Tuesday, October 6, 2015

(Japan Jan 2015) Day 12: Tomamu to Sapporo. Visit Sapporo. Stay at Sapporo

Day 12 (3 Feb): Tomamu to Sapporo. Visit Sapporo. Stay at Sapporo.

This day's itinerary:
(Day 11 of our 14 days JR Railpass)
0905-1051 Tomamu to Sapporo via Ltd Exp train 
Deposit luggage at hotel near Sapporo station
15mins bus ride from Sapporo station's north exit to Sapporo Beer museum
Visit Sapporo Beer museum
15mins bus ride from Sapporo Beer museum to Sapporo station
Buy some food from Daimaru dept store food hall
Sapporo to Miyanosawa station (transfer at Odori station) via subway (about 20mins)
Walk 15mins from Miyanosawa station to Ishiya factory
Visit Ishiya factory
Miyanosawa station to Sapporo station (transfer at Odori station) via subway (about 20mins)
Dinner at Kani honke

View from our room in the morning
 After we had breakfast at our hotel at Tomamu, we checked-out and took the resort's free shuttle bus to Tomamu station. It's just a short 5mins bus ride.
Inside Tomamu station.
 There's no elevator nor escalator at this small station, so you'd have to carry your luggage up and down the overhead bridge to get to the train platform.



This is the overheadbridge at Tomamu station, linking the train platforms

Taking this direct Ltd Exp train from Tomamu to Sapporo.
 Upon arriving at Sapporo and deposited our luggage at our hotel just opposite Sapporo station, we took a short 10-15mins bus ride from Sapporo station to Sapporo Beer museum.  You can check with the tourist info counter at Sapporo station for bus timings.







Photography is allowed inside the museum.

















For a small fee, you can also purchase different beers for tasting. 







While the others were having fun tasting the various beers, I bought ice-cream instead.  
They have quite a few interesting favours here.

Salt and Black pepper flavour ice-cream?
Black Beer flavoured ice-cream?
My choco and vanilla flavour ice cream
 Something interesting happened to me while I was browsing the souvenirs section. A lady walked up to me and asked if I'm the blogger of "goawaysam" travelblog. And I was surprised that from the very few photos of myself that I posted on this blog, she actually was able to recognise me. :) 
So honoured. *blush*  
If you are reading this, hi Sam! (yes, she even has the same name as I do)
Many beer themed souvenirs here.








Took this bus back to Sapporo station.

Back at Sapporo station.
 Since we didn't had time for lunch (because we had to rush to Ishiya Chocolate Factory before they close) so we just went to Daimaru dept store's basement food hall and buy some skewered food.
Daimaru departmental store's basement food hall



bought some of these for lunch.


From Sapporo station, we took a subway train (had to transfer at Odori station) to Miyanosawa subway station, which is the closest station to Ishiya factory.

 While walking from the subway station to Ishiya factory, we took out the food which we bought from Daimaru earlier on, and munched along the way. Not recommended though, since the food got cold really fast in winter.

Anyway, it's just a short 10-15mins walk from subway station to reach Ishiya factory.

Arrival at Ishiya factory. Snow snow everywhere.



Us and a gigantic snowman


free Shiroi Koibito biscuit with your admission fees.










Visiting the manufacturing section of the famous Hokkaido Shiroi Koibito biscuits





There's a small cafe section at the Ishiya factory, but since we were running abit late, so many of the more popular desserts were already sold out.










You can add your photo on these metal tin boxes for a fee.

Bought this. Nice!!









They even have a layer of plastic covering the paper bag, to prevent the paper bag from getting wet in rainy/snowy conditions.

Leaving Ishiya factory.
While at the subway station (can't remember which though, either Odori or Sapporo I guess), we saw this large lego model of a busy subway station platform. 







 Our hotel at Sapporo, Hotel Route-Inn Sapporo Ekimae Kitaguchi, just across from Sapporo station's north exit.



We went back to our hotel room for a short break before heading for dinner at my favourite crab restaurant, Kani Honke near Sapporo station.
Kani Honke.
 Everytime my husband and I goes to Sapporo, we will always stopover at this restaurant for at least 1 meal.  (usually end up having more than 1 meal though. lol)






crab miso





crab croquette, my fav.


After dinner, it's desserts at our room. Opened the box of Tsumugi which we bought from Ishiya earlier in the day.




Go to previous blog entry: Day 11 Noboribetsu to Tomamu  / 
Go to next blog entry: Day 13 Otaru