7 Days Autumn Hokkaido

twtan14

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Rode the lift to the 25th floor where the Japanese Restaurant Kurumaya (車屋) was. Enjoy authentic Japanese food in a relaxing atmosphere and a bird's-eye view of Sapporo night scene.

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One floor above, toward the left is Teppanyaki Restaurant Ishikari (石狩) - This authentic teppanyaki restaurant affording a panoramic view of "Ishikari Plain" offers specially selected Japanese beef and fresh seafood cooked on an iron plate in front of the guests. After dinner with well-chosen wine, guests can relax with dessert and the city view of Sapporo at a sky lounge next door. And on the right Banquet Hall Top Of Sapporo (トップオブサッポロ).

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Night View of Sapporo from the 26th floor of ANA Hotel Sapporo. This is the only view from the window in the common area.


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twtan14

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The hotel had a direct link to the Seicomart convenience store just at the corner of the building. My tour mates were seen buying quite a lot of the Cup and Bowl Instant Noodles to bring back home.

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I bought the extra creamy Café au lait by Blendy and it was so smooth with nice coffee flavour. Anyway, I also got four different Calbee Potato Sticks which were a little hard rather than crisp, definitely no fight with Jaga Pokkuru.


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twtan14

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Day 5 (22nd October 2014): Sapporo > Furano > xxx > xxx

As promised, my sucky 4th floor Window View which had more roof than cityscape. This hotel seems to reserve the lower floors for tour groups as evidenced by the fact that we stayed here in my spring trip. As usual the sun do raise early in Hokkaido giving me ample time to explore a bit before we set off.

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With the Breakfast Coupon in hand, I went down to the 2nd floor where the restaurant was. Breakfast starts at 6.30am but already there were many people loitering in front of the restaurant waiting to be let in.


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twtan14

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Cafe Restaurant Parterre - For breakfast and lunch, enjoy a variety of cuisine and sweets of many countries and regions in buffet style. The cooking demonstration section is always popular. Enjoy Hokkaido beef and hamburger steaks for dinner. Too bad we never got a chance to enjoy dinner at this restaurant both times we were there.

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twtan14

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Gomennasai, I don’t have much to show of the Breakfast Buffet as there were many diners and it was difficult for me to be snapping photos with all the hands reaching out for the food.

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twtan14

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My favourite eating place in Tanukikoji serves ramen 480 & tonkatsu set 800 in generous portions, with free flow of rice, miso soup, & very good coffee (boyd's coffee). yes free !

The locals, especially the younger males, eat a lot of rice.

Based on what I saw at the buffet, they usually finish eating quite fast. And yes, they love eating rice or porridge with all those pickled dishes.
 

twtan14

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Hot Dish Section had basically the same types of food you seen during the last few breakfasts. They were sausage, grilled salmon, bacon, scrambled eggs and croquette. The new addition here was the Chinese dumplings not available in the previous hotels.

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In Japan, their egg dishes were all so yummy be it half boiled, omelette, scrambled, sunny side up or tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette). The bright orange egg yolks made the dishes standout with a nice warm yellow colour. Most of the time, they will have an Egg Station where the chef will cook them à la minute.


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twtan14

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Typical Fresh Fruits in a Japanese buffet were orange, pineapple and lychee. Yes, they always have lychee, though it had been frozen and then defrosted. I don’t remembered seeing apple served that often either, maybe due to the high price it commands on the market at around ¥500 (S$6) each. Today we also have kiwifruit on the menu.

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This time round, we were treated to seven types of drink at the Drink Station excluding hot coffee and tea. Oolong tea, orange juice, acerola drink (a type of cherry), milk, Lactic acid bacterium drink (like Yakult), apple juice and tomato juice.


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twtan14

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My Plate of Food – The varieties of food at this buffet weren’t much, just the usual suspects. Not fond of the Chinese Dumpling; the skin was too thick but the meat filling was well seasoned.

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The sweetness of the Curry Pork Rice didn’t overpowered the curry, letting enough of the spices aromatic undertones through. Pair it with the rice and it was good to the last grain. These Bundles of Kelp always had a place on my plate. Aren’t they pretty tied up with Kanpyo (干瓢) which is dried shavings of calabash (a type of gourd)?

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Finished the meal with a cup of coffee and Coffee Jellies which came in plain black and with milk added.


