Travelife Magazine's Special HOKKAIDO Feature

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 3

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TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE witnesses Sapporo’s multifaceted offerings

Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, has long attracted ski enthusiasts the world over because of its powder snow. Recently, however, it has slowly been gaining a reputation for being a prime year-round holiday destination.

MODEL Xxxxx

Its capital, Sapporo, is an urban city with a leisurely vibe and just the right balance of nature, history, culture, and adventure. One can experience the best of Japanese cuisine while surrounded by lush greenery in and around the city, amidst landmarks that chronicle its young and still evolving history. Meanwhile, the ski resorts, hot springs, and other natural landscapes showcasing Hokkaido’s multifaceted charms are all just a short drive away.

Photography Bryan Arevalo and Ceia Ylagan Special thanks to XXXXXX

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The Heart of the City

At the center of Sapporo is Odori Park, a long stretch of public space that divides the city into north and south with the Sapporo TV Tower at one end.

This park is an example of the city’s well-thought of layout, interspersed with patches of greenery, playgrounds, and art installations. The park’s perimeters are lined with trees that change colors along with the seasons.

Where Time Stands Still

Built in 1878, the Old Clock Tower is one of Sapporo’s first buildings. It was originally a theater hall for the Sapporo Agricultural School, an educational institution established to help set up what is now Hokkaido’s very successful and profitable farming and dairy industry. The clock still chimes every hour, while an exhibition hall and museum inside serves as a record of local history.

A Red Brick Office

Hokkaido’s young history has been greatly influenced by its American visitors in the 19th century, as evidenced by local structures like the Old Government Building. This 80-year-old building has survived multiple fires and its bright red brick façade has literally stood the test of time.

Traditional kimono and styling courtesy of Minako Sakamoto.

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HOKKAIDO

Japan’s

LAST FRONTIER CEIA YLAGAN marvels at Hokkaido’s changing autumn landscapes

Sapporo is laid out simply

and efficiently with a gridlike layout reminiscent of

Manhattan, but definitely less gritty. Think of it as

New York’s friendlier and mellower counterpart.

PHOTO BY BRYAN AREVALO

I

t was a chilly October afternoon when we landed in Hokkaido, Japan’s second largest island, and also its most remote, on a whirlwind decision of a visit discussed, settled and arranged all in two weeks. Consequently, there was no room for preconceived notions, nor time to expect anything except the colors of autumn and – with a local festival in full swing – hearty good food.

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HOKKAIDO

Land of Bounty

Hokkaido is home to the Ainu, an indigenous people who have reportedly been inhabiting the island since as far back as as 700 AD. While there are still some Ainu descendants in the northern part of the island, as well as pocket Ainu villages dotted around the island that now function as tourist attractions, the rest of Hokkaido has a fairly young historical tale to tell.

Hokkaido’s dense forests, deep gorges, vast plains and valleys, and picturesque mountain rangess have borne witness to its changing natural landscape; and more so, its evolution from a remote, undiscovered island at the northernmost point of Japan into the diverse and culturally rich travel destination that now attracts travelers the world over.

In a Nutshell

Hokkaido’s history can be divided into the ancient past and the ever-evolving present: from a legendary god who carried the world on his shoulders to the modern men who built Hokkaido into an influential agricultural player.

Hokkaido accounts for 22% of Japan’s total land mass and addresses over XX% of Japan’s overall food requirements. The latter is no mean feat, considering the island’s 83,457 square kilometer land area consists mostly of mountains ranges, rolling hills and still largely unexplored terrain.

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A VERDANT METAMORPHOSIS Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital, is unlike other cities in mainland Japan. It exudes an urban vibe but without the frenetic pace typically found in the larger and more cosmopolitan cities. Established in 1866, it’s laid out simply and efficiently with a grid-like layout reminiscent of Manhattan, but definitely less gritty. Think of it as New York’s friendlier and mellower counterpart.

HEART OF THE CITY It’s impossible to get lost in Sapporo and spending a day here can literally be a stroll in the park. Odori Park is at the heart of Sapporo, a stretch of land segmented into blocks that divide the city into east and west.

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At the east end is the 147-meter high TV tower, erected in 1957 and boasting of one of the best views of the city. To the west is a sunken garden with over 30 varieties of roses and the Sapporo City Archive Museum that marks the end of the park.

