Day 8 - Sapporo Sushi

Photos Here!

It was a loooong time before we ate again.
Comparatively.

We were going to save our stomachs for some sushi. Masaki was going on another stint of not eating. But. I had to cave this time.
We walked past a bakery and it smelled so good, I had to get some pastries.

Masaki kept saying, "you're going to regret it! We're having sushi for lunch and you'll wish you could eat more."
But, I regret nothing. Those pastries were good.

Apparently, most people don't have ovens in their houses in Japan, so a lot of people don't bake. Therefore there are many bakeries.

I have to say, the pastries are super good. But there is a place in Idaho that's just as good, if not better. However, they don't have as large a variety as the bakeries in Japan.
But the Pie Safe in Deary, Idaho has world-class baked goods. I mean, I haven't eaten anything better anywhere else in the world.
Just as good, yes. Better, no.

Anyway, just a little bit of pride that somewhere in a small town in Idaho has that much pride in their goods.

Tasting, seeing, observing, and experiencing the hard work of other people is so inspiring and gratifying. I know that sounds a little cliche, but I really mean it. It goes beyond wanting to cook better. I want to live better, too. It's really hard to describe... But, it makes it seem like possibilities are within my grasp.
Food changed the way I look at the world.
Which sounds so over-the-top, now that I type it out...

We went to the sushi place that we tried to get into the first day in Sapporo. The one with an hour and a half wait.
We showed up earlier, thinking we would beat the rush.
Nope.
Even more people were in line, and it was an hour and a half wait.
So, we wandered around the mall until it was time.

If there is any sushi that tastes better than that sushi, I can't imagine it.
Whole. 'nother. Level.

Once again: impossible to describe.
Sensations are already difficult to describe. Trying to describe them with no comparison or frame of reference is even harder.
So, I don't even know where to begin.

Here are some words I've tried to formulate...
Pillows of flavor.
Heartwarming salmon, that has a hint of smokey flavor, like the smell of a fireplace at a romantic lodge in the mountains after a long hike through forests.
Comfort, like a hug you feel all the way to your core.
Satisfaction, like a great accomplishment after years of toil.
Relaxation, like getting a massage for the first time.

That's about it.
Once again, doesn't do it justice.

Anyway,
after that life-altering experience, we went to find the "Happy 150th Birthday of Hokkaido" ice sculpture. Which was huge.

Hokkaido's animal is a fox and it's adorable.
Next time we come to Japan, we may easily just spend the entire time in Hokkaido. We were only in once city and there is something special about every town in Hokkaido.

After we found that, we wanted to go see a different part of the Winter Festival that was in a suburb of Sapporo.
We got on a train and took off.

We arrived and stepped outside.
It. Was. Frigid.
The festival location was, according to the map, a 15 minute walk away, but didn't clearly show where it was or how to get there.
And the last shuttle had left for the day.

The map said North West, so we started walking North and West.
And we walked some more.
And some more...
No festival site in sight.
It's getting a little dark.
Ummm...
"Hannah is trying to get us lost, Wayne." Said, Masaki.
All day they had been teasing me and trying to annoy me.
Masaki said I had tricked them and was going to leave them to freeze to death, lost in Sapporo.
That is, until a kind Japanese lady foiled my devious plan.

We were standing on the sidewalk, trying to figure out why we couldn't see the festival yet. We were walking in the right direction for about 15 minutes.
A lady saw us and came bundling out of her house.
"are you lost?"
"Yes."
She asked us where we were going. So, we told her and she gave us this face like, "oh, no, that's not good."
Apparently the site was VERY far away. According to her, a 45 minute walk.
She said she was worried when she saw us because she thought we might be in trouble or something.

The fact she came outside to check on us in the freezing cold was just too nice.

Basically, she told us, "just go home... it's too far."
So, we thanked her for her help and sage advice and did what she told us and turned around and went back to the station.
We spent like 10 bucks to go get lost in the cold.

It was actually pretty fun, though.

Since we had to split our time in Sapporo between two hotels, we went back to the station and picked up our bags from the 24 hour storage locker.
And went and walked in the cold some more to our next hotel, the Premier Hotel Tsubaki.
We had to walk through the hipster side of Sapporo to get there.
Tiny dive bars called things like "Lady Luck" and "Mr. Fubar's" and shops selling antique light fixtures and hand-made lamps = hipster town.
Past hipster town, though, was a super upscale part of town across the river, looking out over downtown Sapporo, which is really pretty at night.

In the hotel is a Chinese restaurant that was placed on the Michelin guide to Sapporo.
We had the special guests' 7 and 8 course dinners.

There was a violin player for a little while. It was a Wednesday, so it was rather slow. There were only 3 people besides us, I think.

Everything was incredibly delightful.
It was nice to eat something different.
Don't get me wrong: Japanese food is awesome.
But so is Chinese food. I'm glad we were able to experience both.
It was pretty traditional Chinese.
Fun fact, sweet and sour sauce is really dark, almost black.
Also, everything has a sauce to go with it.
In Japanese and Chinese.
Every dish has a different, correct sauce. I can't remember the names of all of them, but if the right sauce isn't on it, it's not that thing, but something else.

It would be like putting ranch on a reuben. It's just not a reuben anymore, is it?

Wayne and I visited the Chinese place by ourselves. Masaki didn't want to eat Chinese, so we just went.
We had a private room to ourselves.
The jasmine tea was pink.
The waiters were incredibly nice. And the decor had a wonderful charm to it.

A lot of people said the hotel is "dated".
However.
I argue it has an aesthetic that is no longer in style, but still is super classy.
Not trendy, but makes you feel pretty special nevertheless.

I liked it. It was like one of those places in a design book you read about as being the typifying art of an era.

I felt very underdressed. But I didn't take any fancy clothes with me. I didn't know the hotel was that freakin' fancy.
I should have been wearing and evening gown to match it, but that's okay, I guess. I mean, I was in a room, so no one saw me, anyway, except the waiters.

Anyway, every course was delicious, and they gave us plates each time to share with each other, which was really cool.

It was a great end to the day.