Trip to Sapporo: Day 18 - Going home, what was the Top 5 of Sapporo?

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Sitting on my bus home from Arlanda Airport in Sweden (thx Swebus for the free wifi), I thought I would sum up the things I appreciated the most in an informal list. There are lots of other things but these ones I would like to give extra thanks for.

5. The Ishiya Chocolate Factory. It proved to be so much more than just a peek at the production line. Really quite the perfect goal for a family trip or anyone who is interested in chocolate, history, toys, english Tudor buildings, and/or gramophones.

4. The Tower of Sauron. Well, not really. But what do you call a 100 meter high monument made of iron that looks like an 1:1 replica taken straight of of Lord of the Rings? This is for sure one of the hidden tourist gems of Sapporo city.

3. The Snow. I mean - really? It was just fantastic how much snow Sapporo got, it almost snowed every day. To increase the effect, in Japan the snow isn't so much taken away as piled up in high walls so it is not unusual with 3 meter high snow walls even in the city. I got to rekindle my love for snow from when I grew up in the north of Sweden. I love snow(the video…)!

2. The Unexpected Friendship with Minami and Mikael. Just from a spontaneous contact made by Minami at the Mandrake store, I got to experience a genuine New Years celebration with them, but more important, we had some great times and I really appreciate these random encounters in life, they can mean so much. I wish you both the best of luck and I hope we meet again.

1. BUIE Gakuen, or rather it's residents and the openness of its welcome. I have already talked so much positive about the shared living of BUIE Gakuen in Sapporo, but again I must press how great an idea it is. People in the ages between 20 - 50 sharing facilities and lives instead of just living alone. This may not be the main point, but as a recently divorced man I want to point out that I know for a fact that several relationships and even marriages have started here. Everyone there, I don't know when I will come back, and many of you will have moved on by then, but I wish Kenji and all of you the best of luck with finding happiness.

Trip to Sapporo: Day 15 - Tower of Sauron and other Japanese buildings

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Today I and my Swedish friend was going to visit the Historical Museum of Hokkaido, situated at the large forested park Shinrin Koen in Sapporo, but when getting there it turned out it is actually closed. Until 2015…
But fear not, because the day proved to be unexpectedly fruitful, with this being the coolest reason:

I mean, really?! A 100 meter (yes!) high tower looking like a super nice replica of the Tower of Sauron, only missing the Eye of Sauron really. All made in metal. It is actually named the Centennial Memorial Tower and is a monument built in 1970 to commemorate the 100-year celebration of the city of Sapporo (therefore the 100 meters), and a truss structure was used, with the tower forming hexagonal snowflake like forms if you do horizontal intersections of it.

The nerd in me being thoroughly happy, we had our second luck for the day as the Historical Village of Hokkaido, an open air museum turned out to be open in the middle of winter. The even lent out skis and old-fashioned sledges for families to play with.
The main attraction though was its large collection of historical buildings. This may not sound to impressive or exciting but it was really interesting, and I actually think we got at least much impressions and thoughts from this than what the historical museum would have given us.
Prepare for a record number of pictures...

Kaitakushi Sapporo Headquarters of the Colonization

Kurumasa Inn

And its inside

Interesting chimney

The residence (for one year) of novelist Arashima Takeo

Hokkai Middle School was of course highly interesting for a teacher like me.

The principals room

The well respected sensei teaching his students. Or not.

STudent clothes before the introduction of modern school uniforms

Yes, I love maps.

Cross-country skiing is the best.

The outside

Cute lock protection

Aoyama Family's structure for Herring Fishing.

EVen sleeping next to each other, this must have been cold conditions wintertime.

Honjo Blacksmith

Wakasa's Storehouse, built in a style unique to Hokkaido and the oldest of its kind. Looks British to me.

Hokuseikan Silkworm House

Kikuta Family Farmhouse, with thatched roof.

Kondo's Dyeing Shop

Sanmasu Buckwheat Noodle Shop

Dr Kondo's Clinic

The Doctor seemed to live nicely.

Takeoka's Grocery

Oishii Sweet Shop

Fujiwara Cart and Sleigh Factory

Watanabe's Grocery

The Barber Shop of Yamamoto

Police Box

Photos from the Otaru Shinbun Building (Newspaper)

If you thought it was hard work typesetting and old style western newspaper, think again...

Look at the hundreds, nay, thousands of different "types".

This is a frontage from the Tohou earthquake in 2011.

I know I am in Sapporo, but it may almost as well be in the Swedish mountainside.

Farewell, Mordor/Shinrin Koen, I will always remember your Tower...

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