In between are playgrounds, fountains, and patches of land perfect for lazing around on the grass.

It’s a colorful spectacle of nature’s grand design – literally an exhibition of the changing seasons. When we were there, the leaves were slowly turning from vivid greens into pale celadon hues, with a smattering of reds, browns, and an occasional gold and yellow here and there. It was a symphony of colors that showcased a transition in time – of life changing every second, of evolution taking place at a leisurely pace. We arrived just in time to see summer giving way to fall.

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AN EXHIBIT OF GUSTATORY DELIGHTS Odori Park hosts festivals all year round.

It’s best known for the Winter Festival in February, of course, but the Sapporo Autumn Festival is also not to be missed because the best of Hokkaido’s local products – from seasonal produce to dairy goods, meats and seafood, and locally brewed beer and sake – are showcased throughout the park.

Local farmers, winegrowers, food manufacturers, and restaurateurs set up booths along the perimeters, and everyone is in a festive mood. On the day we were there, the sunny yet cool weather was ideal for an al fresco set-up, and despite the shortage of seating, people ate while standing or else plopped themselves on the grass.

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The aroma of grilled meats mingled with the scent of scalding hot oil frying golden pieces of crispy chicken and the hot broth for Sapporo’s famous miso ramen, making us almost deliriously hungry. We sampled plump scallops and oysters, simply grilled and unseasoned so that its natural sweetness came through, mounds of fleshy sea urchin uni on bowls of steaming rice, and thick claws of Hokkaido’s famous hairy crab served with soup. One day just wasn’t enough to fully experience the Autumn Festival’s myriad offerings.

ESCAPE INTO NATURE’S WARM EMBRACE With autumn descending rapidly on us, a traditional Japanese bath was in order, especially as Hokkaido’s mountainous topography has gifted it with numerous hot springs, many a short drive from the capital. www.travelife.biz

Dinner on ou r first night was a filling ya kiniku feast at Gyu ka ku Susu kino (Tel 81-11-784-4129) a fitting introdu ction into the epicu rea n adventu res that awaited us in Hokkaido. After indulging in a va riety of grilled meats, we set off on foot to check out the city at night.

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HOKKAIDO As I submerged myself into the steaming hot water with just a tiny towel to cover me modestly, I wondered if Japanese women ever had to struggle with body image and weight issues. In the almost scalding hot waters of the onsen, I realized how trivial and foolish it is to be constantly conscious of looks, weight, and body size.

40 minutes away is Jozankei, a town popular with locals for its sodium chloriderich waters. A monk named Miizumi Jozan reportedly discovered the hot springs and its healing properties in the mid-1800s. He developed the land around the area and brought many sick people to heal in the waters.

NAKED AMBITIONS The idea of visiting an onsen may initially seem daunting. You share a public bath and everyone takes off every piece of clothing prior to entering the bath. Then there’s the bath water itself, which can go as high in temperature as 42 degrees Celsius. But after getting past these apprehensions, an onsen can be a rejuvenating and healing experience, and a much-loved past time in Japan.

BACK IN A DREAM Interesting stone sculptures are scattered around Jozankei, representing the kappa, Jozankei’s local mascot.

Legends about it are rooted in the tale of a lost boy who drowned in the nearby Toyohira River. The young boy reappeared in his father’s dream a year later to say he was happily living with a goblin wife and their child.

My thoughts wandered off to more important things such as self-acceptance, more travel adventures, and becoming a better person. The more I grew comfortable in exposing my physique to others, the more accepting I became of myself – flaws and all. It was an eyeopening experience, to say the least.

It’s All in the Mind

The first time one enters an onsen is obviously a litmus test of one’s positive body image. There is simply no room to feel self-conscious, particularly when one has to learn the proper onsen etiquette.

Respect is key – not just for others’ personal space and privacy, but also for your own body, when you realize how relaxing and even meditative the onsen can be.

Doing One’s Part

SWEET TEMPTATIONS No trip to Hokkaido is complete without trying their famous sweets, made from milk drawn from local sheep and cows bred on fresh spring water and good grass.

Dairy products from this region are known for their delicate and refined taste and Hokkaido is now the the base for some of the Asia’s well-loved brands including Royce chocolates and Shiroi Koibito cookies.

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After a long day exploring the countryside, we ended it in the most unique way, with our tired feet soaking in steaming hot springs overlooking Jozankei, sampling some of Hokkaido’s famous ice cream.

