Sapporo: Christmas Market, Being in the Sky and Adult Entertainment

This weekend, I took a flight to Sapporo (Hokkaido), one of the most beautiful cities of Japan. Let's see how I got to this conclusion:

The day started early, because my flight went at 12am and I needed about 2 hours with the train to the airport. Plus the 2 hours one should be there before the flight, made me take the train about 8, so I got up at 6:30.
The way to Sapporo itself wasn't so spectacular, just the woman at the check-in looked a bit strange, because I checked only 3kg in (20kg was my limit). But I stayed only one night, so there wasn't the need of other things than additional clothes and washing stuff.

Streets of Sapporo

When I arrived in Sapporo, I already saw the first snow on the landing area. Man, this was my first snow this year ^^ Actually, this is the reason, I wanted to go to Sapporo: To see snow. In Tokyo and the other areas I visited, it was getting colder, but not enough for snow :(

So I went to the Youth Hostel I stayed the night over and did the check-in procedure. By the way, the Hostel was very clean and comfortable, the staff was very friendly and you could take showers during the whole night. So I can really recommend this, if you are in Sapporo (Link).

The International Youth Hostel of Sapporo
I just paid 2.600 Yen for one night :)

But because it was still afternoon (about 4pm), I just put the most of my stuff in the locker, grabbed the camera and went outside. Of course, I had already made a plan for my time here with points of interests I wanted to visit. So I went to the main station and walked to the Clock Tower. Or at least I planned to :D

The reason I wandered of ;)

White Illumination

Because, I actually saw this beautiful streets, covered with trees and lights. I was fascinated by this and juts followed the lights. So I came accidentally and luckily to the Odori Park. And it was the 1st weekend where the Christmas Market of Sapporo took place! So I forgot my old plans and headed out to the scenery.

Before the Christmas Market, there was a so called "White Illumination". I interpreted it as little light show, not with lasers but with structures made of lamps. For example, they had this area of blue lights in which birds made out of white lights stand. Really a great atmosphere with the Tower in the background. Actually, I don't know the name of the tower. The "Clock Tower" would fit, but it's another one and the Sapporo Tower is also another one. Maybe "Panasonic Tower"?

Birds above the Ocean
maybe the title of this one ;)

After watching the illumination, I went to the Christmas Market. Funny things that they called it "Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo". Is the Christmas Market in Munich cancelled this year and they transported the booths to Sapporo? ;)

Christmas Decoration
... but my luggage is already full :(

The (small) Christmas Market didn't really differ from the ones I know from Germany. You have this wooden booths, you can buy Christmas decoration and food (for expensive prices), there are many people and it's hard to walk because the ways are full and tight :D

Booth with roasted almonds

I bought some roasted almonds and enjoyed the view. So many people ... was really a nice atmosphere. Again it's nice what happens if you just walk straight into a city you don't know ^^

(Munich) Christmas Market in Saporro
maybe I see it next year too? ;)

 After I walked away from the Market, I wondered where I should go next. So I first went back to the station to drive to another station. But as always, another thing caught my attention: The JR (Japan Railway) Tower.

Not the JR Tower, but the Christmas Tree at the Market
at least, I would interpret it in this way :D

When you go back to the main station, you have the choice to go to the upper levels. From there you get also into the JR Tower, or better said on the 38th floor (with a lift) where you can watch over Sapporo. And at what better time could you do this than at night?

View in direction of the Odori Park

So I spontaneously went up and ... was just stunned. Because it was already dark, only a few people were around here. It was very quiet and peaceful. In the background was also light Jazz music which just invited to relax. And of course the best was the view itself. You have just gigantic windows and on some were even seats. So I spent maybe about two hours just watching the city. Because you could view in 360 degrees, there was so many to discover from above :)

What's the thing in the background? Must be huge oO

And of course I took photos. Tons of photos. It nice to play in a while with your camera, because shooting at night within a lighted city can be tough. At least for the advanced users like me :D
I also got the time (between the shootings) to think about many things. I really enjoyed this atmosphere. When I come again, this will be a must-visit for me. Of course, just at night ;)

But thinking at this magnificent view was also hard for me, because whenever I looked into the city I found within a few minutes something that caught my eye, so I just broke the focus on my thoughts oO But anyway, it was good to re-think the past events and my next steps. It's like they say: "There is a time to act and there is time to think". By the way, the quote works with every opposite word constellation ;)

Seems like the streets meet all in one spot ;)

After getting down (not mentally), I finally followed my plan. Or better said, I skipped a few steps and went to Susukino, the night and entertainment district of Sapporo. What better place to end a day than here? ;)

Okay, to make it clear, I wasn't doing the "adult entertainment", although many possibilities were available :D But where I started were only restaurants, bars and gaming centers. So  went through the streets, shoot many photos and enjoyed again the atmosphere of this place.

