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And of course Museum is not complete without souvenir shops!

Wood carvings are definitely a big thing here.

I couldn’t resist buying those little Ainu dolls and key rings. (I later found out that you can get your name carved on them.)

This impressive masterpiece costs approx AUD5,000!

This was our last day on the trip so we left the museum and we were off to the airport! We were greeted again like the arrival day with fabulous snow storm.

We had lunch at the airport. Since it was our last day in Hokkaido, it seemed appropriate to have ramen for the one last time.

Salmon and salmon caviar rice set with tempura and sashimi

Sapporo Miso Ramen with crab rice

Shoyu (soy sauce base) Ramen with crab rice

My choice was Sapporo Miso Ramen with tuna rice

We were not expecting much from airport cuisine but were pleasantly surprised. I later heard from our guide that this is the best place to get the last dose ofHokkaido cuisine.

I was not expecting domestic air to be strict on fluids but we had to put our bottles on this machine that scans your drink. The technology here seems futuristic compared to what we have at home.

Well this concludes my long long ski and gastronomic journey to Hokkaido. For those of you who thought it dragged on and that it would never end, I do apolgize. I do have a habit of rambling on and on and on……

Anyway, till next time, sayonara!

Ume

The first sightseeing for the day is Porotokotan, the Ainu museum.

I didn’t know there were such things as Ainu dogs, but there are apparently. The noticeable difference is that they have really thick legs. I guess they had to be strong in the mountainous area.

You can also see bears and feed them.

The whole village is like this, I would imagine that was how village looked like.

Smoked Salmon Ainu style. They weren’t ready when I got there, apparently they are the best smoked salmon you’ll ever taste.

Inside the huts, you can see Ainu performances.

We were then taken around to the museum.

Ainu tribes have symbols and those are embroided on their jackets. Their fashion differs with which tribe you’re from.

Pots and pans used for special occasions.

Who would have thought you can make fashionable yet durable boots from salmon? Genius!

We stayed in a ryokan called Noboribetsu Sekisuitei.

There is yukatas (summer kimonos, compulsory dress code in a ryokan) in your room but just in case you would like spare or your size is not available in your room, you can help yourself at the lobby.

My room was big enough to fit the whole family I think. I felt a little spoilt to stay in this room by myself.

Instructions on how to bathe in a public hot spring bath (men and women divided of course!) There is etiquette on how to bathe in Japan.

Dinner time

This ryokan had a fabulous Hokkaido style buffet. Just an example of what we all got.

As you can see on the right hand side of this picture, there is a little hot pot. This dish is called ‘chan chan yaki’, a Hokkaido family dish where you layer vegetables then salmon with a bit of miso sauce on top. Put the lid on and light the candle beneath the hot pot and the salmon is cooked with the steam released from the veges.

After dinner, there was the daily bingo! It took me back to the days of Christmas parties during my childhood. It was great fun. There is a prize for everyone so no one misses out.

After that, we went to Niboritbetsu-date Historical Village.

It is sort of similar to Nikko Edomura I think, the whole place is transformed to the Edo Era, so you get the feel of what life was like during those times.

You’ll see ninja shows and see people in kimonos walking around. You can also dress up in a kimono and take a photo so great for kids.

Last activity of the day was visiting Noboribetsu Jigokudani (hell valley) inShikotsuToyaNational Park. This is where you can see the hot spring steaming out of the grounds. The smell was a little strong but the scenery was beautiful especially during sunset.

After lunch, we were off to do more sightseeing.

We first went to sword making studio. I did not realize the hard work involved in making them. They are all hand made, from scratch. Metal is stretched by repeated process of heating in hot oven and whacking it with a hammer like utensil. It did not surprise me to hear that there is a struggle in finding young people to pass on the tradition. It’s an amazing craftsmanship

We were then encouraged to unleash our creativity by fabric dyeing experience. This is centuries old technique; dye is made from fermented herb (sorry couldn’t find the English word for plant name). When this plant is fermented, it releases indigo blue dye. This dye is really useful, apparently, you can keep the dyed cloth in your closet and your clothes and it keeps the bugs away. If you put the fabric around your neck during the summer, it will also keep the mozzies away too.

To make pattern on the cloth, you put stencils over the fabric like so, and clip them on and just immerse it into the dye. I have since kept the fabric in my closet and it really did keep the bugs away!

Lunch time.

We had lunch at a local noodle restaurant in DateCity. If you go to the Japanese style restaurants, you will often find that you will be seated on the tatami floor mats after you take off your shoes like this.

The place had a nice Japanese garden as well.

I love these hearty meals.

Nabeyaki (hot pot) udon was my choice.

Prawn Tempura Udon

Tempura set

Soba with ground yam potato dipping sauce

Knowing us, we obviously couldn’t resist ordering side dishes.

Tempura prawns

Tempura scallops 

Too much fried food I know… You don’t have to tell me.

Time for us to leave Niseko and off to some sightseeing.

Lake Toya is must see for people visiting Hokkaido.

I am told that there is fireworks every night but unfortunately, we did not stay there to see it. The lake is huge so it’s nice to drive around it or stop at one of the picnic spots and take photos like we did.

There is also a LakeToyaMuseum for kids to learn the history etc.

We then went to Showa-Shinzan. It is officially a special national monument. It is an active volcanic mountain but hasn’t erupted since late 40’s. apparently, the mountain is shrinking every year due to the cooling of the mountain. I could see steam coming out of the mountain, like shown on the picture.

After spending whole day at Niseko, we had no idea what the place actually looked like as we were spending the time in hotels. So, my travelmate suggested we go out and explore. This was around midnight mind you. The dedication we have for our job!

We didn’t go very far before we discovered another treat to satisfy my late night cravings. Who would have thought there is a Takoyaki stand (made by lady from Osaka!) in the middle of Niseko! I know how high carb food is not good for you at night so we did share.

The place was more quieter than I thought, though I did find few Aussies stumbling on the icy streets.

There was a small bar made entirely of ice nearby so we decided to have a peak.

It’s hard to tell from the photo but this is what it looked like inside.

Skiing in streets not allowed.

Another midnight snack waiting for you after you come out of the bar. Authentic pizza Niseko style.

We were all ready for dinner by this stage.

I wasn’t familiar with the dining here but apparently, the izakaya (Japanese style bistro?) was the way to go here. We went to one of the most popular one called Abucchan (hope I got the spelling correct). It’s great for people who don’t want a full-meal as everything is in small portions and you can share them amongst friends. The place was really busy so we were told we only have a bit more than one hour to eat and get out. We decided to take that option as we were just too tired and hungry to look elsewhere.

Other people in our group knew what to order so I left it up to them.

Potato and seaweed warm salad.

Off to Hokkaido Tracks.