September 13, 2016
Our crew was all abuzz this morning when we met downstairs at 9 a.m. They were still reeling from the full day yesterday and the overwhelm everyone was feeling that is simply a reality for those who visit this amazing country when there are special connections with the people here.
From the sweet young woman who greeted us at the hotel reception counter at our arrival to our guide/friends we've spent the past two days with there is no way to explain to others who haven't been here to experience it for themselves just how special you feel with the treatment of these kind and gentle people as your hosts. And the kicker is that we're not even in Toyokoro yet! Once we get there....the whole business of feeling special and honoured will all go up a notch too.
Perhaps I should begin by saying that you know you've been in a place long enough to feel like a resident when you hear your friend (Darlene) say that she is going to contact the city of Sapporo to complain about the fact that they moved our favourite bench. Yes....that's right folks....some well intentioned civil servant messed up our plans! The red brick government house is a great museum but we've seen it before (a few times) and so we'd planned to stay outside in the surrounding gardens while the rest of our group was on the tour. We knew we wanted to do this as that is where we have had breakfast on many a morning in Sapporo since one of the hotels we've stayed at often is right across the street. When we looked for our bench....it was gone! Yes....gone! The spot was still there and the water was still there and the water lilies were still there and the Ducks were still there but our bench was missing! Sad as we were to have that change of plan....we located another bench in the same general area and although it didn't have as nice a view...it was still pretty darn sweet. When the rest of our group returned to the garden area after touring the building Barb and Sharon located a sign that was meant just for me and so photo opps were in order. The sign warned of the danger of birds pooping on you and so given my recent "luck" in that department they decided the sign was meant for me.
Another of our stops today was at the market where I located the gigantic seedless grapes that taste exactly like you just drank an entire bottle of welshes grape juice and a package of 5 Japanese oranges that are so fragile the skin virtually falls off all on its own! Those two items set me back about $35 CAD and there weren't many grapes on the bunch....just enough for everybody to try one with a few extras left over for me. Sure makes me appreciate how affordable and plentiful our fruit is! In addition to the fruit at the market there were fish vendors with product of every shape and size available for purchase. Even though the smell isn't wonderful the experience is well worth it as most of our group had never seen anything like a Japanese market before.
During our lunch stop today...I had to rescind my comment about the ramen being so delicious the other night in ramen alley. What we had today made that pale by comparison! This miso ramen was absolutely perfect! About 1/2 of our group had to sit at tables on the floor but I was one of the lucky ones who opted for a stool at the counter. I am 100% confident that I would not have gotten down to the floor let alone stayed down and even if by some miracle I had managed to survive that...I guarantee I would NOT have gotten up!
Nature played a big part in our day today as we visited the dam that protects Sapporo from flooding and the Ainu Museum that has both an inside and an outside section. I always enjoy this Ainu museum as it really drives home the similarities between the indigenous people here on Hokkaido and the First Nations and Inuit in Canada. That idea about a land bridge at some point in time is a certainty in my mind. The Ainu music and song imitates the sound of animals and is sung to the beat of a drum so it too sounds much like the music of our First Nations. Some of the traditional Ainu clothing we saw in the museum was even made out of salmon skin! Amazing! Salmon was a mainstay for their diet - again much like the indigenous people of western Canada. The Ainu lived in villages of up to 100-150 people because once they got to be that large they would break off and start a new village. Their houses were made of a reed like grass and quite large. They even had outdoor bathrooms - one for the men and another for the women. The natural beauty that surrounded the Ainu museum was mirrored in the majestic beauty we enjoyed at the damn. From the drive up to the site to the views from our vantage at the highest point....everyone appreciated the view and commented on how lush the landscape is and how like the Fraser Valley it all looks. Where our bus dropped us off at the dam we caught an electric bus to go the rest of the way. That electric bus only has to be charged every couple of weeks as it recharges itself when it's driving and the batteries are good for about 6 years.
Our final stop of the day was at the Sapporo Beer Factory where our tour guide (who studied English in Canada) gave us an entertaining tour. From learning about the history of beer in Japan to the tasting room we had a great time. The tasting room was a highlight and when Richard agreed to go up to the front to taste test the difference between beer straight from the can versus one that has been properly poured our group gave him a resounding applause. We learned that there are 3 stages to properly pouring a beer. Stage one is to pour it from a great height so there are lots of big bubbles as well as small bubbles in the glass. Once that has reduced to about 50/50 beer to bubbles you pour from a medium height till you're back up to 60% bubbles and 40% beer. Once that has again gone down to 50/50 it is time for stage three which is to gently pour from a very low height so no more bubbles are formed and the foam on top of the glass is not damaged. The reason for all of this is to ensure the beer doesn't sit with oxygen on it. The foam acts as a protective barrier and so even when you're drinking the beer it is important that you suck the beer through the foam versus drinking the foam off the top.
Yes.....school was in at the Sapporo Beer Factory today and much was learned by all. :-)
Tonight Sharon, Larry, Kelly, Darlene, and I found a nice little restaurant in the pedestrian mall that is just a couple blocks from our hotel and enjoyed another great meal. The only downside to the restaurants here is that they all allow smoking so as Carmen suggested last night....maybe we should just throw our water on adjacent tables that are smoking under the assumption that they must be on fire! :-)
Tomorrow morning we're off to Toyokoro so till next time....sayonara,
Darlene and Lorrie
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