HOKKAIDO [A Travelogue] - limwhow & SereneXMM
- Thread starter limwhow
- Start date
Day 5: My senses tell me we must be nearing...
Never mind the self-doubts (actually it was more a GPS-doubt... hahaha...).
Just close one eye and continue walking 吧！
Actually, had it not been for the GPS, we wouldn't have arrived so deep into the residences.
And we also wouldn't have come to this lovely river side and the nice scenic bridge that we were about to cross.
Now, here at YuNo-Gawa, there were many many small little Onsen Ryokan 温泉旅馆 (Hot Spring hotels).
And many of these are family-run.
They offer that little more extra in personalised services and food.
And of course, superb Onsen, as the name YuNo-Gawa implied.
But for us, we were simply passing by.
Our Onsen highlight was to be on Day 6 in Noboribetsu.
That one would have to wait, as Noboribetsu was the Onsen town of Hokkaido.
Here, we were quietly and relaxly walking and enjoying the view of a lifetime.
Here the Grandmother taking in the scene by the river side...
While the elder sister looked for targets for her palm-hardened snow balls... Haha... just joking..
Never mind the self-doubts (actually it was more a GPS-doubt... hahaha...).
Just close one eye and continue walking 吧！
Actually, had it not been for the GPS, we wouldn't have arrived so deep into the residences.
And we also wouldn't have come to this lovely river side and the nice scenic bridge that we were about to cross.
Now, here at YuNo-Gawa, there were many many small little Onsen Ryokan 温泉旅馆 (Hot Spring hotels).
And many of these are family-run.
They offer that little more extra in personalised services and food.
And of course, superb Onsen, as the name YuNo-Gawa implied.
But for us, we were simply passing by.
Our Onsen highlight was to be on Day 6 in Noboribetsu.
That one would have to wait, as Noboribetsu was the Onsen town of Hokkaido.
Here, we were quietly and relaxly walking and enjoying the view of a lifetime.
Here the Grandmother taking in the scene by the river side...
While the elder sister looked for targets for her palm-hardened snow balls... Haha... just joking..
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Day 5: Crossing the Bridge to the Tropical Botanic Gardens...
So we finally came to and crossed that bridge.
Here was a Nex5 work by none other than our SereneXMM...
Interestingly, I have come to realise that many of our CS members were very keen in trekking GPS's.
I have received quite some enquires about the GPS that I was using...
I think maybe I should quit my full time job and join Garmin as their GPS tester... haha, that is if they even want me..
OK, so just for fun, I did a GPS Photolink of the bridge picture and guess what I found?
As above in A, this little Garmin Oregon 450 GPS was indeed doing its job!
It geo-tagged us right onto the bridge as shown above!
So to those of you who are thinking of getting a Garmin GPS for your next trip, don't wait.
Because I just heard that over the past few days the Garmin Oregon 450's have been flying off the shelves such that
they are going to be out of stock very soon already...
So we finally came to and crossed that bridge.
Here was a Nex5 work by none other than our SereneXMM...
Interestingly, I have come to realise that many of our CS members were very keen in trekking GPS's.
I have received quite some enquires about the GPS that I was using...
I think maybe I should quit my full time job and join Garmin as their GPS tester... haha, that is if they even want me..
OK, so just for fun, I did a GPS Photolink of the bridge picture and guess what I found?
As above in A, this little Garmin Oregon 450 GPS was indeed doing its job!
It geo-tagged us right onto the bridge as shown above!
So to those of you who are thinking of getting a Garmin GPS for your next trip, don't wait.
Because I just heard that over the past few days the Garmin Oregon 450's have been flying off the shelves such that
they are going to be out of stock very soon already...
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Day 5: Hakodate - Tropical Botanic Gardens
We crossed the bridge..
And soon, we arrived at this big empty space of snow... just by the sea side..
Apparently this was the back yard car park of the Tropical Botanic Gardens.
But now it was all covered in snow..
The rolling clouds gathered out at sea as we watched...
And for the first time, the Grandfather must have been very happy for he started throwing snow balls with the grandchildren too!
Haha... siao liao lah!
Haha.. and here we were - the Nettai Shokobutsu En.
What awaited us inside?
We crossed the bridge..
And soon, we arrived at this big empty space of snow... just by the sea side..
Apparently this was the back yard car park of the Tropical Botanic Gardens.
But now it was all covered in snow..
The rolling clouds gathered out at sea as we watched...
And for the first time, the Grandfather must have been very happy for he started throwing snow balls with the grandchildren too!
Haha... siao liao lah!
Haha.. and here we were - the Nettai Shokobutsu En.
What awaited us inside?
Day 5: Tropical Botanic Gardens...
... finally, The monkeys!
This Tropical Botanic Gardens was really inexpensive.
Tickets were only about 200 yen (around S$3) per adult, and half price for children.
And yeah... we walked all the way here just so that we can see the monkeys soaking in the onsen.
Seriously. It was all because of what that Guide book said.
I thought it would have been quite a sight.
And I wasn't disappointed.
The whole family was delighted to see so many so many cute little red-faced monkeys enjoying themselves
soaking in the onsen, and running round and round!
Here was the Grandfather of the pack... grouchy fellow!
(But apparently he was enjoying his soaking in the 43 degree celcius water...)
And here, every child was lost in his/her own reverie while the father watched over his pack..
.. and the older ladies in the family sat eyes half-closed in sheer enjoyment..
... finally, The monkeys!
This Tropical Botanic Gardens was really inexpensive.
Tickets were only about 200 yen (around S$3) per adult, and half price for children.
And yeah... we walked all the way here just so that we can see the monkeys soaking in the onsen.
Seriously. It was all because of what that Guide book said.
I thought it would have been quite a sight.
And I wasn't disappointed.
The whole family was delighted to see so many so many cute little red-faced monkeys enjoying themselves
soaking in the onsen, and running round and round!
Here was the Grandfather of the pack... grouchy fellow!
(But apparently he was enjoying his soaking in the 43 degree celcius water...)
And here, every child was lost in his/her own reverie while the father watched over his pack..
.. and the older ladies in the family sat eyes half-closed in sheer enjoyment..
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Day 5: Feeding the monkeys...
True to what was reported in the guide book, we could buy monkeys-feed at 100 yen (around S$1.50) per pack.
Something which the children had been looking forward to...
Feeding these mischievous little primates!
There were actually many very young and cute monkeys running among the older adults.
And in all honesty, they were VERY VERY CUTE.
I am very sure that any of our CS members here who have children (and even teenagers like ours)
would truly enjoy seeing them and interacting with them.
For us the adults, simply just standing there and marvelling at the apes was pure enjoyment
for every moment, we would see funny and almost comical expressions and scenes acted out by the monkeys.
Not trained, not forced... but just their very natural selves.
True to what was reported in the guide book, we could buy monkeys-feed at 100 yen (around S$1.50) per pack.
Something which the children had been looking forward to...
Feeding these mischievous little primates!
There were actually many very young and cute monkeys running among the older adults.
And in all honesty, they were VERY VERY CUTE.
I am very sure that any of our CS members here who have children (and even teenagers like ours)
would truly enjoy seeing them and interacting with them.
For us the adults, simply just standing there and marvelling at the apes was pure enjoyment
for every moment, we would see funny and almost comical expressions and scenes acted out by the monkeys.
Not trained, not forced... but just their very natural selves.
Amazing!! :thumbsup: Lovely pictures as well as fantastic write-up
Fell in love with Japan even more.. Keeping them coming :heart:
Fell in love with Japan even more.. Keeping them coming :heart:
Aiyoh... look what you have done, baggiolee. Now you have made me want to cry already...
Haha...
Thank you thank you so much for coming by our thread and giving us your encouragement!
Why, thank you so much, hkingx!
Certainly a nice trip it was, I must say.
All we hoped was the photos could do a little bit of justice to the scenery and the place.