There were so many people laughing, coming out or going in or just wandering like me. But it wasn't hectic or some kind of stressful, it was just enjoyable ^^

But I have to make a confession: In lost orientation in these streets after a while and then just wandered off to random streets and places. I don't know why but after a (bigger) while, I noticed that the area where I walked in had many posters of men. From the way the looked like, I knew, your in the "adult entertainment area", in this case for women.

Definitely not my place oO

So I finally knew that I was at the right place. But I hadn't a clue where the next Subway station could be, so I walked further. Then the posters changed from men to gorgeous women. So I stayed a ... I mean, I walked even faster to find my way ;)
After passing the love hotels (a really quiet area, offside the main streets), I found the Subway station of Susukino. It turned out that the red light area was close to the station. I just had to turn right instead of left, which I did in the first place.

Last Picture of this Day :D

So it was about 11pm, so I went to the Hostel. After a shower, I just went into bed. Maybe one negative aspect at the end: One of the other people within the room snored :D

Can't wait for the next day!

Nikko: This time, I took the right way :D

Again, I went on my way to Nikko. They say it's better the second time ...  and they are right :D
Starting from the station, where I was welcomed by a beautiful dark red tree, it was an awesome trip. My companion was Oliver, so maybe he will stop me if I just get into a bus :D

The tree that welcomed me ;)

Because we were on the way since morning, we decided to have lunch in one of the local restaurants. Okay, many were overpriced, but as always in Japan you find the cheap restaurants with the usually better meals, if you look for them ;)

Gyoza and Ramen are really a good combination :)

Next stop: The Tonshogu Shrine, which was for me the main reason to come here. Because last time ... ahh, you know. If not, just read the last post about Nikko :D
Whatsoever, we went through the streets and then through a little park. The park was quite interesting because many shrines and temples were here close together. Man, in Japan they really use every square millimeter ;)

Found on a parking spot: a small Basin with a Dragon

The way looked on the map much shorter than it was. So after a while, we were finally at the Toshogu Shrine. My first impression was like "Are we right?" But a look at the sign showed us that we were right. Before you actually enter, you have to go through a bigger yard and some stairs upwards.

The yard before the actual Shrine area
At the right side, you can see the 5 Floor Pagoda

And then ...  finally inside! It is really a beautiful place where you can relax and have many things and buildings to see. So we started at the front, where the "Three Wise Apes"are. You know them, the ones with "No seeing, no speaking, no hearing". Actually it's "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". This carving is just one of many and tell together a story. They describe the different parts of the life, a monkey goes through. It is really beautiful and a bit humorous. If you have time, come and see it ^^

The Three Wise Apes

If you watch within the shrine closely, many parts seems to be undone. They have some gold color, the rest ist just white. The Shrine is actually under a permanent cycle of restoration. Because he is so big, there is nearly every time something that isn't ready. Even a whole building was covered in a plastic canvas when we were there.

Old and New in one picture

But there are still so many beautiful carvings and details in this shrine. There was a sign which told me that some parts of the shrine have special names and one of them means even if you look at it a lifetime, you will see every time something new. It's like a whole generation of artists has eternalized themselves in this shrine. It's just so huge and there are so many carvings and statues, I cannot imagine how long would just one man had need for this.

How long would you need just for this?

What else besides astonishing beauty? Actually, there are many things. For example: We went into two praying events where the visitors put their shoes out first, then walk a bit in a corridor and finally went into one divined / praying room. A Miko (female medium in Shinto Religion) explained us every time how to pray and we did it like she said. And of course she told us discreet that we can buy talismans (守り) nearby ;) 

Inside the Shrine

It was a really special experience to pray (short) with a group of people. In a room, dedicated to a sad dragon (part of a story), we learned that this place was especially built to create a special sound. This was also demonstrated when the guide took two wooden sticks and clashed them into another. The sound itself is hard to describe, it was a deep but also bright tune. But maybe my imagination just messes this around :D 

Lamps and Phoenixes

And what is the most important thing by visiting a temple / shrine? Of course, buying stuff ;)
No serious, Oliver and me bought some talismans and other things. (I cannot tell in detail, because Christmas isn't over yet :D) The hardest one for Oliver was the decision between a little golden horse, a little golden sword and a little golden arrow (all just deco). He wanted to buy two of those things, but then he would have to buy the third one too, so he said. But he didn't want to spend so much money and so on and so on. Seriously, it's easier to buy shoes with a woman :D

