Sapporo (札幌)

We took a two hour free bus ride from the Dai-Ichi Takimotokan in Noboribetsu to our hotel in Sapporo. I must say, it is great to be back in a big city. Sapporo is like a mini Tokyo; all the lights and shops but with 1/4 of the people. The main drag of downtown reminds me a lot of downtown Seattle.

I like that Sapporo seems a bit more casual than Tokyo. Even during the week days you don't see so many "crows." This is my mom's nickname for all the businessmen dressed in black suits. The streets aren't as crowded and you see more colors in general in Sapporo.

Sapporo is still in the winter and it is pretty darn cold. We've had a few snow storms while we were here. The hotel is part of the chain called Novotel; it is very nice. I like western hotels better than ryokan, and it is nice to sleep on a bed again. The hotel is European themed so the elevator plays all sorts of funny accordian music that sounds like it should be from the movie Amelie.

All the people in the hotel are very nice and overly gracious. There's one man who serves the breakfast buffet who bows so low to the ground and scurries around like a rodant. He is very nice, but I wish he wouldn't run everywhere like there's a bomb strapped to his heels if he doesn't hail a cab for that business man. It is amazing how seriously workers in Japan take their jobs.

We went to the Sapporo Beer Factory and museum and I got to sample all the different beer products. The museum was a bit lacking but the beer was solid. I was going to buy a shirt but they looked pretty cheap. See the pics below for the Sapporo Museum. I thought the outside of the building was the coolest part. The building and smoke stack looked really retro.

We finished our day by going to Susukino or the red light district (where Mamie's from). This area had pimps roaming the streets and prostitutes walking all over. We didn't join in the fun. There's actually a free shuttle bus from the hotel that we ride at least four times a day - it goes to the JR Station. We got off the shuttle bus at the Susukino stop to eat dinner.

There was a restaurant that said shabu shabu and sukiyaki on the sign so we went there. The place offered neither of those dishes, only hunks of meat that you had to gril yourself. This is like my least favorite possible meal - my mom liked it.

Our waitress was totally freaked out due to the gaijin factor. I asked her questions in Japanese but she refused to make eye contact and pretended that she couldn't understand me. We ordered a platter of raw meat parts. Most of it was edible once grilled. I couldn't stomach the fatty chicken skin globs.

We returned to the hotel on the shuttle bus. We are the shuttle bus's most valuable customers. I wonder if the bus drivers are getting tired of us riding the bus?