Day 5: 13 Jun (Sun)
Hakodate 函館

Hakodate would be the city that we would stay in till the end of our trip, and our visit of the place started on Sunday. Hakodate is the 3rd largest city in Hokkaido (after Sapporo and Asahikawa), but its population is significantly lesser than the first 2 cities. To be honest, I was quite surprised when we first stepped into Hakodate the day before, because it looked quite different from what I had expected, after having visited Sapporo and Asahikawa.

Something interesting about the city: A Merlion Park exists in the city, and true to its name, there are 3 merlions there, with 1 of them being just like the one we have in Marina Bay, sprouting water and all. The park was set up by the late Masaru Yanagisawa, who admired Singapore so much that he brought our icons with him to Japan. He also has a trishaw in the lobby of his hotel, offered Singapore Slings at its bar, and named the souvenir shop Sentosa.

Day 4: 12 Jun (Sat)
Sapporo 札幌 – Otaru 小樽 – Hakodate 函館

Odori Park / 大通公園

We didn’t manage to visit Odori Park before the lights were switched off the night before, so we visited it the next morning instead. Odori park is located in the heart of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido, and the fifth-largest city in Japan by population.

Odori Park stretches east to west over 12 blocks, and divides the city into north and south sections. At the eastern end of Odori Park stands the TV Tower. We only visited the first few blocks of the park, at the end where the TV Tower was. There was a dance festival starting soon, and we saw a couple of dance groups practicing. It might be the Yosakoi Soran Festival, which is held in Odori Park every June, but I’m really not sure.

Access Information:
From JR Sapporo Station: 5 to 10 mins by foot

Day 3: 11 Jun (Fri)
Furano 富良野 – Sapporo 札幌

Furano Jam Garden / ふらのジャム園

This jam shop has over 40 varieties of delicious homemade jam, with flavours that are common, as well as those that are rather unusual. They recommend different jams for different groups of people, and little pieces of bread are provided so that you can taste the jam. I didn’t get any though, since I’m not exactly a fan of jam.

Day 3: 11 Jun (Fri)
Furano 富良野

From The Northern Country Museum / 「北の国から」資料館

Attractions related to "Kita no Kuni kara"

From The Northern Country (“Kita no Kuni kara”) was a drama set in Furano which ran for 18 years with the same main characters. The drama centers around the story of the Kuroita family. Narrated by the son, Jun, the tale follows the lives of two children torn between their parents and their parents’ divorce. Jun, and his sister Hotaru, grow and mature in the harsh climates of Hokkaido, and learn the ways of life through their interaction with the folk of Furano.

Starting with the museum, the next series of sites we visited were buildings and sets from the show, which have now become attractions in themselves. The museum contains commemorative items and information for “Kita no Kuni Kara”, and was built under the supervision of the author, Soh Kuramoto.

Access Information:
北海道富良野市朝日町5番20号
5-20 Asahi-cho, Furano-shi, Hokkaido
From JR Furano Station: 3 mins by foot

Day 3: 11 Jun (Fri)
Asahikawa 旭川 – Furano 富良野

Ayako Miura Memorial Literature Center / 三浦綾子記念文学館

We were supposed to visit the Ayako Miura Memorial Literature Center the day before, but due to time constraints, we could only visit the place on the third day of our trip.

Miura Ayako (三浦綾子, 1922-1999) is a Japanese novelist who has published over eighty works of both fiction and non-fiction. Many of her works are considered best-sellers, and a number have been remade as feature-length films. Ayako left the teaching profession upon Japan’s defeat in WWII, when she became convinced that her own confusion regarding right, wrong, truth and deception disqualified her to teach children anything of value. Soon afterwards, she contracted tuberculosis, then caries of the spine, which confined her to bed for thirteen years, seven of them in a body cast that restricted all movement. She became a confirmed Nihilist until she was converted to the (Protestant) Christian faith. The themes she explores in her novels are primarily Biblical themes: human depravity and egoism on the one hand, and sacrifice and forgiveness of sin on the other. (From Wikipedia)

We reached the place before it opened, and so we took a stroll nearby while waiting. The area was shaded by trees and there were many dandelions growing as well – it was a really pretty sight! The aunties and uncles did some stretching exercises, while us younger ones simply watched them.

The center basically had a collection of Miura Ayako’s works, as well as some information about her life. While I’ve never read her books before, I wouldn’t mind picking up some of them when I have time.

Access Information:
北海道旭川市 神楽7条8丁目2-15
2-15, Kagura 7-jo 8-chome, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido