More work

The first week after New Year we were very busy at work. We had a big meeting with lots of people from Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka coming here. Or, that was the plan. Then there was a snow storm so all the airports in Hokkaido were closed, and only one guy from a nearby university actually showed up to the meeting...

But the meeting was supposed to take up two days, and by the second day the storm had passed and people showed up for the meeting. After the meeting, there was also a dinner social event. I was required to be there, and required to pay for it myself (5000 yen, which is a lot of money for food in Japan). The food was very good, though.

Sapporo Odori Beer Garden

On Sunday I was invited to a farewell party for two people who are leaving Japan. I have only met them briefly, but I was told that even people that had never met them were welcome.

Rhubarb!

This person was drinking with a group of friends at a table near ours.

Everyone is supposed to come in yukata, I was told. As any chance to wear a yukata is good, I decided to join the farewell party. It started at 13:00 in the Odori Koen park Beer Garden. At around 19:30 one of the people who everyone was going to say farewell to showed up. The second one arrived at around 21:00, arriving slightly late but dressed in a yukata, which was nice.

A card trick with an iPhone accessory

While partying in the afternoon I saw some people in strange clothes, I got to eat some rhubarb (not common in Japan, but very common in Sweden), and I was asked to do some magic. About half of our group was dressed in yukatas, so I was not alone in that either.

In a "what kind of men is your perfect match", a girl at my table strangely enough kept drawing a card with me.

Sapporo sightseeing in Tanuki-koji street and in the Sapporo Beer Museum

In the winter, bears sometimes come into the city, and when hiking they are a real concern I am told

On the second day in Sapporo, my brother and sister in law saw some of the "famous" sightseeing spots. First we took a walk through the Tanuki-koji shopping arcade street. It was just around the corner from their hotel. We also looked at the 2-jo fish market, and they decided to come back on their last day to send some fish to our relatives in southern Japan.

My new yukatas

We met up with one of my friends who once visited Sweden and then became friends with my sister in law. The four of us went to the Sapporo Beer Museum near the ARIO mall. First we stopped by the mall to buy some flowery t-shirts for my mother. We entered a place where I buy Japanese style clothes, and the guy working there recognized me and spoke to us long before we even entered the shop. We found some t-shirts for my mom, and I ended up buying two new yukatas. My brother bought a pair of shorts too.

Beer ice cream

Then we went to the Beer Museum. Just outside, I spotted a place selling "beer ice cream". That sounded weird, so I wanted to try it. I asked if it was good, and the woman selling it said that it was pretty much soft ice cream mixed with beer, and "very good". Since I do not like beer, I was not so sure of that. I bought some beer ice cream and indeed it tasted a lot like beer.

Beer museum showcase of old Sapporo Beer posters

We took a look in the beer museum itself, and then went on to the main event: jingisukan for lunch. Jingisukan is a dish that Hokkaido is famous for (among domestic tourists). It is basically thinly sliced meat that you grill yourself (which is exactly what Japanese yakiniku also is), but instead of pork or beef, it is lamb. In the rest of the country, people do not eat lamb. They think it "smells", and there are no sheep. In Hokkaido, eating lamb is quite common, though, as are sheep. The name jingisukan comes from Genghis Khan, because the iron plate you use to grill the meat looks like a Mongolian helmet.

Jingisukan

My sister in law commented: "I hate people who make that face". Probably referring to me.

We ate lots of lamb, and also ordered some asparagus (it is asparagus season on Hokkaido right now) as well as some seafood mix (Hokkaido is famous for having good seafood).

 "pudding jam" and "wine jam"

We also made a short stop in the souvenir shop. There I found some "pudding jam" and "wine jam" in the jam corner.

Me and my brother posing more or less like the statues behind us, in front of the Sapporo TV Tower

Later, we also took a photo in front of the Sapporo TV Tower, because that is what tourists do.

Beer cake, beer chocolate, beer anything!

I visited the souvenir shop of the Sapporo Beer Museum ("Sapporo Beer" is one of the 4 larger beer manufacturers in Japan). They now sell "beer cake", which apparently is "hop step delicious", but sounds disgusting. The also sell beer chocolate, beer jello, beer caramels, and much more.

I bought a pack of beer chocolate. They smelled a lot of beer, and tasted a bit like beer. Not disgusting, but very good. I have tried the beer caramels before, and they taste like I imagine eating yeast would taste like.

Beer shaped elevator

Sapporo Factory is a shopping center located in what used to be a beer factory owned by the Sapporo Beer company. The elevator is shaped like a beer can because of this.