Aiyoh... fatigue yah, fatigue!Limwhow, our department of tourism needs you
I have ever written to them to ask for a job.
The Chief of STPB took a look at my write-up and quickly shoo-ed me out of his door.
The reason? He said I wrote too much nonsense and I was too long-winded already!
Haha....
Thank you so much for coming by, fatigue!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, iszan!
Yes, Japan is a lovely country, made so much better by its people!
Thank you note:
Dear ALL, this is SereneXMM! I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who commented on our travelogue.
I sincerely appreciate your comments. I hope our experiences and stories will help you plan for your trip to Hokkaido.
This is our first free and easy trip and we enjoyed every bit of it despite it being a little tiring!
I want to thank my husband, Limwhow How for making our trip so memorable. Without him, this trip would not have been so possible.
The places he chose for us to see are really special. He was very informative and was willing to figure out what was needed each day.
My husband was also very sporty - he took us on long hikes through the downpour! His commitment to finding interesting places
for us to eat was really appreciated.
Haha. My husband has the perfect personality for being a guide.
Thank you dar for being a fabulous guide. 辛苦你了!
Dear ALL, this is SereneXMM! I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who commented on our travelogue.
I sincerely appreciate your comments. I hope our experiences and stories will help you plan for your trip to Hokkaido.
This is our first free and easy trip and we enjoyed every bit of it despite it being a little tiring!
I want to thank my husband, Limwhow How for making our trip so memorable. Without him, this trip would not have been so possible.
The places he chose for us to see are really special. He was very informative and was willing to figure out what was needed each day.
My husband was also very sporty - he took us on long hikes through the downpour! His commitment to finding interesting places
for us to eat was really appreciated.
Haha. My husband has the perfect personality for being a guide.
Thank you dar for being a fabulous guide. 辛苦你了!
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Hmmm...either XMM likes walking in the rain or she is KPKB amongst the praise...
Hi, i spend more than 2 hours enjoying every pics and write-up of your travelogue. It is one of best i had seen in CS. Well done!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:
j0k3r, we thank you very much for giving us your two thumbsup!
Sincerely, I believe there are many of us in CS who are in the process of planning for their Hokkaido trip.
Of course, if you are travelling by guided tour, all the information that I have presented here may not be of that significant.
But for those of us who are going Free and Easy, what we hope to do was to give a little bit of information here and there whenever we could
to smoothen the process of travelling.
Jeffrey KM Tan, why thank you so much for your compliments!
I truly hope the two hours spent were worth it, Jeffrey?
Humbly, both SereneXMM and I, we just wanted to share a little bit of our own experience.
I am glad you liked it.
acpical, my good friend... you know SereneXMM well lah...
She will not hesitate to KB KB one lah... even if you give her the most luxurious of walking boots she will still KB KB...
Let's see how she does in 3 weeks' time when all of us go for the next trip! Hahaha...!
Day 5: Hakodate - back to Asaichi 朝市 for brunch...
The Morning Market, Asaichi next to our Toyoko Inn Hakodate hotel was one of the famed spots in Hakodate.
And a trip to Hakodate would not be complete without at least setting foot on the grounds of this very very typical Japanese market
famous for its fresh seafood supplies, apparently at a cheaper price than other cities in Hokkaido.
And also famous for some of the freshest and tastiest sashimi in Hokkaido.
Understandable, as Hakodate is a port city just beside the sea.
Anyway, on the return trip, we took a 15 minutes bus that travelled along the costal road back to JR Hakodate Station.
There was a bus station not far from the Tropical Botanic Gardens where we waited for that one single bus number 6.
It took a while to come. But the duration of the journey back was short.
(Remember, if any one of our CS members were to take the same route of travelling back to the JR Station, just make sure you ask
the very nice lady at the counter of the Botanic Gardens to give you some direction.)
We walked back towards our Toyoko Inn Hakodate Hotel.
As we could see, the hotel is literally just beside the Asaichi morning market 朝市.
