Got up at 5 am this morning to catch the 6:16 am train from Sapporo to the New Chitose airport,  which is about 40 min away by the rapid train.

Made it to the airport at 6:55 and was checked in and through security in less than 10 minutes.   Nice,  clean airport.  Love how cracking a beer at 7:30 am and walking around the airport is socially acceptable here 😆

Such efficiency and patience at the gate.   Boarding was to be at 8:05 for my 8:25 flight and not one person stood up – there was a huge open space in front of the gate!   Even at 8:05, everyone waited for the attendants to initiate boarding before we all line up in a single file line.   Once on board,  people cleared the aisle to let others on.  The girl in front of me say with her suitcase on her lap until the aisle cleared before putting it in the overhead bin!  The plane was in the air by 8:26 – no messing around.

Took a few shots out the window during take off:

After takeoff,  the overhead tv screens played some funny shots about how to avoid smacking her kid with the tray, to avoid squishing your fingers on the bathroom doors and a warning that a new law about ‘sneak photography’ may result in a 3 year prison sentence (showed a guy in the aisle seat using his camera to film up a woman’s skirt as she was getting her bag from the overhead bin).

Arrived in Kobe about 25 minutes early and the bags were out within 5 minutes of landing.   As I was changing airports,  collected my bag.   Took the ferry shuttle from Kobe to Kansai airport across Osaka Bay.  Ride was about 30 minutes and then the shuttle to terminal 1 was around 7 or 8 minutes.

Went through security,  customs and immigration pretty quick and headed to the lounge for the 5 hour it so layover.  

After the long wait in the lounge,  finally boarded my flight to Vancouver.   Definitely feeling tired after the early morning so am hoping I sleep well on the flight!

The flight to Vancouver was a bit delayed due to them having to repair something.   I assumed we’d make the time up but not than halfway through the flight,  it appeared we’d be a bit late so I got a bit concerned I might miss my flight to Calgary.

Managed to sleep for about 4 hours and noticed these strange lights north of Japan.   Not sure what it was as there didn’t seem to be anything around and we were high up:

Nice and sunny on the way into Vancouver so some nice views of the mountains.

Arrived about 20 minutes late and moved quickly to get through customs.   Luckily wasn’t too bad as there was a separate section for people on Canadian connections.  Had bought some cat treats at the Don Quixote and declared those so went to the booth and had to translate the package to determine what they were.   The fish was okay,  but not the chicken so that had to be discarded.   They were very friendly and it only took a minute or two!

Got to my gate about 10 minutes before boarding but it turns out the prior flight was from Austin and was delayed so it was unloading in the US area and would then have to be towed over.   Luckily, the person behind me in line was someone I knew so was able to chat a bit.

Finally boarded but there were further delays to get everyone boarded and pull away from the airport.   Flight was about an hour late leaving but we finally arrived in Calgary!  Nice to finally be home after a long day of travel!

Woke up around 7:30 or so this morning and got ready to go for breakfast.   Large breakfast bar in this hotel and I had a fried egg,  some bacon and sausage,  a piece of onion French bread and some ramen from the ramen station.

Then went back to the room to finish getting ready to head out to the Sapporo Brewery Museum.  Took a few photos from the room of the view now that the sun wasn’t blazing in.

Headed to the north exit bus station to catch a bus to the Sapporo Beer Museum (easy to find the route using Google maps).  My Suica card works here as well for the subways and busses so just tap to get on and tap when you get off.   I added some more funds yesterday at the machine in the train station.

Arrived a few minutes before opening and there was already some people waiting in line.   Unfortunately,  they are working on the outside of the building so didn’t get any views of the nice brick building.

Toured through the free museum, which had information cards in English as well.  The museum explained the history of the brewery,  the building and the various changes that have occurred over the past 150+ years.  

Got to the tasting room and there was only one person at the machine ahead of me but she seemed to be buying 100 tickets and must have been a tour guide.   Finally got my ticket for a flight and got my beers.   The counter was empty and there were three servers each pouring a beer in the sample simultaneously, passing the tray down the line.   It was very impressive and I wanted to take a photo.

Glad I got there when I did as I had no issue getting a table to enjoy my flight but there was a massive line for the machine once I sat down.

