Celebrating 70 on the Ferris Wheel - and thankfully we did NOT feel the earth move.
Sapporo
"Press it, press it, press it," screamed @Mac as an alarm sounded breaking the silence. It wasn't quite the wake up call I was expecting for my birthday and coming out of a deep sleep I had no idea what the alarm was or where it was coming from. And certainly not sure why I was responsible for pressing it.
Eventually identified the source as the clock alarm between the two beds that @Mac had accidentally set for 7 am. Relieved it wasn't our first taste of an emergency disaster alarm! Sleepily, we rolled over and promptly forgot about it and slept on till 8 am when I did receive the more traditional birthday greetings (including recorded renditions from Aus) and a reminder that my sensational seventies had officially started. Woo hoo.
It was then a mad hunt for some misplaced items in the chaos of this very small room and with all the mysteries solved, it was off to breakfast.
An intro to Japanese breakfast at the Route Inn - home for another 3 days
Didn't really recognise much of what was on offer (surprisingly there wasn't any fresh fruit), however extremely happy to see that the pork offerings of last night were nowhere in sight. Took our time and quietly played a few renditions of the birthday song and read the early morning greetings before checking out and storing our luggage until we get to officially check-in with the group later this afternoon. Much easier communication than yesterday because the "team" recognised us and was expecting us.
Exploration
The guided tour begins tomorrow, and we really wanted to use today to stretch our legs and take in a few places not included on the itinerary. The plan was to hit a few of these highlights and walk from 11 am until we could check-in again at 3 pm. There were a few more kms involved in our trek than we had anticipated, and we didn't get back until after 5 pm ... 6 hours of ambling-rambling was a big start and we were definitely foot weary, thirsty and hungry by the time we returned.
Did the big loop of the city and full praise to @Mac and the magic of his maps. Despite not recognising a single character on any signage, we didn't take a wrong turn all day.
That big black highlighted route was our trek!
We were just "looking" and "sampling" - perfect weather conditions
Our loop included visits to:
Odori Park - not quite the vibrant 12 block city "festival" scene in this change of season time but we got the idea. Posed at the Olympic Rings, saw the Olympic Flame, inspected the potential of the cherry blossoms (still about 2 months away), the rose gardens and the empty fountains.
Park strolls and Olympic leftovers - would love to get to the ski jump in the surrounding mountains
Sapporo Archive Museum - ventured in to get a little more of the history of Sapporo (very helpful staff with translations), a view of the judiciary system and an introduction to manganese art.
Not much open on a Sunday - certainly not the Botanic Gardens
Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens - oops, closed for change of season maintenance. Could see through the fence - and so much snow.
JR Tower Observation Deck - stopped at Tully's Coffee for a treat to keep us going then ventures to the 38th floor if Tower Three Eight for the sweeping views of the city. This is the tallest structure in Hokkaido and stands at only 173 m tall, but it is all relative. Excellent views and great perspective of the city from this vantage point because it literally towers above everything else. Sapporo is ringed on three sides by snowcapped mountains, bordered by the ocean (a shoreline lined with wind turbines) and traversed by a river. Absolute clear blue skies provided the perfect view. An advertised highlight here is the view from the men's urinals. @Mac did the viewing and took the photos of this unique opportunity. I have censored some of his efforts - his picks were not quite the highlight I expected!
The tallest observation point for 360 views
Nijo Fish Market - okay, other than to say we could recognise general groups of seafood, not sure on the species. Everything on display on ice and so much variety. Some vendors had a cooking plate where you could prepare on the spot. We did reject the offer of 3 crab legs for the equivalent of $190.
Sake and Fish - no purchases from us today
Toyohiro River - we could hear this as we approached. It delivered at pace the melt waters from the mountains to the sea. Looks to be a community space hosting bbqs, baseball games, music performances and family groups. Bridge after bridge traverse its length and pedestrian access is facilitated by walking and bike trails.
Spring hasn't quite sprung - lots of soggy dead grass recovering from winter
Temples and Shrines - these dotted our walk but we had little luck with our google translate options and no doubt will glean more of an insight over the next month as we learn more of their features and significance.