Now Toyoko Inn Hakodate Eki Mae Hotel was one of the many within the Toyoko Inn chain.
And booking for this hotel, as in all other Toyoko Inn hotels, could be done through email or fax.
This Hakodate Hotel was the cheapest we have ever come across - only S$95 per night!
It was mind-blowing. I think it was a combination of the fact that I just signed up as a Toyoko-Inn member
and that we were staying on two of the less peak days, that was why the price was so low.
But the rooms were the standard, beautifully clean and tidy Toyoko Inn chain style with everything fully provided within,
and breakfast also included free.
Here were some scenes of the famous market.
Of course crabs were one of the most salable food items... as a whole industry of crab merchants were anchored here in the market.
Crabs, scallops, squids, clams, lobsters, crayfish, fish roe, sea urchins, all kinds of fresh fishes for sashimi making...
(We did some comparison of prices... but found little difference between the prices here and those of Otaru... maybe we were not the expert in quality determination..
Perhaps the quality of the crabs here was better and of a higher grade? Not sure, don't know...)
But what we knew was for sure, the display and the layout of the seafood at every shop was attractive and colourful.
The Morning Market, Asaichi next to our Toyoko Inn Hakodate hotel was one of the famed spots in Hakodate.
And a trip to Hakodate would not be complete without at least setting foot on the grounds of this very very typical Japanese market
famous for its fresh seafood supplies, apparently at a cheaper price than other cities in Hokkaido.
And also famous for some of the freshest and tastiest sashimi in Hokkaido.
Understandable, as Hakodate is a port city just beside the sea.
Anyway, on the return trip, we took a 15 minutes bus that travelled along the costal road back to JR Hakodate Station.
There was a bus station not far from the Tropical Botanic Gardens where we waited for that one single bus number 6.
It took a while to come. But the duration of the journey back was short.
(Remember, if any one of our CS members were to take the same route of travelling back to the JR Station, just make sure you ask
the very nice lady at the counter of the Botanic Gardens to give you some direction.)
We walked back towards our Toyoko Inn Hakodate Hotel.
As we could see, the hotel is literally just beside the Asaichi morning market 朝市.
Now Toyoko Inn Hakodate Eki Mae Hotel was one of the many within the Toyoko Inn chain.
And booking for this hotel, as in all other Toyoko Inn hotels, could be done through email or fax.
This Hakodate Hotel was the cheapest we have ever come across - only S$95 per night!
It was mind-blowing. I think it was a combination of the fact that I just signed up as a Toyoko-Inn member
and that we were staying on two of the less peak days, that was why the price was so low.
But the rooms were the standard, beautifully clean and tidy Toyoko Inn chain style with everything fully provided within,
and breakfast also included free.
Here were some scenes of the famous market.
Of course crabs were one of the most salable food items... as a whole industry of crab merchants were anchored here in the market.
Crabs, scallops, squids, clams, lobsters, crayfish, fish roe, sea urchins, all kinds of fresh fishes for sashimi making...
(We did some comparison of prices... but found little difference between the prices here and those of Otaru... maybe we were not the expert in quality determination..
Perhaps the quality of the crabs here was better and of a higher grade? Not sure, don't know...)
But what we knew was for sure, the display and the layout of the seafood at every shop was attractive and colourful.
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Day 5: Lunch at Occhan No Den 阿伯之店（おっちゃんの店）
Asaichi Morning Market
The displays were so attractive.
So attractive that the Grandfather was thinking thinking and thinking VERY hard whether he should buy a huge crab that cost S$150.
Finally it wasn't me nor SereneXMM, but it was the Grandmother who pulled him away from his beloved $150 crab, telling him that his fresh crab lunch is round the corner.
Yah... that made lots of sense..
So the tour guide pressed the touch screen of his Garmin Oregon 450 GPS and locked in the route to our next lunch waypoint.
And a few turns later, we came to this place:
Occhan No Den 阿伯之店（おっちゃんの店）
Courtesy of SereneXMM on her Nex5 with Fish eye adapter.
