Day 6 - Travelling to Sapporo!

Photos Here!

We didn't get a lot of sleep.
On Day 5, by the time we made it back to Yokohama and everything from eating Kaigan curry, it was already past 10PM.

On Day 6, we got up extra early.
It was very kind and understanding of Masaki and Wayne, that I requested to leave extra early in order to try and dodge the insane morning rush around Tokyo. Because pretty much any train line that passes through the hub of Tokyo on a weekday is going to be crammed to the limit with daily commuters.
You can see many videos online of train workers literally shoving people on the train.
No, thank you.
It ended up working out. We had a more leisurely time travelling, since we weren't in a hurry and gave ourselves plenty of time.
Even at 6:30 in the morning, it was still pretty crowded.
But after we got to the hub and starting moving away from entering Tokyo, it eased up.
Narita airport is pretty far out in the country, actually, so it took a while to get there.

We landed in Sapporo, and it was cold. -7 Celsius.

Nothing really happened that day. The Hotel Mystays in Sapporo is super nice. The bathroom was huge, for any country's standard and they provided slippers AND pajamas.
We had some coffee and breakfast at the airport. We were all pretty sleepy and tired.
We had Soba/Udon at one of the malls at Sapporo station.
We were going to have sushi, but the wait for the sushi place was over an hour and a half and we were very hungry.
We resolved to return to the Sushi place at a more odd time.
As we discovered later, it was always going to be an hour and a half wait, no matter what time we went. And there is a very good reason for that.
You may not believe me when I say that food can change the way you look at life.
But food can change the way you look at life.

But more about that later.

Other things that happened that day: we walked around the mall and there is an awesome hat shop. I went in and oggled all of them.
There was also a store that just sold miniature versions of food that were incredibly realistic. Looked so good you could eat it!

Japan has a cool trait: most restaurants (everywhere, not just in tourist places) have models of their foods on display in the windows or in cases. Some articles I read assumed that they are for tourists who can't read a menu. But they are just part of the culture, not geared towards any population. They are art decorations as well as advertisement. They are beautiful and more meant to increase the appetite of the potential eaters, no matter if they are Japanese or tourists.
Not all restaurants have them, but they are everywhere.

They are incredibly realistic. A couple of times, even though I knew they were probably fake, I had to get like inches away to be able to tell.

After looking up how they make them, I discovered they are incredibly artful and expensive. Apparently, a glass of beer can cost $150.00

Here's a video of making fake Tempura Ebi (shrimp) and a fake cabbage. It is fascinating.

I didn't get to see that in person, but it gives you an idea for the appreciation of how it's made.

Plastic art is actually a big thing in Japan. I also was looking up different artists  before I left for Japan. A very popular artist on Instagram is a plastic artist. She makes, what is basically artistic "Shrinky Dinks" (remember those from the '90s?). One of my favorite things she did is make what looks like tiny fish schooling inside a tiny fishing net.

I don't have a picture at the moment.

But anyway, Japanese plastic art is amazing. The skill and technique needed to make those blows my mind.

On to day 2 in Sapporo!
By the way, Sapporo is on the Northern Island of Hokkaido, which is world-famous for being one of the tastiest places on the planet.

I know most of this trip has thus far been a culinary exploration of Japan. But their food is so beloved by all Japanese people.

Apparently, they learn about it in school: Where different regions grow and specialise in different foods.

Hokkaido specialties include *there are many more, btw, but these are the most famous ones*:
1. Milk (and all subsequent uses: ice cream, cream, cheese, etc.)
2. Tomatoes (One does not usually think of Tomatoes in Japanese cuisine, but they are commonly used)
3. Beer (Sapporo beer being incredibly world-famous, of course but there is also Kirin beer that originates in Hokkaido)
4. Yubari Melon (currently not in season, so I didn't have any, but had the flavor in a drink, which was pretty authentic, according to Masaki)
5. Ramen (basically invented in Hokkaido)
6. Seafood (specifically crab of many varieties)
7. Salmon
8. Bear (didn't eat any, but they eat it in Japan and it comes from Hokkaido)
9. Wheat and pastries
10. Chocolate (partially because of the quality of milk)
11. Potatoes and sweet potatoes.

This is in no particular order.
Basically the entire island is just a paradise of flavor.

More on that later.