Winter Wonderland!

Niseko. The place with the most powder snow! The first Winter Wonderland for me! We went to Niseko on the twenty-eighth and stayed on till the second. We booked this lodge called Ramat Niseko, owned by an Australian family. They are really nice, they drove us wherever we wanted to go, and gave us a room downstairs with two bedrooms and a living room complete with a small kitchenette!

Upon reaching Niseko, we were dropped at the main Welcome Centre where the van from the lodge came shortly and picked us up. Then we were introduced to the people running the lodge. They came all the way from Brisbane and really took care of everyone. The mistress even made some delicious tomato soup for us! She said she understands we had a long journey (it was almost three hours from Sapporo to Niseko) so we would like some soup to start off. How nice of her!

En route to Niseko from Sapporo

After settling down, we went to check out the various ski slopes and ski schools. It was too late for any lesson then, so we just bought ski passes to enable us to go up the chairlift to ski down. Then we went to Inski, the shop to get kitted up for our ski gear.

For a skiing holiday, please prepare your own ski suit (jacket and pants), ski gloves and goggles. Ski boots, skis and poles can be rented, but suits are best to be bought on our own because we need fitting clothes in order to ski. My own jacket is too bulky which is why I fall so often, but that is another story.

Anyway, before getting ski boots, we had to measure the length and size of our feet as well as our weight. This is because everything has to be coordinated. The ski boots have to fit our feet perfectly. The skis will have to fit the ski boots perfectly, but at the same time not too heavy so we can carry them up the slope. The ski poles will then have to go according to the size and length of the skis and the person’s height.

The shop assistant found a nice pair of ski boots for me. If you think it is easy walking in them, think again! Ski boots are heavy, they weigh you down so as to prevent you from slipping in the snow, and you can hardly walk properly in them! In fact, we have to walk like Robocop with our ski boots on!

The skis I rented

My ski boots

The scene outside our lodge

Ramat Niseko - our ski lodge

Lying down in the snow!

Inside the lodge

We took it easy on the first day, and proceeded to sign up for lessons on the second day. Unfortunately, the lessons were totally booked, so in the end, my friend just taught us some tips he picked up during his last ski trip, including how to strap the boots to the skis, how to hold the ski poles and how to stop the skis from sliding.

First thing, ensure the soles of your boots are free of snow, otherwise you will never be able to strap them on. So we had to kick the boot against the other boot to let it go free from snow. Then we slip the front of the boot onto the ski and pressed the heel down firmly until the catch is in place. That is to prevent the boot from sliding out.

One foot was easy. The problem was the other foot. Once one foot was in the ski, the ski tends to slide away and before you know it, you can fall and tumble down the ski slope. So you need to have a very good sense of balance to prevent the completed ski from sliding while you slip in the other ski boot into the other ski.

The handles of the ski poles are to be wrapped around your hands so they would not go flying if you fell off. However, just when I finally managed to strap both my boots securely in place, my skis slid and I went flying off the slope, crashing into those people who were queuing to use the ski lift!

I had not figured out how to pick myself up after skiing, so when I fell, I had no idea how to get up save to remove my skis, but when you were in an awkward position and your legs were all over, it was hard to remove the skis! So those waiting the ski lift kindly helped me and I managed to lift myself up after that.

After a short lunch, we decided to practice again. This time round, I tried to stop the skis by having my knees in an inverted V, but the skis slid too far and I literally did a split before falling. My legs were in another awkward position since I did a split, so they were crossed in the most obscene manner. I could hardly move at all, otherwise I would start spraining every bone in my legs! We decided to call it a day after being on the slopes for three hours.

That night, we had a good Yakiniku dinner before going to the hot spring to soak all our aching muscles and sore limbs away! The next day, we signed up for lessons in the afternoon. We took it easy in the morning, cooking breakfast, playing pool in the lodge, before getting ready to go for our lessons.

Our instructor is a jolly young chap who speaks English relatively well for a Japanese. He taught us basic skills like how to stop the skis and how to pick ourselves up after we fell down, without removing the skis. After an hour of lesson, we were ready to go up the slope, so we took the chairlift up and tried to ski down. But by then, I had fallen, tumbled, slipped and slid so much that I could hardly bear to go down! So the instructor told me to take a rest in that case while he tried bringing the other two girls down.

At the end of the lesson, I was so sore that I could hardly move anymore! The instructor told me to ski into the school on flat ground, but I fell before I reached it, so in the end I just removed my skis and carried them all the way back. That night there was a blizzard. The streets were so dim and foggy we could hardly see a thing in front of us! We went for the open house, then went for dinner and another hot spring!

Gearing up for the ski slopes!

Fireplace of the lodge

One of the rooms in the lodge

All suited up and ready to go!

The ski slopes

Removing snow from my ski boots

Trying to balance on the slope

Finally, all strapped on and ready to ski!

The next day (New Year’s Eve), we spent the morning skiing as our lessons were in the afternoon. I fell again in the morning, but by the time my instructor saw me, he said I had improved a lot! That night, we had a nice dinner, hot spring, then went out to see the fireworks and the New Year’s Eve celebration.

