Hokkaido

My parents and I took our "annual" trip to Japan late last year - well... we've gone two years in a row now, so I feel justified calling it that, and hopefully there's a third to come. The year before, we went to Tokyo, and this time, we visited Hokkaido. And this time around, my brother joined.

It had been a while since I'd gone anywhere with my brother, and I have to say, it was really nice having him around. As someone who visits Japan more frequently than the barber shop (legit he goes like, once a month - you should see his passport), he knows his way around most Japanese cities, including Sapporo. I also got to hear him speak Japanese for the first time, and I felt a momentary pride when the locals were surprised to learn he wasn't Japanese. The little sister in me low-key wanted become better at Japanese than him just to show off, lol. Regardless, having him there made the trip much more relaxing for me, free of being the tour guide, the translator, the restaurant-picker, and conflict de-escalator.

This trip made me feel like the youngest child again, in a way that I hadn't felt in a while. Having lived aboard for 10+ years, I spent most of my young adulthood being self reliant. Trusting someone else to plan a trip and take care of all the logistics was something I hadn't done since I was a kid. Even though he was mostly doing all this so he can be in Japan for his side business quests (don't ask - unless you're really curious; if you're my friend, you already know), truly, it was nice.

Apparently this is the Sapporo version of the "running man" in Osaka

Winter in Hokkaido felt magical. Sapporo, the main city of the northern island where we spent most of our time, was the most intentionally designed and thoughtfully curated city I had visited. Learning about how the city was designed and built ground up from barren land, the neat grid system and navigability made perfect sense. The city known for its snow festivals and beautiful winters left us in awe by covering its roads and buildings with blankets of snow and constantly dusting its air with big fat snowflakes - it was quite cozy. Okay, well, I'll admit I was a little anxious about the earthquake that had happened in a neighboring region shortly before our trip, but it seems silly now writing about it after the trip.

When we went to Tokyo the year before , a trip with its own special moments and fond memories, it felt chaotic and the city didn't feel like a place I could see my self living in. But Sapporo was different. It's still a lively city and a pretty big one that is, but the snow made it ever so soft, gentle, respectful, and peaceful. My mom and I shared our thoughts on how we could see ourselves living there, which, to be fair, is something we say about nearly every city we visit. So maybe that's not saying much... but it felt special in the moment.

Getting some draft beer at the Sapporo Museum

Sapporo's popular grilled lamb dish - "Jingisukan" (a Japanese pronunciation of Genghis Khan). Can't say I felt like conquering some land after this meal.

After a couple days exploring Sapporo, visiting the famous Sapporo Beer Museum, eating some REALLY GOOD sushi, tagging along on my brother's side quests to convenience stores, and trying out coffee shops and restaurants, we took a day trip bus tour to Biei, a popular town about 2 hours North of Sapporo.

Beautiful scenery from the roads

This was a really special experience. It felt like I was in Narnia. Honestly, it was a bit of a culture shock to see how fast people were driving considering that the roads being covered in snow 24/7 in the winter time, but oh well, I am but a tourist.

The Christmas Tree

We saw some really cool (and famous) trees, visited this stunning hot spring waterfalls that was the shade of blue gatorade - apparently, they named a color after this specific blue, called Biei blue. We ate soup curry, and played in the snow.

Shirahige Waterfall

That night we returned to Sapporo, met back up with my brother, ate dinner, took our nightly trip to the bathhouse (a ritual at every Japanese hotel), then went to bed early so to prepare for our flight back to Seoul the next morning.

But Hokkaido had other plans - it decided to snow a lot! So our flight got delayed until the following day, leaving us with an unexpected extra day in Sapporo. The last day in Sapporo was pretty relaxing - we walked around, did some shopping, visited an art museum, and yet again did our nightly trip to the bathhouse.

I have truly been enjoying these trips to Japan with my parents, and surprisingly and not surprisingly with my brother, too. I hope I get to write about another Japan trip very soon - maybe with additional members this time!

Vending machines with LOTS of snow on top!