Bluewave Inn Sapporo

Odori Park. This is a great...

by asantetravel

Odori Park. This is a great place for a walk and people watching. There is usually always something going on. I got a chance to experience the Summer Biergarden. In between the tree lined walkways are large grassy areas filled with flowers, statues, and kids. Hokkaido has sooooo much grass!! I once asked a teacher why there was no grass on school grounds – to get the reply that it was too much upkeep. I couldn’t understand the reasoning as the students were picking the blades of grass one at a time from the ground! I had given up on finding grass in Japan, so it was a good surprise to see grass everywhere.

Sapporo - Important river running through a plain

by debtravers

"Snow Festival in Sapporo 2006"

This was our first trip to Japan and I was just blown away by the country. Everything seems to work, if you know what I mean. We were here to visit a friend and also to see the annual snow festival. It turned out to be one of the most wonderful trips of my life....(so far)
Sapporo city itself is new and unremarkable, amazingly in 1857 its population was only 7 people! Sapporo is now Japan's 5th largest city and apparently the city where most Japanese would chose to live...(I can understand that, loved this city)
The snow festival was just breathtaking... three very different locations... Odori Park which runs straight across the city is the main area and where you find the HUGE ice sculptures(some of the life-sized sculptures had 3600+ military guys working on them!) Susukino (Sapporo's soho) has ice sculptures down its main street and Sadoland, a subway/bus ride away ,is for the kids (and everyone elses inner kid), more relaxed and wonderful to watch Japanese families having fun in the ice maze and building snowmen, dancing the Sapporo city dance and generally having a ball.

"Onsens - a unique experience"

We visited the Houheikyo onsen nr Jozankei (last stop on the bus), the only one in sapporo that has the hot spring pumped directly to the outdoor rock pools. The setting was magical, thick snow all around the onsen and laying heavily in the trees leading up the mountain slopes... To lay in HOT spring water whilst feeling snowflakes landing on yr face just has to be one of the most sublime experiences.....
We caught the bus from Sapporo (make sure it is the right bus for Houheikyo, its past Jozankei... the onsens there are affiliated to hotels and are in concrete pools; not the same feeling at all!) the return bus ride and onsen entry was 1700yen - bargain! Buses leave from JR Sapporo trains station (bus terminal) every hour, takes about 1 1/2 hrs to get there. Just take a towel (& hair conditioner etc). Once there its separate pools, changing for men and women. Strip off naked and shower before entering the onsen... the day we went there were all ages there from young mums with babies up to old ladies having a good old gossip. Afterwards you can nap on provided mats on wooden (heated) floors or eat in the dining area (great view through picture windows). A cold beer and a quiet hour chilling.....
a perfect day.

"Maruyama Park - southwest Sapporo"

Was hidden under deep deep snow but can see this is a beautiful park...was so quiet and peaceful. Apparently the cherry blossom here in Spring is a sight for sore eyes.....