Trip to Hokkaido : Sapporo City

 

Yosh, jom kita sambung entry jalan2 kat Hokkaido. Hari ke-2 di Hokkaido, kitorang di beri kebebasan untuk jalan2 sendiri, so we decided to rent a car. Maklumlah berjalan dengan anak kecil ni, lagi senang naik kereta sebab kalau dia meragam pun tak ganggu orang lain.

Hari ke-2 di Hokkaido di mulakan dengan turunnya salji yang agak lebat. Breakfast dulu kat hotel sbb ada coupon untuk buffet breakfast. Terus bedal makan nasi dengan berlaukkan telur *sebab lauk lain takleh makan*; then berlawan2 kentut dalam kereta hahaha.

 

+- bangun tidur ngadap tingkap tengok salji -+

+- kenyang perut, ceria bukan main dua beranak yang kuat makan ni -+

Sapporo (which means "important river flowing through a plain" in Ainu language) is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan's 5th largest city. Sapporo is also one of the nation's youngest major cities. 

The city is well known for its  chicken soup ramen, beer and the annual snow festival held in February.Here are some of the places that we managed to go during the 2nd day of our trip which started from 9 a.m - 7p.m.

(1) Former Hokkaido Government Office Building

The building is an American-neo-baroque structure constructed in 1888 as a base of the Hokkaido administration. The nickname is Akarenga or "Red Brick." Behind the current Hokkaidō Government building, the building is located in North 3 West 6, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. 

 +- depan bangunan "Red Brick" -+

Currently, the facilities inside the building include a conference room, a museum shop, a tourist information office, and a few historical exhibition rooms and libraries. Visitors can enter the building for free.

+- macam biasa, acara tiru statue dan gambar dinding tetap menjadi pooojaaan hati -+

+- barang2 pameran kat dalam bangunan tu -+

Flower gardens and a pond are located in front of the building. The roof lines are clean and the roof itself is an unusual style. 

+- SN kacau itik2 yang tengah berehat kat pond -+

Have a close look at the "chimneys" - they are actually air vents. The tiles are not clay but slate - also unusual for Japan. Inside the building most of the finishing are made from wood. Dalam gambar kat bawah ni, obviously korang dapat tengok betapa gembiranya I dapat posing depan bangunan ni dengan berpijakkan salji tebal tu.

+- mak budak terlebih excited -+

All of the windows are double pane to provide protection against the cold Sapporo winter. The most popular spot amongst Japanese visitors is the staircase under the three beautifully decorated arches. 

+- nampak tak salji lebat kat luar window tu -+

"Red Bricks" is still used for some official functions such as receptions and banquets for visiting dignitaries. Since there is no event on at the time, we were able to enter the former Governor's office, and see the collection of European and Japanese style paintings and other artworks. 

+- left pic: tepon boipren dulu. right pic: SN beli sourvenir -+

(2) Botanical Garden of Hokkaido University 

This botanical garden belongs to Hokkaido University and primarily serves a scientific and educational purpose. The garden with its walking trails and lawns is  a pleasant place to take a break or to have a picnic.Tapi di sebabkan salji lebat sangat hari tu, tak dapatlah kitorang picnic dalam tu, posing sekeping dua je kat luar pagar.

+- tak dapat masuk park, ambik gambar kat luar pagar je -+

+- salji sikit punya lebat kat dalam tu, ce citer camne nak jalan2 kat park -+

+- budak kecik over excited dapat main salji tebal -+

(3) Clock Tower

The Clock Tower (Tokeidai) is a symbol of Sapporo. The building was constructed during the early period of Sapporo's development in 1878 as a drill hall of the Sapporo Agricultural College.

+- depan Clock Tower -+

Today, the Clock Tower serves as a museum with displays about the building's history and Sapporo on the first floor. On the second floor are displays about the clock and a spacious ceremony hall that calls to mind the simple buildings of the colonial American Midwest.

(4) Shiroi Koibito Park 

This is a theme park by Ishiya, a local chocolate company. The company's flagship product is the Shiroi Koibito cookie, which consists of two thin butter cookies and a layer of white chocolate in between. It is one of the most famous souvenirs from Hokkaido. 

 +- bungkusan gergasi thin butter cookies and a layer of white chocolate in between -+

+- Sapporo Mechanical Clock Tower -+

Masuk2 je dalam bangunan tu, kitorang di sambut dengan patung famous people macam Pinocchio and Monalisa.

