August 7, 2010: Goodbye Sapporo, Hello Noboribetsu

We had breakfast in the hotel’s buffet style restaurant again. Such pleasures as packets of seasoned seaweed, tamago (omelette), and miso soup awaited. After this we went to the nearby Chisun Hotel which is associated with the Chisun Inn and used their wireless Internet. Then we went in search of the Ferris wheel on top of the building that Bill rode on before. After some time in the humid midday heat we decided to stop for lunch. We ate at Via Brera, lovely Italian restaurant with talented Japanese chefs. It was much better than many of the Italian restaurants back home and our lovely waiter and another gentleman who worked there were able to explain the menu to us and point us in the right direction for the Ferris wheel.

Norbesa building has a large Ferris wheel on the rooftop which gives the rider a breathtaking view of the Sapporo skyline. After this we went down one floor and there was an American 1950’s style ten-pin bowling alley complete with disco balls and interesting animations between players turns. “Missu” and “Gutta” were common phrases heard by Bill and April as they went for one game of bowling. One floor down from there was an arcade where Bill showed April a strange play along on a drum game which April sucked at.  After this we searched for the store with the cute puppies in fish tanks that Bill saw before but found ice cream instead. Then we went to pick up our luggage from the hotel that we had checked out of earlier.

Then it was off to the train station to catch the 15:07 train from Sapporo to Noboribetsu station. We boarded without much incident other than figuring out where to put our luggage. We ended up putting the bags above us on racks and the one large suitcase at the back of the car behind someone’s seat. We later found out there were luggage racks for larger suitcase in between the cars where you can exit the train.  We arrived right on time at the Noboribetsu station after a pastoral romp of about  one hour and five minutes. We knew when to get off because they put the stops in Japanese and English. At the Noboribetsu station it was pouring with rain and we disembarked and packed our luggage up two flights of steps and then down two flights of steps. April and Bill have vowed to packed lighter next time. Then we caught the bus from the station that departed about 14 minutes after we arrived. The bus ride was about ten or twelve minutes up to Noboribetsu in the mountains. Then at the station a nice gentleman was able to give us an English map of the town and point us in the right direction to our hotel the Park Hotel Miyabetei. We overshot the hotel lugging out bags uphill because we thought it looked farther than it actually was. Another gentleman on the street pointed us back in the right direction and we arrived hot and sticky at the hotel door only to find out that we had to go to a different door. A gentleman greeted us there with our name correct. I guess we must have looked like Hepburns. The check-in was pleasant and the gentleman was able to explain the ins and outs of the hotel, its baths, and the dining schedule.

We had a cool shower and then had some tea in the tatami room in our room. This hotel is much larger and luxurious. It was worth the extra money. Our room is palace compared to our last room. The bathroom is still small but not quite as closet like. Our room has two single beds and then a tatami room where we have been sleep on tatami mats with an open window listening to the river that flows by the hotel.

We had dinner at the included buffet. It was a feast of everything from sashimi and miso soup to crab legs and fresh corn. After dinner we decided to go down to the mineral baths that are in our hotel. We put on the kimonos in our room and headed down to the lobby to hand over our room key to the front desk. The gentleman who checked us in laughed in horror at the length of our robes and gave us the extra long robes and urged us to wear those next time. I guess we were showing a little to much leg. The baths are segregated. There is a ritual of leaving your kimono and bath towel in the upstairs room, walking downstairs with your hand towel, and rinsing off at the taps. Soap and basins are provided. Then you can choose whichever bath you want to sit in. They vary by size and temperature and mineral content. You can see the white sediment from the gypsum and smell the sulphur in the air. After a relaxing hour and a rinse off we reconvened and went upstairs.

We then tried to fathom how to make up the tatami mats with the strange fitted sheets provided. We ended up with a sad tatami fort that the cleaning lady probably laughed about the next morning. The pillows are Japanese style and filled with strange plastic bits. Not good for stomach sleepers but not bad if you keep to your side or back. Not a bad sleep with the open window and the sound of the river. This town is like Whistler with hot springs and the smell of sulphur in the air. It is a very relaxing place to be.

Good looking person on a Ferris wheel

a

All star bowler

Fought off the bear at the Noboribetsu station

Dinner: tasty

Sapporo Conference Day Two

Today was an interesting day.

We had a through overview of the Futenma airbase issue and Okinawa’s unique history and its relationship with mainland Japan. By chance I had lunch with Proffesors Sato (Okinawa lecture) and Furukawa (who presented yesterday). Professor Fukukawa is actually going to be in Ishigaki at the same time as April and I so we will try to organize a dinner or lunch together. He spent a year in Vanouver and is a Vancouver Canuks fan. We also had a lecture on the changing borders in central Europe, Schengenization, and Euroregions. It was a fairly basic overview but a good refresher on the issues.

Throughout the day my goal has been to try and get a phone call in through to April. It’s much more difficult than I had thought. The nice folks at 7-11 did their best to try and help me, but to no avail—the cards were only good for cell phones. Then the folks at the university said that I should try skype. I tried it, but the wireless networks and skype did not like each other, so I am going to have to resort to a collect call. I have investigated the process online, so I will attempt a “wake-up call” for April in a few minutes, as it’s nearly time for her to get up and go to work.

Dinner was fun. A group of us walked down to find a cheap sushi place and found one. It was pretty decent and good quality. Then we wandered with wonder through the heart of downtown Sapporo. All the lights remind me of Las Vegas. It really is quite something. It is truly unlike any other place I have ever been. I now know what my mother-in-law says about really feeling you’re not at home when you’re in Japan. Sapporo (only) has 1.8 million people, so I am both dreading and excited to see what Tokyo has to offer with its 13 million people.

We partook in some touristy activities like going up in a big ferris wheel, hanging out in a video arcade, and finding a bowling alley. All were on different stories in the same mall. I can’t wait to show April around when she gets here. It will be a lot of fun. I think the most fun can be found in simply people watching.

Replica of the border marker from Sakhalin Island. After the Japanese Russian war in 1905 the Japanese took possession of Sakhalin Island below the 50th parallel. They deported all the Russians and sent in settlers. After 1945 they gave up rights to the territory and the Russians deported all the Japanese. This is the Japanese side of the marker, represented by the Imperial Chrysanthemum.

This is the Russian side of the stone with the Imperial Russian double headed crest.

Here's some silly guy posing with it.

Bathroom with the heated toilet seat

Desk and hallway

The best translation yet. I have no idea what it means but its incomprehensibility is poetic.

The surprisingly comfortable bed