Japan 2011-Nebuta Museum

Our party had split up upon departure from Hakodate. I arrived with the first group and spent some wasted hours walking around the area outside of the JR station looking for a place to eat. No sooner had I given up and walked back to the station,that I met back up with the second group. We stepped into a restaurant and I ordered the miso curry ramen made with milk. The soup was good with a slight bite. However, the curry flavor was much too subtle for my liking.
Some time after lunch, I visited the Warasse Nebuta Mueseum. During the first week of August, the city holds its weeklong celebration. Nebutas are basicallu large ornamental lanterns. The skeletal frame is made of wood and covered with a material that lets through light. The brightly painted floats are lit from the inside and paraded through the streets at night. The museum preesents the history of the festival and highlights the contruction of the floats. Contained within the largest hall, are the winners of the best Nebuta for the past 5 years, as shown below

Japan 2011-Before leaving Hakodate

In between the hotel and the JR station, there is a morning market that opens from 5am to noon. Its primarily a seafood market but you can also find some produce here and there.
Like the other markets we have seen in Hokkaido, the fresh seafood is displayed, usually, in tanks or live wells to keep the sea cratures alive. Some have forgone the tanks and used old rowboats that are no longer sea worthy, Many places will cook your seaqfood for you on the spot for instant gratification

There is a star-shaped fort on Hakodate called Goryukaku. To get the full breadth of the layout, you need to pay a fee and go up the adjacent tower.

This design was popular in Europe and implemented because of its great defensive capabilities. The layout creates a kill zone in between each of the points. Defenders can laydown crossfire on anyone foolhardy enough to get within the perimeter

The tower also affords great views of the city. In the picture below, we are looking at Mt Hakodate. On the previous night, we visited the observation deck to view the city from a different angle. Im not sure of the tower was visible in any of the photoes
Shortly after, we took a train out of town and toward Aomori. There is an underwater tunnel that connects the 2 islands together. The 2 hour ride was spent almost half the time. The scenery on either side of the tunnel looked the same and could leave onme a bit disoriented

Japan 2011-Hakodate

It was time for lunch after the long long train trip. A guide map showed an area of restaurants in the downtown portion of the cityh. We walked over there and in an area of maybe half a city block, there were these quaint looking restaurants

We stopped into the place that sold primarily yakitori and other grilled meats on a stick. However, they were not limited to that. We began with a chicken skins and pork cheeks. We sampled dark meat chicken and pork tongues. The list goes on and on but the thing I enjoyed the most was the duck. It was served two ways and they were basically minced duck meat with or without leeks. In my opinion the best thing on the menu. They also had grilled fish and a few other things. The elderly couple were very kind and the husband knew enough english to helps us order what we wanted

Later in the evening, we went up to Mt Hakodate to get a bird's eye view of the city. Here you can see the land that just s into the sea. A tram ropeway brings you up to the observation deck that overlooks the city.

After sightseeing from the high peak, we came back down to sea level and walked back to the hotel. Along the way there are a number of red brick warehouses thats a popular destination for shopping. By 7pm, many places were closed as it seems Hakodate sleeps early.

Worn and waery from the days travels and activities, dinner was pleaseantly located within a stones throw of the hotels front doors. A chinese resstaurant that serves both chinese and japanese cuisine as well as sushi and seafood. I settled on the shoyu ramen. The flavors were nice and the noodles had good texture but wished them to be a little thicker

Japan 2011-Leave Sapporo/Arrive Hakodate

Today, we embark on a 3.5 hour train ride to Hakodate. Food helps to make the long hours on the train pass by. I purchased this bento while at JR Sapporo station. It has a nice assortment of items from fried cheese to fish cake to rolls to meat wrapped around burdock to shiumai and on and on.
Now, imagine if you will, the six of us in this car. The closest would be A nd J then V and D and lastly, it would be R. Unfortunatly, the reflection of the snowy coast prevents them from being visible

For much of the trip, the route hugs the southern coast of Hokkaido. To the north of the tracks are some mountains but we were never that close to them. At times, the waves felt like they were lapping up against the side of the car

Venturing to the forward car, the front seats were vacant and afforded a nice view of the scenery ahead. The weather varied from start to finish. From sun to grey, eventually we ended up with partly cloudy skies by the time we arrived

That cylindrical structure on top of that building is JR Hakodate station. It is situated very near to the water. If you have seen a picture of the peninsula, the station would be at the narrowest part of it

Japan 2011-Later that day

Before we left for Otaru, we had lunch at a local restaurant in the covered shopping arcade. The lunch menu was somewhat limite with a seafood rice bowl and 2 sets. The one that I ordered had some raw fish in it. Those who know me know that I dont deal very well with raw fish. However, I was able to use the heat from the miso soup to warm up the salmon. The rest wast wa meted out to those who wanted it.
In Otaru, our party split and some went back earlier to Sapporo while the rest of us walked a bit further into the darkness before heading back. On the walk back from Sapporo station to Susukino station, we checked on the progress of the snow sculptures. This is one we looked at two days ago. It has come alot in that time but is still not complete. Its Thursday and workers trudge on to finish before the Monday opening

After regrouping, we wn\ent ojut for ramen. I like curry. I like ramen. I have not had curry ramen in Japan. There are many places that sell curry udon. But the substitution of noodles is very rare. Found in a local guide, I sampled some curry ramen with charsiu. I was hoping for more of a japanese style curry soup. Instead it was more Indian like. The bowl had some sweet cabbage, carrots, and french fries. I finished the bowl and it wasnt bad. It just wasnt what I expected

The second part of the Snow Festival takes shape a block from the hotel. Since the opening of the festivities has been moved back from Friday to Monday, we saw no sign of life until this evening. The median of the street has been cordined off and blocks of ice have been placed on the ground to act as foundations. We leave early tommorrow and this will be all we will get to see of it.

Around this same area, some street vendors appeared to sell their wares. Here this lady sells grilled items like sweet potatoes, squid, and corn

Lastly, before we leave, a video panoramic of the intersection that is the hub of activity for the Susukino area. There is alot of nightlife with tons of bars and restaurants. Some places like the ramen restaurant we visited, dont open until 6pm and dont close until 6am. Posters and banners for hostesws bars are platered all over building while hawkers try to persude you to go in. Around dinnertime, I could see a number on their way to work