Aqua Garden Hotel Hakodate

... positive spin on our detour; he says it will be one more day of Kobe steak. We are using internet cafes, but it is very difficult getting directions to one, because no one speaks English. They do try, however. We are in Otaru and it is raining off and on. We dont have pix yet. We will have to wait til next stop.

... I have been "sea sick" for two days. Cub has been fine&#8212;one of the lucky ones I'm told.<br><br>Many guests have had the problem too. The ship recommends &#8220;green apples,&#8221; hot tea, and crackers and only sipping liquids. Whatever it was I ate, it really helped. I&#8217;m feeling very well today despite ...

... raining.<br> Somehow we made it back to the bus stop without getting completely drenched, but by that point we were all groggy, hungry, and tired of being illiterate. For dinner we went to a cafe that was pretty unremarkable except for, I kid you not, pokemon shaped ice cream cones.<br> We wandered back to the hotel and expected to fall asleep. But, of course, we caught a second wind stayed up to the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow's train ride will be fun.

... Hakodate, seafood means 'catch heaps of weird **** from the ocean and steam it, wrap it in seaweed or put it in soup with a boiled egg'. C'mon. This place is known for its squid. There's a STATUE of a squid. Do you think we could get a little bag of calamari? The morning markets were pretty interesting though. It reminded us of the Queen Vic markets in Melbourne (you know, except with dried cuttlefish and sea urchin burgers...) Today we ...

... That's why we get to know japanese internet coffee: 1000 of small boxes with PC and/or screen where it is possible to get a rest, possibly sleep, read mangas and even get a shower ! According to the number of underground streets and arcades in the city, we assumed that the weather is often cold and wet... We saw the sun again in Otaru, small town in the west of Sapporo, famous for its ski resort and its big aquarium where we enjoyed ...

... nous sommes alles voir un parc avec douves en etoile (jadis etant le lieu d'un chateau inspire des constructions de Vauban) ou commencait tout juste la floraison des cerisiers. De nouveau on a senti la frenesie des japonais... Ensuite nous attendait un bain de foule sino-japonais en haut du mont Hakodate (on l'on a pu monter en bus qui circulent seulement a partir de la nuit tombee). C'etait certes tres joli, mais pas facile d'atteindre les rembardes ...

... poverty of the Tohoku region makes these small collapsible looking towns, propped up by saw mills, corrugated steel roofs and scrap lumber patchwork walls. So the scenery can be dreary, industrial and endless factories. But at the same time there will be huge sections of totally undeveloped areas (I'm fairly sure there's some tree farming, but no buildings in sight), which have the forrested hills and steaming (whatever the reason Japanese fog rises up out of the hills ...

... lanterns running along the decks to attract the squid. Fish is all the rage on this island. Think I might be facing my fears again sometime very soon! There was a serious blizzard going on here for most of my stay so I missed the usually beautiful view across the bay sadly. Oh well... on to Sapporo....

... j'ai donc decider de payer un peu plus et d'aller dans un hotel d'une grande chaine japonaise. Toyoko-inn. heureusement pour moi, les prix sont moins eleve en hiver. donc au lieu de payer 80.00$ la nuit, je pays 50.00$ lit double, internet dans la chambre, salle de bain privee, dejeuner inclus, le gros luxe! Une fois partie pour faire le tour de la ville. je me suis fais barrer la route par la ...

... provide the city with a fine place to walk and do a bit of birdwatching. For those who are less energetic, there is a ropeway that runs up to the highest peak, and it spared us the walk down. During our walk we encountered several small groups of seniors out for a mid-morning constitutional, and were humbled as some of them passed us. Coming upon a group of older women who had stopped for a snack, one approached us, offering us some chili ...