Day 66: 5 June 2009

LOCATION: SAPPORO
MOOD: WINDING DOWN
LISTENING TO: COLDPLAY FEAT JAY-Z – LOST+

RAIN MAN:

Today was broken up by the various bouts of rain that forced me off the streets and back to the hostel. I felt kind of bad seeing as each time I returned to the hostel the owner would drop what he was doing and see who it was at the door. In between causing awkward moments at my minshuku I spent the day by shopping for souvenirs and seeing a few more sights around the city.

The inn that I stayed at was a homespun boarding house tucked away in the winding alleys of Susukino. Charming little place.

In the morning I went to the famous Ramen Alley in Susukino, which is literally a tightly hemmed in arcade chock full of ramen shops all vying for your business. As a side note, I've found Sapporo to be the place in Japan where you're most likely to be pestered on the street. Whether it's people flogging merchandise, trying to lure you into their pub or just giving out flyers they're loud and unafraid to get in your face.

The way that the guidebooks talk it up, you'd think that the Ramen Alley was a magical wonderland that you get to by stepping through a wardrobe. The reality is far more mundane.

Back to the Ramen Alley, I made the mistake of going during an off-peak period, meaning that all the shop owners focused their attention fully on me. I eventually settled on a shop and ordered the local specialty, miso ramen. If that sounds familiar it's because the miso is the same beanpaste used in miso soup, that ubiquitous side-dish that's served with pretty much every dish at a Japanese restaurant. The shop had an interesting open plan where you could watch your meal being cooked. The food itself was good, but nothing that I would travel to Hokkaido especially to sample.

It was a little uncomfortable being the only person is the shop, but once I got started on the food it wasn't too bad.

The other main sight that I went to check out was the Nijo Fish Market. Both times I had been in Tokyo I hadn't been bothered waking up early enough to catch the Tsukiji fish market, so I felt that I owed it to myself to go and see at least one seafood wholesaler before I left Japan. Nijo isn't anywhere on the same scale of Tsukiji and it was somewhat awkward walking past the rows of stores all hollering at me to buy something.

Yes, this definitely is NOT Tsukiji. Actually it reminded me more of Footscray.

I didn't realise it at the time, but this was my last chance to look for whale meat. Oh well, it looks like I've boycotted the Japanese whaling industry again, although unintentionally.

Apart from that I picked up a few local souvenirs and headed back to my hostel to spend a quiet night watching a bit of Japanese TV and enjoying my last day in Japan before I set off on my epic 30 hour journey home the next day.

Sapporo is filled with these covered shopping strips. Great place to find something to eat or do some last minute souvenir shopping, although you'll find that you keep on finding the same stuff block after block.

It was a choice between eating crab or getting presents for friends and family, so it wasn't a hard decision in the end.

I contented myself with a photo of this giant mechanical crab that they had out the front. I'm not sure why, but I found it really creepy.

Last glimpses of Japan: the streets of Susukino at high afternoon.