Trips this year - Part I

Japan

Visited Tokyo and Hokkaido in March/April this year. One of the best trips ever! There were so much to do and eat and best of all, the company was awesome!

1) Snowboarding

The standalone house we stayed has a nice, rustic feel with a great view of the ski slopes from the living room.

The ski slopes had fluffy snow although it still hurt when I fell. I had a terrible time on the first day as no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't turn. I was thinking to myself then how would I survive the second day.

However, on the second day, with a change of teacher from Tim to Zing, not only did I manage to turn, I could go down the slope backwards and turn on demand! When the others stopped skiing, I was still like an energiser bunny going on and on. I stopped only because I didn't want them to wait for me.

I had such a wonderful time that I told Tim I want to go skiing at the end of this year.

2) Food

Had the best sushi at the fish market. Waited 3-4 hours in the cold before we had a chance to savor the fresh catch of the day. From Ottoro to sea urchin...definitely a gastronomic experience!

The hokkaido ramen was to die for too. The small eatery outside our ski resort is manned by this middle-aged Japanese man. He patiently cooked the noodles only when he received the orders and each bowl came with a rich broth that nothing I had in Singapore could compare.

Matsuzaka beef was another gourmet food we had in Tokyo. Before we went to Japan, the only research I did was on food. We finally got to try this top grade wagyu beef on our last day in Japan. It literally melts in your mouth. The meal was extremely satisfying.


3) Shopping

To the shopaholics, Japan is probably a shopping paradise although the stuff can be quite expensive. But for Tim and I who do not shop, we spent most of our time resting or looking for food while the rest do their shopping. Thus, the things we bought were all food-related even the souvenirs.

4) Onsen

Experienced my first real onsen in Hokkaido. We had to first strip naked and take a shower before stepping into the hot pool. The first time we had to do it, the gals were all blur and shy. We didn't know what to do and it didn't help that we were all buck naked. We were very slow in taking the shower (sitting down), trying hard not to let our eyes wander too much. However, by our second onsen, we were all pro and bold too!

5) Sakura

The reason why we chose to go Japan during March/April is so that we could catch the Sakura. And ain't we lucky! The weekend we first touched down in Tokyo, the Sakura were starting to bloom and by the time we got back from Hokkaido the following week, the flowers were in full bloom. What a beautiful sight! It was quite an experience too seeing the Japanese out in full force to celebrate in the parks with not just a small picnic basket but their entire kitchen. Well, they were having steamboats and sake in the park!

Stalls were set up to sell food and drinks. Oh my, even these roadside food were delish!

6) Friends

After trying real hard to meet up with Angie for the entire day due to many hiccups that happened(remembering the wrong date, no phone connection, train stopped running), we finally got to meet her at 10 plus at night over a puffer fish supper. It's always to catch up with old friends especially those from afar.

I would however not spend so much just to eat the puffer fish again. The fish is really over hyped.

7) Overall experience

The service in Japan is always top-notch. The Japanese are ever so friendly. Although at times it could be hard to communicate with them especially when we were in Hokkaido, we still managed to get around.

Immediately after coming back to Singapore, I wanted to book another trip for the end of the year just to ski and eat. Alas, it is not meant to be!