Today the 4 of us went to Hokkaido for THE FIRST TIME EVER!
We had breakfast at the bakery in Shnjuku Station again, but since we had all our luggage with us, they pushed us outside, so we ate standing where we could find room. The staff's objection to us having suitcases in the shop was literally 危ない (abunai, it's dangerous). Japan: limited space is a thing.
 |
| standing station bakery breakfast yeah |
Getting on the express to the airport was pretty terrible, because the boys had use of their Japan Rail Passes, but in a moment of bad planning, mine had expired the day before and I had to get a ticket separately and pay a bunch of money for it. The boys were super nice and pitched in even though it was my own fault.
Kitty was impressed by useful mechanisms on the train. Airport expresses and shinkansen usually have these.
 |
| fold-out cup holders |
 |
| fold-out coat/umbrella hook |
We had underestimated the price of the express because there are two tickets you have to buy for certain trains. There is one charge to get on the train, and one to have a seat. It's a really weird system that according to a lady I talked to in the station when I left the train, a lot of foreigners get confused about. No wonder!
 |
| I've talked a lot about public trash cans: this is how the separation often looks |
Also, trash cans are sometimes few and far between, so that can be frustrating.
In the airports we were trying to find an ATM that would accept an international card, but we were short on time and didn't manage to find one.
When we checked our luggage with Peach, we were displeased by the realization that checking luggage at the airport cost about 1.5 the listed price for checking the baggage online ahead of time. This is part of Peach Aviation's nickle-and-diming that I mentioned in an earlier post.
 |
| out Peach plane from Tokyo to Hokkaido, from the bus that took us out to it |
Our flight had been delayed, so once we got to Shin-Chitose Airport we risked being too late to check in to our 旅館 (ryokan, Japanese-style inn). I made a phone call to the ryokan to make sure the latest we could check in, and we found that using a taxi we could just make it. It was a bit expensive, but we found a taxi and he managed to fit all our luggage, comprehend our hurry, and agree to try to get us there on-time. He chatted with me about some of the food and nature in Hokkaido on the way.
We were super impressed by the room when we got to our ryokan, 南幌温泉 (Nanporo Onsen). I have never stayed in a ryokan before, so I am not entirely clear on how to be the best kind of guest, but we do what we can.
 |
| Kitty taking pictures |
 |
| Nick taking pictures |
 |
| our table |
 |
| with trimmings |
 |
| beautiful |
 |
| doorway |
 |
| AMAZING ROOM |
The first thing to keep in mind is that if a room you stay in has tatami mats NEVER ROLL YOUR LUGGAGE ON THE TATAMI. Not only is tatami very hard to clean so getting any dirt on them should be avoided, but suitcases can actually cut a hole in tatami, costing a lot of money. Fortunately, our group were all safe and did not soil or tear the tatami.
We had reserved dinner with our room, so almost immediately dinner was served to us as it was just in time for the latest serving of dinner. In ryokan, dinner is served to your room. The 女将 (okami, proprietress) of the ryokan served us with 1 other female staff member. It was a fish dinner, and Lane summarized it as "definitely one of the most terrifying meals I've had."
 |
| our banquet: Lane's face is my favorite part of this |
 |
| platter of things to put on the grills, toward the top right and left of the picture |
 |
| grilling |
 |
| our personal trays |
Culture note: In Japanese-style dining there are usually platters of food that everyone takes from as they please. Each person has their own rice bowl, and toppings for the rice, but most other dishes are shared. As you can see there is usually also a personal bowl aside from the rice bowl in which to put the next thing you will eat.
 |
| rice cooking |
 |
| steak on top of daikon radish, very tasty |
 |
| We found out these mussels were still alive, or at least still reacting to touch. None of us could bring ourselves to put them on the grill so we left them on the plate. |
We received so much food that it was overwhelming. I ate everything of my portion that I could but it was a huge amount of food and I could not do it without bursting. Just last post I mentioned that you should finish all of your food, but in this case it was too much, and I think a lot of it was outside our taste as Americans. The okami came to me (because no one at the ryokan spoke English so I was acting as translator and main contact) and asked if the food was to our liking because we had left so much. I felt truly bad about leaving so much of it but told her that we simply couldn't eat that amount of food, that maybe we have small stomachs. I made sure to tell her it was all delicious and to thank her for it, because they had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to make it for us.
Fortunately, we have a steak-centric dinner reserved for tomorrow, so it should be more suited to American tastes.
After dinner we took a bath and went to the 温泉 (onsen, hot spring) attached to the ryokan. The baths were separated men/women, but inside these designations it was public bathing. There are rows of stools next to mobile shower heads and faucets, and the place even provided towels soap and shampoo, along with a yukata to wear as a robe around the ryokan after bathing. I bathed before getting into the onsen, because you want to make sure you don't dirty the waters of the onsen.
The public bath space was indoors and even had an indoor onsen, a cold water tub, and a sauna. After my bath, though, I headed straight out to the outdoor onsen. It was a stone pool big enough for probably about 10 women to sit in comfortably. Water was running out of the rocks on one end and draining into them on the other, making the sound of running water. It was great to sit in the hot water and let my muscles relax. The water felt very good on my skin and a little tingly on my blisters and cuts (just regular travel stuff). When I walked along a covered path lined with LEDs I found another outdoor onsen bath, this one in a wooden tub. It's a nice setup.
After our baths, we all relaxed on our futons that the staff kindly set up in our room while we bathed.
 |
| the boys relaxing with tv, note the charger setup between my and Kitty's futons |
 |
| nice face |
 |
| was so excited about ryokan I needed a selfie with each travel buddy: Me and Kitty! |
 |
| Me and Nick! |
 |
| Me and Lane! Haha Lane's face |
We had a calm end to a hectic day.
Travel tips:
18. Check express trains to airports especially for the two-ticket system. If hyperdia listed a reserved seat price next to the train, it may a be a "buy two tickets" situation. Include this into your travel cost calculations.
19. RESPECT THE TATAMI. Do not roll or drag luggage over the tatami. Do not walk in shoes on tatami. Just be good to the tatami.
20. Be a bit adventurous when eating new food in a foreign country. Some people have stronger opinions about food than others, but even people with strong likes and dislikes usually at least appreciate the experience of an unusual meal. Sometimes you will even find a new favorite food where you least expected it. Just make sure most meals are to everyone's liking, and then a meal or two can be something new and crazy.