Tokugawa Ieyasus Grave

We also went to the mortal remains of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one famous leader of ancient times. On the way we saw a sleeping cat. Not a real one, but a carving which seems to be pretty famous. Actually it's quite, but I don't know the story behind this. Maybe I will find out later what's the meaning of this ;)

Sleeping / Smiling Cat

Kegon Falls

After some hours at the shrine and about 300 pictures later, we went out for the next station: The Kegon Falls. For this, we had to take ... The Bus! As you probably know, my last experience with the local traffic wasn't the best, so this time I was prepared. 1st: I asked the driver, he said yes, we will arrive att Kegon Falls (everything spoken in Japanese), 2nd: I remembered the parking spot from the last time and I knew that the Kegon Fallls are nearby. This time, there was no traffic jam, so the bus actually needed just about 30-40 minutes :)


So we found Kegon Falls and did our duty: Making pictures and videos :D
I was a bit disappointed because there was only a lift downwards and we should pay 500Yen for it which is a bit expensive in my opinion. But we found a shop nearby with some souvenirs / presents, so we spend much more money there :D

Because it already got dark, we just wanted to find a Onsen (Hot Spring) where we could relax from the day. During our search, consisting of following maps and Olivers GPS, we went along the Chuzenji Lake, a really beautiful and big one. It was a bit strange, because there were no people on the streets and nearly everything was closed. So at first I thought we went along the false place. But we actually made it with a few small detours.

Why is the Bear Screaming at the Sign?

In a hotel near the lake, we got into the Onsen pretty cheap (500Yen per person) and it was a natural one. How did we know it? Just one word: Sulfur. Or they put Sulfur into the hot water, but that wouldn't make any sense. Because when you looked at a pipe in the toilets closely, they slowly fused with Sulfur which doesn't seemed to be good. And why would they even add Sulfur in the toilet water? So the whole Onsen used the natural heated water.

At first the smell is really strong. But after a while you adapt to it and I didn't even noticed it after 30 minutes or so. So as every time, you undress, take your towel to the ... wait, did I brought a towel? Dammit! But Oliver helped me out with one of his, Thanks at this place ^^

As I said, you take your towel into the hot spring, or better said two. One bigger one for drying up afterwards and one small one which you wet first and then place it on your head to cool it down. Because you usually stay a longer time in the Hot Spring and it can damage your brain if it gets to hoot.

Chuzenji Lake - It's getting dark oO

Just a Demons Mask
not related to the text ;)

But the most awesome thing was, that the natural hot spring was outside. And it was late dawn and went dark. So we had a really awesome atmosphere. And because after a few minutes, just the two of us were outside, we could use the whole basin. But I personally think Oliver stayed too long in the hot water and his brain was damaged because he started to pose and do some (pseudo-)acrobatic like making a handstand in the water. Or maybe it was the sulfur ...

Anyway, we went afterwards back home. It was a little bit later than we expected, so we had to wait like 40 minutes for the next bus. Luckily, the bus station had a heated waiting room. But of course, we went outside. This time, we experimented with making pictures in the dark, especially the stars. But unfortunately, there were too many street lamps around us, so the result wasn't thaaaat good. But anyway, some pictures actually made it ;)

The Lake - The darkest moment ;)

What a hell of a day :D
And it's correct: Never say kekkou (engl.: wonderful) before you see Nikkou!

Never saw these pipes in Japan Subway stations before oO
Reminded me of Final Fantasy ;)

an Old Japanese Phone Box?

Nikkos architecture

Seems like the Indians influenced Japan also in this time too ^^

River near the Shrine

The name of the famous Kirin brand and the Toshogun Shrine are related?

It's getting autumn in Japan! :)

Maybe she saw a mouse?

Kabuki Round 2

Woohoo! Again, I went to a traditional Kabuki performance in the National Theatre. Of course, it was another story than the one I saw already. And today, Oliver accompanied me.

National Theater

It was no Taifun, so we came punctual. We thought ... actually the act started already since 3 or 4 minutes. So we had to be over punctual to see the start or what? Anyway, this time one story went over the whole 5 hours. It was a story about revenge, so I actually saw some fights ^^

During the 1st break, I discovered a booth in the lobby with English Speaking Guides. So finally, I could fully understand what's going on! So I got a small receiver with an earplug. Besides the translation of the dialogues, I got some background information about the scenery. Even little signs and the location were explained, I think that many of the viewers didn't know all of this.