More learning to come - but there were lots of them although not as prolific as the 7/11s
Just saying - shopping and eating seem to be the thing. The scale is crazy. From the tiniest hole in the wall, to underground or basement venues, multistorey options, or in alleyways ... there is choice. Shopping centres and malls are bigger than I have seen. Access to anything is by any-angle street crossings accompanied by an incessant chirping and beeping of the warning signals. We are not jostled, pushed, bumped or rushed, but in the "busy" places there are just wall to wall people. It is a kind of weird feeling actually - the "noise" you hear is not from the people - it's from what is around you - from the traffic, the music, the lights, the vehicles ... no "human" sounds. In Tully's for our coffee, we were whispering and playing charades to communicate - you could have heard a pin drop. In the fully loaded elevator, I heard @Mac's tummy rumble!
Sort of feels like you have been dropped into a gaming environment - everything is moving around you and by you - there's lots of colour and accompanying arcade generated music - but you have no connection to anything. And we must be very different - because without exception, toddlers in strollers are fascinated by the way we look and stare in wide eyed disbelief.
Meeting the group
It was a quick turnaround once we got home. Got out the warmer gear (silver side out tonight - thanks @Lynda) and joined the group and met our tour guide @Zac and our fellow trekkers. A total of 12 in the group (fewer than we expected) and all from Australia.
This was a meet and greet followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Introduced ourselves and relayed our basic stories and found ourselves in a basement restaurant for a shared "all you can eat" meal. Did traverse a different part of Susikimo to get there - wall to wall neon lights, piped music, busy sidewalks and unexpectedly a variety of young ladies pole dancing in glass "display" windows.
Cheers - a first Sapporo beer
Needed to remove shoes (oops, some in the group weren't wearing socks, so experienced the UNmagic of the sticky floor) for entry to the restaurant and then climb into the booth. Lots of conversation, laughs and queries as stories were shared. @Zac took care of the food ordering and guided us through the protocols of shared dining and the secret of a successful hot pot. Not sure we nailed it, but somehow managed to collectively cook, share and consume despite the group's lack of familiarity with the process! Tried a #Sapporo beer and gave it the tick of approval
A quick meal by our standards (apparently the seating allowance is a "timed affair") and we were back outside where the group delivered a live rendition of the Birthday Song. After tomorrow's organisational details were shared by @Zac we were back on our own.
Straight to the #Ferris Wheel for us for our spin to grab a night view of #Sapporo. A little cold in the gondola and perhaps I picked the wrong time to mention "earthquake." After all, we were on a Wheel erected on top of a building.
A quick spin before some sweet treats
Found ourselves a cute little cake shop and bought a couple of treats to enjoy at home with some "lobby coffee" (not too shabby actually.)
Retiring the birthday badge and very grateful for the messages received from home. Certainly enjoyed all the lead up celebrations and now a special day here. What a terrific start to the new decade.
PS General comments from our first day
- Can't help but feel there is calm and order
- Extremely curious and polite people
- Not many foreigners - we stand out
- Cash is absolute king
- Everyone appears to be dressed "fashionably"
- No summer hats for sun protection - we are the only two
- No litter
- Very few smokers on the streets
- No rubbish bins anywhere in public spaces
- Absolutely no jay walkers
- Bike riders share footpaths with pedestrians (very leisurely pace)
- No hire scooters that we spotted
- No helmets for bike riders
- No benches or seats - only in the park and along the river and as a convenience to wait outside in queues for restaurants
- In public spaces including restaurants, buses, sidewalks - everyone very very VERY quiet
- So many staff to help (information desks, restaurant, hotel lobby and cleaning staff)
- Roads and sidewalls quite damaged (maybe the snow)
- Shops serving hot coffee very rare (or we don't know how to spot them yet)
- There's a Lawson or 7 Eleven convenience store on every other corner
Weather: 18 degrees under clear blue skies, cooking quickly at sunset to 8 degrees. Snow piles everywhere throughout city
Steps: 17 841 - a few more than we had planned
KEEP CALM THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Grateful to @Mac who many years ago helped me to understand this and to make be a "Birthday Queen."
“If you’re not getting older, you’re dead.”—Tom Petty, American singer
You have only two choices you have when it comes to aging: Keep adding birthday candles or hitch a ride to the afterlife. As this influential singer notes, the former is preferable.
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