In Sapporo!

I've made it to Sapporo! It was a long journey, but I'm finally here! It took 10.5 hours by the JR train all the way from Tokyo, and I had to change trains 3 times (which gets confusing in train stations that operate differently in another country). But so far I have to say it was worth it. The hostel I'm staying at is homey and looks clean, and free internet (finally! - though it's on a mac...sorry I'll never get used to it haha). Sapporo only has a population of around 2 million, so it's definitely a good change of pace after being in Shanghai, HK, and Tokyo. It almost has a feeling of Toronto! Well not really...there's definitely a very obvious Asian atmosphere here. I've only walked around a few streets here with a couple of people I just met at the hostel, so I haven't seen much yet...we actually ended up grabbing dinner and a beer after together...we tried the ramen noodles, a specialty in Hokkaido. I had the miso ramen noodles...very yummy. A Sapporo specialty is curry soup! I will definitely have to try it - I've been told it actually can come in spicy variations...none of the fake "spicy" Thai stuff in Toronto/GTA. The bar we went to (I wasn't planning on it, but I needed the conversation after 10.5 hours of talking to no one) was a bit surprising...I'm in Sapporo, but they didn't offer Sapporo beer! It also played lots of American hip-hop from within the past few years - the bar is "500 Bar" if you ever decide to visit Sapporo.


In Tokyo, about to board my first train here.


At the hostel in Sapporo. It might not look it in the photos, but it's a great hostel.


My first night out in Sapporo. We ate at the popular ramen alley, Ramen Yokocho. The guy standing in front of the alley in the first photo is the British guy I met that night at the hostel, Ben. He didn't mean to pose for the picture, but it actually turned out to be a pretty cool looking shot haha.


Some shots of Sapporo at night, in the Susukino area, which is the main central entertainment area (like the downtown core). Also lots of malls - the 3rd photo is inside the shopping arcade lane - a roof-covered pedestrian street full of shops and restaurants and entertainment stretching 6 blocks, known as the Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade. At night, the Susukino area feels like a blend of Manhattan (all the big lights on the buildings) and Toronto (the wide open lanes and less concentration of people).

But just a quick update to say hey from Sapporo. I need to head to bed now, despite sitting for most of the day, I'm quite tired. It's strange, I started off a little worried, not knowing what to expect from Sapporo after I was warned by the people in Tokyo that they speak next to no English in Hokkaido, but the subway stops here had English names posted, and the place isn't devoid of urbanization - despite being a slightly farther walk than that in Tokyo, there are still many fully-packed convenience stores here (good for my wallet haha)! I also got a pleasant surprise on the train that just exemplifies the friendly nature of the Japanese - I went to my seat with my huge backpack, and the trains do not have any luggage storage compartments (which I was unaware of)...most people travel on the train with just small carry-on luggages. Anyway, when I got to my seat, there was already a woman in the seat next to my seat, and it was quite obvious it would be a very difficult ride for me to have my big bag in my limited leg space for the 3 hour train ride. So what did she do? She went to another seat where her friends were siting (the Japanese faithfully follow their assigned reserved seats) so that I could put my bag in the spot of her seat so I'd have my leg room, and after explaining to her I didn't speak Japanese and was a Canadian, she later came back and gave me 2 small bags of rice cracker snacks and an apple! I obviously couldn't help but smile after that - I totally did not expect it.

Well that's it for now, good night (or good morning to you in Canada)!