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

[yflyer]

By the next morning, snow had blanketed the city.



We watched the scene below from the warmth and comfort of the hotel.



There were trails in the snow as locals emerged from the train station to head to the street....



It was absolutely beautiful outside.

Of course, there was a lot of driving to do that day, and as I had never driven in the snow, I was just a tiny bit apprehensive.

[yflyer]

After dinner we headed back to the hotel. The snow was getting heavier...



At this point, the novelty of snow had not yet worn off. We stayed outside a little longer to revel in the snow.

[yflyer]

The snow was no deterrent for Mrs yflyer.

"Let's head out for dinner...", she said.



By then the snow was getting heavier and heavier...



Thankfully the restaurant was nearby. We ended up at Ichigo Ichie...



Inside, intimate Japanese style seating...




Sake...



...and Sapporo beer...



Basashi, or horse sashimi...



Large, plump oysters...



Tofu skewers...



Charcoal grilled tripe...


A very satisfying dinner!

[yflyer]

Snow was forecast that day. There was light snow during our zoo visit, but by evening, the snow had gotten heavier, and we had to drive back to the hotel in light snow.



By then snow had blanketed Asahikawa...

[yflyer]

While in Asahikawa, we visited the well known zoo there. There was light snow falling that morning.



Asahikawa Zoo was not large, but it had an impressive selection of exhibits.



Compared to Singapore's Mandai Zoo, the animals were kept in cages, rather than an environment better resembling their natural habitat.



I'll not go into the morality and ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity, but in this zoo, we got closer to wildlife in the Asahikawa zoo than we had ever been in other zoos, including big cats, such as this Snow Leopard...



The playful red pandas were a big hit...



..as were the seals...



...and penguins.



I never even knew raccoon dogs existed.



There were wolves...



..and bears.



I was surprised that visitors could get into such close proximity to hippos, which have a reputation of being very dangerous and bad tempered...

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

The JRInn Asahikawa was an intimate hotel in a great location, within a large AEON Mall, and next to the main railway station.



There was Christmas decor in the lobby.



Next to the reception a room stocked wall to wall with an assortment of different pillows for guests -- the pillow menu at this hotel was unusually extensive...



The rooms were not large, but very nicely styled...



Our room had been set up for triple sharing...



Flat screen TV...



The bathroom...



...with tub...



Large window facing the train station.



There was a mini public bath in the hotel too. Wonderful!



A buffet breakfast was provided in a nearby restaurant situated within the adjoining mall.



This was a very nice hotel I would recommend for anyone visiting Asahikawa. The rooms were very clean and new, and the location would be hard to beat.

[yflyer]

Wow love your Hokkaido experience. Might have to plan another visit there in the next next trip haha

Thanks SQ218! This was our first time to Hokkaido, and we did not know what to expect. It was great! This is a destination we would definitely want to return to (Even through we don't ski!).

[SQ218]

Wow love your Hokkaido experience. Might have to plan another visit there in the next next trip haha

[yflyer]

Our next stop was Asahikawa, which was quite a long drive from Noboribetsu. This was a journey of over 240km, and would take 3+ hours by car, including a brief rest stop along the way. The drive itself was fairly straightforward, along good roads, always guided by Google Maps and Apple Maps.

Our hotel in Asahikawa was the JR Inn, located with a large AEON Mall complex, which had a large supermarket, many restaurants, and a lot of shopping.



The hotel and mall were also located right next to Asahikawa Train Station.



To be continued!

[yflyer]

Jigokudani, or Hell's Valley, was right next to the Dai-ichi Takimotokan.



We took a walk through this otherworldly landscape the next morning...



Pictures did not do it justice...



Walking through this hotbed of geothermal activity, one could see why local in the past thought they were entering the gates of hell...



For any fans of the onsen experience, we would highly recommend the Grand Spa at the Dai-ichi Takimotokan. This was by far the largest and most impressive onsen we saw on our trip. While even the smaller onsens were very satisfying, this one was on a different scale.

Jigokudani was also one of the most striking attractions we had ever experienced, and not trip to Hokkaido would be complete without a visit.

[yflyer]

There was a decent range of F&B at the Dai-ichi Takimotokan...

The breakfast buffet was impressive, if not quite as impressive as the Lake View Toya Nonokaze...



There were many local delights, like Ikura and squid.



Meat and seafood...



...fish...



...and many local vegetable dishes...



..and local rice, which was absolutely delicious...



...along with with many pickles and condiments.



There were also western selections.



