Hokkaido – South Region – Jooch Journal

2017 Jun. Lake Toya. Hakodate. Niseko. Otaru. Sapporo.

It was a long drive again from Furano to Lake Toya, and we decided to take the scenic local road instead of the toll highways. Stopped briefly at the Chitose Outlet Mall for lunch, before arriving at the Lake View Toya Nanokaze Resort. Practical tip regarding toll roads, and whether or not to buy the ETC per per use card or the unlimited use Hokkaido Expressway Pass (HEP). If you are short on travel time, the toll roads will get you to places much faster, my recommendation is to just buy the unlimited use pass, single toll trips are not cheap to begin with, so might as well go buffet style. But local road are definitely more scenic, so you will be missing out the views and charming towns along the way. Except for one long haul toll trip at the beginning, I took local roads throughout my entire trip.

Lake Toya 洞爷湖

The hotel is along the waterfront promenade and has a good view of the lake. Lake Toya recreation area is pretty much contained to the promenade where the hotels are located. Other than enjoying the view from the promenade and hiring a rowboat, there are no hiking trails or other scenic locations to explore.

There is a free public foot bath onsen along the main promenade by the lake. I was thinking it would be nice to enjoy the fireworks in the evening while soaking my feet, but it got really crowded later in the evening.

The quality of the hotel buffet at Nanokaze Resort pales in comparison to the superb one we had at Tsugura Wings in Lake Akan, I was hoping to see the humungous mouth-watering botan shrimp sashimi again, but sadly the shrimps served here were overcooked and did not even taste fresh. Buffet spread was just acceptable and ordinary.

Every evening there is fireworks on the lake. The boat firing the fireworks is on the move, so it does not matter where you are standing along the promenade, you should be able to catch a good view.

We had a few hours in the morning after breakfast and before check out time, so we rented a row boat to enjoy some time in the lake.

The drive from Lake Toya to Hakodate via the scenic local route was again very long and tiring. Made a few stops along the way to catch some scenic sights, including stopping at Shikabekanketsusen Park to take a break.

Decided to take a last minute long detour to check out the azaleas at Mt Esan, but there was hardly a petal left when we arrived. Disappointed and exhausted, we learnt our lesson – Do your homework and check before visiting!

Hakodate 函館

Finally arrived at Hakodate in the late afternoon after a tiring drive. We checked in to Four Points by Sheraton, and went out to look for good food. This is the famous best place to eat uni in Hakodate, the sea urchin tasted so creamy and delicious, ahhh the goodness and freshness from the sea…

The Bay Area fronting the Hakodate Harbour is quite scenic, though touristy. As we arrived late, most of the shops are already closing.

There was a huge crowd waiting to take the Ropeway up to Mount Hakodate to catch the million dollar night view. the highly acclaimed view is really breathtaking. Just a small tip, there is really no need to squeeze into the crazily packed upper level viewing deck, as the view and angle from the lower viewing deck is exactly the same. At that height seen from the mountain top, a 2-3m difference in vantage point really is negligible. But of cos, if you like, by all means go squeeze into the crowd. 🙂

Remember to save some stomach space to try the famed ramen in Hakodate. As mentioned earlier, Hokadate is known for its salt-based shio ramen. Googled and found this one call Ryuho 龍鳳, and the ramen did not disappoint.

The next morning, we went to the Hakodate Morning Market, looking for a good seafood breakfast.

There are a number of shops where you can fish for live swimming squid (ika) and have your catch prepared on the spot for eating. It cannot get any fresher than this. The sweet taste and firm texture of freshly prepared Hakodate squid is simply delicious.

We got greedy after tasting the squid, and went to hunt for a bigger spread of seafood for breakfast. The price for seafood is not cheap, but quality is good.

And a third round followed immediately after, to fill our stomachs with a more substantial rice bowl.

A well ripened slice of orange flesh Yubari melon is simply irresistible, so sweet and delicious to complete our breakfast.

As we made our way towards Otaru, we drove by and stopped at Onuma Quasi National Park 大沼國定公園 for a quick walkaround.

And then, we drove through Niseko to check out what it is like. Heard so much about Niseko as it is a popular ski resort for Singaporeans. Googled and located this famous Rakuichi Soba place but unfortunately it was closed. There was not much activities in Niseko during summer. We ate a simple lunch at Privato and drove around to check out the place, before continuing our drive to Otaru.

Otaru 小樽

It was already very late in the afternoon when we arrived in Otaru and checked into Dormy Inn Premium. I was told Otaru is all about music box, glassware, sweets and sushi. Dessert shops lining the street looked fantastic and delicious, likewise for the many sushi places around.

But music boxes and glass accessories shops are really not my thing, so there is not much to see in Otaru other than the short stretch of canal and some old buildings, which looked really good when lighted up in the evening.

Went to check out the small morning market in Otaru the next morning. Prices were higher than other cities we have been to, so it is indeed more for tourists as I read online. I did not feel excited enough to eat there in the end, MOS Burger won instead.

After Otaru, we headed back towards Sapporo. Saw beautiful pics of Takino Suzuran Hillside Park on a friend’s FB post a week earlier and I squeezed in some time to check out the tulips. But flowers don’t wait. We were greeted with fields of wilted tulips in a sorry state in the drizzle. Guess I was a week or two late again. Never mind, I shall compose whatever remaining stalks left and make the place look nice. Photos can be far from the real scene even without photoshop. 🙂

First thing when back in Sapporo, I had to complete my Hokkaido ramen holy grail and sample the Sapporo miso version. Did my homework and found this super highly rated small ramen place Menya Saimi nestled in a residential neighbourhood. Despite the location, there is a big crowd and the long queue snaked around the corner of the building exterior. People did not seem to mind the long wait. The ramen when served did not look at all photogenic, but a bite and slurp into it would reveal it is absolutely delicious with great depth in flavour and umami. The springy noodles held the aromatic soup well and the charsiew melted in the mouth. Excellent bowl of ramen, possibly the best I have ever eaten!

I also had ramen at another shop in Sapporo upon our first arrival late at night before we started the road trip. Pretty good as well.

Another restaurant we tried was Genghis Khan, which serves barbecue mutton. Popular dish in Sapporo, with a few restaurants serving similar.

When in Hokkaido, I just had to try Hokkaido crab to make the trip complete. We dined at Kani-ya in Susukino, opposite Mercure Hotel and ordered the set meal with crab cooked in many ways.

More food and sights in Sapporo.

Tanukikoji 狸小路 is a pedestrianised shopping street. Honestly, I only encountered one local designer shop that sells slightly more interesting clothes, all the rest are just the same touristy and boring stuff. Suggest to focus and shop at Tokyu or Daimaru instead.

Susukino is a vibrant area with many restaurants and is very happening in the evening. The Sapporo train station is another commercial cluster with the major shopping stores. These are 2 good areas to consider when choosing your hotel accommodation.

I read about the Yosakoi Soran Festival and planned our last 2 days in Sapporo to catch the festivities. Yakosai Soran Festival was our finale in Sapporo! Such a pleasure to watch performers of all ages and sizes, everyone exuding wonderfully infectious joy and energy through their dance. The music and lyrics chanting Soran Soran… is still vivid in my head…