The answer is that six of us (all of different nationalities! Korean, Canadian, Singaporean, British, American, French) went to Sapporo, Hokkaido, from 5-7 February! The main purpose was to catch the Sapporo Snow Festival, although naturally we intended to look at more than that. Travelling with people is difficult; Travelling with a group of six people is even more difficult. Having company day in, day out, it makes everyone's flaws more obvious. Maybe it's because our fuse becomes shorter, and we're more edgy and irritable. I hadn't counted on there being such differences on places we wanted to go, things we wanted to eat... Sometimes it was rather annoying, but all in all we kept the peace and had fun. More about some thoughts in another entry, perhaps.


Walking around out in the open all day made for incredibly cold (and painful) toes and fingers. It was pretty amazing to see what people can do with snow and ice. There were sculptures on Narnia, Egypt, pagodas, celebrities, cartoon characters... Everything you can think of, someone can make it. The details and realism were extremely impressive. If only it wasn't so cold.....

After being kicked awake by yj, we headed out to see sights other than snow sculptures. I liked the old Hokkaido government building although it didn't look anything like a Japanese building. Maybe I've a thing for red bricked buildings. That, in snow, gives a very cosy and romantic feel to it. Otaru felt extremely quaint, there was a more old-feel to it, although sometimes it was so packed with tourists like ourselves. Nonetheless it was beautiful, both in the day and in the night. Much as I was tempted to buy a music box because all those available were unlike anything I'd ever seen in Singapore, I resisted the temptation. I love seeing things that I can't see in Singapore. Somehow it makes this being abroad experience more real, more... tangible. And this is the first time that I'm spending lunar new year away from my family. No reunion dinner for me, but I'm glad that at least I had my friends with me for a good meal that night.

We noticed that we see stars everywhere in Sapporo, literally. Anyway, parks in Sapporo in winter look beautiful! Maybe I'm biased, to me anyplace covered in snow is beautiful. Yet you can't fault me for loving winter wonderland, right? For a Singaporean who's used to the tropical climate, I think I did very well in the sub-zero climate there, so here's a pat on the back for myself! *pats*

As I was doing up this entry I started missing Sapporo, with its snow-covered sidewalks, freezing cold, delicious food... Back in Tokyo, it's like "hey! I can walk normally without slipping every few minutes!" Still, I'm glad I had the chance to go there, it makes for a special chinese new year, to think about it optimistically. Even if all the snow reminded me more of christmas rather than new year!