Now this Occhan No Den (Literally meaning the Old Uncle's Shop) was one of the highly recommended dining shops by the Chinese Guide Book.
What was so special about this shop?
It was run by a very friendly Uncle who has his fresh seafood supply retail on the ground floor as shown above, selling these:
fresh Japanese clams (the actual technical name, I didn't know)
(SereneXMM Nex5)
Freshly wrapped and vacuum-sealed scallops...
(SereneXMM Nex5)
Dried scallops...
(SereneXMM Nex5)
Asaichi Morning Market
The displays were so attractive.
So attractive that the Grandfather was thinking thinking and thinking VERY hard whether he should buy a huge crab that cost S$150.
I asked him: "Pa, you want to buy this huge expensive crab? And then get the shop owner to cook and steam for you?
Or you want to eat raw like the other night at Sapporo?"
That got him thinking even harder. And he replied: "I buay gam guan lah...
I just want to understand why a crab in Hokkaido costs S$150 and also I want to find out
for myself how nice it really tastes..."
I think the Grandfather kena poisoned bad bad here... hahaha...Or you want to eat raw like the other night at Sapporo?"
That got him thinking even harder. And he replied: "I buay gam guan lah...
I just want to understand why a crab in Hokkaido costs S$150 and also I want to find out
for myself how nice it really tastes..."
Finally it wasn't me nor SereneXMM, but it was the Grandmother who pulled him away from his beloved $150 crab, telling him that his fresh crab lunch is round the corner.
Yah... that made lots of sense..
So the tour guide pressed the touch screen of his Garmin Oregon 450 GPS and locked in the route to our next lunch waypoint.
And a few turns later, we came to this place:
Occhan No Den 阿伯之店（おっちゃんの店）
Courtesy of SereneXMM on her Nex5 with Fish eye adapter.
Now this Occhan No Den (Literally meaning the Old Uncle's Shop) was one of the highly recommended dining shops by the Chinese Guide Book.
What was so special about this shop?
It was run by a very friendly Uncle who has his fresh seafood supply retail on the ground floor as shown above, selling these:
fresh Japanese clams (the actual technical name, I didn't know)
(SereneXMM Nex5)
Freshly wrapped and vacuum-sealed scallops...
(SereneXMM Nex5)
Dried scallops...
(SereneXMM Nex5)
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Lunch time...
And for their famous meals, the customer just needed to walk through a small doorway up to the second floor to reach the dining hall.
Here at the dining hall was where really thick, fresh sashimis, scallops, urchins, prawns, crabs, roes, were all served in big portioins.
And very unique style of ordering - you just combine 3, 4 or 5 types of sashimi you wanted and the uncle will mix them all up for you and present on a platter.
The prices are a little higher than outside, but this Uncle's shop was famous for its portion and freshness.
And after taking a few mouthfuls, I couldn't help but agree whole-heartedly.
Studying the prices on the menu list, we found the prices to be slightly higher.
But upon scrutinising the types of sashimi and tasting the quality of it, I personally would say this Old Uncle's shop
certainly lived up to its name as one of the most value-for-money eateries in the Asaichi Morning Market.
Here are a couple of sets...
And here was my warm sake... cheap - only about S$10!
And my lovely urchins,scallops, salmon sashimi on don (rice)...
And for their famous meals, the customer just needed to walk through a small doorway up to the second floor to reach the dining hall.
Here at the dining hall was where really thick, fresh sashimis, scallops, urchins, prawns, crabs, roes, were all served in big portioins.
And very unique style of ordering - you just combine 3, 4 or 5 types of sashimi you wanted and the uncle will mix them all up for you and present on a platter.
The prices are a little higher than outside, but this Uncle's shop was famous for its portion and freshness.
And after taking a few mouthfuls, I couldn't help but agree whole-heartedly.
Studying the prices on the menu list, we found the prices to be slightly higher.
