ANA to Hokkaido - Autumn Snow, Seafood and the Art of Onsen Appreciation

[yflyer]

While in Sapporo, we visited Bar Owl&Rooster...



This was an intimate cocktail bar...



...presided over by the talented bartender & mixologist Saito-san...



The drinks here were excellent...



...comprising both original signature cocktails...



...and classics.



We thoroughly enjoyed our drinks there, as well as our conversations with Saito-san...



...who also gave us excellent Sapporo dining recommendations, and pointers to other cocktail bars to visit.

We visited Bar Owl&Rooster twice during the course of our visit...



...to enjoy Saito-san's cocktail creations.

[yflyer]

We used this underground walkway to get around to various places, including restaurants and bars. From one of these walkways, we emerged into a covered mall...



The escalators leading from the underground walkways to street level had these signs warning of the dangers inherent in riding on escalators.



Who knew so many things could go wrong on an escalator? I found the signage mildly amusing, and maybe even a little alarmist, given that these escalators moved at a fairly slow pace, unlike the MRT escalators in Singapore which were programmed to go at express speed...

There was lots to see along the covered shopping streets, which seemed to go on forever in both directions.



There was a ferris wheel located high up on one of the buildings.

[yflyer]

The Sapporo Grand Hotel was very centrally located, within walking distance of many of the main attractions in Sapporo, including the Sapporo TV Tower.



In late Autumn, the streets of Sapporo were busy and lively...



...but it was also possible to get around via a vast network of underground walkways.



Our hotel was directly connected to this underground network...



...which could probably get you anywhere you wanted to go in the city centre.



The walkways were lined with shops and eateries, as well as artwork...

[yflyer]

It was possible to buy the Sapporo Grand Hotel Ramen Salad Sauce...



...and canned soups and curries, in the hotel shop.

[yflyer]

Many local dishes and ingredients were presented...

Including Hokkaido Soup Curry...



Local Hokkaido Dairy Milk...



Local Hokkaido potatoes, which were absolutely delicious eaten plain, and piping hot, with a dab of butter...



Moist, glistening Fukkurinko rice from Hokkaido, with a taste and mouthfeel so different from other varieties of white rice...



Fried Atka Mackerel...



This variety of fish, different from regular mackerel, was found primarily in the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, near the Kuril Islands.

Apple pie and bread pudding...



If staying at the Sapporo Grand Hotel, I would highly recommend getting a room rate which includes the hotel breakfast.

[yflyer]

The Sapporo Grand Hotel also offered a full buffet breakfast in the Northern Terrace Diner.



This was an awesome buffet spread comprising both Japanese and Western dishes...



I would highly recommend this buffet breakfast, for both the vast selection of dishes, many of local origin, as well as the quality of the preparations.



A highlight for me was an original creation, their Original Ramen Salad...



...comprising cold ramen noodles and a range of toppings, with their original tangy sesame sauce...



I could resist helping myself multiple portions of this delightful dish each morning, along with other Hokkaido favourites such as cream of corn soup, and onsen egg...



Live stations, including an egg station...



Beautifully presented smoked salmon...

[yflyer]

The same restaurant in the Sapporo Grand Hotel where we had dinner was also open for breakfast...



...where they served an elaborate Japanese breakfast set.

[yflyer]

As we had arrived in Sapporo quite late in the day, we decided to have dinner in the hotel, rather than venture out. We headed to the Japanese restaurant in the hotel.



We ordered their set dinner, which came on a beautiful platter, with starters and sashimi...



...followed by mains and sushi...



This was absolutely wonderful!

Rather than have a set, Miss yflyer no.2 opted for an ikura rice bowl, which was delicious as well.



We also sampled their sake...



...and a local beer.

[yflyer]

Our room was large, with ample space for triple sharing...



The room decor was elegant and stylish.



The view from our room...



The bathroom...



Onsen-style shower...



Bath tub...



Washlet equipped WC...

