2014.08.15 | 北海道夏(2B)

[Volume 9 Issue 8, #1930]

Hokkaidō Trip Summer 2014 - DAY 2B of 8 Half A Night in Bustling Sapporo (札幌)

中文讀者請注意: 因為篇幅問題, 這一系列日本遊記只有英語版本, 敬請見諒..

this post is a continuation from the previous post on the same day, after we left Nagoya (名古屋) and landed in Sapporo (札幌).. we took a late afternoon domestic flight and by the time we get to the city, it was already all dark.. looks like we were quite "nocturnal" huh?? :p

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#2B-1 ■ ■ we took the Jetstar flight GK183 at 1700 from Chubu Centrair International Airport (中部国際空港 Chūbu Kokusai Kūkō) and arrived at New Chitose Airport (新千歲空港 Shin Chitose Kūkō) at 1845 (return flight at ¥21060).. the first thing we needed to do once touched down, was to get free Wifi access for our stay in Hokkaidō, you know lah, Malaysians can't live without free Wifi, haha!! Getting free Wifi at Shin Chitose Airport at the airport, proceed to the Foreigner's Information Desk at JR New Chitose Airport Station (新千歲空港駅インフォメーションデスク Shin Chitose Kūkō eki infomēshon desuku).. read again, it's the helpdesk in the JR station linked to the airport (about 5 minuts walk from the arrival gate), not the helpdesk you see right after arrival.. show your passport and a valid JR ticket to get a card printed with unique username and password for a 14 day access to the network.. if you missed this, no worries, there are still other places where you can get this card from [more info].. the Wifi is available at predetermined spots only, you may not get access all the time but at least at some stations, malls and tourist spots.. no harm getting one though, you will be thrilled when you get connected and can check-in on FB instantly.. :p #2B-2 ■ ■ we opted to take a coach (¥1030 per trip, at Bus Stop #14 or #22 at the domestic terminal) to downtown Sapporo (札幌) since we were carrying our luggage and changing trains may be a little troublesome.. if we were to go by train (¥1040 per trip), it stops at Sapporo Station (札幌駅 Sapporo eki) and we needed to take another subway ride to Susukino Station (すすきの駅 Susukino eki) where our hotel is located, and that's another ¥200 to spend.. the ride took us more than an hour, about twice the time needed for the train to get to the city.. time, cost or convenience?? your choice, but if you are staying around Sapporo Station (札幌駅 Sapporo eki), train would of course be the best option.. #2B-3 ■ ■ and so after that hour-plus coach ride, we alighted at the Susukino (すすきの) district in downtown Sapporo (札幌), welcomed by the colorful neon lights and bustling city life.. Sapporo (札幌) is relatively a new city in Japan and therefore developed under a modern city planning, where you find straight roads intersecting each other to form areas in squares named after directions and running numbers (for instance, south 3 west 2 road).. the Susukino (すすきの) district, or sometimes noted as "zebra grass field" (薄野 susuki-no) is a red-light district in Sapporo (札幌) and is congested with many restaurants, bars, hotels and adult-entertainment establishments [Reference].. do photos #2 and #3 give you that impression?? :p #2B-4 ■ ■ anyway, we were just staying (in a hotel) there for a few hours before we headed to another place again the next morning.. i was rather fascinated by the beautiful neon lights of the place, and here i spotted another "statue of liberty" like what i had seen in some other Japanese cities.. so we have the statue of liberty, and Marilyn Monroe beside her, and also a very traditional looking street lamp all at one place, interesting huh?? that is exactly what i love about Japan, though a very advanced country, they also preserve their very own history, culture, heritage and tradition so well.. Bolehland is so unlike, anything old will surely be scrapped off and replaced.. #2B-5 ■ ■ so we were putting up a night at this Spa Hotel Sole Susukino (スパホテルソーレすすきの Supa Hoteru Sōre Susukino).. this is our "room" and you wonder why it looks very weird?? well, this is a capsule hotel and what you are seeing are the individual bunks.. if you suddenly recall our luggage, they were kept in designated lockers in another section.. generally, only your bunk and locker are private, while all other facilities are shared, which include one public bath where everyone strips naked to shower or bathe.. and you gulped as you read public bath?? haha.. i had no issue with that at all, and indeed it was comfortable