Sunday, July 14, 2013
Japan July 2013 - Day 7 (Sapporo)
Definitely an easier day today but it is still by no means comfortable. My mum's feet are bad so that means she has to walk slowly and rest often which also means that we spend alot more time in the sun and take much longer to reach anywhere.
I had already decided that today we will go to the Shiroi Koibito Park and Nijo Market for dinner, however, after breakfast I decided to swop the sequence and go to Nijo Market for lunch instead. Nijo Market is fairly near Odori Subway, and we decided to walk from JR Sapporo. Right here now I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Sapporo has an underground space connecting Sapporo subway station all the way to Odori but we didn't know that so we walked the baking route, which let us see more of the city.
We walked through Odori park and there was another rally going on. My mum was again given election campaign materials. Seriously. Odori park is quite pretty and I can imagine that on a cooler day it' be a perfect place for picnics and it's be absolutely hopping with people (as if it was already today). There are flower displays and a fountain where children can play. Right at the end of the park, you can see the Sapporo TV Tower rising up as a marker.
After that we continued on and came across this really nice little stream with green areas right next to it. The neighborhood it was in is commercial so on a Sunday it was nicely quiet. Perfect for a picnic, and I did see someone have a solitary picnic. Perhaps when I get back to Singapore I should also try to get a picnic together.
It wasn't too long before we finally reached Nijo Market. It's apparently quite famous but it was qute quiet by the time we got there. Most likely ue to the fact that it was already lunchtime and maybe because it was Sunday. We walked one round around the place and they have so many King Crabs lying around you might be wondering who will clear their stocks. Great shopping place for people who like seafood.
We finally decided on this shop where it seemed that you could choose your seafood and they will get it cooked for you. My mum noticed a box of a King Crab and a Hairy Crab with a sign that said 'One Box 5000 yen'. She asked me if that meant that both crabs were going for 5000 yen, to which I initially said that it couldn't be. However, upon confirmation with the shop, it was indeed so! A King Crab and hairy for a mere SGD 65! We were immediately seated and they started preparing our crabs.
The crabs were cut up properly so it was minimal effort required to eat them. The hairy crab was boild but to be eaten cold, so it was served first. The King Crab was boiled but was to be BBQ so that has to wait. While waiting, I realised that there were some autographs displayed on the wall and that this shop might have been featured in TV shows. There was even an autograph from 都是新发现, a show from Singapore. Hmmmm. Now I really feel like I stumbled onto something! The crabs are very filling as they were both very meaty. My mum didn't expect that as the crabs that we usually get in Singapore are like malnutritioned with less meat. We were stuffed to the max, and I don't usually eat crab.. so I was done by the time I ate like 4 King Crab legs and 2 hairy crab legs.
Look at that piece of tissue for size comparison.
Whilst eating crab, we ran into a very friendly lady from Hong Kong and had a nice chat. It was certainly enjoyable, eating good food and meeting fun people. That's the fun of travelling, you get new experiences that enhance your outlook in life.
After the meal, we went off to the Shiroi Koibito Park. This is located at Miyanosawa, which is at the end of the Tozai line. Tip: Unless you stay near Miyanosawa, it would be a good idea to buy the Donichika one day subway ticket which costs 500 yen. One way fare from Odori or Sapporo subway station to Miyanosawa is 280 yen, so it costs 560 yen for a return trip and you have already saved 60 yen. Any other trips that you make on the subway is then a gain.
From Miyanosawa station, it's quite easy to walk to Shiroy Koibito Park. Just follow the displayed signs and you will get there fairly easily. There are some free areas which you can explore but if you want to view the chocolate making process, you have to pay the admission of 600 yen. You can also make cookies, the admission for that is around 1000 yen, depending on what option you choose. It was fun viewing how the cookies are baked, stacked, packed and inspected. It's like looking behind into something that we never really thought anything about.
Of course, for friends who know me, what do you think I will do in a place that basically makes and sells chocolate? Huh? Any guesses?
The building is very European and it has a nice garden in which you can relax and spend a while enjoying yourself. Every hour, a choclate carnival will begin on the hour. It's really fun and full of surprises and the entire garden literally comes alive during the show. I suggest that you try to view the show if you are in the Shiroi Koibito Park. It's kinda cute and all. Especially fun for kids (I'm a big one.)