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Chic but homey ambiance makes Cafe Minamo (カフェ ミナモ) the ideal place for a relaxed get together or to grab a tasty light bite on the run. Coffee and tea lovers can enjoy freshly brewed coffee and fine teas while savouring its enticing selection of freshly baked cakes that make the most of fresh fruits and homemade bread.

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Pastry Boutique (ペストリーブティック) – The patisserie selection is freshly made every day at the hotel. You can enjoy any of delicious patisserie selection in our cafe or to go. There's also a choice of handcrafted cakes and cookies. The pastry boutique offers a special and unique cake for the festive season and other special occasions.


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twtan14

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Two more months to go and they were already taking orders for Christmas Cakes. But these replica cakes were so realistic that we mistook them for the real thing.

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Stepped out of the hotel and there were Bicycles for Rental. The onsite instructions were in Japanese but click on this link for English version. You’ll need a cell phone and passport to apply for the 1 Day Pass (cost ¥1080) at participating hotels. After that, use the IC Card to unlock the bicycle via the electronic lock.

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twtan14

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A designated Smoking Area, this time open air instead of an enclosed room. For your info, it’s illegal to smoke while walking from point A to point B on the street.

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For those whom brought along brollies, lock them up at this Umbrella Stand for safekeeping. Time to go back to my room to bring down the luggage and checkout.

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Made a detour and went up to the 26th floor for a View of Sapporo City. The sky was cloudy but otherwise looking to be a fine day. Keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays nice.


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About an hour and half later along Hokkaido Expressway, we stopped at Sunagawa Service Area (砂川サービスエリア下り線) for toilet break and to stretch our legs. A service area is an expressway rest facility, and typically has more facilities than a parking area. These may include a snack corner, gift shop, gas station, parking spaces, and toilets.

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Sunagawa Service Area (砂川サービスエリア下り線)
478 Sorachibuto, Sunagawa
Hokkaido 073-0106
Japan



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Iwase Farm (岩瀬牧場) had a shop here selling light snacks and ice cream. The farm is particularly famous for desserts such as gelato and cheesecake made with fresh milk and superior quality eggs direct from the farm.


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twtan14

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For those who brought pets along, do leash them at the provided Dog Hooks as no pets are allowed indoor except for guide dogs.

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At the entrance, you will find one or more stamps and ink pad. A little girl was seen collecting these unique Stamp Designs in a notebook she brought along.


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twtan14

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Haven’t done enough shopping? You can still purchase them here at the Souvenir Shop which carry the more popular items and local produce from the nearby towns. Or just grab some titbits to munch on but no ice cream on the bus please.

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A Food Court was also available if you need to fill your stomach. Purchase the ticket via the vending machine and hand it over to the staff at the counter. We were there early so none of the stalls were open yet.

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Vending Machines are a plenty in Japan and you can find them almost everywhere on the streets or inside buildings. Which is a convenient way to get hot and cold beverages, beers, snacks, cigarettes and even hot food without having to go to a shop or even leave the premises and they are available to you 24 hours a day.


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twtan14

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Back outside, fluffy cloud filled the sky, yet the sun was shining brightly; too bright in fact. The Boy and Girl Statue who were going fish catching was surrounded by dried pom-poms of the hydrangea.

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Pink and Blue Violet Verbena showed no sign of slowing down as they put out dainty clusters of flower. A Footpath flanked with past their prime hydrangeas, flaming and yellowing trees led me to these fake sheep. Although there were many vehicles, no one came to this part of the service area.


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StickingTogether

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Hi all experts here, moi planning to go Hokkaido this October with my family (F&E) to witness the beautiful autumn scenery there but will it be a waste if I give Hakodate a miss since there's already a sea port in Otaru and similar Mount Moiwa ropeway in Sapporo?
 

thwysg

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Hi all experts here, moi planning to go Hokkaido this October with my family (F&E) to witness the beautiful autumn scenery there but will it be a waste if I give Hakodate a miss since there's already a sea port in Otaru and similar Mount Moiwa ropeway in Sapporo?

Hakodate is famous for its night view from Mt. Hakodate. The morning market zone is way bigger than the one in Otaru. More shopping in Otaru Canal, whereas in Hakodate I walked couple of the slopes and the churches near the Ropeway and brick houses along the bay area. Wasn't really into shopping for me. That's what I felt when I was there last June.

Alternatively you could include Hakodate in your next trip to Hokkaido.
 
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