View from outside the Theater to Tokyo

But one thing was a bit strange: I told you in the last post about Kabuki, that sometimes the names of famous actors who went on stage were shouted from some viewers. But now I think, the ones that shouted, weren't viewers. Because the sound of their voice were exactly the same like the last time. And this would be a huge coincidence of the same people went again on the same time as me into Kabuki. So I suggest, that they are employees of the theater :)

Nevertheless, it was a great act, there was of course many tragedy but also some humorous scenes ^^ Just have to say, that the fights weren't as spectacular as I expected them to be. They were more like a dance, which is pretty much obvious, because the ones who founded Kabuki were women. Not that women can't fight, but it would have been nearly impossible for them to learn Martial Arts in the early days ;)

The whole set was about 600Yen (4,30€)

And of course, we had some Japanese dinner in Tokyo. And again for a cheap price. Why is even Tokyo the most expensive city in the world? I didn't know this city before, but I found anytime easily awesome food for a good price.

Half House?

Kanakura: Everytime something new

Random People
on a Random Street ;)

This day, I went on a trip to Kamakura with the Maruta family and Oliver. So right now, this is the 3rd time I went here. But as usual, there are everywhere new things to discover. So also today:

We started with a tour to a temple within a mountain. It was a very small one, but that doesn't mean anything in Japan. Everyone who was in a Japanese building, know that especially shops fill every square inch of a room with stuff. Okay, here it wasn't so tight :D

At the temple, Mr. Maruta told Oliver and me about the ritual washing of the money. This is something that seems to be one of the popular rituals in Japan. First, you have to put your money and every money card into a basket.

Of course, you can get them and every further item within the temple itself. After this you light a joss stick and put it into the proper place. Then you go to the water basins were you wash the money by putting water on it with a scoop. I hope, I didn't forgot anything :D

"Money Laundering" in Pictures

After our money, we walked a bit through the area. Some little shrines and statues awaited us. I have to say, this one has fewer things than the ones I saw before but because it is surrounded by stone walls and has many plants and water, it has an astonishing peaceful atmosphere. If less people would be there, this would be a wonderful place for meditation, I think ^^

Seems like many wishes will come true and much bad luck was hanged ;)

Now, we headed for lunch. And because we were really hungry and also the Maruta family didn't want to wait long, we walked into the nearest restaurant. There were no guests besides us, that was a bit suspicious. We guessed it was because the prices were so high. But anyway, the food was good. I just knocked my cup of tea over and caused a bit chaos. Actually this was the 2nd time in 2 days, that didn't feel right oO

The Lunch

Besides bad omen, everything was alright and we continued our travel. Now we went to maybe the most biggest Shinto shrine in Kamakura. And we were lucky, today was a Buddhist festival. It was called 七五三 (Seven-Five-Three) and is dedicated for the children. Girls at the age of 3 and 7 and boys at the age of 5 wear traditional Kimonos / Yukatas, go with their parents to a Shinto shrine and pray for their health, luck and future.

Young Girl wearing traditional Kimono

Why these numbers? As in most countries, specific numbers symbol certain things. In Japan the 5 for example symbols luck. So if you get a 5-Yen coin, keep it ;) As I heard, many of these meanings comes from Buddhism. If you want to know more about this, your favorite search engine will find it :D

The crowd

Because of this day, there were dozens of people. But we found our way through and visited the shrine. To be honest, it's called shrine if you take the Japanese word 神社 (jinja), but I think this building here can be called temple. It's just too big ;)

Seriously, the whole area is "just" a shrine?

After the visit, we just walked a bit within the streets and bought soft ice cream. Pretty ironic, isn't it? It's November but it's was so warm here that we ate ice cream. Don't know if I really want to cold because I have no heater at home. But if it stays so warm all the time, I won't be able to see the red maple trees because the leafs would still be green.... Dammit :D

Milk and Vanilla Soft Ice Cream with Caramel Splints

For more impression, just see the following pictures ;)

How much would a house here cost?

Whoever created this, is a true artist ^^

Believe or not, but this is the local Starbucks... with a pool!

In Front of the Big Shrine (/Temple)

Who wouldn't trust Dr. Beaver? :D

Within the Mountain Temple

Fox Spirits ... with pinafores?

If you look closely, you see my Chinese Zodiac Sign ;)

Decoration at the Big Shrine
... and I love dragons :D

Seriously, why are in Japan so many drawers?
And where can you find the results? ^^

Ceremony for the Buddhist Festival
I guess