Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Susukino Ice Festival すすきの氷の 祭典

Visited 11.02.2014

Year 2013 (33rd): 05.02.2013 - 11.02.2013
Year 2014 (34th): 05.02.2014 - 11.02.2014
Year 2015 (35th): 05.02.2015 - 11.02.2015 

Part of the larger Sapporo Snow Festival, an exhibition of ice sculptures is held in the nightlife district of Susukino in the very same week. This annual event is held along ekimae dori, between minami 4 dori and minami 6 dori, which is within walking distance from Susukino subway station. Managed to rush to this site on the last day, just an hour before lights off (2200 hrs)!

Highlights: 

- These works of art were entries for the ice sculpture contest and sculptors were given less than a day to create their masterpieces on the first day of festival. Having visited Heiwa dori shopping street during Asahikawa Winter Festival a few days back, the "wow" factor that these ice sculptures brought to me was definitely not as high as before. Despite that, I still found myself spending quite some time, admiring the fine details portrayed on each piece of ice sculpture. Personally I like to see how sculptors create mythical and fictional creatures, such as dragons and phoenixes, and they look particularly beautiful when they are illuminated at night.

- The most intriguing ice display has got to be this huge ice wall which was frozen together with crabs and fishes! An ice bar, which is constructed out of ice, allows visitors to enjoy ice cold beer/liquor (if you can withstand that in the cold weather) in the event venue. You may also get the opportunity to take a photo with the Ice Queen, the winner of their local beauty pageant. All in all, not a very big scale event, but still worth visiting especially if you are in Sapporo! 

Fishes and crabs all trapped in this ice wall.

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Susukino Ice Festival すすきの氷の祭典
Open to visitors till 2300 hrs, but lights out at 2200 hrs on the last day.
Free admission.

View Susukino Site in a larger map

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Aji no Tokeidai 味の時計台 (JR札幌店)

Visited 11.02.2013

- One of the goals of this trip was to try all three popular types of ramen in different parts of Hokkaido - shoyu (soy sauce) based in Asahikawa, miso based in Sapporo and shio (salt) based in Hakodate. Managed to accomplish two out of three wish list items - missed out shio ramen even though we visited Hakodate this time round. Had tasted shoyu ramen from Aoba, one of the many locally established names when we were in Asahikawa. Made our way next to this well known brand, which is named after Sapporo's prominent landmark, Clock Tower (Tokedai). Even though Aji no Tokeidai has not been around for a long time (was only founded late 1980s), it has risen to become a household name in Sapporo, close to 20 branches/franchises within Sapporo and about 40 in Hokkaido.   

- Patronised this franchise located near the North exit of Sapporo JR Station. Ordered their signature miso based ramen, gyozas (pan fried meat dumplings) and fried rice. Soup was very savory, packed with rich flavours (pork bone broth) and not too salty. Aji no Tokeidai manufactures their own noodles (has a factory in Aomori) - springy noodles cooked well enough to reduce the alkaline taste. So far, gyozas that I have eaten in Japan have been very satisfying - pan fried to perfection, stuffed with juicy meat fillings. Chinese style fried rice finally took us away from many days of Japanese cuisine in this trip and tasted not too bad as well (though was hoping for more "wok-hei" which we can taste in most Chinese stir fried dishes). 

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Aji no Tokeidai 味の時計台 (JR札幌店)
Located on the north exit of Sapporo JR Station.
Opening hours: 1000 - 2200 hrs
http://www.ajino-tokeidai.co.jp/

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Other Sapporo Ramen shops?

(1) Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku 札幌拉面共和国
http://www.sapporo-esta.jp/ramen
Similar concept to Asahikawa Ramen Village, a community of eight ramen stalls is located on the sixth floor of Sapporo ESTA building (just beside Sapporo JR Station). Apart from Sapporo Ramen, this place also features ramen from other parts of Hokkaido as well. If you are unsure which stalls to visit in Sapporo, you should be able to find one to your liking (though all looked quite similar to me) over here. 



(2) Aji no Sanpei 味の三平
http://www.ajino-sanpei.com/
Read about this traditional ramen shop in one of my travel guide books. The one and only shop is located on the fourth floor of Daimaru-Fuji Central departmental store (near to Odori Park). Have marked it as one of my "to visit" places on the next visit to Hokkaido!

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Otaru Snow Light Path Festival 小樽雪あかりの路

Visited 11.02.2013

Year 2013 (14th): 08.02.2013 - 17.02.2013
Year 2014 (15th): 08.02.2014 - 17.02.2014
Year 2015 (16th): 06.02.2015 - 15.02.2015

Other than Sapporo Snow Festival, this annual event held in Otaru is equally well-received by both locals and foreigners. Otaru Snow Light Path Festival became our main objective of revisiting Otaru on our second trip to Hokkaido. This event is held over a period of 10 days at two venues, along Otaru Canal and the old Temiya railway track. As this event falls in the same week with Sapporo Snow Festival, many would also make it a point to visit Otaru this time as well.