It was too dark to see anything, but there were lots of skiers and snowboarders carrying torches, skiing and snowboarding all the way from the top of the hill down to light up the fire (our ski instructor was one of those!), and hence the countdown began and the fireworks started!

Mozart Restaurant for New Year's Eve dinner

Interior of Mozart Restaurant

Playing a rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" on the piano

Fireworks galore!

New Year’s Day. We took a trip to the other side of Niseko Village where Hilton was situated. The slopes around Hilton seems smoother yet steeper than the ones we were on. We took the gondola up then took a look around the top, before taking the gondola down again while the guy skied his way down. Then we went into the Hilton for food and drinks and hot spring while waiting for the guy to go another round.

A snowman outside our lodge

Hilton Niseko

Inside the Hilton

The gondola

Top of the mountain

Snowmobile (the guy is fake)

Inside the gondola

Being a snow angel

After that, we went to Kutchan but there was no one around that day, so we went back and had a New Year’s Day dinner. We also played a drinking game where the loser had to drink! I downed a whole glass of draft beer all at one go after losing! Here is a clip of me downing beer after losing!

The next day, the other two girls went to catch the bus back to Sapporo Airport, while my guy friend and I continued skiing. I did four more rounds at the ski slope before finally calling it a day, and we went back to the lodge to do last minute packing, changed and caught the bus back to Sapporo.

View of Mount Yotei en route to Sapporo

Back in Sapporo, we went back to the same hotel. Then we each did our own individual chores – he to buy work wear, while I had to get my train tickets to Tokyo, then we met back at the hotel where we went for dinner. We thought of eating seafood but most places were closed, so we ended up at a Egyptian-themed restaurant specializing in seafood curry!

After that, we wandered around Odori Park and walked around Sapporo City before going back to the hotel. The next day, we each went our separate ways, he to the airport and me to take the train to Tokyo. And that is the end of my Winter Wonderland!

Back to Hotel Gracery Sapporo (see the massage chair at the side?)

Odori Park (with the clock tower in the background)

Preparing for the Sapporo Winter Festival

A White Christmas ...

… Not quite as I hoped. At least it was not exactly snowing where we were on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Hokkaido trip started on Christmas Eve, when my friends and I took the domestic flight to Hakodate, then took a bus to the bus terminus opposite our hotel (Hotel Route Inn Gratia Hakodate).

Hakodate Airport

Hakodate Sea View

Hotel Route Inn Gratia Hakodate

We then had lunch, checked in and went on to Mount Hakodate in a gondola that night. After coming down from the gondola, we took a bus to the town centre and went into a night market. We saw crabs, fish, seafood and other kinds of stuff. Then we had dinner and went on to the riverside to see the Christmas Tree.

Night view on top of Mount Hakodate

The big Christmas tree

Hakodate Riverside

Actual night view of Hakodate

Hakodate was about zero degree Celsius that day, but it was not snowing. In fact, the grounds had no snow at all. The wind was blowing strongly and there were chills, but no snow. We wandered around the area, then went into a pub to drink and countdown for Christmas.

Upon returning to our hotel, we went to indulge in the hot spring for a while, before sitting at the massage chairs outside the hot spring and just chatted late into the night. We even exchanged gifts after that! Amazing we could still wake up early the next morning for breakfast, explored the morning seafood market filled with lots and lots of gigantic fresh crabs, scallops and whatnot, before going to the train station to take the ten o-clock train to Noboribetsu!

View of Hakodate City

Entrance of Hakodate Morning Market

Hakodate Morning Market

Alaskan Spider Crab

Crabs swimming - look like aliens, right?

Scallops

Sea urchins!

Crab trying to climb out!

In front of JR Hakodate Station

En route to Noboribetsu

A frozen lake

Noboribetsu (this building happens to be an aquarium of sorts)

Christmas Day in Noboribetsu. There was some snow on the grounds, but other than that, the ground was bare. The hotel we were in is highly recommended (Daiichi Takimotokan Hotel). It is the best hotel in Noboribetsu! For the price paid (about S$150.00 per night, please bear in mind peak season costs more), we have a big tatami room overlooking the mountain, access to the seven different kinds of hot springs, free breakfast and dinner, walk around Hell Valley and free shuttle bus to Sapporo all thrown in! Where can we get a better deal?

We checked in then went for lunch. After that, we proceeded to have a walk around Hell Valley. I was there a couple of years back during the summer, and the sulphur smells stronger as compared in winter. Then we went back to change into the yukata provided by the hotel and went for the hot spring! That was the place where we indulged in the most hot spring, as we spent almost two hours in the water!

Entrance to Hell Valley

Birds of Ill Omen?

Snow and Steam all in one!

Doraemon in the lobby!

After that, we went for dinner, which was a big buffet spread. We took everything we saw, sashimi, sushi, soba, udon, tempura, even dessert! After dinner, we played games and the winner had to use a lipstick (mine) to draw on the hand of the loser. I was unlucky that I happened to lose the most number of times, so my hands got drawn the most! By the time they finished with my hands, I could hardly recognize the figures they drew!