I tried to sample a bit of everything...

[yflyer]

That evening, our first evening in Noboribetsu, we experienced our first tremor in Japan.

We were in the hotel room, when I felt the whole building jerk and sway once, then stabilise again. It was not a huge movement, but very sharp, distinct and noticeable.

"Did you all feel that?" I asked.

Miss yflyer no.2 said she did. Mrs yflyer wasn't sure.

"That was an earthquake. Thankfully it was a minor one, just a tremor.", I said.

"Are you sure?" they asked.

I headed to Google to check. True enough, a few minutes later, the Japan Meteorological Agency website did show earthquake activity in Mutsu Bay, not far from Hokkaido.



Thankfully it was just a minor tremor, and a one-off. We did not experience any further tremors during our trip.

[yflyer]

By now, I had come to relish the whole onsen experience.

First, you entered the side of the onsen appropriate to your gender (These were usually indicated by either red or blue curtains). In the interest of fairness, the sides were rotated each day, so that a person could experience the onsen on both sides on different days.

Once inside, there were lockers, where you stripped off completely and then headed to a shower area to shower and soap/shampoo yourself first, until completely clean. Most folks there were extremely thorough in their bathing before stepping into the hot springs themselves.

In the onsen, all you had was a small hand towel, which was usually placed on your head, although a minority of people did use the hand towel as a modesty shield to cover their lower body as they walked around. In any case, no one paid you any attention, and everyone there appeared totally comfortable going from pool to pool completely undressed.

As for how long you spent in each pool, it was entirely up to you. I didn't spend all that much time in each one. The water temperature, colour, clarity, and even smell and taste of the pools varied, and some were supposed to be good for one ailment or another, but I just enjoyed a relaxing soak in each of the pools.

There were also steam rooms and sauna rooms.

In each onsen, there was always at least one icy cold pool as well. While Mrs yflyer avoided the cold pool on her visits to the ladies' section of the onsen, I found it to be an essential part of the experience to bite the bullet and fully immerse oneself in the cold pool at least once per visit, if not more often, as it really felt invigorating to do so, despite the freezing cold when you first entered. An unforgettable experience.

When you were done, you headed back to the showers, and bathed yourself once again, before exiting the onsen.

Whenever I left an onsen, I always felt relaxed, clean and comfortable...it was almost an addictive feeling, and after visiting different onsens on the trip, I came to look foward to using an onsen or public bath each day, especially if it was a cold day out in the snow (There were a few such days later in the trip).

While the best onsen experiences are probably in Hokkaido and Japan, there are Japanese-style spa resorts outside Japan, even in Singapore, where one can experience at least some of the pleasure of visiting a Japanese onsen There are several in Singapore, including my favourite, Yunomori Onsen and Spa located at Kallang Wave Mall near Singapore Sports Hub.

[yflyer]

This hotel had an awesome onsen -- apparently the largest in Hokkaido.



This onsen had 35 baths spread out over 5000 sq meters of space. As no photos were allowed in the onsen, I have shared their website below, which highlights the multitude of different hot springs available at this amazing resort.

https://takimotokan.co.jp/en/spa/

Suffice to say, one could spend a long time taking in the waters at this onsen. The onsen was located directly next to Jigokudani, and full length glass windows gave guests a great view of Hell's Valley while soaking in the springs as well.

At this spa, it was also possible to buy drinks, and alcoholic beverages such as sake and beer, to drink while soaking in the small outdoor onsen as well.



I could not resist trying this out, and ordered sake, which came on a floating wooden tray, that I could bring into the water...



While there was definitely an element of novelty there, I did quite enjoy relaxing in the warm waters of the outdoor onsen while sipping slowly on my sake.

[yflyer]

There were many different hotel wings, as the hotel and been build and extended multiple times over the years. Many different room types were also available, so it was important to do proper research before booking a room (which of course the ever diligent Mrs yflyer did...).

Our room was a Japanese style room in one of the newer wings...



You left your footwear at the entrance, before proceeding inside.



The floor was lined with delicate tatami mats.



The mats were very comfortable to sit and walk on -- cool, but not cold.



Welcome snack for guests.



Outside the window, a view of tree-lined hills, with the trees almost bare, now that it was Autumn.



Small fridge and tea making facilities...



By Western standards, the bathroom was small, but it was well appointed.



In-rooms safe, and wardrobe stocked with yukata's for guests.



In the evening, housekeeping staff came by to move the low table and seats aside. Very comfortable futon beds were laid out for guests.