Haruyasumi Spring Break began at the start of February for Waseda students, and continued until the beginning of April, meaning that for ryugakusei exchange students keen to explore more of Japan, this was the perfect time to do it! My friends and I somehow managed to juggle revising for our end-of-semester exams and organising our haruyasumi travel, meaning that we all had a two-month block of travelling to look forward to by the time February 1st finally rolled around. The first trip that we organised was to Hokkaido.
We decided to travel to Sapporo for the yuki matsuri snow festival , of which I had seen numerous photos scattered around the internet. At the Odori Park Site collosal snow sculptures can be seen on display, whereas the Susukino Site houses ice sculptures, and the Tsu Dome Site is a large open area for snow activities.
It takes place over a week, which equates to one of the busiest tourist seasons for Sapporo. During this week visitors can see the ice and snow sculptures of the two main sites while they are being carved, displayed, and eventually destroyed. This year it finished on the 11th of February, and, due to our slightly last-minute planning, we arrived in Sapporo on the 10th.
On the day that we arrived, we met up with some friends who were also travelling at the same time and went to the Odori Park site, where all of the snow sculptures were being displayed. I would have loved to see how they were created during the days leading up to the end of the festival. There were a few main sculptures which were really breath-taking, such as the Taiwanese National Palace Museum, infront of which live rock bands played music in the evenings, and aside from this there was a whole selection of sculptures which had been carved for the main competition, displayed in order of their rank, all translated with slightly curious English titles.
On the second day we visited the smaller site of the three � the Tsu Dome site, and had a lot of fun taking part in all of the snow activities � all of which were free, to my amazement! Well, apart from the equivalent of banana-boating on snow, whilst being pulled around by a snow-mobile. But even this was only around yen and definitely worth the small charge!
After we had had our filled of sledging down a few different slopes, looking at some more snow sculptures and warming ourselves up by a gas heater that we found, it was time to buy our omiyage and head back to Odori, where we had lunch with our friend Rachel. The same evening we all met up with another friend from our University Dorm, to go to the Susukino Ice Sculpture site. These sculptures definitely were more eye-catching than their snow equivalents; probably due to the fact that they caught and reflected all of the lights and colours from the busy city, but also because many of them had fresh fish and other sea creatures frozen into them!
One main difference that we noticed between these sculptures and the ones at the Snow Sculpture Site was that absolutely all of the ice sculptures were sponsored by different companies.
It is little things like this which remind you that, after all, you are in Japan. This was very reminiscnet of the Christmas light display in Roppongi, sponsored and themed by United Emirates, and the Roppongi Hills Christmas Market, brought to you by Mastercard! This was my first experience of sushi � which all of my friends have been seriously shocked to hear, seeing as by this time I had been in Japan for around five months.
But, as I explained to them, I wanted my first sushi experience other than combini sushi to be a really good one, so I had been saving it for when I would go to Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Unfortunately, my attempts to wake up at 5am to visit the market had failed on a couple of occasions. The restaurant we chose to eat at was called Sushizanmai, and the food was really tasty- although quite pricey, with a few hidden charges as well!
Seeing as it was my first time eating sushi, I ordered a rice-bowl with an assortment of sashimi on top. The next day was incredibly packed � it seems surreal to me now that we managed to fit so much into one day.
We decided to head to Noboribetsu a national park and hot spring resort about an hour or so away from Sapporo by train , and stop by the Date Jidaimura on the way there. In hindsight we really should have just gone straight to Noboribetsu Hell Valley National Park, as this alone would have been enough to fill the day, but we managed a quick, rushed tour around the Jidaimura before jumping on a bus to Noboribetsu.
The above is a photograph of one of the shows that the actors from the historical village put on for visitors. Noboribetsu was my favourite part of this trip, and probably one of my favourite places in the whole of Japan.
Although Sapporo is a lot calmer than Tokyo even in peak-tourist season , Noboribetsu was something else. It was so quiet and peaceful, but also definitely had its own character.
Moreover walking around the Hell Valley National Park was a very special memory for me, as I had never seen hot springs before. It was so strange to see and feel the heat of the hot springs contrasted with the piles of snow which surrounded everything else in the National Park. After we had explored the National Park which could easily fill a few hours if you have the time! We headed to the Daiichi Takimotokan hotel � one of the most famous hotels in Noboribetsu � to check out the onsens!
This trip symbolised not only my first experience of sushi, but also of Japanese onsens! Every Japanese town has a public bath house, and they are still often used by the locals, especially, but not exclusively, by the older generations. A typical public bath house is quite small, maybe with only one or two baths, but the Daiichi Takimotokan was something completely different.
For around yen, you got access to over 10 huge baths for each gender , all in different shapes, with water of varying temperatures and containing different minerals. Not only this but there were baths outside, in temperatures of under degrees! It felt amazing to run outside naked in the freezing air and jump into a hot bath while watching snow fall and feeling the chill of the breeze on your face!
If I come back to Hokkaido during February again, I definitely want to return, and maybe stay in the hotel as well. Although, a word of warning, the sulphur from the natural hot springs turned all of our silver jewellery a bronze colour � so bear this in mind if you go! It was really good fun and we stayed for a few hours, before we got too cold and had to go eat some ramen to heat up. After we had had our fill of rolling around in the snow and falling off of equipment made for children, we headed on a walk around the park, and tried out snow-shoeing which was a first for me.
We only went on a short snoe-show trek, but despite its length we still saw some more of the beautiful natural spots that Hokkaido has to offer, including a frozen waterfall. This light festival takes places every year along the main canal and down the side streets of the town, and the main attractions are the snow-candles and small displays made out of snow and illuminated with fire.
Even our previously successful technique of stuffing our gloves, socks and coats with heatpacks was proving futile, so after visiting the festival for an hour or so, we found shelter in a sushi restaurant close to the canal. The museum was quite small, but it was still interesting to learn about the introduction of beer to Japan and how it gradually expanded as a business.
I was especially fascianated by their display of advertising throughout the decades, from painted posters of women in kimonos serving beer to their husbands, to a gradual change into western dress and hollywood style make-up and clothing. But then again, I am a huge art nerd. After walking around the beer museum, we bought a lot of beer-themed omiyage � including some digusting beer caramels that we all regret buying as gifts for our friends � tried a selection of the beers and then headed off tipsily to the beer gardens for lunch.
Among many of the foods that Hokkaido is famous for, the beer gardens specialised in a specific type of barbequed lamb called Jingiskan Genghis Khan. Needless to say we all ate until we felt ill to make the most of our 3, yen dinner Approx.
Sadly the next day was our final day, so we made the most of the time before we had to catch the plane back to Tokyo by going on little trips around Sapporo. It seems strange thinking about the Sapporo Snow Festival in June, when temperatures here in Tokyo are already beginning to pass 30 degrees. However, due to how incredibly busy the last few months have been, I have found it very difficult to blog.
However, better late than never I guess! I realise that this post is long-overdue, but since being away for Spring Break for two months, and then being lucky enough to have my mum and brother visit me for two weeks, and then plunging back into the busy routine of lectures, time has been slipping through my fingers recently. Still I am determined to get up to date on my posts by the time I leave Japan in July! I had decided when I originally booked my flights for Tokyo all those months ago that I wanted to be back in the UK for Christmas, although my lack of organisational skills resulted in me having to choose a return flight back to Tokyo on December 30th, only 7 days after arriving back home.
Still, knowing that I was getting closer to going home, even only for a week, was a great comfort during the build up to Christmas, when I, along with a lot of my European friends here, started to get really homesick. Of course that have been things that I am nostalgic about, or miss about the UK.