It was a chilly 10-degree evening, but we didn’t care as we licked our spoons, exhaustion slowly melting away in the process.

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The onsen also made me appreciate the Japanese penchant for cleanliness and hygiene. Upon entering the onsen’s locker room, one must take off footwear and set them aside neatly. The locker rooms are tidy, and every person helps keep things in order.

While some onsen have lockers with locks, others simply have cubby holes or baskets for personal items. Every one takes off their clothes, shedding inhibitions along the way.

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HOKKAIDO

CITY WITH A VIEW Climbing up the Sapporo TV Tower is the best way to appreciate the city, while the most romantic view of Sapporo is from the Fushimi Rose Garden on the western side of the city. Originally a lush rose garden, this has been rebuilt into a chapel and venue for weddings. The 180-degree view of Sapporo is framed by greenery that’s vividly verdant in spring and summer, and varying shades of gold in autumn.

WHEN ART MEETS FUNCTION AND NATURE Moerenuma Park (www.sapporo-park. or.jp/moere) is a former waste treatment plant that has been transformed into a lovely park full of outdoor sculptures designed by Isamu Noguchi, melding together architectural and ecological concepts. Noguchi’s dream of creating a park that is also a “complete structure” was realized after his passing, and now it is a symbol of environmental preservation amidst art and urban development.

SWEET TREATS Hokkaido is known around the world for its delectable chocolates, biscuits, and confectionery which uses the best dairy prodcuts from the region. Every year, Sapporo Sweets holds a confectionery-making competition for pastry chefs around Hokkaido using a specially chosen ingredient that is found only in the region. The winner for the

Sapporo Sweets 2015 Gran Prix Competition was Hiroshi Kondo’s “Sapporo Rice Sweets,” a delicate dessert made of Hokkaido rice mousse encased in rhubarb and strawberry compote, topped with fresh cream. Sample the award-winning desserts at Sapporo Sweets Café in the Sapporo Underground Shopping Mall. www.sapporo-sweets-cafe.jp

Flavors of Hokkaido

Hokkaido is an ideal foodie paradise. The island has clean spring waters and verdant pastures, and it’s surrounded by cool waters where rich marine life thrives, resulting in an abundance of seafood, livestock and crops.

Here 4 kinds of food you shouldn’t miss while in Hokkaido:

Seafood SHOPPING STOPOVER

Temple Run

Sapporo’s Hokkaido Shrine was initially built in 1869 for three deities: Okunitama, Okuninushi, and Sukunahikona. In 1964, the Meiji emperor’s soul was enshrined there as well.

Shrines and temples have great historical and religious significance. In a rite of passage called shichi-go-san, held usually in November, families traditionally bring children to the local shrine for a blessing when they turn 3, 5, or 7 years old.

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Sapporo, much like other Japanese cities, is great for tax-free shopping.

Daimaru Department Store and Mitsui Outlet Park are popular commercial complexes frequented by locals and tourists looking for well-known highend brands including Louis Vuitton, Salvatorre Ferragamo, Shiseido, and Ralph Lauren.

Don’t miss the food basement of Daimaru Department Store and the Hokkaido Farmers’ Village Cooperative at Mitsui Outlet Park for Hokkaido specialties to bring home from your trip.

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Head to the local seafood market for freshlycaught crabs of all varieties. Also look for plump oysters, scallops, and other shellfish that are best enjoyed lightly grilled with nary a seasoning – the seafood is naturally sweet and tastes so vividly of the ocean!

Rice

A staple in Japanese cuisine, the Nanatsuboshi and Yumepirika varieties grown in Hokkaido have received the Toku-A ranking, the highest ranking possible given by the Japan Grain Inspection Association.

These rice are plumper, glossier, and stickier than other rice varieties, with a balanced sweetness. Hokkaido rice is also used for making sake.

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Sake

Hokkaido sake is highly acclaimed because of its good rice and water, both of which add to the delicate quality of local sake. Otokoyama Sake Brewery (www.otokoyama.com) in Asahikawa makes some of the best sake varieties, using mineral-rich water from the Daisetsu mountains, coupled with centuries old-production techniques.

Dairy products

Local livestock are not only prized in Hokkaido for the meat, but also for the milk used to make premium quality cheese, butter, and ice cream.

