Japan Day 5-6 | Sapporo Arrival & Otaru in a Snow Globe

Japan Day 5-6 | Sapporo Arrival & Otaru in a Snow Globe

It’s another early morning, but today we’re flying to Hokkaido. We had a great time in Tokyo. Oo, this is nice. Where we ate too much ramen, walked too far, and somehow still wanted more. The Pokemon store, Eevee. Oh, damn. Pikachu. Finally boarding. Check out purple. This is more like hot pink. So, goodbye busy Tokyo streets and hello snowy landscapes. We’re ready for a totally different side of Japan. We’ve done a lot of research beforehand since Hokkaido is marketed to be this winter wonderland, epic seafood, and storyboard landscapes. Didn’t take that long. Well, let’s hope Hokkaido doesn’t disappoint. Okay, it’s definitely snowing. Are you cold? Not really. You will be. Where do we go? Oh, Odori Park from JR Sapora Station. We went straight into the city’s underground walkway. This is the right direction, right? And man, it was massive. Good, good, good. It stretches for blocks and connects all kinds of shops, stations, and buildings. Super useful in the winter. Okay, that’s the gate to go out, right? No, still not. Stay on the Oh, you want to the Oh, okay. So, we’re staying warm the whole way. All right. So, we have to get out from here. Whoa, there’s no elevator. All right, hold on. It was the last glimmer of blue hour lighting up the snowy Saporro. You want snow? Here’s the snow. Coco potato. We settled in quickly, then headed straight back out to explore. Are you ready? What’s the plan for the rest of the day? How much longer is the rest of the day considering it’s dark already? It’s dark already. It’s only five koji andino. That’s the crosswalk with the poker face. Poker face poker face. No. Oh, imagine you’re here on Christmas. Here we go. Tanuki. And by the time we got there, we were already covered in snow. Shake it. Oh, it’s cold. So, we slipped back into the underground and strolled our way to Susukino. Well, no weather cold enough to keep us from ice creams. Oh, you’re not going to wait for me. Thank you. Oh, Tash, Tash, Tash, you waited for me and you took my ice cream, too. There it is. I keep thinking that’s the fun cake. This is like their time square. This is like their shinjuku. Well, here’s something salty. All right, whatever. Let’s go. This is our first bowl of ramen in Hokkaido. They say it’s totally different experience from Tokyo Slider style. The broth is richer, heavier, and made for snowy nights like this. And totally my cup of tea. Yeah. Now the snow is really coming down. Somehow there are still girls with mini skirts like it was no big deal. Girls, so cute. Yeah. Look at everyone covered in snow. We wander a bit more and finally caught it a night. Tomorrow we’re heading to the snowy canal town of Otaru. Yeah, not very close. Well, it’s definitely still snowing and that’s what we came to Hokkaido for. So, how do we get to the station? walking. As we said before, where when we where we came from yesterday when we get off the train. Every great trip needs a little drama. Here’s ours on a fast forward. Right. Through where? Okay. You didn’t say through though, right? Eventually, we agree on the route, but we have bigger problems ahead. Since we were lazy the day before, we didn’t get our JR tickets. should have picked it up last night. Now I had to wait on this line. We only had half an hour before we had to board the train. And guess what? We made it minutes before the train departs. Oh, and the plot twist. Guess who’s riding the same train? Kakashi himself. Airport Special Rapid. Welcome aboard the airport special rapid service train bound for standing the hallway to wasn’t exactly comfortable but the view worth every wobble. Yo, you see anything? The next stop is Minami Otago. Thank you for using Jr. Hopky. What? A The snow was already picking up when we first arrived. First stop, the Otaroo Aquarium. All right, we had to find a bus that goes to the aquarium. Bus terminal. Yeah. Yeah. Let’s go get a ticket. Oh, you can use cara. A quick bus ride later. And we stepped into a snowy coastal wonderland. Let’s go see the penguins. Yeah. Are those tuna eel? Oh, it’s eel. Tiger eel. Now we just have to wait for the happy foots to enter. He’s being an all day. How am I being an I don’t know. I just feel like it. Okay. And here they come. We were face to face with some of the cutest penguins waddling through the snow like it’s no big deal. They just went in from there. Yeah. Ah, right. All right. Let’s go then. Then came the dolphin show. See the dolphins. Which unexpectedly turned into an emotional moment for Taj. What are you saying, baby? I can’t do this. Huh? They’re too beautiful. They don’t belong to below in the ocean. A you’re too beautiful to be here. Okay. Let’s go. After that emotional roller coaster, we headed back into town just as the snow really started to come down. coating the streets in the soft white blanket, turning the whole town into a story book. It was a full-on snow globe mode, the kind you only see in the holiday movies. Never seen so much snow in our lives, huh? We started making our way to the canal, the one everyone says not to miss. They still do that rickshaw here. And well, it was definitely a canal with water and snow. So, we shook off the cold and wandered through the streets nearby. Charming streets, glowing windows, and just enough quirky statues to keep things interesting. Got some beer. And some croet croet. Yeah. Croet or taloo bean. All right. My turn. Banana beer. Look at the sunset. Oh, yeah. I’m so happy. I’m in the Hokkaido snow and there’s a beautiful sunset. Yeah. As the sunlight faded away, we carefully make our way down to the town’s icy streets. People were either slipping, falling, or just one step away from it. We were planning to go up Mount Tangu for the blue hour, but we heard it was packed with tourist, and it will take hours just to get on the cable car. So, we decided against it and walk through this snow globe instead. magnet in this. All right, that’s so cool. It was blue hour when we got out of the store and the streets were even icier. Snoopy Village. What is too shiny to sleep? More here. More there. Woohoo! Okay. Yep. Let’s just get a ramen and call it a day. Lucky you that the robot isn’t moving very fast. The falling snow makes the perfect closing moment to our unforgettable day. It felt like the whole town paused just for a second under the quiet magic. Hokkaido has made quite the first impression. And thus ending our day in Otaru. And tomorrow we’re going to Noi Betsu.

We left the buzz of Tokyo behind and headed north to snowy Sapporo, where winter welcomed us with open arms. After weaving through underground walkways and settling in, we ventured into a snowstorm to explore Susukino and warmed up with our first Hokkaido ramen.

The next day, we took a scenic train ride to Otaru, just as giant snowflakes turned the town into a real-life snow globe. From penguins and dolphin shows to stained glass art, canal strolls, and charming icy streets—it was a full day of wonder. Hokkaido made quite the first impression.