Kat dalam bangunan ni jugak ada Aurora Fountain which was produced in 1870. Water runs down over the colourful ceramic surface, which is illuminated by lamps installed under the water.

+- budak kecik dah pandai posing senget kepala macam mommy -+

Yang ni pulak tangga kat hallway dalam bangunan ni. Cantik gila, terus berangan nak tangga cenggini jugak kat rumah sendiri nanti. Sebijik macam dalam cerita2 telenovela yang rumah orang2 kaya tu kan?.

+- cantik kan tangga kat hallway ni -+

There's also Gramophone Gallery, it outlines the beginnings of audio culture and highlights the mechanism behind the sound. Kat bawah ni pulak evolusi analog record ke digital record macam yang ada sekarang ni.

+- evolusi dari piring hitam ke kaset ke CD besar ke CD kecik ke ipod -+

The park also consists of a free area with a shop, cafe and restaurant and a paid area with various chocolate related exhibits and, most interestingly, a few large windows through which visitors can observe the cookie production process in the factory. It is also possible to create your own cookies in hands-on workshops. 

+- proses pembuatan biskut -+

+- teliti diorang buat kerja, belek sekeping-sekeping biskut tu for defect -+

+- hubby ngintai makcik2 buat kerja -+

At the front yard of the Shiroi Koibito Park; there's a number of small house which can only fit SN inside it. Mommy & daddy sengih2 kat luar je lah. 

+- rumah tu sama tinggi dengan mommy je -+

+- daddy tak muat nak masuk, tunggu kat luar je -+

 

+- SN siap tidur kat katil mini tu -+

Kitorang berdua jugak "terpaksa" temankan SN naik train pusing2 kat area parking park tu. Sebab kitorang pergi situ hari selasa, memang tak ramai sangat pengunjung. Apparently kitorang je yang naik train tu masa tu tapi pekerja2 park tu tetap bersemangat melayan kitorang hehe.

+- muka mommy & daddy yang terpisat2 sebab "terpaksa" temankan SN naik train -+

+- pemandangan dari dalam train -+

(5)  Moerenuma Park 

Moerenuma Kōen is a large park in northeastern Sapporo that is quite removed from the city center. Surrounded by a marsh, the park has a circumference of about four kilometers. The grounds are covered in attractive green space and there are massive, dramatic features that make the park a very unique public space.  Tapi masa kitorang pergi tu takde lah park mengijau tapi park memutih dengan salji yang menimbun.

+- park di penuhi dengan salji yang menimbun-nimbun -+

Again because of the heavy snow, we couldn't make it to tour around the big park. We only spent some time at the Glass Pyramid Chamber lepas tu cepat2 masuk dalam kereta sebab sejuk woooii duk kat luar lama2.

+- berlatarbelakangkan Glass Pyramid Chamber -+

(6) Sapporo Dome

The Sapporo Dome is a stadium located in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo and is primarily used for baseball and football. The Dome is interesting in that it switches between two entirely different surfaces. Mula-mula kitorang ambik gambar dari jauh je sebab pagar dah tutup.

+- gambar dari jauh, cinonet je Sapooro Dome tu kat belakang kitorang -+

Then atas jasa baik kakak guard yang kawaii, kitorang di beri peluang untuk masuk kat area parking athletes untuk ambik gambar 10 minit. Mesti kakak guard yang kawaii tu kesian tengok muka tourist macam kitorang yang datang jauh2 semata-mata nak ambik gambar dengan Sapporo Dome *konon-kononnya lah*.

+- view Sapporo Dome dari kawasan parking athlete..kellas kan kitorang dapat masuk VIP area -+

Overall; kitorang memang betul-betul memanfaatkan kereta Mitsubishi Colt yang disewa dari pukul 9pg-7mlm tu. Fuel consumption kereta tu memang terbaik lah, kitorang pusing2 banyak2 tempat ni pun cuma kena isi minyak 1000yen je. I like...rasa macam nak beli sebijik bawak balik Malaysia lah #berangan.

Pssssttt : yang bestnya jalan2 naik kereta ialah I dapat tidur dengan SN kat belakang. kalau naik public transport, malu lah nak tidur berdengkur-dengkur & ber-air-liur basi eheh.

~ Thanks for reading this (^-*) ~