Hokkaido expedition part 4.

Continuing the thread I started earlier... Sapporo Brewery is located to the northeast of the TV tower and the clock tower. With plenty of free time, I decided to walk there, although it wasn't necessary at all—there's a bus connection between these two places. Along the way, I passed by the training stadium of the local baseball team. I had seen the team's name a few times in different places in Hokkaido, and every time I see it, it makes me laugh: "Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters". Where does such a strange name come from? It's from the sponsor and current owner of the team—Nippon Ham, the largest seller and producer of ham in Japan. So, in reality, "Fighters" is the actual name of the team. But enough about baseball...

The brewery buildings are easily recognizable, as they are all made of red brick. I felt almost like I was in Europe. There were very few people around, which made me worry—was the museum perhaps closed? I quickly located the main entrance and was relieved to see that the ticket counters were open. Or so I thought. Approaching the window, I asked for a ticket.

- But to which restaurant? - the vendor asked. I looked at him in surprise and asked what restaurants he meant. This time, he looked at me oddly and slowly began to explain that there are four restaurants—beer halls available. I couldn't quite understand why, when buying a ticket to the museum, I had to choose a restaurant. Seeing my growing astonishment, the vendor continued explaining. Well... I was not at the ticket office but at the counter where you can make a reservation at the brewery's restaurant! And the museum itself? Unfortunately, due to the New Year's break, it was closed. So, since I was already there, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and have lunch on-site.

As you may notice, the flags of the beer gardens have inscriptions in... German language. The Sapporo brewery wants to refer to the German beer tradition in this way.

Red stars - the symbol of the brewery - can be seen on the buildings. They have nothing to do with Soviet Russia....

The area around the brewery is "decorated" with equipment such as this caddy.

At least I managed to achieve one goal—I could drink fresh beer. The restaurant itself turned out to be interesting—they mainly served grilled dishes. Actually... the ingredients to prepare the dishes. You had to grill them yourself! Each table was equipped with a burner and a plate, so upon entering the building, you could immediately smell the strong scent of grilling. The employee checking the ticket reservation also monitored the carbon dioxide level. Upon entering the hall, I received a plastic bag. This is a very good idea, you should put your outer clothes inside the bag. This way, at least some of your clothes won’t absorb the intense smell of smoke. The dish I tried was called "Genghis Khan." And what is that? Does it have any relation to the great Mongolian leader? A little. Genghis Khan is grilled lamb with vegetables on a special convex pan. The name most likely comes from the belief that Mongolians ate a lot of lamb. Others claim that it was the Mongolians who brought this dish with them while traveling through Asia. Be that as it may, the high-quality grilled meat and fresh beer significantly improved my mood. And speaking of beer... The "Sapporo" beer is available throughout Japan, but its variant "Sapporo Classic" can only be purchased in Hokkaido. Additionally, the museum (and the restaurants belonging to the brewery) also sells a few varieties that are only available in that location! And although the museum was closed, the souvenir shops were still open that day, allowing me to check out those limited types of beer.

My stay in Sapporo was slowly coming to an end. On the last day, I decided to go to Mount Moiwa, known as a place where you can see one of the most beautiful views in Hokkaido, and notably one of the one hundred certified "best night views in Japan" (idea that some viewpoints are "certified" is bit weird to me). So, if you want to see something truly amazing, be sure to go there after dark. Unfortunately, since it was December 31, New Year's Eve, I went there during the day. This mountain is very close to Sapporo. In fact, it is right next to the city, making it very easy to reach. You can go up by gondola (to the lower viewing terrace) and then by railway (to the very top). Once there, I could fully agree with the opinion that the view from its summit is incredible. On a clear day, you can see the panorama of the city, and also distant towns, other mountains, and the ocean. This is one of the places I would like to visit in Japan again, this time in the night time. As I mentioned, Mount Moiwa is close to the center. So close that you can take a tram there! I'm not sure in how many cities in Japan you can find trams, but for me, Sapporo was the first one where I encountered them. Interestingly, the Japanese name for the tram is not "tram", but "streetcar" like in the United States. Tram tickets have a fixed price, regardless of the number of stops traveled, and can be purchased using a prepaid card, just like the subway. The trams themselves... are not much different from those I in Poland :) Except that most, if not all, were low-floor.

View from the gondola

The view from the top of the mountain

Snowy Sapporo

Other surrounding mountains can also be seen....

In the meantime, I visited one more place. In fact, it is not a facility where you can explore much, because I’m talking about Tanukikoji shopping street. The name means "Tanuki alley," where Tanuki is the Japanese name for Raccoon Dog. It is a long, covered street full of shops. You can also find cafes and clubs there. It wasn't a particular attraction for me, but the fact that this place is completely covered made it much easier to navigate this area of Sapporo during heavy snowfall...

A long, wide, covered and well-lit shopping street.

As I was leaving Hokkaido, I knew that this is a place I will miss very quickly, despite the cold and incredible amounts of snow. And I only visited two towns! I felt like I was torn from a deep sleep when returning to Honshu. One day, I was in the kingdom of winter, and the next, I was back in autumn weather. Even looking at the temperature difference, it was hard to believe, the temperature between Hokkaido and central Japan can differ by as much as 20 degrees. However, what awakened my greatest confusion was comparing the latitude of Hokkaido to that of Europe. The island is located roughly at the height of... Italy! So where does such cold come from? Of course, it is caused by the completely different geography of both areas, with ocean currents having a significant impact on Hokkaido's climate...

My story about the trip has come to an end. What will I write about next time? I don't know yet, but I hope you'll drop by again!