Go See Flowers in Hokkaido! In the Most Beautiful Season - Sapporo

On July 1, from Shanghai to Sapporo

It had been raining continuously in Shanghai. In the morning, we took a car together to Pudong Airport. My husband's flight departed a bit earlier than mine, and it was a direct flight. So the plan was for him to buy tickets for the next few days at the foreigner service counter at Sapporo Airport, then go to the hotel by himself to rest first. When I arrived at Sapporo Airport, I found out that my husband was waiting for me at New Chitose Airport Sapporo. Because the line at the foreigner service counter was very, very long, he thought he might as well wait for me.

During my layover in Sendai, I was greeted by various beef tongue food advertisements and products. I bought 3 packs of beef tongue for 1000 yen, and they were indeed delicious. It turns out that Sendai's beef tongue is very famous.

Although we had been apart for only a few hours, being in a foreign country, with such an arrangement and such a reunion, when we saw each other at Sapporo Airport, we both smiled happily.

By then, the foreigner service counter had almost no people. After confirming with the gentle staff, we bought two Furano Biei Tour Passes starting July 3 and tickets from Sapporo to New Chitose, and reserved reserved seats from Sapporo to Furano (520 yen each). She thoughtfully said that from Asahikawa back to New Chitose Airport, we didn't need to reserve seats because based on her experience, there would definitely be seats boarding from Asahikawa, no need to spend the extra money. She turned out to be right. The total transportation cost was 841 yen, including the airport express. I think this price was specially designed by the Japanese government to attract foreign tourists.

Taking the "Rapid Airport Express" to Sapporo Station took only about 40 minutes. It was a three-minute walk from the JR Sapporo North Exit to the hotel. Compared to my impressions of other Japanese hotels, the Poplar Hotel had a grand facade and a lobby style closer to Chinese star-rated hotels.

For dinner, we went to JR to find food. Although travel notes all said to go to the restaurants in the shopping malls connected to JR Station, the Information Center staff more recommended the restaurants on the basement floor, saying those were small eateries run by local Sapporo people, while the ones in the shopping malls were chain stores that could also be found elsewhere in Japan.

Indeed, on the B1 floor, we saw mostly Japanese people, not tourists. First, we ordered a set meal at an izakaya, then added grilled king crab legs and grilled fish, which were absolutely delicious. Chasing good food, we greedily went to another restaurant specializing in beef tongue, and my husband kept giving thumbs up. On the first night, we ate until we were stuffed.

Shops in Hokkaido close very early. By the time we came out after eating and drinking, all the shops were closed. So our experience was: shop first, then eat.

July 2: Sightseeing in Sapporo

A foodie's day started at Nijo Market. The Sapporo subway is very convenient; almost all major routes are underground, and many are connected. Odori Park has many exits, but the signs are clear. The subway, including the corridors, was very quiet.

Nijo Market is a famous seafood market, selling fresh seafood, with small restaurants and gift shops. I saw the largest crab at Nijo Market, as big as a washbasin, not counting the extended claws, probably enough for three or four people to finish in one meal. The staff enthusiastically invited people to sample, and I didn't hold back either.

For breakfast, I chose a high-end variety of the famous Hokkaido seafood rice bowl: sea urchin and salmon roe rice bowl. It was better than any I've had anywhere else, probably because the ingredients were fresh. Actually, you don't need to find a specific shop; any casual restaurant where you can sit down is good.

The next stop was Hokkaido Jingu, located in Maruyama Park. Maruyama Park is a park in Sapporo that includes a zoo, a primeval forest, the shrine, and a sports ground. It has beautiful scenery and is indeed a great place to get close to nature and traditional culture. We happened to see a group of kindergarten children having a race and playing there. Japanese kindergarten children usually wear very cute hats with their names and numbers on them. We lingered a bit and felt that Japan places great importance on outdoor exercise for children; the amount of physical activity was quite substantial.

Along a winding path leading to a secluded spot, we eventually found Hokkaido Jingu inside the forest. Outside the shrine, there was a small pavilion like a washbasin, with continuously flowing water and ladles placed for people to wash their hands and rinse their mouths. The explanatory note next to it gave detailed instructions on how to use the ladle. According to that explanation, it was not only to wash your hands and mouth but also to cleanse your heart before entering the shrine.

The straw braid hanging above the shrine symbolizes good weather.

My husband drew a fortune slip at the shrine, which showed a great blessing. He became very happy!

We happened to see a Rokkatei shop next to the shrine, which is like a tea house with a few tables where we could rest and have tea and buy some snacks. I bought the rum raisin sandwich cookies recommended online; they were crispy.

How could one come to Hokkaido and not visit the birthplace of Shiroi Koibito chocolate cookies—the Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Factory? The exterior of the factory is a quaint British-style castle, and the garden is planted with various colors of roses. The chocolate factory not only has a chocolate museum showcasing the history and production process of chocolate and a shop where you can buy authentic "Shiroi Koibito," but also offers the experience of making your own chocolate. I bought a Shiroi Koibito ice cream for 300 yen, not expensive, but the rich milky flavor was surprisingly amazing, super thick. At 1 p.m., there was a puppet show that also blew bubbles, perfect for couples in love and dreamy young girls to enjoy.

Then we headed straight to Sapporo Kani Honke to find king crab, said to be the largest and most delicious. Hokkaido's crabs are famous and cheaper than in Tokyo and other places, and since it's the source, they are also fresh. We chose a crab hotpot, 11,000 yen for two, plus a bottle of beer. Raw, vinegared, crab tofu, crab porridge, crab shell dish... more than a dozen crab preparations appeared before us, and the taste couldn't be described with just a word of praise. The staff were always in kimono, serving on their knees. At checkout, we used a 10% off coupon downloaded from the internet earlier, so the price was even more reasonable.

Patting our round bellies, we decided to go shopping at Tanukikoji to digest the good food. The purchasing power of Chinese people is enormous; almost everyone spent enough to qualify for tax exemption, and many shop staff could speak Chinese. The shops in Tanukikoji are lined up one after another, connected by a glass roof, so you're sheltered from rain and wind.

Hokkaido University was very close to the hotel. Although it was raining, we still wanted to go in and have a look. A few old buildings looked even more profound in the rainy night. Locals call Hokkaido University "Beida" (Northern University), and agriculture-related subjects are key disciplines. We met a few Thai and Indian people on campus. I wondered if they were all there to study agriculture.

Since the crab lunch was so substantial, we didn't feel like having dinner. So we went to the supermarket on the basement floor of Daimaru Department Store inside JR Station to buy bread for the next day's breakfast and some sushi and beef for later. Since it was quite late, many fresh items were half off, and we managed to buy cheap but delicious things.