S is for Sapporo

Sapporo Ice festival was amazing!   This is just a small glimpse of what we saw.  If you are FB friends with me you can see the 400+ pics there.   Enjoy!!!

 

It was absolutely freezing dress warm and learn how to properly wear a scarf.  You'll need it!

 These Girls were amazing!  You would of thought they'd be frozen, but they were troopers performing  in the freezing cold wind and snow. This was a replica of the Hoheikan Historical Guest House, famous for being the oldest wooden western style hotel in Japan.

  The most famous attraction of the Sapporo Snow Festival, the enormous snow sculptures.Standing at over 15 meters high (50 feet) was a snow sculpture titled, “Ise Jingu: A Modern Legend.” This sculpture features scenes from Ise Jingu, which is said to be Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine.

 

Taiwan’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
Each large snow sculpture also doubled as a stage.

 

Anpanman! Part sweet bean bread, part superhero! A beloved childhood character for many people in Japan.

 USA's Entry

 Thailand's Entry

 So I took the ITT trip.  It was 3 days getting back on the 4th day at 6 AM.   It included the Ferry ride,

 This is the room for singles.  doubles and quads have ocean view and tv.

 This is the Ferry

 It also included Saporro Beer Garden all you can eat and drink.  If your drinking anything with alcohol that's not beer there is basically no alcohol in it, not even a hint of a taste.  So order straight shots if you want alcohol or enjoy the soda.

 This is walking to the Beer Garden

 The trip also includes a tour to Otaru which has an amazing music box shop built in the early 1900's

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You can also watch  people blowing glass

 

I also took a short subway ride to the zoo.  It was small but fun!

D is for Daiso

 This is the 100 yen store.   I now understand why my sister in law Midori was so interested in the dollar stores when she came to the USA.  Diaso is so opposite of American Dollar stores though.  It has good quality stuff for 100 yen.  You can find all kinds of stuff.  Toys, tools Makeup, food, dishes etc...  The best thing though is it seems to be good quality not just junk.   We love it.  By the way if you live in Seattle they have Diaso at the mall there.

 Directions:
1. Go out the POL  go straight until you get to Universe, make a right.
2.  Drive a while until you get to McDonalds make a left
3.  Drive past the Bunny store until you get to a light with Lawsons  on the left turn left
4.  Go past Sanwado  and it will be the next big shopping center on the right.  There is a grocery store, an eyeglass place and a lottery booth.  Look for the building pictured on the top. As you turn into the parking lot it is at the far left.

C is for Cherry Blossoms

Japan has the most beautiful Cherry Blossoms. They are known as sakura.    The Japanese cherry blossom tree is not only native to Japan.  The Japanese observed the life cycle of the cherry blossom tree and drew a similitude between the nature of the blossoming tree with human life in general. The cherry blossom tree is one of the most popular good luck symbols in Japanese tradition. They are a bit tricky to plan for because they are very temperamental. First it has to be just the right temperature for the blossoms to come out.  If there is too much wind or rain the leaves come tumbling down.  We saw Cherry Blossoms all over Misawa but we also went to the Hirosaki Castle grounds which is full of cherry trees.  In it's glory it is amazing.  However when we went we saw more blossoms coming and going to Hirosaki than on the grounds.  This was due to the rai and wind we had.

HIROSAKI CASTLE

___Go out the main gate to the second traffic light.
___Turn right and proceed up the street to pole road, turn right onto pole road (by Nagasaki’s)
___Turn left at the first traffic light, route 8.
___If proceeding out the contractor’s gate, you will join route just past here.
___From where the contractor’s gate road joins route 8, proceed down route 8 for 9.9 miles to route 394. ___Turn left onto route 394 at the traffic light. Proceed over the bridge and down the route for .5 miles. ___Turn right here, cross the bridge and proceed down this road.
___In 3.5 miles you will cross route 4.
___At this point you are entering the toll road. In 19 miles you reach the end of the toll road at a t-intersection, at route 44.

___Turn left onto route 44
___Proceed down route 44 for .6 miles to the second traffic light at the y-intersection by the circle k. Take the right fork of the y and proceed to route 4 in .3 miles.

___Turn left onto route 4. Proceed through Aomori to where route 4 ends and route 7 begins, 6.3 miles. ___You will follow route 7 all the way to Hirosaki.
___In 2.2 miles route 7 splits into two directions, proceed straight.
___In another 9.8 miles route 7 turns right. Then left.
___In another 8.8 miles, once in Hirosaki city there will be an off ramp to the left, proceed down it and then turn right under route 7.

___Follow the signs to Hirosaki castle. Pass by the first sign that tells you to turn right to the castle and
proceed down to the t-intersection, 1.5 miles from where you turned off of route 7.

___Turn right here and follow this road to the t-intersection.
___Turn left at the t-intersection and follow the road around the castle grounds to the front entrance.

Unload your passengers here if possible and then seek parking according to traffic officials. If you pay for parking the bus, ask for a receipt, so you can be reimbursed when you return.

B is for Beaches

The Beaches in Japan are beautiful clean water beaches.  This may be one of my favorite parts of living in Japan. We are about 7 minutes from the beach.  I love to drive up and down the coast and stop where ever, driving through the trees and finding beautiful beaches everywhere.  Nothing can cure your blues like the ocean. We have had a couple first at the beach.  Right after returning from the states, we went swimming at the beach about an hour away.  I totally forgot I had my brand new glasses on and we went out in the water and spent hours in the awesome waves.  A rough wave tumbled me under and I totally lost my glasses.  You wouldn't think that would be a problem, except I am blind without glasses!  Thank goodness our friends were with us at the beach.  They had to drive us home.  Our other first was building a snowman on the beach.  That is totally wrong!  Beaches should be warm and tropical, but that is Misawa for you.

Directions to Shirahama Beach in Hachinohe featured below

 

Another popular beach is Ship Wreck Beach.  We have been there but it was late April  and it still had way to much snow.  At least 4 ft that we would of had to walk through.

A for Aomori

A for Aomori
Asamushi Aquarium   is a small but enjoyable aquarium.  It took us about 2- 21/2 hours leisurely enjoying it.  They have many tanks the favorite is the large tank which you can walk through the middle and have Sharks, Sting Rays and many other fish swim right over your head.  I recommend it for all ages.  They also have a dolphin show which is fun.  Realize it will all be in Japanese though.  They also have tanks in which you can pet the dolphins but it was closed the day we went.   The cost was 500 yen for school age k-12 1000 yen for adults in Nov 2012.  Google map to Aquarium   

FSS directions   These are written directions to both the aquarium and Tony Roma's.

We also went to Tony Roma's! MMMM MMM if your longing for American food.