Day 91 - 29th of November

3:37am　ホテル
天気：晴れ
Just finished having a shower, and getting packed for today, after getting back from karaoke. It was so much fun. I was Eddy’s first time and he really enjoyed himself. A fitting end to a day of new experiences… Today is the last day of our holiday and I’m kinda sad about that. I do of course feel blessed to have seen snow, especially since the weather forecast had predicted only 20% chance of it. We check out at 11 so we’re going to get up at about 9, and do some souvenir shopping. I don’t think we’ll have time to go the chocolate factory, but that’s okay since they sell the biscuits around here anyway. Better get some sleep now…

1:48pm　バス
We’re on the bus now, back to the airport. This morning was good. While we never ended up going to the chocolate factory, we bought the biscuits at this great souvenir place, claiming to be the best in the central Sapporo area; I would have to agree. Let’s just say that everyone will be receiving a lot of Christmas presents. We checked out of the room at about 10 and they graciously held onto our luggage. We had a modest breakfast of salad and eggs, toast and coffee! Yes, I drank coffee, and I still hate it; it's given me a bit of a headache. Then we went to the 1050円 shop connected to the hotel; all I got was a shirt though. We tried once more to see if they had found Eddy’s camera, but no luck. We went into the German market one last time, and I got an apple pancake; really good. Before going back to 狸小路 (tanuki kouji – racoon-dog alley ~ the shopping street next to our hotel), we stopped a kiosk and got ドナッツ串 (Donattsu kushi – Donut on skewer). Sonia and Katie had already gone off separately again, I was with Carly and Eddy. He soon left us for the lobby, as he didn’t want to spend any more money. Carly and I on the other hand, went on a shopping spree for about an hour. Well, I think I’m going to get some sleep…

4:06pm　飛行機
Well, I didn’t get any sleep on the bus; I was too excited about seeing the scenery for the last time. We’ve just gotten on the plane now. Oh my gosh, my present was about to be squished by someone shoving their bag into the overhead compartment. Luckily, I quickly let them know, and they moved it. Now it has a compartment all to itself. We’re moving now… before getting on the plane, Carly and I had one last ice cream. After going through security, we found the pokemon plane model, took some photos, then it was time to board. This holiday has been amazing; so many new experiences. I can't believe it’s already dark out. Here we go… Goodbye Hokkaido. I will return one day!

7:42pm　特急電車
Carly and I are on the train to Tennoji, waiting for it to go. The flight back was uneventful, expect for just before we landed… I felt a sharp pain in my temple, above my left eye. It was like “instant migraine!!!” and it wasn’t pleasant at all. I was worried I would pass out, but I kept breathing and got through it. We got our bags, and feeling hungry, I decided I wanted dinner in the airport. It was about 6:20, and the others needed to return to their host families. So, we parted ways. Carly and I had ramen for dinner, which was really tasty, and then got going ourselves… we’re moving now rapidly, back to reality. My head is still throbbing a bit (just a dull ache), so I think I’ll rest…

Day 89 - 27th of November

9:35am 枚方駅 天気：曇り
Start off our journey with a photo... of the luggage.

9:38am　特急電車
We're all here - Carly, Katie, Sonia, Eddy, and I, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We have so much luggage, so hopefully we can get to the airport without any dramas. Got to get to Kyobashi first...

10:05am　大阪環状線
We're on the Osaka loop line, switching over at Tennoji and then Hineno. I'm so excited; it feels like we're going to another country.

10:20am 天王寺
We're in Tennoji and have less than 10 minutes before the rapid express to the airport.

10:30am　特急電車
Apparently, we're on a train that will "uncouple" - the front 4 cars are going to disconnect from the last 4, and continue from Hineno to the airport. Luckily, we got in the 4th car so we get to see how it disconnects; so cool...

11:37am　関西国際空港
We're in the aeroplaza now, enjoying Sonia's Okaasan's sandwiches, and kitkats; it's a very flashy place. It's really quite at the moment. The plane flies out at 1:10, so we're going to go check in shortly.

1:26pm　飛行機
We're about to take off... the TV's are displaying a camera at the front of the plane, so we get to watch the take off. The weather is warm and sunny. We're right at the back of the plane and I got the window seat, Carly's sitting next to me. Here we go...

3:38pm　バス
We're on the coach to Susukino station, and then we have to walk from there to the hotel. It's raining and, wow, it's cold. As soon as we got out of the airport, it hit us and our breath was clearly visible. A whole new adventure is about to begin...

4:33pm　バス
We've been on the bus for over an hour and we're still at least 30 mins away. It's such a change of scenery here, and not just because all the trees are brown or leafless. I have but one word to describe Hokkaido; spacious. In this way, it reminds me a lot of Australia. We're in 札幌 (Sapporo) and yet, it doesn't feel like a Japanese city. Things are spread out, the roads are wide, and people are driving regular sized cars. It's not as built up as you'd expect a Japanese capital city to be. The buildings are of modest proportions; no skyscrapers in sight. It's kinda cool though; it's nice to have a change. We've only got three stops left. That's another thing; taking the bus, rather than the train. There's just not enough infrastructure in place; all the trains are underground. I think the bus is pretty cheap though considering how far we've come.

4:52pm　札幌
Okay, now I feel like I'm in Japan again; the buildings have grown tall. We're here, and it's raining. I'm warm in my jacket though.

9:23pm　ホテル
Tonight was great... we found the hotel easily enough; it was only a couple of block down from the bus stop. After checking in we dropped our stuff off in the rooms and planned what to do next. Eddy and I are sharing a twin bed room, and the girls have three beds; we got a couch and sink, they didn't! We're right next to each other on the 5th floor. We decided that, even though it was raining, we'd go out and find the illuminations.

10:20pm　ホテル
We just went out hoping to do some karaoke. However, since free time didn't start till 11, we decided it would be better to go tomorrow night and make the most of it. We want to try to get up early tomorrow and get out to 定山渓 (Jozankei) for hot springs and hiking. The trip was not completely wasted however; we stopped at a sushi bar for ice cream. So yeah, back at the hotel now just chilling. Earlier on though… We found the Sapporo White Illumination a couple of blocks down in Odori park and it was spectacular; shame it was raining. We’re going to go again tomorrow night. The TV tower is all lit up at the end of the park, there are a number of displays, and heaps of the trees were covered in lights. Near the tower, there is a German market set up for the event. There are some great items there. So since it was raining, and we were hungry, we walked over to the shopping street and got dinner and this great ramen place. The broth was… amazing!

With warm and happy stomachs, we had a good look around the street and stopped by some great souvenir shops. Among the memorable products were – beautiful wooden carvings of bears, owls, foxes, and wolves; so many different flavours of caramel, including lavender; a species of ball-shaped algae that you can keep as a pet and best of all; まりもっこり (Marimokkori). This is a portmanteau of marimo (the algae) and mokkori, a slang word meaning the “tent” an erection makes against pants or bed sheets; no joke. This green character sports a sizeable bulge in his pants, and has a very naughty expression on his face. Only in Japan, or more correctly, only in Hokkaido; I think it’s hilarious. So yeah, that was a heap of fun. We’re going to figure out how to get to Jozankei, watch some vids, and then get some sleep…