Railroad Journeys in Japan | Episode 6: Sapporo (Part 2), Hokkaido

I am back in Sapporo to spend the last night in Hokkaido. It is a perfect stopover before heading back to Tokyo via Shinkansen.

English and Japanese captions are available.

Railroad Journeys in Japan playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp2vxuJ_2xypoW9wtU7JeIbEkftF53B48

More info about this trip:

Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Sapporo
https://solaria-sapporo.nishitetsu-hotels.com/en-gb

This is the final episode of my trip to Hokkaido. After visiting a lavender farm in Furano, I took the Furano Line to Asahikawa, then transferred to the Lilac Kamui Express. It took 3 hours in total to get to Sapporo.

Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Sapporo is a chic high-end property conveniently located a couple of blocks from the station. When I checked in, I found this cool thermometer at the front desk. The guest room was contemporary. It was interesting to see irons and even a trouser press in a hallway.

A large public bath area was located in the basement. The lighting at night was like being in a swimming pool in a city. Before the sun went down, I walked across the street from the hotel. This park has large lotus ponds and ducks were enjoying a breezy afternoon.

The Old Hokkaido Government Building called “Akarenga” is also located in the park. The beautiful red brick architecture was built in 1888 and houses historical documents and exhibits, which is open to the public. This is my last night in Hokkaido.

I dashed to this traditional sushi place right before their last order. Remember restaurants close early because of COVID restrictions. When I saw “Zanmai Don” on the menu, I had to order this special Hokkaido dish. It means three kinds of seafood in a bowl.

I enjoyed watching the sushi chef making my order while having a good conversation. It turned out that it was a much more sophisticated presentation than donburi and had a lot more ingredients than their three signature seafood: ikura, uni and crab meat. I thoroughly enjoyed my last dinner.

I am back to Sapporo. This is my last night in Hokkaido. It has been a fantastic week, surrounded by beautiful nature, weather, enjoying seafood and hot spring. I will come back again. One week was too short to explore this vast island,

But I was lucky to visit many places without fighting a crowd. Hopefully more people can enjoy this beautiful part of Japan once the international travel restrictions are lifted, but until then stay safe.