Walked our way to Otaru Canal from Minami-otaru JR Station, exactly the same way as what we did during our first visit 6 months ago. Was embraced by the nostalgic feel as we came to Marchen intersection and strolled along the familiar Sakaimachi street - the English style steam powered clock, exquisite music box and glassware shops, cafes and confectioneries to stopover for a break. What was different this time round was the addition of snow figures constructed on both sides of Sakaimachi street, and all these works of art further emphasized the theme of love and romance - something that Otaru has always been fondly associated with. Glass lamps and snow candles, which led the way to Otaru Canal began to light up when skies gradually darkened.

Reached the canal well when the sun was setting and was captivated by its innate beauty yet again. A different picturesque of Otaru Canal was presented in front of our eyes... far different from our first encounter 6 months ago. Snow has accumulated on the path beside the canal and icicles has formed on the edge of the warehouses' roof on the other side of the canal. Glass buoys, stringed together, were placed across and on the calm waters of the canal - reminded us that this was once an important tool in the fishing industry and were manufactured by many glassware shops in Otaru at that point in time. The entire stretch of Otaru Canal was lined with many snow candles that were constructed by volunteers and visitors. The bright and occasional wavering flames, when the breeze swept by, created this sense of warmth in the cold night. Personally, I will recommend visiting the canal in the evening to experience the transition from day to night, and also to avoid the bigger crowd that will start to come in at night.

Made our way to the other venue - Old Temiya railway track. Snow has covered the entire railway track, and snow walls have piled up on the sides. Took a leisure walk through the snow path which was decorated throughout with snow and ice candles, before we made our way back to Otaru JR Station.

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Otaru Snow Light Path Festival 小樽雪あかりの路
http://otaru.yukiakarinomichi.org/

(1) Otaru Canal

View Otaru Canal in a larger map

(2) Old Temiya railway track (手宫线迹地)

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Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Kahisakan 可否茶館

Visited 11.02.2013

My second visit to Otaru. Followed the same familiar route - alighted at Minami Otaru JR Station, came to Marchen Intersection, strolled along Sakaimachi Street and made our way leisurely to Otaru Canal. Have patronised two cafes on my first trip to Otaru - Ginnokane and LeTAO. Though I was tempted to eat LeTAO's cheesecake again (still managed to sample one small piece when I walked by their shop), we decided to try something new this time round. Just as we were finding a place to warm ourselves with hot beverages and rest our legs, we found Kahisakan, a cafe housed in a red brick building, located along Sakaimachi Street.  

Was greeted by the aroma of coffee immediately when we stepped into the cafe. Seats are located on both the ground and second level of the building. Ordered some cake/sweets to go with our coffee and tea, and was pleasantly surprised that their cheesecake actually tasted quite good - very dense and smooth texture! Glad to discover another good cafe to drop by if I come to Otaru again. Found out later that they have branches in Otaru JR Station and Sapporo as well. 

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Kahisakan 可否茶館
小樽市堺町5番30号 可否茶館小樽ファクトリー
http://www.kahisakan.jp/index.html

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Ecorin Village えこりん村, Ten-Man

Visited 11.02.2013

Wanted to visit a farm in Hokkaido this time round though not the best time to do so. Most farms are not open to visitors during the cold winter season. After much research, I found this farm - Ecorin Village, which is located not too far away from Sapporo (about 40 minutes by local train) and was operating in winter. Was contemplating whether to visit Tsudome site (part of Sapporo Snow Festival) or Ecorin Village - as I was unsure what the farm could offer in winter. Decided to put this into my backup list instead.

After attended several snow/winter festivals throughout the journey, we decided to give Tsudome site a miss and made a last minute change in itinerary - to visit Ecorin Village in the morning, before heading down to Otaru in the late afternoon. Took the train to Eniwa JR Station and transferred to the free shuttle bus to Ecorin Village.

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Highlights:

(1) Ecorin Village 

- The two main attractions in Ecorin Village are Ginga Garden and Green Farm. Ginga Garden is an outdoor botanical garden, decorated with about 1,000 different species of plants. Green Farm is home to many alpacas, sheeps, lamas, miniature horses, etc. Ginga Garden is closed in the winter, while Green Farm is flushed against a white background and transformed to a snow playground for both animals and visitors!  

See how a Shepherd dog herds the sheep

- Visitors can come close to these adorable alpacas, e.g. feeding and petting them. There are also animals shows arranged at different times of the day. Watch demonstrations on how a Shepherd dog herds the sheep, such as gathering the sheep together and directing them from one place to another. Visitors can even participate in the sheep race by guessing which is the winning sheep. You will get to feed the sheep if your guess is spot on. Apart from that, you can also try out other snow activities such banana boat (pulled by snowmobiles) or take the farm tour truck (additional fee required). Read that the other highlights in Ecorin Village during winter is the annual sled dog race held on one of the weekends in Feb (typically one week before Sapporo Snow Festival).