But upon scrutinising the types of sashimi and tasting the quality of it, I personally would say this Old Uncle's shop
certainly lived up to its name as one of the most value-for-money eateries in the Asaichi Morning Market.
Here are a couple of sets...
And here was my warm sake... cheap - only about S$10!
And my lovely urchins,scallops, salmon sashimi on don (rice)...
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Lunch Over... time to go down for shopping...
Lunch took a little longer than usual. But soon, it was over...
[Translation: AhLiXMM said to Grandmother: "Grandmother, although the sashimi in this shop was very tasty, but I am sure I am not going to feel full.
Later can I buy ice creams downstairs?"]
Well, of course Grandmother would say yes... for it was yours truly who would be paying mah.... right?
After a nice, really good fresh local sashimi don lunch and sake drink, we made our way down the steps...
(SereneXMM Nex5 with Fish eye)
The fresh products were very hygenically vacuum-packed.
SereneXMM's sisters have reminded again and again and again that she must bring the fresh scallops from Hokkaido back for them.
Well, if they ordered her, then she'd better not go against their commands, right? Haha..
Anyway, the prices of these fresh scallops weren't cheap too.
One strip of the fresh scallop that SereneXMM was holding was S$100.
We count, count, and count and finally concluded that it was more expensive than back home in Singapore.
The only possible answer was that the products for sale in Singapore was from China.
Anyway buy must buy... Just close one eye and just... buy lor!
Honestly, all of us walked through the whole of Asaichi morning market and found nothing that interested us to buy.
Prices, if indeed really cheaper than in Otaru or Sapporo, was still more expensive than back home in Singapore.
But certainly what could not be denied was that there was a difference in quality and taste of the seafood.
But no interests = no buy lor...
After buying, we stepped out onto the open market again...
Lunch took a little longer than usual. But soon, it was over...
[Translation: AhLiXMM said to Grandmother: "Grandmother, although the sashimi in this shop was very tasty, but I am sure I am not going to feel full.
Later can I buy ice creams downstairs?"]
Well, of course Grandmother would say yes... for it was yours truly who would be paying mah.... right?
After a nice, really good fresh local sashimi don lunch and sake drink, we made our way down the steps...
(SereneXMM Nex5 with Fish eye)
The fresh products were very hygenically vacuum-packed.
SereneXMM's sisters have reminded again and again and again that she must bring the fresh scallops from Hokkaido back for them.
Well, if they ordered her, then she'd better not go against their commands, right? Haha..
Anyway, the prices of these fresh scallops weren't cheap too.
One strip of the fresh scallop that SereneXMM was holding was S$100.
We count, count, and count and finally concluded that it was more expensive than back home in Singapore.
The only possible answer was that the products for sale in Singapore was from China.
Anyway buy must buy... Just close one eye and just... buy lor!
Honestly, all of us walked through the whole of Asaichi morning market and found nothing that interested us to buy.
Prices, if indeed really cheaper than in Otaru or Sapporo, was still more expensive than back home in Singapore.
But certainly what could not be denied was that there was a difference in quality and taste of the seafood.
But no interests = no buy lor...
After buying, we stepped out onto the open market again...
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ICE CREAM!!!
The children were totally captivated by the Hokkaido Ice creams.
We adults couldn't tell why. Both SereneXMM and I tasted all the flavours from every one but found that the ice creams were a little too sweet.
But still, children weren't made to be understood.
Here I was buying every one a post-lunch ice cream.
Price was about S$5 per one scoop ice cream cone.
As the shop was about to close, we all stood very relaxed outside and enjoyed our Hakodate ice creams...
The children were totally captivated by the Hokkaido Ice creams.
We adults couldn't tell why. Both SereneXMM and I tasted all the flavours from every one but found that the ice creams were a little too sweet.
But still, children weren't made to be understood.
Here I was buying every one a post-lunch ice cream.
Price was about S$5 per one scoop ice cream cone.
As the shop was about to close, we all stood very relaxed outside and enjoyed our Hakodate ice creams...
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