Day 1 + 2: Singapore > Haneda Airport > New Chitose Airport > Toyota Motor Hokkaido Plant > Lake Toya > Usuzan West Craters
The culture shock hit me when I was at Haneda Airport. We had to get through the declaration of items and here, the staff had to check my passport. So I passed the lady my passport with my boarding passes inside. When I got my passport back, I noticed that the boarding passes were missing, so I turned back to get help from 2 officers who were standing nearby. They retrieved my things for me very quickly and bowed to me in apology.
Never in my life have I had people BOW to me in apology.
Either way, it was a really tiring day as we had 2 flights in half a day and I couldn't help myself but keep dozing off on the bus. To top it all off, we had a mountain hike at Usuzan West Craters, but the view was so spectacular the whole hike was worth it.
Night time was slightly more exciting since we had our first traditional Japanese meal and we got to stay in a hotel that was of those you see in comic books like Doraemon.
After dinner, I went with my friends to a convenience store nearby and I managed to get some milk soft serve, which is the 1 thing you should try at least once in your entire lifetime. The one I got costs 100 yen, but since I didn't have small change I had no choice but to pay with a 10000 yen note. I think the staff wanted to murder me. (Take note: 100 yen is around S$1, and 10000 yen is around S$100)
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| Yum yum. |
To kick start the day, we took a cruise around Lake Toya and fed seagulls with prawn sticks (if you go to Japan and get to take a cruise or go out to the sea, this is a good activity). It was a terrible experience because one of the seagulls decided it should poop and it did, only that it didn't just poop once like the pigeons in Singapore, it sent out a whole series of them. And all we could do was to scramble back to shelter.
Jigokudani, or Hell Valley, was a lovely place except for the terrible smell of sulfur that surrounded you. I can still remember the smell even now.
The bear farm gave me a great experience of feeding bears. I suspect that the bears were starved, because they couldn't stop begging for food. Here's what happens: If you just stretch out your arm, the bears will raise both paws as if telling you "FEED ME!" And then when you throw a piece of food to a bear, another one will start growling at you really loudly as if saying "WHY DIDN'T YOU FEED ME, HUMAN? I'M STARVING." And unfortunately for you and the bears, if you don't toss your food properly it will land on the ground and crows will snatch them.
Date Jidaimura is a theme park (not like Universal Studios with all the roller coasters and stuff) which highlights the Edo Period, which was about 400 years ago. There, they have various shows for you, including ninja shows, geisha shows, and those that tell you a nice little story. Contrary to what you may think, the place is really fun and exciting. Do go there if you visit Japan.
It was night when we reached Sapporo so we did some light shopping and went for dinner. That night, we had to cook our own dinner (literally).
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| Bad photo but whatever. It's called okonomiyaki. And it's available at pasar malam. |
Day 4: Hokkaido University > Otaru Canal > Sakaimachi
Hokkaido University was more or less kind of boring since they were
Otaru doesn't really have anything worth mentioning except for it's scenery.
Sakaimachi is where the famous music box factory is. It's really beautiful inside with various music boxes that you can buy, and you can also make one yourself. Sakaimachi also has various shops located there including seafood shops as well as a few that sell honeydew, glassware as well as various handicraft stuff. And of course there are shops selling souveneirs.
Day 5: Ishiya Chocolate Factory > Nijo Fish Market/Sapporo TV Tower > Chitose Airport > Tokyo
Ishiya Chocolate Factory, also known as Shiroi Koibito Park, is a really beautiful place. It's just like the Japanese version of Willy Wonka's factory. Apart from showing you their production line, they also show you the owner's splendid collection of toys and gramophones.
Nijo Fish Market allowed me to experience the hospitality of the people there. The first stall we came by sold a wide variety of fresh crabs. The owner, despite knowing very well that we probably won't buy his stuff, gave us all a sample of FRESH CRABS anyway. Those crab meat, even though in a small amount, were the best I've ever had in my life. Not even those expensive hotel buffet crabs could compare to it. But then again, Japan is famous for their fresh seafood, so it's probably hard for hotels to compare since, excuse me, it might not be as fresh.