Sheep race - some sprinited to the finishing line when the gate was opened, while others took their own time...

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(2) Ten-Man

- Decided to settle our lunch in Ten-Man, located within Ecorin Village. Housed in a fairy tale-like cottage, Ten-Man offers a salad bar buffet and ala carte items such as meat patties and soup curries. Very comfortable interior and overall dinning experience was excellent. The salad bar is packed with seasonal vegetables, that are grown without any pesticides and chemical fertilisers, and delicious desserts/puddings. Love the savory (and not too spicy) soup curry which will make one crave for more (and more rice)! Was a pleasant surprise to find such a good restaurant tucked in this farm.

- We also put our hands into making our own alpaca out of sheep wool in one area of the restaurant. The entire process took about 20 minutes, with step by step guidance by the instructor. A good DIY souvenir to bring back home from this holiday.

Right: Our own alpaca made out of sheep wool. 

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(1) Ecorin Village えこりん村
Opening hours (normal):
0930 - 1700 hrs (26 Apr - 30 Sep); 0930 - 1600 hrs (1 Oct - 3 Nov)
Entrance fee = 1,200 yen (Ginga Garden and Green Farm)

Opening hours (winter):
1000 - 1530 hrs (2 Jan - 28 Feb)
Entrance free = 500 yen
http://www.ecorinvillage.com/

(2) Ten-Man 
Opening hours: 1000 - 1800 hrs
http://www.ten-man.com/

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How to go there?

(1) Free shuttle bus service from Eniwa JR Station.
Bus timetable: http://www.ecorinvillage.com/inquiry/access_bus.html

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Day 9 Itinerary: Sapporo 札幌, Eniwa 恵庭, Otaru 小樽

Day 9 - 11.02.2013 (Mon)

Breakfast: Best Western Fino Sapporo

Sapporo JR Station > Eniwa JR Station
by local train. Fee = 620 yen

Eniwa JR Station (1028 hrs) > Ecorin Village
by free shuttle bus service.

Lunch: Ten Man Restaurant in Ecorin Village

Ecorin Village (1311 hrs) > Eniwa JR Station
by free shuttle bus service.

Eniwa JR Station > Sapporo JR Station
by local train. Fee = 620 yen

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Utilised Sapporo-Otaru Welcome Pass, JR pass for one day.
Sapporo JR Station > Minami-otaru JR Station

Tea break: Kahisakan, along Saikamachi Street

Visited Otaru Canal and old Temiya railway line for Otaru Snow Light Path Festival.

Otaru JR Station > Sapporo JR Station

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Dinner: Aji no Tokeidai, in Sapporo JR Station.

Visited 33rd Susukino Ice Festival.

- End of Day 9 -

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Best Western Fino Hotel Sapporo ベストウェスタン ホテルフィーノ札幌

Stayed 09.02.2013 - 11.02.2013 (3 nights)
Booked thru Japanican.

11.06.2018 Update: Best Western Fino Hotel Sapporo is permanently closed. Current building is housed by Hotel Mystays Sapporo Station ホテルマイステイズ札幌駅北口.

- My 2nd visit to Sapporo. One mistake made for this trip was our accommodation in Sapporo was booked too late (despite being three months ahead). Most of the hotels, especially those located near the train station, were seeing full occupancy during the week of Sapporo Snow Festival. Had to spend some time searching for reasonably priced accommodation through several hotel booking websites as the price of rooms were marked up during this period of time (hoping someone will give up the rooms due to change in travelling plans). Tip: book your rooms as early as possible, after the dates of the festival are released.

- Fortunately spotted this rather fair deal offered by Best Western Fino Hotel Sapporo. Double room (inclusive of breakfast) for three consecutive days cost 52,800 yen (~ 241 SGD/night) during the peak season. Found this not overly expensive for a hotel that is located within 2 mins walk from Sapporo JR Station. As this was the best option I have come across so far, I immediately grabbed the remaining two rooms without further hesitation. Even though I could only get smoking rooms, there were no lingering cigarette smell in both rooms, fortunately. 

- Room was small and has limited walking space. However, the usage of natural colours made the small enclosure felt cosy. Room is equipped with all the basic necessities that one require. After having a number of disappointing (or boring) buffet breakfast for the past few days, Best Western Fino surprised us with a delicious spread of food in both Japanese and Western cuisine, with a different menu to offer everyday.

- What's nearby? Hokkaido University is a stone throw away from hotel. Did not have time to visit the campus but will want to explore this place further on my next visit.

Managed to catch a glimpse of its campus directory at its entrance

- Felt that it was one of the best hotel chains I have experienced so far in Hokkaido. Strategic location and high quality service basically summed up my impression of this hotel.

Recognition: Awarded two stars in Michelin Hokkaido Guide 2012.

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Best Western Fino Hotel Sapporo ベストウェスタン ホテルフィーノ札幌
〒060-0808 北海道札幌市北区北8条西4-15
http://sapporo.bwhotels.jp/
2 mins walk from North Exit of Sapporo JR Station.

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