Hokkaido is known for it delicious chocolates, where the brand Royce may be the most famous one. It is therefore natural that it also got a chocolate factory open to the public, the Ishiya Chocolate Factory or Shiroi Koibito Park as it is known. The impressive house in english Tudor style also houses a rose garden and a football stadium for the Sapporo J-League team Consadole Sapporo.
Beyond the obvious possibility to see the production live and buy lots of chocolate, candy and cookies, there were a surprisingly wide number of activities included in the tour (600 yen for adults) or for a small extra fee. Even though the outdoors stuff like the train for children and ice cream house was closed, here were exhibitions of gramophones and children's toys, possibilities for children to bake their own cookies or make their own candy, and more. And I personally also really enjoyed the architecture.
One thing though, first thing inside the tour they will offer take a photo of you for free with your own camera, but they will also offer you an opportunity to take two photographs for a 1000 yen, so be prepared if you is easily swayed by salesmen. All nicely done, but I myself is a sucker for such stuff sometimes. Still, the indoors and outdoors photo shoots where quite nice, so it was worth it. See the results below:
The rose garden may not come to its right in winter but it was still fascinating.
Shouldn't there be chocolate flowing here?...
Art Noveau style chocolate boxes
White chocolate filled cakes.
Sugar miniatures
Parents watching their children baking.
The fotball souvenirs were really good, I must say.
This I know my brother would love to have...
So, how many can name this guy? Quite famous in Japan
Candy laboratory
Ooh, I really wanted to buy these cakes, but 3400 yen was a little to expensive. But I am still not sure I shouldn't have bought one anyway… ;-)
(Click here for the next day)
