Winter Hokkaido Trip Day 1

 

After a sleepless night at Narita Airport on Christmas Eve, Cyrus and I spent a very white Christmas in Sapporo, Hokkaido. With a layer of heat tech, sweater, down jacket, ski pants and snow boots, I was prepared for the notorious Hokkaido cold.

  

We stayed at the hostel Marks Inn, which was only a few minutes walk away from JR Nakajima Koen station. Everything was blanketed in soft, white snow.

 

 

Pretty pigeon

We went to the Shiroi Koibito chocolate factory about half an hour away from our station. The dark brown and red bricks contrasted beautifully with the powder white snow.

 

 mountains in the distance

 

The architecture was very European. The designs inside and outside the factory were fancy and intricate.

 

Snowmen all over the balconies 

 

The outside of the factory was heavily decorated and covered with snow. Lots of bright, playfully colored ornaments and mini houses.

 

house for mini people?

 
Random pretty bubbles

 The first room we entered after the admission area had this ornate Indian-looking fountain.

 There were collections of different types of chocolate boxes, hot chocolate mugs/cups, and posters from the past. It's amazing how elaborate some of the things were.

 fancy chocolate box

 There was an area about how chocolate is made and the origin of cocoa beans.

 One floor was the cafe area, which we didn't get a chance to enter because of the long waiting list. The cakes were petite and beautifully decorated.

 We ate two pieces of cake, ice cream, and drank some of the cold chocolate milk we bought on the first floor. The ice cream and chocolate milk were so thick and creamy.

More pictures from outside again:

 At night, we went to Susukino, the lively nightlife area. The streets were wide and buildings towered over us. It reminded me a bit of New York City.

 

We found Ramen Yokocho (Ramen Alley) and went into a random ramen house. The place was very small and there was only one cook. 

  

I thought there would be bear meat since it was called "higuma ramen," but maybe it was just the name. I had the butter corn ramen (very delicious and flavorful).