and relaxing, and please don't ask me to show photo as cameras are not allowed in there!! at ¥3000 per person, this hotel accepts only male guests and seems to be popular among the locals for a short freshen-up rest.. #2B-6 ■ ■ reading too much and start to feel hungry?? haha, i bet not as hungry as us as we touched down at 1845 but dilly-dally until past 2100 before we could go find something to eat.. something simple for the famished while saving more time for rest, ramen seems to be a good choice.. and here we were after check-in, the first Sapporo Ramen Alley (元祖さっぽろラーメン横丁 Ganzo sapporo rāmen yokochō) in Susukino (すすきの) housing 17 ramen shops which are still operating in the traditional way.. of course, you may opt to go to the more modern style Ramen Republic (ラーメン共和国 Ramen Kyowakoku) inside ESTA next to the JR Sapporo Station (札幌駅 Sapporo eki), but i would definitely prefer the Ramen Alley (ラーメン横丁 rāmen yokochō) which is way more nostalgic and organic.. probably that is why it has become more of a tourist attraction already?? :p #2B-7 ■ ■ expecting to see a bowl of ramen now?? haha, hold on, let me show you another photo taken in the Ramen Alley (ラーメン横丁 rāmen yokochō) first.. this billboard shows the history of the first Sapporo Ramen Alley (元祖さっぽろラーメン横丁 Ganzo sapporo rāmen yokochō), if you could even see, hahaha!! briefly, it all started in the year of Taishō 10 (大正十) which is 1921 at a canteen (食堂 shokudō) in front of the Hokkaidō University (北海道大学 Hokkaidō Daigaku), and all the way to the year of Shōwa 26 (昭和二六) which is 1951 in which this current Ramen Alley (ラーメン横丁 rāmen yokochō), with its initial 8 shops, was finally established at the present location at South 5 West 3-8 (南5条西3丁目-8 minami 5 jōnishi 3 chome-8).. #2B-8 ■ ■ okay, i know i'm boring you with too much factual info but forgot what you're waiting for.. so, here comes the ramen we had, bloggers!! basically we did not know which shop among the 17 to choose (like some other Japanese tourists from other places we bumped into), but in the end one that had empty seats for us as majority of the shops are small and can only house less than 10 people at once, very stall (屋台 yatai) style that is.. we went into toraya eatery of the fourth generation (四代目とらや食堂 yondaime toraya shokudō) and ordered the popular (人気 ninki) "burnt miso ramen" (こがし味噌ラーメ kogashi miso ramen) at ¥800.. flavorfully tasty!! a totally different kind of taste from the pork marrow base soup (豚骨 tonkotsu) we had yesterday, and look at how "luxurious" those stuffs that topped the bowl.. TIPS: The Ramen Conundrum when you are in Sapporo (札幌), you can of course choose to order any type of ramen, but why must you not miss miso ramen (味噌ラーメ)?? because Sapporo is where miso ramen was originated!! :) #2B-9 ■ ■ okay, had dinner and it's time to get back to the hotel for a bath and then call it a night.. sorry for the quality of photo on the left, as we had to quietly snap photos without using flash, else we would be disturbing the other guys who were already snoring in there.. so, some of you may be curious how it feels like sleeping inside a capsule?? this was my first experience staying in a capsule hotel, but this hotel in Sapporo (札幌) looks just like a dormitory to me, except each bunk has their own "private cubicle".. Personal Opinion the capsule was way spacious than i initially imagined, at least i could sit upright, there was enough space for me to roll, and i didn't feel trapped in at all.. each capsule is equipped with TV with headphone, light, power socket and a small table.. minor complaints would be, ventilation was not good and after drawing the curtain it gets rather warm and stuffy inside; the partitions were not noise-proof so light sleepers may be bothered by the "philharmonic of snores"; and getting onto the upperdeck could be a challenge especially for big guys like me.. that explained why i didn't have a good sleep that night, but well, it wasn't really that bad an experience afterall.. would i go back to stay?? why not?? :)

so, day 2 that's it.. a brief half day in Nogoya (名古屋) and a brief half night in Sapporo (札幌).. it was less than 12 hours in Sapporo (札幌) for we were heading to Asahikawa (旭川) early next morning after a few hours of sleep.. no worries, we were getting back to Sapporo (札幌) again to catch a flight days later.. stay tuned for the next post on day 3 in Asahikawa (旭川) where we paid visit to our friend.. :) travelogue posts in this series: