A great little city

We were in Sapporo for a few days.  We were on our way to Niseko to ski, but we thought we would give this northern city some time.  I didn't know much about the place, but it seemed like an ideal opportunity to explore before we started skiing.

It was a great decision and I wish we had stayed longer.

I started off the first morning by going for a run.  It didn't seem "that" cold, and so I put on a t shirt and shorts and jogged out of the hotel as Merissa continued to sleep.  The staff gave me a strange look as a wandered out but I thought nothing much of it.  After the first lap of the main park area, I started to realise my mistake.  It was far colder than I realised and no amount of running was going to change that.  I ran back around back towards the hotel and quickly inside.

The rest of the trip in Sapporo went much better.

It was a compact city.  Easily accessible, with all the attractions and sights all within close proximity. 

There was also a loveliness to the place.  Maybe it was the snow, but I felt it was more than that.  It seemed to have all the wonder and uniqueness that you would expect in Japan, but the whole vibe of the place was far more laidback and friendly.  It was still a "big" city, but it certainly didn't feel like Tokyo.

From the high up locations, we looked out across the snow covered city.  It only took us a few days, but we were able to get a good and happy impression of this place.

One additional bonus was that the food in the city was fantastic.  All of the usual Japanese favourites were on offer, but there was an additional Hokkaido twist that made the meals seem a bit more wholesome and rustic.  The ramens were richer and heartier, with knobs of butter thrown in.  The grilled meats at the robatayakis were smokier and far rougher than any of the polished yakiniku or yakitori places that most people were accustomed to.

The fact that all of the best eateries also seemed to be in the red light district only added to strange sense of hilarity of this great little city.