My Thoughts and Experiences in Hokkaido.
If I followed my usual method of writing my travel blog posts, I doubt I would have completed my previous post as fast as I did. I left out many personal thoughts, struggles and experience, as I didn't want to fill the post with unwanted information.
But since I've got that out of the way, this post will be the details left out from my previous post.
Learning all about Ainu culture in the manga was also the reason why I wanted to visit the AINU Cultural Village in Koganeyu. I'm very glad I went there, as I got to see all the equipment used by Ainu people and learn more about how they used them. You can also see the various Ainu architecture outside the building.
However, I was disappointed that I saw no reference of the manga anywhere in Hokkaido, not even the cultural museum. I only saw the manga collection at the lounge area of one of the hotel I was staying.
Me and my mom also thought the food portion in Hokkaido is bigger, compared to whatever we had in Tokyo or Osaka. We couldn't finish our food a few times and we would often order the smaller size if we had the choice.
All meals I had in Hokkaido were great though. I'm very happy I got to eat tonkatsu as much as I want there, as it's a bit tough to find them in a Muslim country. I think the favourite thing I ate during this trip was some udon noodles at a restaurant under the Sapporo station.
Oh gosh, the melons in Hokkaido are the best.
I've seen hatsumode in animes and mangas so many times, so the thought of living my anime dream was so exciting, lmao. I made it a point to my mother that I would walk to a shrine no matter how far it is, and I did! My mom decided to follow me as she was worried about me walking around near midnight.
We were the first to arrive at the Chitose shrine, but we allowed others to go first as we wanted to observe. We were the only foreigners among a lot of teenagers (I assume), and I was so nervous. We blended in as much as we can despite not understanding anything, and I think we got the praying part alright, so I think it was a success.
We had to catch an early flight the next day, but I'm very glad I spent the beginning of the year 2020 at a Japanese shrine.
As long as you wear enough layers and own a good pair of shoes, you're set. The only places I felt cold was my hands and my face, but it was manageable. I also didn't play with snow, so I didn't have to worry getting wet. I've only struggled with snow flying into my eyes, something I don't want to experience ever again.
Travelling to cold countries always make me grateful of the weather in Malaysia, something that I will never take for granted. The view of white snow may be astounding, but I would choose a warm day over it any day. I also like the idea of not needing to wear layers and layers before going out.
Buses require a lot of research and doing a lot of homework, which was all done by me. I had to look at countless timetables and schedules, and planned our itinerary based on them. It wasn't easy and we spent many nights planning it together.
Taking buses in a foreign country is very stressful. Not only are you afraid to screw things up, but the fear of not being understood is very real. I was always also very afraid of asking stupid questions and possibly getting people mad, which did happen during our trip.
But I would say our trip was successful as we managed to get to all the placed we intended to visit. I believe as long as you are calm and ask around, it's almost impossible to get lost in Japan.
I remember as we got our tickets, the ticket lady told us we can still catch the first penguin walk if we enter the zoo quickly. Well, we did make it, but that was because the adorable penguins were walking so slow. It was truly an amazing sight to see penguins marching so close to you.
Visiting a zoo in the winter is truly a unique experience. Since the weather was cold enough for the animals, most of the enclosures are open-air and filled with snow. However the enclosures in this zoo are pretty small, and I pity some of the animals that don't have a partner or a friend.
I think it will be a long time until I go on another winter trip. I love warm weather, and I can't deal with wearing three layers of clothing everyday any time soon. I don't think I will miss snow either.
However, I look forward to visiting Japan again. It's just a wonderful country to visit. I'll probably making another visit in 2021? Here's to hoping.
But since I've got that out of the way, this post will be the details left out from my previous post.
Golden Kamuy
One of the reasons why I was eager to go to Hokkaido was because of the manga Golden Kamuy by Satoru Nado. The manga follows a veteran, Sugimoto Saichi and his quest to find the Ainu gold with the help of an Ainu girl, Asirpa. To find the gold, they travelled all around Hokkaido and meet different kinds of unique people. The manga also introduces various places in Hokkaido such as Lake Shikotsu and Goryokaku Fort, and knowing these places made me very excited to visit them.Learning all about Ainu culture in the manga was also the reason why I wanted to visit the AINU Cultural Village in Koganeyu. I'm very glad I went there, as I got to see all the equipment used by Ainu people and learn more about how they used them. You can also see the various Ainu architecture outside the building.