After lunch, we were given quite a fair bit of time to walk around, so some of us went to the Pokemon Centre which was located 6 blocks away (that's really far, mind you. I'm not even kidding). And let me tell you, if you're a Pokemon fan, that place is heaven. Their products are also cheaper than what you usually find in Singapore, and the plastic bags they give are really adorable. I really regret not asking for more of them, since I gave mine away.
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| LOOK AT ALL THE PIKACHUS |
And after that we rushed to the airport. Well, that was before I stopped by a convenience store to get an onigiri (triangle shaped rice ball) with salmon eggs as it's filling. It cost 100 yen. 100 YEN. FOR SALMON EGG FILLED ONIGIRI. And it was delicious.
Day 6: Asakusa > Tokyo DisneySea
Asakusa is a bit vague to describe exactly the place we went since it's like a whole area. We went to Sensō-ji, Asakusa Shrine, as well as Nakamise-dōri. Sensō-ji is basically a temple, and Nakamise-dōri is a shopping street that has various shops selling a wide variety of items from amulets to food.
Tokyo DisneySea is the place I officially took a roller coaster for the first time (I've taken a few before, but they are all rather kiddy). It was so horrible, my mind went all blank and I forgot how to scream. Really. Then my mother told me never to take roller coasters again (FUN FACT: roller coasters and any other overly exhilarating rides can cause great damage to your brain). But while it was horrible, it was a really fun ride shooting down a volcano.
We didn't really take much rides subsequently because 1) there was a queue that was 2 hours long 2) the place was really big and I was really exhausted and 3) I am terrified. But we managed to catch the night show and the fireworks. Their night show had really really good effects, with the volcano shooting fire (not lava unfortunately) and great sound systems.
Maybe if we had gone on a weekday, we could take more rides. Oh well.
Day 7: Tokyo Skytree > Tsukiji Market > Odaiba > Narita Airport > Home
The view from Tokyo Skytree is 1) breathtaking and 2) really horrible. It's breathtaking because it's really high up and you can see all the way to Mount Fuji. BUT it's really horrible because it was a foggy day and I couldn't see Mount Fuji even though it was within range, and apart from that, there's almost no trees around. It's just buildings, buildings and more buildings.
At Tsukiji Market, we managed to catch the cutting of a giant tuna. It wasn't as big as I had expected but it's okay. Still majestic.
Aaaaand that's the end. Sadly.
Food Reviews
The 1 thing that must not be missed when you are in Japan (unless you're vegetarian) will be the seafood. You can find fresh, delicious and cheap seafood practically all over the place. Even if you can't find a proper restaurant, their convenience stores provide you with quite a fair bit of seafood too.
Shiroi Koibito
This is only located in Hokkaido (I couldn't find it in Tokyo) but here's a warning: if you don't like overly sweet things, this isn't the food for you. But if you're ok with milk chocolate, they do have a selection of milk chocolate cookie sandwhich which, in my opinion, is less sweet than the original white chocolate flavour. But it's also not as nice, sadly. Ishiya, the company that produces Shiroi Koibito, also has a chocolate milk product known as Hi-Milk. But it's awfully sweet, so you might want to give it a pass (and it's a wee bit overpriced: 200 yen for 1 can).
Sapporo Chocolate
I chanced upon this while I was in a shopping mall in Sapporo. The staff gave my friends and I a sample each and all of us fell in love with it straight away. It's actually a cookie that's covered in chocolate, and it's really delicious because it's rich in chocolate and it's not overly sweet. If this is not for you, they also have one in white chocolate.
Kit Kat
They come in a very very wide range of flavours, but I bought only 4 flavours: uzi matcha, sakura matcha, wasabi and Mount Fuji special. The uzi matcha and wasabi flavours are really great, I haven't tried sakura matcha but I was told that it's the best, and the Mount Fuji special is literally just white chocolate, as far as I know.
