Japan is one of those few places in the world where people care, just maybe not about you specifically. They are friendly, but not really your friends.
As an outsider, you can never truly integrate, but it makes a great place to travel, especially solo. Having already visited famous places like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, I decided to check out Hokkaido to mark the end of my 30th year on the planet. It would also be my first solo endeavour.
ANA (All Nippon Airways) has frequent deals from major cities in India and is a great airline to travel with (although the leg space on the domestic flights is a bit lacking). The person at the BOM check-in counter (incorrectly) told me that I wouldn't need to collect and re-check-in my luggage at Narita, but I'm glad I double-checked online.
I had a long layover at Narita, during which I picked up a WiFi box[1] and spent most of my time in a cafe, but there are dozens of restaurants with more traditional food you can try. A nice viewport too.
The flight landed late in Sapporo and I took the airport bus to Odori park[2]. I was not prepared for how cold it was once I stepped outside the terminal.
My hotel was right next to Sapporo TV tower, which does look bigger in pictures than in real life.
As soon as I left the hotel I was greeted by an anime convention spanning the entire length of Odori Park. I really was in Japan.
I have a simple routine for vacations. After waking up—whenever that may be—the first objective is to get coffee (preferably trying out a new place each time). Then loiter until you get tired (and hungry) enough for lunch, followed by more sightseeing (to get hungry for dinner). The special Japanese addition is late-night Konbini visits for dessert (preferably trying out something new each time).
After walking around Sapporo University, I went to the JR tower observatory, one of the highest viewpoints in the city to catch the sunset, and stuck around for quite a while until dinner time.
I took part in a bus tour on the second day, and while it was a bit rushed, there's no way I could cover as much with just public transport in a single day. The tour covered volcanic formations (some as recent as 1945!) and surrounding lakes.
The weather was less than ideal— overcast and eventually rainy, reminiscent of the previous times I've had such day trips in Japan (Hakone and Kawaguchiko, where I also ended up cancelling plans to hike Mt. Fuji due to rain)
At the end of the day, I had one of the best cold brews ever at Marumi Coffee, where I ended up going a few more times during the rest of the trip. The rest of the evening was spent around the flashy Susukino area.
Given there was more rain scheduled for the next day, I decided to spend it in the city. Trying out more cafes and lining up in the rain for an hour and a half at a famous ramen shop. The ramen was good, but too filling—should have skipped the rice and gotten a half portion!
On the way back, I came across a cafe run by Sho Tanaka, a barista champion of latte art, who was kind enough to entertain my attempts to converse in broken Japanese. I returned to Marumi again for more coffee. I'm sure I did something worthwhile between my coffee shop visits, but I can't remember.
It was late evening by the time I got back to Sapporo, and I discovered a place of indulgence right next to the hotel. A black coffee was the only sugarless item in my order.
Next morning, I strategically picked a coffee shop far enough that I would also be hungry enough to eat by the time I got there. Then, was my first visit to an outlet of Japan's largest discount store, which I somehow missed completely on my last trip. After some shopping, I went to try out a Sapporo specialty, Soup Curry at Suage+. They offered varying levels of spicy-ness and I think I could have gone spicier.More coffee and carbs the next day at Mermaid, which was very nice and is deserving of its outrageously high rating. The staff do come out to say goodbye to everyone, and one of them even stuck around waving until I was almost out of sight. Next up was Moerenuma Park, a huge sprawl of green, where I loitered on a bicycle for the entirety of the rental duration (returning it with just 5 minutes to spare). There was a glass house with a museum, and a small hill with a view of the city. It also served as a fitness check (if you can make it to the top without stopping to catch your breath). There was more coffee (not pictured)
Next day was coffee, shopping for items and a duffel bag to fit all those items, lunch at a cozy restaurant, and catching a train to the next destination. I had collected a 10-day rail pass just a day or two before this journey, so that it would be also valid when I had to come back to Sapporo (for the return flight).
1. I also returned it at the same terminal on my way back, but you can pickup and drop it across several airports). Best thing about it is that it doesn't kill your phone battery as quick if you were using mobile data.
2. Google maps may not show destination names in English for this ride, so it took me a while to figure which exact bus to take.
3. For now, we will be back to Sapporo in Part 2