Finished my beers and made a reservation for dinner tomorrow at the beer hall restaurant as there was nothing available for today.   Then caught a bus back to the station and made a brief stop at the hotel.

After a quick break,  caught the subway to Ramen Alley, which is a cool little alley way with a dozen or so ramen shops.   Picked one and had a great bowl of ramen with crab, clam, chashu and Hokkaido corn.

After lunch,  wandered down the Tanukikoji shopping arcade.   A lot of restaurants and tourist shops.  

Stopped at the Bearfoot Bar for a beer.   Tried the Suntory Black, a dark beer.   There was a group of English speakers engaged in an intense boardgame on the upper floor with the washrooms.

Went into the Mega Don Quixote (kind of a Japanese Walmart with 5 times the stuff in 1/10 the space) and feel I now know what an acid trip is like!  Super overwhelming with videos highlighting the merchandise in every aisle.   Saw some interesting cat treats:

Wandered up to the Sapporo TV Tower (mini looking Eiffel Tower) and felt I needed another beer after that Don Quixote chaos.  

Walked to Odari Park,  which is a 13 block long park with flowers,  fountains and more beer!  Lots of people taking photos and enjoying ice cream and beer.  Used the washroom there which was clean (compared to north American standards but probably hideous to Japanese) and contained no needles or excrement 😆.

Stopped for a Premium Dry beer and relaxed by the fountain.

Headed back to the hotel,  passing by the Clock Tower for a photo:

Rested for a bit in the hotel before heading out for dinner.   Thought I might do some sushi but the place nearby had a line of literally 100 people.   Waited for a bit but then headed to a soba place next door.

Finished my soba and there were still 68 groups ahead of me at the sushi place!  Glad I didn’t wait.

After dinner,  headed back to the hotel to rest up for my last sightseeing day tomorrow.

Woke up around 6:15 am today as wanted to go up the ropeway to Mt. Asahidake before the drive to Sapporo.   Didn’t have time to hit the onsen before though.   Had a selection of “western” items from the breakfast buffet today,  along with some iced coffee and orange juice.

Afterwards,  packed and checked out and then drove down the road to the ropeway and headed up the mountain in the cable car.   Beautiful day out so some nice views at the top.   Did the 1.7 km loop around to various viewpoints.  So many little flowers around,  which probably really grow in late July,  early August.

Saw some steam coming out too!

After completing the loop walk,  headed back down the gondola to the parking lot.

Got into the car and drove the roughly 2.5 hours to Sapporo to return the car near the station and my hotel.   The GPS took a brief scenic route through a farm area, which maybe was the fastest way to get on the expressway but it had me questioning it for a minute.   Great day for driving – sunny and not much traffic.   Not sure if there’s a speed limit on the expressway but I was definitely doing 140 km/h at some points and I wasn’t the fastest one!  A few 2 km tunnels today but not as many tunnels as the other day.

Managed to make it into Sapporo and to the rental car office.   Very quick process – pulled in,  a guy came out,  walked around the car,  got in and checked the mileage,  checked my gas receipt and took the keys and I was off.   I asked directions to my hotel to make sure I was done!  Just under 800 km of driving around Hokkaido.

Walked the couple of blocks to the hotel.   Definitely warmer here than in the mountains!  Hotel check in wasn’t until 3 so left my bags and headed to the department store/mall next door, by the station for some lunch.   The restaurant floor was busy but the restaurants have a machine you plug in the number of people and it spits out a number and then you sit down until they call your number.   Waited a few minutes but not too bad.

Had a katsu lunch set and a couple of beers.

After lunch,  headed back to the hotel and got my room.  They had already put my bags in the room for me!

Took a brief rest before getting ready for my omakase tempura dinner at an amazing tempura restaurant.   I believe it had 2 Michelin stars until Michelin stopped coming to Hokkaido.   It was an amazing experience and the Chef and other staff were great.   Only 9 seats,  all at the counter so it’s a very intimate setting where you can watch them at work.   The food was great and I tried to get photos of all the courses but definitely missed a few as it’s critical to eat the dishes right away.

A very good dinner and managed to make it back to my hotel in the metro despite the bottle of wine I drank 😆.

