Grad Trip - Japan, Hokkaido

Day 4 in Hokkaido.

First, to Otaru! The place where they sell glass and musical boxes. The whole street was super long and we wished we had more time, cause its a good place to buy nice souvenirs. This was the most rushing part of our journey.


We also spent some time in this shop where the coffee was really good! We can take the cups back after finishing the drink. :) Feels like we're buying the cups instead. Lovely Kitty cups!


Lunch - smoked fish with other dishes.


The Otaru Canal

Then we travelled to Sapporo. Bai se lian ren factory!!! This chocolate factory is very famous in Japan, and maybe over the world too. They are very branded. Other companies try to copy them and gave similar names to their chocolates but they are still the most popular. I love their chocolate, which is covered with 2 layers of biscuits. It is delicious. Part of why I really wanna come to Japan is to grab these chocolates back! The other time when Daryl came, they got to visit the factory and see how they make them but now we don't get to visit it anymore.

The factory is beautiful, and its outside is like a big beautiful garden.

Then we went to the Sapporo TV Tower.

There were also many pretty flowers in its surroundings.

Dinner!


Night shopping

Day 5 was shopping and then taking the plane back to Tokyo. Then we continued to shop at a factory outlet. And then we stayed at the ANA Crowne Plaza, a real high class hotel!

On Day 6 we explored the shopping area at Narita (Jusco, 100 yen shop, UniQLo). Then after which we said goodbye to our tour group ppl at the airport and travelled to Tokyo ourselves. :)

Grad Trip - Japan, Hokkaido

Day 3 in Hokkaido

First up was visiting the Ninja place.

In there, there was a zhao cai mao temple. There were also other performances and we also went to a maze where we had to find our way out through many doors and dizzy slanting paths. Actually it was rather easy to find our way out but out tourguide blocked the exit the first time round and we thought it was the wrong way and a dead end. Haha.

Lunch - big steamboat

Garden outside restaurant. Pretty red tree :)

Pu gong ying

Spent about 3 hours travelling to Furano to visit the Lavender Farm (Farm Tomita ). Too bad the season is not here yet (July). We only got to see one row of lavenders, but i guess its better than nothing! Love the purple.

There were many rows of these pretty flowers - white, yellow, orange. But I still don't know the name of these flowers. Anyone help?

click on it for a larger photo

We stopped by this shop called "Ampanman Shop". It is supposedly famous and popular among japanese. It is a cartoon character created by the japs. Quite funny looking character.

Dumb faces.

Buffet dinner. Crab legs!!!

Grad Trip - Japan, Hokkaido

Day 2 in Hokkaido - Probably the most fruitful day in the entire trip. We really did many things in a day and ate many fruits!

In the morning, just outside the hotel... the place looked heavenly as the clouds covered the hills beside the lake.




Beautiful flowers outside


First, a cruise at Lake Toya


to Hokkaido National Park

Deers!!

The castle ship that we took

See that little island behind? It's the smallest among the 3 there. The one that I was standing on is the biggest.

Ice-cream making at Lake Hill Farm. It was surprising that ice-cream could be hand made! I always thought that ice-cream could only be made by machine. It wasn't too difficult to make after all. It was definitely fun and we got to eat our own ice-cream. Yumm.

I've the recipe!!

Teppanyaki lunch


Apple trees

Highlight of the day!! Picking strawberries! Firstly, strawberries are expensive. Secondly, Daryl and I love strawberries. Thirdly, we got to cut any big juicy strawberries that we wanted to eat. Fourthly, it was a strawberry buffet! Fifth, there were rows and rows of strawberries.

We could eat all we wanted and of course by the end, my stomach was bulging with fibre. We could just eat them without washing cause they did not have pesticide or chemicals on them. Yummy! They were BIG, SWEET, RED and juicy! Simply loved it.

I will always remember this strawberries moment.

Flowers near the strawberry garden.

Hell Valley in Noboribetsu. It was really smelly! Sulphur!!

After that we had our own free time to shop along the street near our hotel. We crazily bought many many souvenirs over here.

Sumptuous dinner again!! And then it was wen quan time before a piggie's sleep.