However, I was disappointed that I saw no reference of the manga anywhere in Hokkaido, not even the cultural museum. I only saw the manga collection at the lounge area of one of the hotel I was staying.
Food in Hokkaido
Very flavourful, sometimes even too flavourful. Malaysian food can be rather salty sometimes, but I think Japanese food (in Japan) can be equally salty and savoury.Me and my mom also thought the food portion in Hokkaido is bigger, compared to whatever we had in Tokyo or Osaka. We couldn't finish our food a few times and we would often order the smaller size if we had the choice.
All meals I had in Hokkaido were great though. I'm very happy I got to eat tonkatsu as much as I want there, as it's a bit tough to find them in a Muslim country. I think the favourite thing I ate during this trip was some udon noodles at a restaurant under the Sapporo station.
Oh gosh, the melons in Hokkaido are the best.
Hatsumode
Another thing I was really excited about is spending the new year at Japan! Unlike other countries where you celebrate the new year in bars or pubs, the Japaneses would visit a shrine. And the first visit is called hatsumode.I've seen hatsumode in animes and mangas so many times, so the thought of living my anime dream was so exciting, lmao. I made it a point to my mother that I would walk to a shrine no matter how far it is, and I did! My mom decided to follow me as she was worried about me walking around near midnight.
This isn't Chitose shrine where I spent the new year.
We were the first to arrive at the Chitose shrine, but we allowed others to go first as we wanted to observe. We were the only foreigners among a lot of teenagers (I assume), and I was so nervous. We blended in as much as we can despite not understanding anything, and I think we got the praying part alright, so I think it was a success.
We had to catch an early flight the next day, but I'm very glad I spent the beginning of the year 2020 at a Japanese shrine.
Winter in Hokkaido
Many people warned me about the freezing temperature in Hokkaido, but I wasn't worried about it at all. After experiencing -20°C in Harbin, China, I think temperatures slightly below 0 isn't much a problem.As long as you wear enough layers and own a good pair of shoes, you're set. The only places I felt cold was my hands and my face, but it was manageable. I also didn't play with snow, so I didn't have to worry getting wet. I've only struggled with snow flying into my eyes, something I don't want to experience ever again.
Travelling to cold countries always make me grateful of the weather in Malaysia, something that I will never take for granted. The view of white snow may be astounding, but I would choose a warm day over it any day. I also like the idea of not needing to wear layers and layers before going out.
Travelling by bus
I think most people won't even consider taking bus when travelling to Japan, because why would you when you have things like fast subways and shinkansen?! But me and my mother really wanted to reduce our budget as much as we can, so we took buses. We also travelled by bus in Osaka and Kyoto.Buses require a lot of research and doing a lot of homework, which was all done by me. I had to look at countless timetables and schedules, and planned our itinerary based on them. It wasn't easy and we spent many nights planning it together.
Taking buses in a foreign country is very stressful. Not only are you afraid to screw things up, but the fear of not being understood is very real. I was always also very afraid of asking stupid questions and possibly getting people mad, which did happen during our trip.
But I would say our trip was successful as we managed to get to all the placed we intended to visit. I believe as long as you are calm and ask around, it's almost impossible to get lost in Japan.
Asahiyama Zoo
Visiting the Asahiyama Zoo was top in my list of things to do in Hokkaido because it was one of the places you can see king penguins walking around the zoo. Besides the penguins, I've heard that you can see plenty of interesting animals too.I remember as we got our tickets, the ticket lady told us we can still catch the first penguin walk if we enter the zoo quickly. Well, we did make it, but that was because the adorable penguins were walking so slow. It was truly an amazing sight to see penguins marching so close to you.
It was also my first time seeing wolves!
Visiting a zoo in the winter is truly a unique experience. Since the weather was cold enough for the animals, most of the enclosures are open-air and filled with snow. However the enclosures in this zoo are pretty small, and I pity some of the animals that don't have a partner or a friend.
Summary
Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Hokkaido. I get to do most of the things I wanted, and I got to eat the things I wanted to eat. There are some downs here and there, but what trip doesn't?I think it will be a long time until I go on another winter trip. I love warm weather, and I can't deal with wearing three layers of clothing everyday any time soon. I don't think I will miss snow either.
However, I look forward to visiting Japan again. It's just a wonderful country to visit. I'll probably making another visit in 2021? Here's to hoping.
Comments