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Sapporo’s Odori Park is a colorful

HOKKAIDO

spectacle of nature’s grand design

Steaming Goodness

– literally an exhibition of the changing seasons.

Ramen is affordable and filling – no wonder it’s a great favorite of everyone.

Every region in Japan has its own version and Sapporo is particularly known for its noodles made with miso.

Here’s how to choose and create the perfect ramen for you:

1

Choose the broth. This comes in four kinds: miso, shoyu, shio (salt), and tonkotsu (pork bone).

2

Handmade noodles are best. Noodles can be soft, medium, or hard. Most ramen shops use pre-manufactured noodles, but the best ramen shops make their own first thing in the morning.

Foodie Notebook Seafood

Head for Nanda Seafood Buffet Restaurant (Tel +81-11- 532-7887 ) for a true smorgasbord of offerings including king crabs, snow crabs, hairy crabs, scallops, and fish, to a beef, lamb, pork, and chicken marinated in different ways.

Cap your meal with Hokkaido ice cream, yogurt, or local melons, famous throughout Japan for their sweetness. It’s best to strategize your dining plans, though, as diners only have 70 minutes to enjoy the seemingly unending spread.

Grilled Meats

Enjoy a yakiniku meal at Gyu Kaku Japanese BBQ (gyukaku.ne.jp). A yakiniku is a Japanese barbecue-style restaurant where bite-size pieces of different beef or pork meat cuts are grilled on a gas, charcoal, or electric grill. These are best paired with seasonal vegetables and a cold glass of Sapporo beer.

Genghis Khan Barbecue

Grill your way through a savory Genghis Khan mutton barbecue at Matsujin (Tel +81 11-219-2989). The mutton is served raw with a selection of vegetable sides that are cooked on a tabletop grill while being regularly basted with Genghis Khan sauce to add a caramellike sweet-salty seasoning.

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Curry

To beat the chilly autumn weather, savor the hot and spicy goodness of a soup curry from Sama Curry & Café (www.hb-sama.com). This Hokkaido DIY version reportedly dates back to the 1970s but only became popular recently.

A selection of flavor bases such tomato, coconut, or shrimp is offered, and diners can choose the level of spiciness for their soup from 1 to 30, as well as the kind of meat (pork, seafood, chicken, or natto) they’d like in it.

3

Pick the toppings or add-ons. These include nori (dried seaweed), chasiu (pork slices), green onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and boiled eggs.

4

Sample the soup first. There will be condiments available for seasoning the ramen such as garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, but it’s best to try the soup first before adding these flavorings.

PS: Slurping is highly recommended.

Slurping your ramen is highly encouraged as this proves you are enjoying your meal.

On a more practical note, it also helps cool the noodles and broth as you eat it.

Coffee

If you’re passing through Higashikawa, stop by Roaster Coaster (www.facebook. com/roastercoaster.jp) coffee shop for a cup of java. Their 2291 blend, named after Hokkaido’s highest peak, the Asahi-dake, is a medium-bodied roast that’s slightly nutty and mildly citrusy.

Ramen

And finally, don’t leave Sapporo without relishing a bowl of miso or shoyu ramen from Tetsuya Noodles (tetsuya-noodles.com). The perfectly al dente noodles in a hot savory broth flavored with miso or shoyu (soy sauce), topped with chasiu pork and tamago, is the ideal way to end a tiring day of sightseeing in Hokkaido.

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A Feast

OF AUTUMN’S BOUNTY Savor the best of autumn’s bountiful harvest at the Sapporo Autumn Festival.

This annual event held from midSeptember to early October at Odori Park attracts thousands of visitors, as it showcases a colorful array of local produce, a variety of artisanal products made especially in Hokkaido such as cheeses, wine, and confectionary, alongside hundreds of booths that serve the sumptuous and delectable dishes made especially in Hokkaido. Savor a steaming bowl of Sapporo ramen, taste the freshest catch of the world-renown Hokkaido seafood, and sample glasses of Hokkaido’s wine and beer, which are gaining quite a reputation worldwide.

SHADES OF AUTUMN THINKING OUT OF THE BOX Sapporo is becoming wellknown for having some of the world’s best desserts. A popular local coffee shop called the Sapporo Sweets Café hosts an annual competition for local pastry chefs and patisseries. Participants are tasked with creating a delicious sweet using an ingredient, oftentimes unusual and difficult, resulting in the most unusual and innovative desserts. For example, last year’s ingredient on spotlight was Hokkaido rice, one of the world’s premium varieties.

