Sapporo, Japan, Friday [Daytime]

[firstofitskind]

All right, everyone, this is it. Today we're packing up and heading northward for the final leg of the trip.

Comments

Travel

[firstofitskind]

Okay, this one is kind of cheating: we're taking the train up to the coast, and then portalling our way to Hokkaido for the last leg of train travel to Sapporo. But did you really want to spend eight to twelve hours travelling? No. So find a buddy and enjoy the beautiful Hokkaido countryside.

Re: Travel

[x_discospider_x]

Troy honestly had every intention of taking a cue from radio and napping, especially since the squirrels did wake him and Astrid up pretty early to do their broadcast, but honestly? He just sort of ended up a little transfixed with the scenery. He'd never spent so much time on trains before, but they'd been pretty dope.

Re: Travel

[stykera]

Stark had no plans to travel, by train or otherwise, any time soon so he was enjoying this last train ride with another window seat. And he wasn't hiding in a hood today.

Hotel

[firstofitskind]

Hope you were done enjoying all that rustic, traditional nature stuff - your last hotel is the luxurious JR Tower Hotel Nikko in Sapporo, which towers above the city and features, besides the usual hot spring resort, a great introduction to Hokkaido cuisine in its several restaurants.

Rooms [02/26]

[firstofitskind]

You'll be staying in double or twin rooms with a nice view of the city.

Except you guys. You know who you are. You got the single.

[[ your room assignments can be found here! please keep the dirty stuff to your personal journals. ]]

Room 111

[stykera]

"How is this even smaller?" Stark asked, dismayed, as he looked at the room.

He had plans to get that bed. Or part of it.

Room 101

[thatwaslucky]

Rey had been a little quiet since yesterday, which she hoped could be blamed on all the travel coming up on the end of the trip. Not anything bad, just quiet.

And she was still taking distractions where she could get them. Once she set her things down, she walked to the window to see what the city looked like and asked, "Is there anything you wanted to do today?"

Restaurant: Mikuni Sapporo

[firstofitskind]

The Mikuni is Nikko's French restaurant, run by Japan's premier French-style chef. Sit down, enjoy some classic French dishes, and dig into the restaurant's reserve of 1.000 bottles of French wine.

Restaurant & Bar Sky J

[firstofitskind]

The hotel's buffet restaurant. Here you'll find a spread of Western cuisine, and all the cocktails you're going to want for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sky Restaurant Tancho

[firstofitskind]

Nikko's classic Japanese restaurant, Tancho is a stylish place using only the freshest of ingredients from Hokkaido. If you're thirsty, try the restaurant's broad assortment of sakes.

Lobby Lounge

[firstofitskind]

Or hang out with some friends in the lounge, which serves snacks as well as drinks.

Sky Resort Spa

[firstofitskind]

Haven't had enough of hot tubs yet? Come and enjoy the hotel's luxurious spa. Enjoy the saunas, the hot springs, the massage tub, or go get a massage.

Re: Sky Resort Spa

[sake_shinigami]

As if Shunsui would allow something like spending the last day in and out of various hot springs exclude him from enjoying other luxuriant amenities afforded to him at this next location, too! After all, all this traveling was clearly hard on a gigai! It was important to keep up proper maintenance on these sorts of things! And if that proper maintenance meant a few massages and time in a sauna, well....

...he didn't make the rules, you know...

Sapporo

[firstofitskind]

.

Tour the Ishiya Chocolate Factory

[firstofitskind]

Everybody likes chocolate, right? Situated in Shiroi Koibito Park, this factory produces butter cookies with white chocolate filling. You can peer through the windows and watch the cookies get made - or walk through the chocolate exhibits. Or learn how to make your own cookies during a special morning workshop. It's kind of Disneyland, if Disneyland was much smaller and about nothing but chocolate.

Re: Tour the Ishiya Chocolate Factory

[white_oleander]

Astrid thought this would be something just sort of fun and silly, but once she walked into that Fountain Room in the museum part of the factory, she knew she'd made the right choice and that she was in for something so much more than she expected.

A little bit of what she expected, too, sure, but yeah. She was definitely feeling justified in her choice with this one.

Re: Tour the Ishiya Chocolate Factory

[stykera]

Stark might not live entirely off of sugar but sometimes it was a near thing. Of course he was going to end up visiting a chocolate factory. How could he resist?

And how could he possibly pass up the cookie workshop in the morning?

He might spend all day here, between the displays, the workshop, the cafe, and the park. And that was fine with Stark.

Re: Tour the Ishiya Chocolate Factory

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle had gone in for the cookies. She had stayed for everything else. She was especially find of the tiny houses in the park because they were adorable.

Stroll through Odori Park

[firstofitskind]

Odori Park is Sapporo's biggest green space, a long, street-shaped affair with plenty of space to sit and relax, and admire the fountains. If you want a better view, why not get up on Sapporo TV Tower, a tower shaped like the Eiffel Tower?

Sapporo Beer Museum

[firstofitskind]

Like beer? Ever had a Sapporo? Then Japan's only beer museum may be the thing for you. Boggle over Sapporo merchandise and have a few tasters afterward to wash the day away.

Re: Sapporo Beer Museum

[howareyanow]

Though you'd probably be pretty hard pressed to find anyone in Letterkenny who'd prefer a Sapporo over a good local Puppers or the like, Wayne had more than a passing interest in the craft and history of beers (especially considering he'd started drinking them way before it was exactly kosher), so this stop had a marked interest fer him...

...even if all it did was wind up making him a bit thirsty for the aforementioned Puppers...

Skiing

[firstofitskind]

Tired of the bustle of the city? Travel up to Mount Teine, site of the 1972 Olympics, and head down the slopes while you still can!

Re: Skiing

[died8yearsago]

You know, it wasn't so much the bustle of the city that Rosa was trying to escape, it was simply that the likelihood of having to deal with any lobsters on a ski slope were pretty slim to none.

Not completely zero, of course, but after finding a hideous stuffed lobster on her pillow last night, she was more than eager to put as much distance between Dave, Diane, and that thing as possible, while hoping the slopes (and possibly any students completely failing at skiing in hilarious and cathartic ways) were distracting enough to not even think about what she might be in store for later.

Plus, Rosa liked skiing. And she was good at it, too. Of course.

Stroll Around Sapporo

[firstofitskind]

Or, you know, do your own thing. Look at the parks, or the incredible architecture in some parts of town. Or, you know, go hunting for beer vending machines. There's plenty.

[firstofitskind]

IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY. Or at least, it will be by the time most of you see this.