Hotel Maruyasu Hakodate

Sunday, we finally went ashore to Hakodate, Japan. It felt so good to be firmly on terra firma. We did a bit of sightseeing and shopping. It was a very clean Japanese town. Hope all is well at home. Also, due to the typhoon, we will not be going to Tokyo. Instead we will spend the extra time in Kobe. Cub has put ...

... 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.

... You good. Australia? Brad (switches to Spanish suddenly): Si (yes). (switches to Japanese): I mean Hai. (then switches to Homer Simpson): Doh!!! Local man (also fluent in Homer Simpson): Doh!! Good job. Goryoukaku in spring is Cherry Blossom heaven! There were trees everywhere, with snow-capped hills and fabulous Japanese geometric touches everywhere. We were absolutely gobsmacked. And it was all free! We'll let the photos tell the story!

... 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 ...

... 10 000 cerisiers en fleurs. Dommage pour nous, a cause du froid du mois d'avril, la floraison est en retard. Meme s'il y a a priori 250 especes differentes, 5% seulement des arbres etaient en fleur... Ca sera pour la prochaine fois ;-) Avant de partir pour Tokyo nous avons fait le tour du "Morning Market" ou etaient etales des centaines de crabes, mollusques divers, oursins, ormeaux, coquilles St Jacques... qu'on pouvait deguster sur place passes au BBQ.

... of the Russian one could be stereotypical, but the American is the same) with its chimney pots and lace curtains. They've even maintained the British consulate as a tea house and souveneir shop where you can get Earl Grey and Scottish tartan anytime you want. But the started the day at Cape Tachimachi, at the edge of Hakodate that overlooks the rocky shore and the cliffs of Mt. Hakodate. Really one fhte best natural sites I've seen here (and totally deserted by the ...

... 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....

... etait celui ou il y a tous les anciens batiments et aussi l'eglise russe. ensuite je me suis prommener dans le vieux port. hakodate est une ville qui vit de la peche, surtout le calmar et le crabe. ensuite, a la tomber du jour, j'ai pris un autobus touristique pour monter jusqu'au sommet d'une petite montagne et avoir un tres beau point de vue sur la ville qui est construite sur une petite peninsule.

... the sink's swiveling faucet. And even in a hotel of this sort you get a toilet seat with an integrated bidet. With your room you also receive a simple Japanese breakfast and sometimes even a simple curry dinner. Add to that laundry facilities and locations near the train stations and one sees quite clearly the success of their formula. Tomorrow we fly to Toyama on the main island of Honshu to quickly make our way to a big festival in Takayama.