On the way to Asahikawa, Hokkaido’s second largest city, we passed rice paddies and fruit and flower plantations, and everywhere the leaves around us were slowly turning into varying shades of red and gold – a lovely sight of everchanging colors.

Yet, by the time we reached Asahikawa, some trees were almost bare and skeletal.

The landscape had changed from lush to barren, and as we reached the Sounkyo Ropeway in Daisetsuzan, we received word that the highest peak had already received its first snowfall for the year.

The festival starts from Odori Park’s TV tower, all through 12 blocks of the park, until the Sapporo Shiryokan. Visitors can relish the food and drinks exhibited throughout the park while basking in the sun, laying on the grass, or under the tents set-up throughout the park while enjoying live musical performances by local artists and musicians. www.sapporo-autumnfest.jp

Autumn arrives early in Hokkaido, and as the leaves shed to give way to winter, there is a mixture of gladness for bountiful harvests and also of melancholy for life in its many forms reaching the end. It is nature’s paradoxical reminder of the jubilation of birth and the inevitability of death – of how both can bring joy and contemplative nostalgia.

There truly is an undeniable beauty in autumn that John Keats himself decribes as a “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.” n

Special thanks to the Hokkaido District Transport Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the City of Sapporo.

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Navigate Yourself: Hokkaido

EXCHANGE RATE 1 US Dollar = 121.135 Japanese Yen

HOW TO GET THERE ANA, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Korean Air operate flights to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport.

WHEN TO GO Hokkaido is an ideal destination in any season. Summer is cool while autumn (late September through early December) is wonderful for the changing colors of the leaves. Winter is also extremely popular because of the good quality of Hokkaido’s powder snow for skiing, and for Sapporo’s Winter Festival and various other illumination events.

WHERE TO STAY

ANA Hotel Sapporo

Sip a cocktail and admire the cityscape from the Sky Lounge Sapporo View on the 26th floor. This hotel also has a beautiful display of paintings by Hokkaido artists in its lobby. www.anahotel-sapporo.co.jp

JR Towr Hotel Nikko Sapporo

Connected to the JR Sapporo Station and located on top of a building known as the tallest in northern Japan, this hotel offers state-of-the-art hot springs facilities using a natural spring below the train station itself. www.jrhotels.co.jp/tower

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Traveler’s C hecklist Jozankei Tsuruga Resort Spa Mori No Uta

Inspired by the verdant forests of Hokkaido, this resort spa brings the lush beauty of the wild inside with its unique interiors. The Forest Buffet offers a sumptuous spread which can be enjoyed while admiring the picturesque Jozankei Forest. www.morino-uta.com

WHERE TO EAT

Moliere

Menya Saimi

Just eight minutes away from the Misono Subway Station in Sapporo, Menya Saimi offers five ramen flavors with miso and spicy miso as the bestsellers. The flavorful broth, thick noodles, and meaty toppings keep diners coming back, so be prepared for long queues to get into one of the best ramen places in Sapporo.

Misono 10-5-3, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo

Soup Curry Samurai

Sophisticated French cuisine made with the best ingredients of Hokkaido. With cozy interiors and views of the Maruyama Park, this Michelin-rated restaurant is run by a celebrity chef based on a seasonal menu. www.sapporo-moliere.com

This is arguably the best soup curry restaurant in Sapporo. It’s also an enjoyable experience as you tailor-make your concoction by choosing the soup curry and ingredients, and even the spice level and volume of rice. samurai-curry.com

Susukino Sushikin

Sapporo Beer Garden

This local favorite near the Sapporo subway station offers top quality sushi using the freshest seafood. 4-5-4 Minami 4-jyo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi

Jingisukan Daruma Rokuyon

With numerous branches all over Sapporo, it’s impossible to miss this restaurant that specializes in the local favorite, charcoal-grilled lamb served with onions and bell peppers.

Tel. +81-11-533-8929

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Located in the historic Genghis Khan Hall, built during the Meiji Era, this restaurant is among the city’s most famous. It offers an authentic atmosphere, complete with curving ceiling and a large fireplace, and an extensive menu headlined by everyone’s favorite barbecued lamb.

Pair this meal with – what else, but – a cold Sapporo beer. www.sapporo-bier-garten.jp

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