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Exploring the North: Arts, Food and Culture... the Hokkaido Way!
Exploring the North: Arts, Food and Culture... the Hokkaido Way!
Forty of us traveled to Hokkaido for a total of 9 days.
A big thank you to JTB Hawaii's Minako and Yuta who helped coordinate this amazing trip!!!
Here are our experiences!
Day 1 - New Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan
The 40 of us traveled to New Chitose. Some flew direct on Hawaiian Air, while others with connecting flights. Our first hotel was right inside the airport: Air Terminal Hotel... so convenient! It even had onsen (hot spring) inside the airport.
Day 2 - New Chitose -> Noboribetsu -> Toya
1) Children wore kimono at Date Jidaimura. They all looked great in it.
2) Split into three groups and experienced making straw flip flops, gyotaku fish printing, or bamboo helicopter.
3) Watched a Ninja show, strolled around the Jidaimura, learned about Edo Period, and had authentic shabu shabu lunch.
4) Visited Horobetsu Elementary School, did calligraphy, watched Horobetsu's 4th graders' Yosakoi dance, performed hula, had Q&A with the students, and toured the school. We had a memorable visit!
5) Enjoyed buffet dinner, onsen, pool, and a 20 min firework show at Lake Toya Manseikaku Lakeside Terrace.
Day 3 - Toya -> Rusutsu -> Toya
1) Played all day at Rusutsu Resort. There were lots of great rides... and no lines because it was a weekday. We had the entire park to ourselves!
2) Rode a gondola to view the beautiful Mt. Yotei. Mt. Yotei looks just like Mt. Fuji, but 1/2 the size.
3) On the way back to the hotel from Rusutsu, we stopped at this scenic point. Our hotel was right on Lake Toya.
4) Had a delicious Kaiseki Ryori - a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner - at Lake Toya Manseikaku Lakeside Terrace.
Day 4 - Toya -> Niseko -> Otaru
1) Visited Takahashi Farm and experienced making strawberry ice cream. It was fun and delicious. We then had lunch and more ice cream dessert.
2) Hiked at Shinsen-numa Wetland. There still was snow on the ground. The hike was about 1.25 mi long. Such a beautiful day!
3) Transferred to Otaru in late afternoon, and had free time in Otaru at night. Our hotel was Grand Park Otaru, right inside a large mall.
Day 5 - Otaru
1) Visited the Bank of Japan Otaru Museum. We lifted 1 million yen and learned about the history of Japanese money.
2) Experienced glass sandblasting activity. We each created a unique design. Very happy with the finished product!
3) Learned how to make sushi, and had sushi lunch in Otaru
4) Walked around Sakaimachi-dori Shopping Street.
5) Dinner was Kaisen nabe (Seafood hotpot) at Hanagokoro in Otaru.
Day 6 - Otaru -> Sapporo
1) On the way to Sapporo, we visited Shiroi Koibito Park and decorated cookies.
2) Free time at Ario Mall and Sapporo Beer Museum.
3) Toured Megmilk Factory and learned about various dairy products.
4) Dinner was Seafood buffet at Den in Sapporo... all-you-can-eat Hokkaido crab (and more).
Day 7 - Sapporo
1) Went to Jozankei Farm and picked strawberries named "Kentaro." They were super sweet!
2) Visited Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium and went on the ski lift to the top of the ski jump. That was fun! We enjoyed the view of Sapporo city from the top of Mt. Okura.
3) Went to Sapporo Olympic Museum after the ski lift. Experienced simulated winter sports.
4) Lunch was at Kitano Groumet Tei, a restaurant at a fish market. Salmon lunch was so delicious!!!
5) Went to Historical Village of Hokkaido. Learned about history of Hokkaido.
6) Our day ended at JR Sapporo Station. We had dinner and went back to the Sapporo Excel Hotel Tokyu by subway.
Day 8 - Sapporo
1) We had free time in Sapporo until mid afternoon. Everyone went shopping!
2) Reserved the front seat to view the Semi-Final show of Yosakoi Soran Festival. We were impressed with their dynamic performances!
3) Our final group dinner was at Kirin Beer Garden. Enjoyed Jinghis Kahn dinner (Hokkaido-style grilled lamb, pork, chicken and veggies)
Day 9 - We said good-bye to each other after breakfast. Some families returned home, while others extended their stay in Japan. What a trip!!!
We're thankful that everything went very smoothly, weather was great, food was amazing, activities were fun, and everyone had a great time!
Agena Sensei asked the participants: Please write any comments about your overall experience that you don' t mind me sharing with others:
Being in Japan is marvelous and exciting. I am sure the food and sights alone would have made the trip great. But, the individual activities were so well thought out and coordinated... it was PHENOMENAL. We got to experience so many parts of the culture and see the serene beauty and the powerful spectacle of a country that is so multifaceted. One part historical and traditional; One part innovation and youth. We don't walk away from this trip with a "good time", but more like enlighten people who have a greater respect for a part of the world that will forever be a part of our hearts.
Our family truly enjoyed the Hokkaido experience. We loved the variety of experience and activities. We participated in many activities that were not easily accessible by train should we have gone on our own - strawberry picking, hiking, amusement park, ninja town, olympic museum, etc. Agena Sensei truly coordinated a trip geared toward the cultural experience for the children however all adults learned and experienced just as much. We appreciate the organization and planning that went with this trip. We would love to go on another trip to Japan with Agena Sensei...Where are we going next?
Great blend and variety of experiences of Japan that you wouldn't get in a regular Japan tour or traveling on your own. Enjoyable family experience for each member of the family. All the Nihongo Hawaii group members were a pleasure to travel with. Agena Sensei makes organizing such a large and diverse group of people look easy when we know that it isn't! Tremendous job! We're so thankful we got to go and experience these new places and make so many happy memories!
I have never been on a tour of Japan before this tour, I had an experience of a lifetime. I would highly recommend anyone if you have the opportunity to go on these tours-GO! Junko Sensei is very well organized and planned very informative and fun activities for all ages. The families bond well together and enjoy each others company too. Anytime there's an extra seat.....let me know.
We saw new places, ate new foods, and made new friends on this tour. There were activities and foods for everyone in the family to enjoy. We can't wait for the next tour!
We had a very nice group traveling with us who took tons of pictures to capture the moment and share it with others.
The trip was fun and I really enjoyed it. I liked Hokkaido a lot since there is a lot of cute melon souvenirs and other types of stuff to buy. I also like the candies, since there is a lot of ice-cream and melon related stuff :)
Thank you again for making our Japan experience so wonderful. It really is tailored to the kids which we enjoyed seeing through their eyes.
Very well planned with the participants interests in mind. Everything was perfect and we made some amazing memories!! I will definitely love to do this again with the same group!! Thank you so much!
It was so interesting seeing how different Hokkaido was from Hawaii and the rest of Japan! I loved discovering the unique characteristics of Hokkaido and it was very eye-opening. Although I was struck by the sudden cold when I first got there, I grew to love the Hokkaido summer! I'll definitely go back again in a heartbeat!
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