Hotel Hokke Club Sapporo

I don't know much about beer. ...

by Sharrie

I don't know much about beer.
But, I did visit THE SAPPORO BEER MUSEUM in Sapporo. Opened in 1987, the museum is dedicated to the pioneers of the company. The exhibits attempt to help visitors understand & enjoy the history, science & nature of beer.

At the beginning of the trip, we went through 3 time tunnels:
Tunnel of Froth: lead us into the world of beer.
Tunnel of Posters: showed the changes in Japan's customs & fashions
Tunnel of Barley & Hops: filled us with a fresh, natural feeling (hehe... according to them!)
On the 2nd floor, the long relationship between man & beer (said to go back to ancient Mesopotamia!) are explained on large glass panels. There are also display of samples of barley & hops.

Trivia: What kind of barley is used for making beer?
Answer: 2-rowed barley. Ordinary barley is called '6-rowed barley' because there are 6 rows of grains on a spike. Those used in beer making is a specially improved variety with 2 rows of grains on each spike.
Trivia: What nutrients are there in 100 ml. of beer?
Answer: Protein: 0.4 gram, Carbohydrates in the form of sugar: 3.1 gram, Calcium: 2 milligram, Vitamin B-2: 0.03 milligram. Total 39 kcal.

On the 3rd floor, the history of beer brewing is highlighted:
1860s: Seibei Nakagawa went to Europe & learned the technique of beer brewing in Germany. He designed the Commissioner-General's Brewery in Sapporo (later the Sapporo Brewery) & became its first Braumeister. Nakagawa thus played a prominent role in beer brewing in Japan.
1877: Sapporo Beer goes on sale.
1959: Canned beer goes on sale.
1977: Sapporo Bottled Draft goes on the market.
1989: Sapporo First Brewery moves to Eniwa in Hokkaido.</UL
Steps in brewing:
Ingredients: Selected 2-rowed barley finest quality hops using Sapporo's own developed yeast M2001 & special treated water.
Malting: Selected barley steeped in water & germinated for 8 days until green malt is produced, then kilned using hot air. It is then stored in silos for about 2 months.
Mashing, Filtering & Boiling: The malt is milled & mixed with warm water, then turned into 'mash'. By doing so, the enzymes in the malt are activated. After scruplous filtering, the wort is boiled with choicest hops.
Fermentation: The wort is transferred to modern coller & kept in a completely sterile environment. Then it is put into fermenting tanks & Sapporo's special yeast M2001 is added. After 8 to 10 days in the fermenting tanks at temperatures below 8ºC, the wort becomes young beer.
The yound beer is put into aging tanks, where it is kept for about 2 months at almost freezing temperature. The flavor of the beer improves daily. The beer is then filtered again & Sapporo draft beer is born.
About 6 months later, the beer goes on sale in several different forms: barreled draft, bottled draft, canned draft & pasteurized beer.
Tour of Brewery & Beer Museum:
Length of Tour: 60-80 minutes.
Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm in Summer, 9 am - 5pm in other months. Closed from Dec. 29 - Jan. 5.
Free Admission.
You get to enjoy the taste of Sapporo Beer after the tour, of course!

Yokkoso Sapporo!

by lourdesmaria

"Home Life: Inside view"

My friend's parents gave me the finest room in their house. It was a traditional Japanese room, complete with tatami mats, sliding doors, and lovely artwork.

The family Butsudan was also in here. The Butsudan is an altar to the Buddha and also a place where pictures of the ancestors are placed. Sutra recitations are preformed in front of this altar to ask for benefits in this life and in honor of the departed.

Most homes also have a kamidana, a small wooden altar on the wall of the living room. Here incense is placed to honor the indigenous deities of Japan. Also placed here are holy objects obtained during pilgrimmages to Shinto shrines.

Japanese homes do not have central heating so it gets quite cold at night. Bring warm PJs, thick socks and a cuddly robe.

"Snow Festival"

I got these pictures from my friend and wanted to share them on this page. Although I did not see the Snow Festival that year, I hope to return someday and see it. The sculptures are impressive and are featured in downtown Sapporo, some along Odori Koen.

"Visiting a Shrine: Part I-Shinkotoni Jinja"

Visitors to a shrine must wash their hands in water drawn from a well on the shrine grounds.

Shinto places great emphasis on cleanliness and ritual purity.

"Visiting a Shrine: Part II-Shinkotoni Jinja"

There are usually stone dogs or lions on the grounds before you reach the shrine building.

They are made to be fierce and strong so as to ward off evil spirits and demons.

"Visiting a Shrine: Part III-Shinkotoni Jinja"

There are two ways of gaining the attention of the kami (deity) enshrined within.

If the shrine is closed, one can ring a bell which hangs outside the entrance. Then you slide the door open to get a view of the altar (but you cannot enter, the door opens just a bit). Then you drop a coin in the offering box and recite your prayer or present your petition to the kami.

If the shrine is open you can enter, clap your hands three times and then move forward to approach the altar with your request.

The shrine interiors are very simple but very clean. A feeling of purity and serenity abounds in these settings.

"Sapporo Terebi (TV) Tower"

In Sapporo, as in other cities throughout Japan, there are imitations of the Eiffel Tower. I don't know why the Japanese are so taken by that structure. However, it is a very touristy thing to do in Sapporo, so I just had to go!

You can get some great views of the city from there. And there are alot of souvenirs available. Don't miss the t-shirts and keychains that have pictures of the "Kita Kitsune", the little North Country Fox of Hokkaido. They're quite cute.

"Local confections and specialties"

Take time out to try some of the local confections when you have green tea like bancha or gemmai cha.

I LOVED haskappu berry products. Haskappu are a kind of sweet-tart berry with a taste unlike anything I've had in the U.S. Satisfies a craving for sweets and yet isn't all sugary like American jams. Haskappu jam is great and so are mochi, a kind of confection made from rice flour.

Also great are pumpkin cookies and a well known Sapporo cookie called "Shiroi Koibito". A white chocolate that again satisfies the need for something sweet but won't hurt your teeth!

"Tokeidai, The Clock Tower"

The Tokeidai is a charming touch of old New England in the middle of Sapporo.

It's a reminder of the Western architects who helped with the planning and building of Sapporo in the 19th century. This could be the reason why I found the organization of the grid system in the city streets so familiar and easy to get around.

"Japanese Wedding Palace"

Getting married in Japan is an elaborate celebration. This historical building, known as the Hoheikan, is a wedding palace.

In addition to her white kimono worn during the celebration, a bride may also wear a wedding gown and several other changes of clothing during the course of the dinner.

The festivities usually conclude with a very large cake cut with a sword. I was told by an employee here that sometimes the fancy cakes are not all real. Only the top layer. After the cutting of the cake, the whole structure is wheeled away, and the real slices of cake are brought out and served to the guests!