We started our 8 days trip to Japan by catching our AirAsia flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. We landed, in the morning, about six hours later at New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido.
Here’s how our first day in Sapporo progressed:
– As soon as we passed immigration and customs at New Chitose Airport, we were welcomed by Doraemon, vending machines, sensor driven toilets, an exhibition on Ainu culture and civilization, then the Steiff Discovery Walk, Pokemon stores, and artistic sculptures.
– Once out of the airport, we went to the JR Train Station to get a ticket for the JR Express Train that goes to Sapporo. Buying a ticket and finding the right platform is not as complicated as it may seem… The cost of a one-way the ticket is 1.070 yen/person (which is roughly a bit less than $10US.)
– The easiest way of getting downtown Sapporo City from New Chitose Airport is by JR Express train. It’s also a great opportunity to have a first glimpse at the cities around Hokkaido’s capital. The stops the train made were at Minami-Chitose, Chitose, Eniwa, Kita-Hiroshima, Shin-Sapporo, and finally Sapporo.
– The first thing I always do when I land in a new place (read country!) is try to find the nearest tourist information office to get a map of the city I’m exploring.
– Let’s be honest: one of the main reasons why people like to travel to Japan is not necessarily to check out temples and historical sites, but to eat Japanese food. Likewise, before we even got out of Sapporo Train Station, we stopped at a diner for onigiri and a hot macha latte.
READ MORE: Japanese Snacks: How to Make Takoyaki in 10 Steps
– What do you do when you have some spare time in Japan? You find a bakery and get something that tastes like nothing you have ever tasted before. By far Japan has the best bakeries in the world!
– Using the subway system in Japan might seem a daunting task, but it’s pretty easy to use. Just follow the signs… That’s exactly what we did on our quest to find the entry to the Tōhō Line at Sapporo Station.
– Taking the metro for the first time from Sapporo Station (where we arrived from New Chitose Airport by JR Express Train) to Gakuen-mae Station, the closest metro station to our Airbnb accommodation.
– Japan is known as one of the cleanest countries in the world. Go into any Japanese public toilet and see if you’re not impressed with the sights and the smells. I mean, really!
– Toyohira-ku, one of Sapporo’s 10 wards, was established in 1972 when Japan hosted the XI Olympics Winter Games. It is also the first neighborhood we explored on our trip to Hokkaido.
– Ramen is a Japanese soup and noodles dish that is very popular in Sapporo. You can’t make a trip to Hokkaido without trying a bowl of miso ramen. We ended up eating the best Sapporo Ramen Sanpachi at a local restaurant franchise!
– What we though was only an evacuation site with a small Japanese shrine turned out to be an amazing experience exploring Kyooji Temple, a Nichiren sect Buddhist temple and cemetery in Sapporo.
– Our first day in Sapporo was a visual invasion on our senses. Everywhere we looked, everything we saw, was something we wanted to take notice of. By the end of the day we were tired, cold, and ready to call it a day, but not before stocking up on a few supplies for the next day’s morning breakfast.
This is JAPAN!
Now watch the full vlog-documentary of our first day in Sapporo:
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