Me on the tatami floor of the hotel room

Bowing the Japanese way

End of the game - guess whose hands had the most drawings?

Me the loser :-(

Still, we all had a ball of a time and slept soundly until the next morning when we had to catch the nine o-clock train to Sapporo. That day (Boxing Day), it was snowing heavily on the way to Sapporo. All around me, I could see layers and layers of snow! I have never seen that much snow in my life before! But then again, I have never seen snow in the tropics, so perhaps that amount of snow was pretty normal for a place like Hokkaido?

Because of the snow, we were caught in a massive jam, thus the journey to Sapporo took longer than usual. Where it would take two hours to reach Sapporo, the journey took almost four hours that day, with a rest stop in between. When we finally reached Sapporo, all of us were dead beat, and we had to lug our luggages across the snow into our hotel, even though the hotel is just above Sapporo Station!

If you think it is so easy to walk in the snow, think again! Most of the snow is slush, so it makes the path rather slippery. Which is why the right kind of shoes are required. I do not mean snow boots or snow shoes, but at least a good pair of walking shoes. No track shoes! I wore my hiking boots, but even then, I still slipped a few times in the snow! Which was why I decided I need to change my shoes!

After checking into our hotel (Hotel Gracery Sapporo), we took a train to Susukino to locate the famous Ramen Alley. It took a while as the street signs were all frosted up so we could hardly read the signs at all. We finally managed to find the shop that started it all – Yorocho Ramen. The place seats only eight, but the ramen is absolutely delicious! I ate up every single thing in my bowl!

Noboribetsu in the morning after a night of snow

En route to Sapporo

A little kid shovelling snow

Snow-covered tree in Sapporo

View of Daimaru from Hotel Gracery Sapporo

Susukino

Then we took a train to the Ishiya White Chocolate Factory. I had been there in summer, but it was even more spectacular in winter! There was a Christmas tree and an ice sculpture of a reindeer. There is even a section for toys! We explored the factory, drank some hot chocolate at the café, then went onto the grounds.

There happened to be a blizzard when we went onto the grounds. The snow just came cascading down. We took pictures with some of the fairy tale houses and the reindeer, then left the place. One thing we must do in a blizzard is to get a muffler. The wind and snow just cuts into your face, so we need to wrap up the lower half of our face at least so the cutting effect of the wind and snow would not be that intense!

Grounds of Ishiya White Chocolate Factory

Ishiya White Chocolate

Astroboy!

Darth Vader!

Look at the blizzard!

We went back to Susukino to shop at the rows of alleys. That was where I bought the most things. I bought a black sling bag, as I figured my tote bad is too cumbersome and heavy. I did not want to bring a backpack as that was too troublesome as I had to keep taking it down whenever I needed anything, so I decided to bring along a tote bag.

How was I to know a tote bag would also be heavy and cumbersome and strained my shoulders? At least one learns from experience. So a sling bag is the best. Not too big, not too heavy, enough to put all your necessary stuff like passport, wallet, keys, and other important things. I bought a beautiful white chiffon dress on sale.

And I bought my pair of Timberland boots! Perfect for walking in the snow, and I was right! The most comfortable pair of shoes I have, yet I never slip a single time while walking in the snow! We went for a teppanyaki dinner after that before going back to the hotel to play more games and shared ghost stories.

Outside Susukino Alley

Susukino Alley

My own Timberland!

The room in Hotel Gracery Sapporo

The next day, we went on to Otaru. It was another snowy day. Otaru in the summer looks like our own Boat Quay, but Otaru in winter is really nice! Streets full of snow, ice all over. We dropped off at a restaurant for lunch, and that is the best lunch I had in Japan! The tempura is almost perfect, and the sushi is so fresh and good!

Sapporo in the morning

Opposite Otaru Station

The Otaru Channel

Streets of Otaru

We then explored the Otaru Canal. We had our fun trying to shovel the snow, having snowball fights, and even took some pictures together at the canal! The temperature then was about minus five degree Celsius, so I was feeling the effects of the cold! Thermal can really save your life, otherwise I would have frozen to death already!

We had some hot chocolate and ice cream (actually having ice cream in cold weather helps counteract the cold, because your body is cold so when you step outside, you do not feel the cold so much as if your body is hot), went to a glassware studio, went exploring some local food stuff, then went to the Music Box Museum.

Part of the Otaru Canal

Look at the temperature!

The Otaru Canal

Trying my hand at shovelling snow!

A poor shivering bunny in the cold!

After that, we went back to Sapporo via train. Along the way, we passed by a sportswear shop and I managed to get my ski goggles! Then we went back to Sapporo and did more shopping, this time getting my ski pants! We wanted to go for a Yakitori dinner after that, but the place was closed, so we stumbled onto another restaurant which turned out to have pretty good steamboat! We all slept early that night and checked out the following morning to catch the bus to Niseko. Hence concludes our White Christmas, and on to Winter Wonderland next!