A view from my hotel window

Woke up in the morning believing it to be 5 am as the room was very dark so didn’t check my watch and tried to sleep a bit more.   Eventually,  checked my watch and it was 8:30!  The curtains definitely keep the light out.   As the breakfast ends at 9:30 and you have to get there by 9, I ended up skipping breakfast.  Went to the onsen for a soak before coming back to the room to pack.   They had probiotic drinks after the onsen so that was breakfast in addition to the pineapple cake that was complimentary in the hotel room.

Checked out and headed out for some sightseeing in the way to Mt. Asahidake.  Stopped first at the Tomita Farm for a soft serve with melon.

It was very tasty!  Then wandered around to check out the lavender and flower fields, which smelled amazing.   It’s just the start of the flower season but it was still impressive.

Stopped to use the washroom before heading back on the road and wonder what kind of people visit as they felt the need to put this sign in the toilet:

Drove to the Blue Pond near Biei, which was impressive and definitely a stop on the tour bus circuit.

There were some falls further down the road that I attempted to drive to but didn’t stop as it was unclear exactly where they were and there didn’t seem to be any parking.  

Headed back towards Biei and filled up the car and bought a snack at the 7-Eleven, salmon and roe onigiri, and a yuzu juice.   Then drove to the Patchwork Road area and took some photos at the Seven Stars Tree.

There were signs to a number of view point areas in the fields that had little parking lots.  

Then drove down Rollercoaster Road, which is basically a straight road with some hills.   Not much parking there so didn’t get any photos.

Headed to my hotel near Mt. Asahidake, which was just over an hour away.   Drove through some nice little farming communities that looked like no one was around.   Only saw cars coming towards me and no one heading in my direction,  slightly eerie.  The road started heading up hill into a forest and there were lots of places to park in the side so I stopped at a nice one overlooking water,  with a mountain in the background.

Got to the hotel around 3:45 pm and checked in.   Room is nice and has a view of a mountain.   Also had the coffee grinder here for my morning coffee 😁.

Before dinner,  walked around the hotel to take some photos.  

Dinner was included in my plan so dinner at the French restaurant tonight and the Japanese one tomorrow.   Great dinner and enjoyed some rose,  white and red wine.

The server advised me that there’s a complimentary wine bar in the lobby from 9-10 pm – hopefully,  I’ll be able to stay awake!

Took a soak in the onsen after dinner.   This hotel also has the private onsen as well as the men’s and women’s.   However,  the private ones don’t have shower facilities, so you need to shower first in your room.   Seemed like a hassle, so I just went to the public one.   Nice bath with a stone one outside and three lounging baths outside.  It was nice outside listening to the sounds of either grasshoppers or frogs with the forest in the background.   This onsen has a dry sauna,  which was super hot and very dry.   Spent a few minutes in there, and that was it.   Enjoyed the free popsicle afterwards.

Enjoyed a glass of wine from the free wine bar in the lobby from 9-10 pm.  Hope the weather is not rainy tomorrow as I would like to take the ropeway up Mt. Asahidake and walk around.   The hotel has a spa with massages, so may try and get a massage.   Other than that, tomorrow will be a relaxing day.

Managed to sleep until 7:00 am this morning,  which was nice after so many busier days.   Got ready and headed down to breakfast.   This buffet was a lot less chaotic than the one in Hakodate.  Had a sashimi donburi, a piece of fried chicken (quite popular in Hokkaido), a fried fish bite, a hashbrown shaped like a character and a custard with some blueberry sauce.

Afterwards,  decided to make use of the car and explore a few areas that would be hard to get to without on.   Went to Rokugo Forest and Goro’s Stone House,  which is apparently where a popular Japanese show was filmed.   Walked up a small hill through the forest to get to the house.   Was nice to be in the shade as it’s warm today, around 32C.

Then drove to the Furano Cheese Factory where they make cheese and ice cream and gelato.   Had two pieces of pizza for lunch that had onions,  tomatoes and mushrooms on it as well as a zero percent beer as I’m driving and they apparently have a zero tolerance drinking and driving law here.

After lunch,  decided to get a small cup of asparagus gelato and soft serve.   Definitely tasted like asparagus but it actually went well with the soft serve,  which had a slight cream cheese taste.   They also had pumpkin and corn flavors as well as blueberry.