Tokyo Banana/Tokyo Banana Pie
The Tokyo Banana is rather overrated in my opinion. Firstly, it expires way too quickly because it's made up of fresh banana paste and secondly, the banana is extremely sweet.
The Tokyo Banana Pie though, tastes less sweet, but my mum told me that it was a little too milky in terms of flavour. I find it really nice though.
Ultimately, whether or not you like the food, it's up to your taste.
And that's all for this post. Bye!
Day 6: Asakusa > Tokyo DisneySea
Asakusa is a bit vague to describe exactly the place we went since it's like a whole area. We went to Sensō-ji, Asakusa Shrine, as well as Nakamise-dōri. Sensō-ji is basically a temple, and Nakamise-dōri is a shopping street that has various shops selling a wide variety of items from amulets to food.
Tokyo DisneySea is the place I officially took a roller coaster for the first time (I've taken a few before, but they are all rather kiddy). It was so horrible, my mind went all blank and I forgot how to scream. Really. Then my mother told me never to take roller coasters again (FUN FACT: roller coasters and any other overly exhilarating rides can cause great damage to your brain). But while it was horrible, it was a really fun ride shooting down a volcano.
We didn't really take much rides subsequently because 1) there was a queue that was 2 hours long 2) the place was really big and I was really exhausted and 3) I am terrified. But we managed to catch the night show and the fireworks. Their night show had really really good effects, with the volcano shooting fire (not lava unfortunately) and great sound systems.
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| Look, a fire breathing dragon. |
Day 7: Tokyo Skytree > Tsukiji Market > Odaiba > Narita Airport > Home
The view from Tokyo Skytree is 1) breathtaking and 2) really horrible. It's breathtaking because it's really high up and you can see all the way to Mount Fuji. BUT it's really horrible because it was a foggy day and I couldn't see Mount Fuji even though it was within range, and apart from that, there's almost no trees around. It's just buildings, buildings and more buildings.
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| This is the view directly down from the 340th floor. Imagine falling down... |
After lunch, we set off to Odaiba, which is actually an artificial island. We visited Miraikan (Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), where we managed to catch Asimo in action.
Aaaaand that's the end. Sadly.
Food Reviews
The 1 thing that must not be missed when you are in Japan (unless you're vegetarian) will be the seafood. You can find fresh, delicious and cheap seafood practically all over the place. Even if you can't find a proper restaurant, their convenience stores provide you with quite a fair bit of seafood too.
Shiroi Koibito
This is only located in Hokkaido (I couldn't find it in Tokyo) but here's a warning: if you don't like overly sweet things, this isn't the food for you. But if you're ok with milk chocolate, they do have a selection of milk chocolate cookie sandwhich which, in my opinion, is less sweet than the original white chocolate flavour. But it's also not as nice, sadly. Ishiya, the company that produces Shiroi Koibito, also has a chocolate milk product known as Hi-Milk. But it's awfully sweet, so you might want to give it a pass (and it's a wee bit overpriced: 200 yen for 1 can).
Sapporo Chocolate
I chanced upon this while I was in a shopping mall in Sapporo. The staff gave my friends and I a sample each and all of us fell in love with it straight away. It's actually a cookie that's covered in chocolate, and it's really delicious because it's rich in chocolate and it's not overly sweet. If this is not for you, they also have one in white chocolate.
Kit Kat
They come in a very very wide range of flavours, but I bought only 4 flavours: uzi matcha, sakura matcha, wasabi and Mount Fuji special. The uzi matcha and wasabi flavours are really great, I haven't tried sakura matcha but I was told that it's the best, and the Mount Fuji special is literally just white chocolate, as far as I know.
Tokyo Banana/Tokyo Banana Pie
The Tokyo Banana is rather overrated in my opinion. Firstly, it expires way too quickly because it's made up of fresh banana paste and secondly, the banana is extremely sweet.
The Tokyo Banana Pie though, tastes less sweet, but my mum told me that it was a little too milky in terms of flavour. I find it really nice though.
Ultimately, whether or not you like the food, it's up to your taste.
And that's all for this post. Bye!
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