[yflyer]

The Sapporo Grand Hotel was a historic luxury property that first opened in 1934, as the first Western style hotel in Sapporo.



The lobby was bustling with activity, with many staff on hand: counter staff, concierges, bellboys, unlike many of today's modern hotels who have pared back staff to the bare minimum.



The year of our stay, 2024, was the hotel's 90th anniversary.



There were exhibits and photos from the hotel's storied history on display...



...including antique tableware and hotel key rings...



The check-in area had many flags on display, reflecting the hotel's diverse clientele...



The lobby was large and spacious.

[yflyer]

Eventually at 5.30pm that day, we reached Sapporo. I dropped Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer no.2 at our hotel, the Sapporo Grand Hotel...



...then drove to the nearby car rental return to drop off our Toyota Prius, which had been a wonderful car to drive over the past week.

It was not just the icy roads that were treacherous. The danger extended to pedestrians as well. On the short walk back, I saw a fellow pedestrian slip on the icy zebra crossing and fall flat on her bottom.



Ouch! That must have been painful...

[yflyer]

After lunch, we pressed on with the drive to Sapporo.

As far as driving was concerned, this was the most taxing and stressful day on the road.

The snowy scenes before us were stunningly beautiful...



The fields along the road were completely covered in white...



The hills had a light dusting of snow...



Driving in these conditions demanded your full concentration...



I gripped the steering wheel tightly as I navigated the many bridges...



...and bends in the road...



I decided to err on the side of caution, and drove very slowly, to the point where cars and trucks behind me simply overtook me at the first possible opportunity. Well, good for them. They were used to these conditions, I wasn't.

This drive could easily have ended with the car in a ditch (or worse!)...



I was so grateful when the long stretch through the hills and mountains gave way to flat roads and more normal driving conditions.

[yflyer]

We stopped for lunch at the Furano Cheese Factory...



Apart from cheese, there was a cafe serving pizza as well.



This was an operating cheese factory...



A showroom and tasting room on the upper level showcased their cheese, and other local produce...



There was complimentary cheese to taste...



...including one made with squid ink...



The pizza at the adjoining cafe was quite delicious. This was off-peak, so the wait time for pizza was not long, but according to social media, during peak season, there was often a long wait for pizza!

[yflyer]

From Shirogane Blue Pond, we would drive to Sapporo, with a stop for lunch at the Furano Cheese Factory along the way. The drive would take about 3 hours, excluding the lunch break. Up tll that point, driving in Hokkaido had been a breeze. The GPS worked well, and traffic was smooth.

But that day, it had just snowed the day before, and there was snow and ice everywhere. Driving in the snow was a new experience for me.

Our car had snow tires, but no chains. No problem, I thought. No other cars had chains. Everyone seemed to be driving as per normal.

But then not long after leavng the carpark at Shirogane Blue Pond, driving along snow covered roads, I approached a cross junction.

As I approached, I pressed the brakes to slow down. Nothing. The brakes had no effect whatsoever. What was going on? The car literally continued moving forward, right across the junction, as my face turned white with terror.

Thankfully I wasn't moving so fast to begin with, and this was a fairly quiet area with no cars going across the junction. Eventually the car came to a stop.

Wow. What was going on here? That could have ended very badly. Well, I learnt a lesson at that moment: Apart from driving slowly, you had to watch the road surface in front of you very carefully. If there was any hint of snow, on the road, one had to proceed with extreme caution.



We continued on our way, driving extremely slowly.

[yflyer]

We had a long drive planned that day. We would be driving all the way from Asahikawa to Sapporo, with a couple of detours to see the sights.

Our first stop was Shirogane blue pond...



This man-made pond became famous because it was featured as an Apple Macintosh desktop background. It was now a popular local attraction...


...and it was easy to see why...



Trees in a lake...how unreal was that.



We had to walk around slowly, as the snow and ice was very slippery...



It was still late Autumn, so it was great to experience some snow while we were there...