the shop... Yum yum..


I love this angel music box, costed 2000plus yen.. But didnt dare to buy as I didnt have much cash with me... And i already bought some music boxs for other ppl..

4th stop: Yin Zuo Cafe

Time to relax and enjoy a slice cheesecake and a cup of coffee.. The cup can be brought home after the meal.. heehee


Cute snow figures outside a shop..


Free chocolate sampling on the street...

Then it was time to travel to the next hotel in Sounkyo area...


My room in the second hotel.. Much more bigger than the first one. My first time sleeping on a tatami...


Bathroom


Even toilet roll container have "clothes"..


Tea set that I can never understand how to use and free mochi to eat...


My dessert after dinner in hotel restaurant...

5th Stop: Sounkyo Snow Festival


After dinner, we went to the Sounkyo Snow Festival nearby our hotel.. It is a smaller event compared to Sapporo Snow Festival (which already ended before our trip), but better than nothing.. Entrance fee is 100yen per person (guest's own expense) and 1 postcard given to each visitor. Anyway, it was really freezing cold, okie???


Took this pic at the entrance of one of the caves...


Inside each cave, there are ice sculptures like the one in the above pics.. Dont understand why the Japanese placed the coins on the sculptures... Anyone cares to explain?


Beautiful sculptures with lights...


Heehee...


I climbed this flight of steps myself.. Very slippery... But the view up there was super..


Me in a yukata..


Cute??

3rd day (17/02/07)

6th Stop: Sounkyo Gorge, situated at the foot of Mt Daisetsu-zan.


Silver River Falls




Shooting Star Falls


Me at Shooting Star Falls

As the weather that day was wonderful, guide asked whether the group wanted to go up the Mt Daisetsu-zan on own expense as the cable car station is operating that day...

7th Stop: Mt Daisetsu-zan

Cable car up the mountain


View from cable car station..




Map


Pic of animal to be found on top of Mt Daisetsu-zan... So cute...


Viewing station...


Up to the viewing gallery..


Me.. Freezing cold...


I love this view... Beautiful...




Snow snow snow...


Tracks made by the tractor that piles away the snow...


The hut got a snow top.. so cute...

8th Stop: Otokoyama Sake Brewery Museum





Best water...








Saw alot of local ppl coming here to take free water... Tourists can cut queue due to the locals are all taking the big container to fill and have like 6-12 containers per person... I forget to bring waterbottle so i used the traditional way of drinking using the wooden scoop...

9th Stop: Asahikawa Zoo

My lunch was hotdog and...



.. this bun. I had no idea what meat is inside.. i think is pork from the chinese jap word on the menu..


My customer told me this looked like one of the penguins in Happy Feet so must take... I didnt watch the show yet then soooooooo just took pic lah... It also looked like the one in the new movie, "Surf Up"...


Fox...


View from the bus... Sunset in winter is usually around 5plus, thus itinerary ended early...


Drinks to keep me warm, treated by my guide...


Eating ice-cream in the cold... Cool!!!!!

4th day (18/02/07)

i went exploring around the hotel in the early morning....




Hot spring...





Entrance to park..



Statue of founder of this hot spring...



Hot spring area...





My hotel building...


Breakfast...



10th Stop: Shiraoi Ainu Village










The view behind me is actually a frozen lake...


With one of the natives...

11th Stop: Jigokudani (Hell Valley)


My guide and I...




The smell of the sulphur is suffocating... almost like someone farting...


Big big room...

5th day (19/02/07)


View from my room in the morning...

12th Stop: Sapporo Beer Factory


This is where the guide let us know how beer was made... But no production at the moment as they need to control the quantity...


Free sampling of beer within 30mins... One of my tour members drank 8 glasses.. Woah!!!

13th Stop: Mt Moiwa



Was snowing heavily plus the place partially closed due to preparing for the ski competition, thus nothing much to see....

14th Stop: Snow Mobile ride (own expense)

I was totally wet from the snow...


With a Japanese instructor


With only Caucasian and the most popular trainer


Kinda sabo by my female tour members... other 2 also received the same treatment...


Jap food!!!! I love it!!!

15th Stop: Shopping in Sapporo city

Guide bought the tour members to the local souvenir shop located at Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcadeto buy the foodstuff, then to Robinsons and left. I didnt join my tour members at Robinsons and instead, walked around the streets by myself... Walking by the red light district and just plain exploring...


Saw the cars covered in snow...


My small small room... Really missed the big rooms in the onsen hotels and in the countryside.. City hotels are just soooooooo small...


Toilet and bathing place...

I was so exhausted and sick(due to the heavy snow) that i laid down on the bed without bathing and woke up only in the morning...

6th day (20/02/07)


Saw the tram in coca cola design...

16th Stop: Nijo Fresh Seafood Market



Seafood...

Saw some cute jap babies on the way to the next stop, Odori Park...


So cute so cute...


Kawaii ne~~

17th Stop: Underground shopping place, below Odori Park area

Place to buy the best mochi...


Big fat one...


With strawberry inside...


Also got cake counter at the same place...


Odori TV Tower




18th Stop: Hokkaido Jingu




My guide said during cherry blossoms season, this path will be lined with it... Just imagine how pretty that will be..


Cleansing of one self before going to pray.. First use, the scoop to wash left hand, right hand, then use left hand to drink water to cleanse body... I did it and the water was......... cold.


Wishing tablets place.. and the other one is for you to tie the bad divine lots and someone will help you to burn it later.. To help you get rid of it..


Free sampling at the Jingu...


At the lunch place...


Abalone being cooked...

19th Stop: Free shopping time...

I went around to shop on my own since there was no itinerary... I went back to the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade to spend the time.. Saw this shop that sells stuff all about cats.. So interesting...


My last dinner in Hokkaido... Curry rice


Saw another cute tram.. Decorated with lights...

7th day (21/02/07)

Early in the morning, the whole group need to check out of the hotel to catch the first plane from Chitose to Narita... Had to eat from a breakfast box...

Then domestic plane had to land on open ground and we had to take shuttle bus to airport... I really really wanted to panic already but luckily some of my passengers are quite experienced and helped me to guide other people...


My Western meal on board..


Free ice-cream on the plane... So happy.. Too bad only have one flavour to choose.


Blue sky, white clouds...


See how much luggage I brought back... Half of them are mine, 1 box for company, 2 bags for my boss, who were in the same trip but extending her stay in Tokyo with her husband.. Luckily my friend came to fetch me.. but i had to bribe him with a gift... Hahaha....


Things i bought...


Given by my guide to everyone as Chinese New Year gift



Alcohol alcohol... Yea!!!!

That's all for now... Will try to upload the Taiwan trip by August.. Muahahaha...