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 - JR Tower Observatory Deck T38 JRタワー展望室

Visited 10.02.2013

In Sapporo, there are several elevated spots to capture a overhead view of this city. Personally have been to Sapporo TV Tower and Mt Moiwa on my first trip, therefore decided to visit T38 to admire Sapporo again in a different angle at night (just before we head back to our hotel).

Located just beside the train station, JR Tower stands at 173 m above ground and is the tallest building in Hokkaido. Apart from the shopping mall that occupy the lower levels, the observation deck on the 38th floor provides a 360 degree view of Sapporo city and mountain ranges in the distance. Try locating some of the more prominent landmarks - Sapporo TV Tower, ferris wheel of Norbesa in Susukino, and Mt Moiwa. Another feature of Sapporo city is its roads are laid out in a grid pattern. Clear, distinct straight roads and buildings bounded within each designated grid. A cafe and souvenir shop is also located on the observation deck.

South side - spotted Sapporo TV Tower (on the left) and ferris wheel (on the right)

North side - brightly lit roads in grid pattern

For the gentlemen, please remember to pay the restroom a visit which promises to give visitors "a sense of openness" - peer through the huge window panes that enclose the toilet while you are...

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JR Tower Observatory T38, JR タワー展望室
Opening hours: 1000 - 2300 hrs (last admission at 2230 hrs)
Admission fee = 720 yen (before 100 yen off with discount voucher)
Discount voucher can be retrieved from Tourist Information Centre in Sapporo JR Station.
http://www.jr-tower.com/t38

View Larger Map

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Commemorative stamp: 

Hokkaido Winter 2013 北海道冬季之旅 - Snow Brand Parlour 雪印パーラー

Visited 10.02.2013

Left: I am No. 1; Right: Dream Jumbo Parfait

Snow Brand may sound familiar to some of us in Singapore. Does Neo Soft Vegetable Oil Spread ring a bell? Yes, this is one of the huge range of dairy products manufactured by Snow Brand. They have a limited number of products featured in Singapore (so far I have only seen butter, margarine and cheese here). Got to taste their milk when I was in Hokkaido. Love the rich and creamy flavour of the milk (does all Hokkaido milk taste so good?) and the reason to why the milk tasted so good is because of its higher milk fat content (3.6%). Like it so much that I had milk everyday throughout my trip in Hokkaido!

Left: Tropical fruits parfait; Right: Chocolate parfait

Snow Brand is a locally renowned name in Hokkaido, established way back in 1925. In Hokkaido, they also operates several cafes/restaurants, selling ice-cream and parfaits. Visited their flagship store, Snow Brand Parlour, located within walking distance from both Sapporo subway station and former Hokkaido Government Office. Had a scoop of Snow Brand's royal vanilla ice cream at New Chitose Airport previously (on my first trip to Hokkaido) and was totally captivated by the taste! Have been thinking of this ice cream since then - definitely one of the best ice cream I have ever had.

Snow Brand very own Royal Special Ice Cream

This cafe features jumbo sized parfaits to satisfy those with sweet tooth. The largest of them all, "Dream Jumbo Parfait" is stuffed with ice creams of various flavours, mixed fruits, Baumkuchen cakes, topped up with fresh cream. At least require a group of 8 (with empty stomachs) to gobble down this gigantic parfait. Go for the other signature parfait "I am No. 1" if you are visiting in a smaller group. Ordered two regular sized parfaits, tropical fruits and chocolate. Both tasted very good and we regretted not ordering "I am No. 1" to challenge! Ordered the royal special ice cream too and it was as satisfying as my first encounter at the airport. This royal special ice cream was actually made specially for Emperor and Empress during their visit to Hokkaido in 1963. It took Snow Brand half a year to create this ice cream that contains 16% milk fat, 4 times higher than normal whole milk. You can imagine how rich this ice cream is just by judging on its milk fat content - truly a "sinful" dessert that you can only savour "once in a blue moon" due to health consideration.

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Snow Brand Parlour 雪印パーラー
〒060-0003 札幌市中央区北3条西3丁目1番地
Opening hours: 0900 - 2100 hrs; 1000 - 2100 hrs (2F cafe)
http://www.snowbrand-p.co.jp/shop/01_honten.htm

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Video: Cafe was featured in 食尚玩家. Fast forward to 14:10 for their feature on this cafe.