But not as many as I first assumed there would be. Mostly I just miss cheese. Anything apart from grated cheddar or parmesan in a little tub is quite difficult to find in most Japanese supermarkets. Still as the Christmas lights started popping up everywhere, and the konbinis convenience stores started playing Christmas songs, I started to experience a slowly increasing feeling of nostalgia.
My British friends here all had the same sensation. No longer did we want to be surrounded by the busy streets of Shinjuku, full of salarymen going about their daily business and women buying designer clothes.
All over the UK, wherever you are, there is an indistinguishable Christmas atmosphere. Christmas smells, Christmas sounds, Christmas foods. Also, Christmas is a holiday for couples, and not for families. But Christmas Day is specifically for couples to spend a whole day together and exchange gifts.
But since it is unbelievably busy in KFC on the actual day, it is better to order your buckets a couple of weeks in advance to take away! As it got closer and closer to Christmas, my friends and I were more than eager to get into the Christmas spirit, so we went to quite a few Christmas illuminations in and around Tokyo, as well as hunting down some Christmas markets.
The Christmas lights lining the trees down the long streets of Roppongi truly were spectacular, and although the Christmas markets in both Roppongi and Yokohama were really small, and advertising-orientated, compared to what we were used to, it was nice to have a little taste of home.
There were carols playing in the main shopping area of the resort � much to my delight, as I had been missing traditional carols more than anything else! There was also a plethora of Christmas-themed omiyage souvenirs to choose from, which I added to the growing pile of gifts in my room which I had been gathering since September to take home at Christmas.
Finally December 22nd rolled around, and it was time for me to fly back to the UK for a week. After panicking about everything possible which could go wrong before boarding the plane Including the dreaded re-entry permit which nobody seemed to understand how to use! It sounds really cringe-worthy, but I have never flown back home at Christmas time before, so I was shocked at the amount of people waiting at the arrivals area at London Heathrow.
It really made me think of Love Actually � except, this time it was not the sexy Hugh Grant arriving, but me.
Despite this, my mum looked as happy to see me as she would have if I actually had been Hugh Grant. As soon as I was reunited with my parents and brother I was confident that I had made the right decision to come home, even if it was only for a week. As soon as I arrived home, I made up for not being able to eat mince pies in Japan by eating my body-weight in home-made ones. I was also delighted when I found out that my Dad had ordered a huge cheese platter from Tesco.
From thereon a week of extreme jetlag, overeating, film-watching and generally having a great time ensued. It was really strange being sat in my house, cuddling my cat and drinking real hot chocolate only 24 hours after I had been standing in Santoku buying a bento-box for dinner. But since in my first and second year of university I got quite used to making the long journey from Edinburgh to London quite regularly, I have become accustomed with stopping my brain from getting used to somewhere that I will inevitably leave quite soon.
It was a wonderful feeling to wake up in my bed on Christmas morning to the sounds of carols and my mum and dad pottering around in the kitchen. Although the magic and excitement of Chritmas has somewhat lessened since I was a kid, for me, its relevance as a time to spend with your family has grown. I did experience reverse culture-shock pretty much as soon as I stepped off of the plane.
Walking into the arrivals area I was shocked at how many people were talking loudly and excitedly to each other. When we got into the lift to the carpark, I was surprised that, despite the size of my suitcase, a family pushed infront of me without acknowledging their rudeness.
When I walked outside to the shop, there was litter and chewing-gum on the floor. When I went to the post-office to send one of my best-friends her Christmas present, I was annoyed at how slowly and nonchalantly the shop assistants acted � none of the efficiency and wide, fake smiles and painful politeness of the konbini workers.
It is not on the TVs, there are no slogans being played on speakers in the streets, there are few people chatting using it when they walk past you, there are hardly any books where it is written. It just made me realise how lucky I am to be living in an environment where I use Japanese everyday, and even if I am not holding a conversation with a Japanese person, I am still hearing it everywhere I go.
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