After watchingthe Chocolate Carnival, it was already 1915hrs and the park was closed, so we left and went back to find ourselves some dinner. I wanted to try the Ramen Republic at Esta which is right next to Jr Sapporo station and so we headed there. Ramen Republic is like Ramen Champion in thatthey have quite a few ramn shops all gathered together. The ramen shops there were not especially large so there were queues at some shops. We came across one (Ajisai) that had no queue and seemed to have seats (warning bell!) but then we were too lazy to queue and decided to take a gamble. The menu had wantan men on it and so we decided to order it. When it arribed, we tried the soup, which was quite good, but the wantan was really another thing entirely. I didn't finish the wantans in my bowl cos they tasted a bit too weird for my liking. Perhaps it was meant to taste like that but I don't particularly like that. It was also a large bowl and the cupcake and chocolate milk at the Shiroi Koibito Park was still hanging around in my tummy somewhere.
First meal disappointment in my Japan trip, but I suppose it is possible that we just happened to order something that was not their specialty.
Tomorrow, we move on to Tokyo. Will have to wake up earlier as our flight is at 1030!
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I had already decided that today we will go to the Shiroi Koibito Park and Nijo Market for dinner, however, after breakfast I decided to swop the sequence and go to Nijo Market for lunch instead. Nijo Market is fairly near Odori Subway, and we decided to walk from JR Sapporo. Right here now I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Sapporo has an underground space connecting Sapporo subway station all the way to Odori but we didn't know that so we walked the baking route, which let us see more of the city.
We walked through Odori park and there was another rally going on. My mum was again given election campaign materials. Seriously. Odori park is quite pretty and I can imagine that on a cooler day it' be a perfect place for picnics and it's be absolutely hopping with people (as if it was already today). There are flower displays and a fountain where children can play. Right at the end of the park, you can see the Sapporo TV Tower rising up as a marker.
We finally decided on this shop where it seemed that you could choose your seafood and they will get it cooked for you. My mum noticed a box of a King Crab and a Hairy Crab with a sign that said 'One Box 5000 yen'. She asked me if that meant that both crabs were going for 5000 yen, to which I initially said that it couldn't be. However, upon confirmation with the shop, it was indeed so! A King Crab and hairy for a mere SGD 65! We were immediately seated and they started preparing our crabs.
The crabs were cut up properly so it was minimal effort required to eat them. The hairy crab was boild but to be eaten cold, so it was served first. The King Crab was boiled but was to be BBQ so that has to wait. While waiting, I realised that there were some autographs displayed on the wall and that this shop might have been featured in TV shows. There was even an autograph from 都是新发现, a show from Singapore. Hmmmm. Now I really feel like I stumbled onto something! The crabs are very filling as they were both very meaty. My mum didn't expect that as the crabs that we usually get in Singapore are like malnutritioned with less meat. We were stuffed to the max, and I don't usually eat crab.. so I was done by the time I ate like 4 King Crab legs and 2 hairy crab legs.
Whilst eating crab, we ran into a very friendly lady from Hong Kong and had a nice chat. It was certainly enjoyable, eating good food and meeting fun people. That's the fun of travelling, you get new experiences that enhance your outlook in life.
After the meal, we went off to the Shiroi Koibito Park. This is located at Miyanosawa, which is at the end of the Tozai line. Tip: Unless you stay near Miyanosawa, it would be a good idea to buy the Donichika one day subway ticket which costs 500 yen. One way fare from Odori or Sapporo subway station to Miyanosawa is 280 yen, so it costs 560 yen for a return trip and you have already saved 60 yen. Any other trips that you make on the subway is then a gain.
From Miyanosawa station, it's quite easy to walk to Shiroy Koibito Park. Just follow the displayed signs and you will get there fairly easily. There are some free areas which you can explore but if you want to view the chocolate making process, you have to pay the admission of 600 yen. You can also make cookies, the admission for that is around 1000 yen, depending on what option you choose. It was fun viewing how the cookies are baked, stacked, packed and inspected. It's like looking behind into something that we never really thought anything about.
The building is very European and it has a nice garden in which you can relax and spend a while enjoying yourself. Every hour, a choclate carnival will begin on the hour. It's really fun and full of surprises and the entire garden literally comes alive during the show. I suggest that you try to view the show if you are in the Shiroi Koibito Park. It's kinda cute and all. Especially fun for kids (I'm a big one.)
First meal disappointment in my Japan trip, but I suppose it is possible that we just happened to order something that was not their specialty.
Tomorrow, we move on to Tokyo. Will have to wake up earlier as our flight is at 1030!
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