Walked around a bit and then headed back to the hotel to do some wash.

The hotel has free washers and dryers for $1.  There’s even a women’s only set of washers and dryers if you’re concerned about some pervert stealing your underwear!  You can monitor the washer and dryers from the TV in your room

After finishing some wash,  decided to hit the onsens in the hotel on the top floor.   They have the women’s and men’s areas and three private bathes for people that don’t want to be in the public area or for families/couples that want to bath together.  I checked out one of the private baths first as it looked quite nice but then decided to go to the women’s one as wanted to check out the sauna as well.   Glad I did as,  on addition to the large indoor bath,  there was a patio with a rock mineral bath as well as a couple of pot bathes.  Was nice to be in the air and looking at the mountains/hills around.   Afterwards,  they have free ice cream bars.

Relaxed in the room and enjoyed a Sapporo Classic, which is apparently only sold in Hokkaido.

Checked out the hotel rooftop deck to see the sun starting to set.

Then headed out for dinner to a yakiniku (grilled meat) place near the hotel.   Ordered the sirloin waygu and some lamb as well as the Hokkaido corn and butter.   Was very tasty!  Enjoyed another Sapporo Classic.

Back to the hotel to relax and pack up as checking out tomorrow to head to the mountains.

Woke up at 6:30 this morning and made some coffee using the grinder and beans in my room – a bit of a workout grinding the beans! 😆

Went down for breakfast at the hotel buffet.  Big line to get in but it moved pretty quick.   A lot of choices including grilled seafood,  sashimi on rice,  fried chicken,  crab croquettes, salad,  lasagne,  eggs,  breads, desserts and even a soft serve machine!

After breakfast,  headed out for a day of exploring Hakodate, starting with the Morning Market, where there are a number of vendors selling fresh seafood and vegetables.   Lots of crabs,  king crab legs,  sea urchins,  salmon,  scallops and octopus.  Used my limited Japanese skills to ask one of the vendors what something was and it was an octopus head (no legs).  The market also has a number of places where you can sit down for a sashimi don buri bowl but since I already had one at my hotel,  I didn’t need to stop.

Caught a bus to the Gogyokaku Tower and park area.   Very easy to take the bus here –  board in the back door, scanned my Suica card,  and then when you get off the bus you scan the card as you’re leaving and it charges you the fare.   Went up the tower for a view of the old star-shaped fort.   The fort, which was built in the mid-19th century.   The fort is gone but the moat and outer walls remain.   Also got some good views of Hakodate.

Also enjoyed a cherry blossom and “special” milk ice cream cone as Hokkaido is known for its dairy products.

Went down the tower and explored the park as the weather is nice and not so hot here.

Afterwards,  caught another bus to head to Mount Hakodate to take the cable car up.  Not a lot of people on the bus.   Also made note of the stop signs for when I rent a car tomorrow – look like a yield sign and some don’t have the English ‘STOP’ on them,  only the Japanese.

Got to the Mt. Hakodate stop and walked around few minutes to the ropeway (cable car).  Takes about 3 minutes to ride up but get some great views of Hakodate!  Zoomed in on my hotel!

Bought a strawberry milk Japanese spirits beverage from the shop at the top to enjoy while taking in the views.  Was tasty and slightly carbonated but creamy.  

Took the ropeway down and walked to the Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples,  which had a number of pieces from the indigenous peoples that originally populated northern Japan, including the Ainu, Aleut and others.  The museum had English descriptions and a lot of artifacts.

Afterwards,  headed back to the hotel for a bit of a break before dinner.  Went for dinner at the Hakodate Beer Hall,  which was close to the hotel.   Had the “famous” Hokkaido pasta with salted squid and a local beer,  Hakodate Pioneers’ Legendary pilsner.  The lady sitting beside me at the bar started talking to me so I ended up ordering a beer cocktail (similar to a shandy), which was beer with melon soda.  They had various flavors but the melon sounded interesting.

After dinner and making a new Facebook friend,  headed back to the hotel,  stopping to take a few sunset photos.

Off to bed early so I have time to pack and have a quick breakfast before going to pick up the car.