The husband, the sister and I woke up to meet for a run. Especially after our we-make-gluttons-look-ungreedy-dinner
yesterday, it was truly time to
try to balance our intake-versus-output. It definitely took some effort, but up we got and off we went.
I expected the weather to be colder, and was happy I managed to wear my new Nike long-sleeved top that I got just the day before; but it turned out to be really sunny and hot with no winds and it turned out to be pretty dry. The route was also quite boring as we ran on tarmac and pebbled walkways. The most interesting thing was observing Japanese homes.. they are somewhat similar yet not. Quite odd. We managed to clock 6km and it was also this morning that the sister educated me that the Nike app on the phone
does not require internet to work. GASP.
After the run, we split up and washed up and the husband and I were (
surprise surprise) last to meet at the lobby. The sister and her busband made good of their waiting time by doing coffee run! Yay to fellow coffee-lovers! With our coffees in hand, we headed back to the Sapporo market for breakfast. We decided that there was ample places we could visit to fuel ourselves with unnecessarily amounts of raw fish and Japanese goodness.
 |
| Happy cup |
 |
| Enroute to breakfast |
This time, both cars parked at the same place and we crossed the street to the other side to venture our options. Again, we were distracted by melons and snacks... but we still made it to this random restaurant picked.
 |
| Mmmmmm |
 |
| MMmmmmmmm |
Truly, the food tasted as good as it looked. I always have a good time eating with the husband because he tends to order a lot (yay) and we are greedy like that. Abundance is blessing!
Burp.
 |
| Heading to our vehicles post-breakfast |
Next stop, the white-chocolate-biscuit-factory. The husband and I have been before, but we were happy to go again with the family. Especially so with the children, as there were activities that they could engage in.
 |
| Dunno why this fountain is a photo opp but it is! |
 |
| Observing the factory food-chain |
We looked through glass panels to observe how the cookies were made through the machinery, like clockwork. It was quite fascinating to watch. Even better when we also got a cookie to eat. We paid for this cookie-decorating activity, look how happy the kids are.
 |
| All cleaned up and ready to start! |
 |
| Hard at work |
 |
| Look at the serious face |
 |
| Chocolate is for decorating... and eating |
 |
| With their final products |
 |
| Family shot. Happy Halloween at Shiroi Koibito Parks! |
While we accompanied the children, the rest of the family went to explore the rest of the factory. There was a giant mart with different types of cookies; and soft-serve. We enjoyed the cool winds, lovely weather and ice-cream and chilled for a bit.
 |
| yummm. |
 |
| Family |
After the factory that entertained the children, we headed to our next destination - a factory for adults; a whisky factory. The drive was quite long.... and thankfully the kid managed to nap some.
 |
| Sight for sore eyes |
We drove by the sea and it was beautiful!
 |
| Beautiful ocean driv |
After an hour+, we arrived.
 |
| Nikka Whisky |
This was definitely a highlight - anything that involves tasting (cookies then alcohol) was perfect for our little group. There were conducted tours which were not exactly helpful for us because they were conducted in Japanese only, so we opted for the free-and-easy-browse about. Honestly, I missed a whole chunk of this because I just did not truly understand how it was done. Some grain, some processing, some casks... some output. Ha!
 |
| Cheers to whisky! |
The highlight was definitely the tasting session! Every adult of drinking age was allowed to test-taste 3 different samplers of whisky.
 |
| Receiving our samplers |
 |
| 1, 2, 3. |
 |
| Who's the happy boy! |
Although I was not a fan of whisky, I still enjoyed drinking these! The husband and B were probably the happiest because they actually like the drink and were going on about how 'smooth' or 'fragrant' or... whatever. I just enjoyed the alcohol in the afternoon giving me a healthy buzz... ah, gotta love the holiday life (no, I am not alcoholic).
Besides the free tasters, there was also a drinking bar where you could pay to taste more exquisite whisky. The husband caved after hearing how awesome it was from the B who tried a rich-drink from the bar. So back we went to the club to taste more whisky.
 |
| Whisky club (its darkness made it seem even more bespoke) |
 |
| Happiness |
 |
| The special whisky |
I took a sip of the husband's and while I do not appreciate whisky, I must say it was still very enjoyable. It was also very strong. After inhaling happiness, we headed back to the gift shop and this was one time the husband was quick to pick up his wares.
 |
| Shopping suited for the man |
By this stage, we had not had proper lunch. Everyone had been snacking in bits and bobs through the car rides with accompanying snacks while tasting whisky (
for the record, the children had water and apple juice. Responsible adults we are.) We decided not to stop anywhere because we still had a relatively long drive to Otaru, the nearby town. So, off we went.
The sister had planned for a canal ride and even though I know it is an attraction, I decided to give it a miss. I'm susceptible to vertigo and I did not want to risk suffering from it so early on the trip. The husband opted to accompany me. We bade them farewell as they went off for the boat ride, but not after we hunted down some street softserve. Eating ice-cream in cool weather is the best thing ever!
 |
| Boat ride in the canal into the sunset |
Meanwhile, the husband and I decided to look for proper food. He was determined to locate good ramen (him and his ramen!) so we went. The first place we located was closed - boo. Undeterred, we continued to search until we chanced upon this shop that... was empty. I was a bit hesitant if it would be good but after walking till sunset, I was just ready to sit down.
Turned out to be a pretty good choice!
 |
| Finally, food! |
 |
| Rich, tasty broth. So good. |
It felt really nice and chill to have hot ramen in cold weather. Truly such a nice feeling. The husband and I had time to spare so we ate slowly, unwound before heading back to the canal-side to wait for the family. I must mention here that even though it was quite chilly, there were these men who were dressed in tiny shorts and kimono tops whose jobs were to pull rickshaws. And they ran with passengers in them! It was quite a sight and I did not take any pics, but let's just say that it was kinda like our Singaporean-type of trishaw (except pulled by men on legs and not bicycle), plus these men were young and very fit. It kinda seemed like they themselves were a kind of an attraction, how bizarre.
After we met with the family, we introduced them to the stretch of shops we saw and they opted to have ramen at this tiny hole-in-the-wall. It sat a total of 6 people at full capacity. How quaint.
 |
| I had to take a pic from the outside because there was no space! |
The reco turned out to be very, very well-received. After the cool cruise, the family was very happy to tuck into a hot bowl of soupy noodles. YUM. We headed back to our vehicles which were conveniently parked next to the mart and as always, topped up our personal pantry stash to gear up for our nightly party.
 |
| Snack basket - never turn up to another's room empty handed |
 |
| It was our last night in Hokkaido so the kids got to stay up too |
We never stop eating |
|
Just like that, we have come to the end of our days in Hokkaido. Was it amazing? YAS. Did we eat a lot? YAS. Did everyone have a good time? YAS.
Though the getting to Hokkaido was quite rough, the full days we spent was nice that we all got to unwind and get right into the holiday mode. The sister was lamenting that she usually takes a while, but I thought it was quite easy for me to ease right into it because we were altogether, talking and laughing all day long; we did not restrict our activities or diet, just doing what we wanted to do or had planned to.
Our nightly routine of holding an in-house party in each room also organically became the norm and that was another precious moment that I'll hold dear to my heart - it allowed the adults to just hang and chill, and it is definitely something we cannot take for granted because we seldom have this leisurely time/opportunity to do so at home.
I definitely went to bed with a full heart (and tummy).
YAS !!!
ReplyDelete