Hokkaido 8D7N - Day 4 (Otaru and Sapporo)

For Day 1 click HERE

Day 2 Click HERE

Day 3 Click HERE

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Destination: Hokkaido Japan

Duration: 8D7N 14th Dec to 21 Dec 2017

Mode of Travel:  Hokkaido Passion Package Tour with Chan Brothers Travel
Flight: SQ to Tokyo, Air Do/ANA domestic to Hokkaido

Damage: S$3451/per pax (including all transportation, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners).
Tipping for tour guide and drive ￥6400/per pax (approx. S$80)

Travel Buddies:  Voo family of 4 with 2 teenage boys

Weather: 1 to -16 degrees with plenty of snow

Currency: We divide Yen with 80 to convert to S$

Time difference: 1 hour ahead of Singapore

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17.12.2017
Day 4

Outline itinerary of Day : (Otaru and Sapporo)
* Otaru Canal
* Otaru Music Box Museum
* Mitsui Outlet Park

We were back to the same place we had dinner last night for breakfast.

Sheraton Breakfast Buffet didn't come cheap.  Travelling with Chan Brothers was very ensuring.

The ski park was quiet at 7.30am.

Western Jap fusion breakfast was delightful, self-controlled was needed not to over feed myself.

I had scrambled egg topped with roe, grilled salmon, bacon, boiled broccoli and a mini croissant to go with udon soup.

Goodbye luxurious Sheraton.

First destination of the day: Otaru Canal.

After my previous trip in Harbin, -2.2 °C wasn't threatening (#haolian lolxx...)

Otaru Canal was part of a port in the first half of 20th century.

 Small ships unload goods from large vessels and transport them through this canal.  The canal became obsolete as dock technology advance.

The warehouses along the canal were transformed into shops and restaurants and became a must visit historical site in Hokkaido.

After taking a few pics, I spend the next 10 to 15mins admiring the mandarin ducks.

Here's another tour group.

Steps were stationed there for tourists to take photos at the best angle.

Not necessary to spend more than 15mins at Otaru Canal, we were soon on our way to Otaru Music Box Museum.   Meanwhile, our tour guide recommended cream puffs from:

Kitakaro (北菓楼)

7-22 Sakaimachi, Otaru 047-0027

It's a MUST TRY if you are around Otaru Music Box Museum.  Both were about 5mins walking distant apart.

¥180 each, totally worth the calories.

Otaru Music Box Museum

Like Otaru Canal, this music box museum was in every Hokkaido itinerary but some how I wasn't particularly keen.

The 2 storey building was filled with 90% merchandise and 10% vintage music boxes for display.

The price of music boxes ranges from S$5 to over S$100.  Most below S$50 were made in China though.  Eg. fortune cats with 2 paws in the air were from China, Jap's fortune cats raise either left paw or right, never both.  With no intention of buying anything, I left as soon as possible to visit other stores.

Shopping started here, which was diagonally opposite the music box.

Great fun shopping for more practical stuffs at more affordable prices.

I bought a Gudetama pouch for around S$20, not exactly cheap but I was very happy with the quality I paid for.

Also from the same shop, I bought a Hello Kitty hoodie dress at a steal of around S$45.  I wore it the next day, so you can see it on the next post, heehee....

We had so much fun in the random shops.  We could had shop more if more time was given.

We tried the famous rainbow tower ice-cream before we board the bus.

Photogenic ice cream, but we couldn't make out the taste of each color.

It was like eating ordinary milk ice-cream.  It's like rainbow cakes which tasted like ordinary sponge cake.  If you aren't visiting Otaru soon, you are still able to try rainbow tower ice-cream in our Sentosa which is opposite Universal Studios, behind Watsons (sorry I don't have the actual address).

As such, we had dessert before much anticipated lunch of seafood steamboat.

Holding on my 值钱 (expensive self paid) hanasaki crab before eating it lolxx...

It was about S$100 which we shared with another family of 2 since my kids doesn't eat crabs

(so damn stupid my sons -__-|||).

Other than the big portion of steamboat, we were served one whole Grilled Shima Atka Mackerel each person.

Flavorful and juicy flesh but was too much to finish it all.

Hanasaki crab legs.....

and it's body.

Our Kani Nabe heehee.... it's crab steamboat in Japanese, vulgar in Hokkien I know.

Never know crab meat could be this sweet with bouncy tender texture.

It our first time eating Jap crab, not sure when it's the next chance.  Back in Singapore, only frozen ones are sold and is more expensive.  Ate until sibei full I remember.  Next was some "work-out" to digest....

Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kita-hiroshima

7-6 3 chome Oomagarisaiwai-cho Kita-hiroshima City Hokkaido Prefecture

Opening hours: 10.00 ~ 20.00

Upon reaching this shopping paradise, it was really untimely that I had a long visit to the washroom with very bad constipation -____-|||

With limited time left, I managed to get a wool trench coat for about S$34.  Laugh until teeth drop de, that coat can be easily S$100 if bought in Singapore.  And I wore it on the last day else I could only wear it the next year.

The only 7 Eleven in the mall was the only place to get cheap drinks, the queue at the cashier was very long.  Clover Dining was actually a food court which I regret not taking some photos of the food stalls.

The boys gotten 2 pairs of adidas sport shoes for about S$40 each, it's 宁可杀错，不可放过!  I found Burberry store but unfortunately it didn't carry much handbags.  Didn't manage to buy anything from Wacoal lingerie either.

Night stay at:

Jozankei Milione

3 Jozankeionsenhigashi, Minami Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture 061-2302, Japan.

It's a very old hotel....

Extra Yukata were available at the lobby although they had 4 sets in the rooms.

Traditional Jap sliding doors, old but still wow, we were fascinated.  The sliding door opened up to a small area for shoes and the washroom at the side.  Yet another sliding door, which cracks and didn't slide too smoothly, opened up to the tatami living room.

😍😍😍 old but still love it.  We started to secretly wish we were Japanese lolxx....  Also that mineral water provided was what my son called "soul cleansing" water.  We only buy that brand of mineral water after this.

Daily thrill of wearing Yukata.....

And rolled about on the tatami.

Another dinner in hotel in a private room.

In another room were locals.  Our naughty tour guide said the men had some female social escorts with them.  So the whole gang of us went to take a quick look at their door lolxx...  Apparently we weren't quick and discreet enough, their door was closed when we walked pass again waaahaahaahaaa.....  Our tour guide emphasis that the women were hired as companions for drinking and pure talking.   Er...... actually, all I need to do is to watch over my own husband lolxx...

We had a big spread of Kaiseki dinner.

These were not all.  More dishes came in after this pic was taken, BuRps....

After dinner we walked around the hotel.  Onsen was at the same floor as their small game arcade.

My cool kid had a game or 2.

Besides the main lobby was this cozy place for guests relax.

Outside was hot spring foot bath and the wool jackets were provided by the hotel at the door.

Since my King Luis die die refused to be naked for onsen, he tried the foot bath.

Jazankei hot spring was found by a monk in 1866.   Containing sodium chloride, the hot spring has healing effects and perhaps that explains the faint smell of the onsen.  So we were healed and we "float" back to our tatami rooms.

  Bed was ready when we were back.  It was surprisingly soft and comfortable to snug in.

Japan was impressive in any and everywhere, from scenery to food, from toilet to bed.  We had so much fun experiencing their culture.  Good times passed by too fast and we were left with more 4 more days.