Tokyo Blond Is Not Porn

Tokyo Blond is not a porn blog, about hair or even, as one pithy friend remarked, a micro beer or late 1980s glam metal band ("Dude, I just saw Skid Row and Tokyo Blond opened and played a killer set").


The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences in Tokyo - poignantly, visually, irreverently - for fun.


Anybody can tag along...that is if I like you. This blog will endeavor to be entertaining and honest and frequent enough to keep those following interested including me.


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

I'll Have Another Black Egg Please - Hakone Part 2

The next day in Hakone was glorious!  Russell and I had arrived Friday evening and we were delighted to awake to a crystal clear morning.   

Yeah, this will work.

Since our friends had done the Hakone thing before they opted to stay in the hotel, in their Yukatas, all day.  It was a 30 minute walk to Gora train station but only a 15 minute walk to our first destination: the Hakone Art Museum.  The route downhill may have been a little precarious due to ice, but you see so much more when you walk somewhere.

Along our walk.

Lovely entrance to what looked like a Shiseido retreat.
Well the sign said Shiseido.

We were amused by the city maps, positioned strategically every couple of blocks to ensure tourists can find their way around.  The pictures on the maps were especially entertaining.  

Since this map is in Japanese, it didn't help much, but it was amusing.
If it were in English, I imagine it would say things like:
Jack likes to fish.
Jane likes to soak in the onsen.
See Spot pee.

The reason I had any interest in the Hakone Art Museum was not for the pottery on display but for the moss garden.  There's one in Kyoto I'd seen a picture of and it reminded me of what I always thought a Japanese garden would look like.  Chances are it would be covered in snow but I thought the garden would still be worth seeing.  It was.  

The moss had been covered with bamboo mats to protect it from the elements.  The mats were covered in a blanket of new snow and it created a velvety palate of shadows and light.  It was lovely.

Pretty little wooden bridge.

Stone path through the drifts

So lovely in fact, we decided to take a respite and ordered a cup of matcha (green tea) served by a kimonoed attendant in their pretty tea house overlooking the park. The matcha was served with a wagashi - a traditional Japanese sweet.  The term "sweet" is an oxymoron as Japanese sweets are generally not very sweet at all.  This one was sakura (cherry) flavored, and the sweetest part was the actual sakura flower leaf on top.  It was subtle and refined, much like the Japanese in general.

Yeah, this don't suck.

Wagashi - traditional Japanese treat served with matcha (green tea).
That's not a giant toothpick - it's a cake pic.
You use it to pick up the wagashi.

Our kimonoed attendant.  
I think she was actually from South America.
But she spoke perfect Japanese!

The park even had a small bamboo forest 
which was dazzling against the snow.

After the garden we walked across the street to the cable car station.  The cable car was packed with Japanese tourists when it chugged to a halt at the platform.  We squeezed on and made faces at the darling Japanese kids as we chugged up the steep mountainside.

From the cable car we transfered to the Hakone Ropeway, basically a gondola.  

Have gondola will travel.
Hey, ya think they sell hot toddies?

Sitting backwards we could see clear to the ocean, over the mountain tops.  

Soon we ascended over a ridge and were suddenly looking down at a sulfur mine.  The entire area had once been a volcano so a lot of the landscape steamed from sulfuric fissures and ponds.  It reminded me of Yellowstone.

Looking down at the sulfer mine

The factory's running.
I can smell it.

We dangled over the Owakudani which means "Great Boiling Valley."  It was boiling all right.  And then we ascended another ridge, and to our amazement, was a breath-taking view of Mt. Fuji.  It was so spectacular, the entire car, which had been dead silent until then, all gasped in unison.  

Wow!
Now if I can only get this guy's head out of the way.

This hill is not on fire - it's just steam from beneath the Earth's crust.
Welcome to the Discovery Channel.

We got off the gondola at Owakundani station.  The view of Mt. Fuji from here is amazing.  It's no wonder there were ten tour buses in the parking lot.  Hey, wait a minute!  How did those buses get here?
Apparently there's a mountain road that can get you here as well.  Good to know in case we miss the last gondola back down.

Postcard ready.

We decided to try the Owakundani Nature Trail.  After walking for ten minutes down an untrodden, pristine snow covered path, we realized we had taken the wrong trail.  No matter.  It had great views of Mt. Fuji, there was no one on it, and we could get close to the steam being emitted from fragrant fissures nearby.  It was like walking through a little slice of Yellowstone but without the New Jersey tourists.  Unfortunately, the trail was only about a minute longer.  It ended back at the parking lot.  So we traced our footsteps back in the snow to the origination point.  

Not the right trail. Anyone can see that.
It's not paved and it's empty.
Duh.

Views of Mt. Fuji from our private trail.

Private tree tunnel.

After a few minutes of wandering around and asking for directions, we found our way to the actual Owakundani Nature Trail.   It was paved in concrete and the only thing "nature" about it was "human nature".  There were about two hundred people going up and down it.  We were suddenly very thankful we had found the wrong trail first.  

Neat cistern adjacent to the trailhead shrine.
Why don't they have these in Yellowstone?

We followed the trail up to the boiling pools where they actually boil eggs.  They sell them and they're black.  Yes, black.  They're supposed to be lucky.  500 yen, about $6 USD, gets you five black eggs and a tiny packet of salt.  Just what I always wanted!  But the reality is...it's really cold up there and the trek up the "trail"had made us really hungry since we hadn't eaten breakfast, so those eggs were damn good.  Plus the ones we didn't eat made excellent pocket warmers.

There was a huge crowd assembled eating black eggs.  There were even a couple of feral cats, hanging around the warm steaming pools, bartering meows for eggs.

Russell at the trail marker.
I think it says: "beware of the steaming black egg."

Black egg - black farts?

Can a brother get an egg?
I like it salted, thanks.

We thought, what could be better than black eggs and Mt Fuji, but the tour book, aka Frommer's, said we had to take the gondola to Lake Ashi to have the full Hakone experience.  So we boarded another gondola and descended into a valley with a dazzling, sparkling lake.  

As it was already 2pm and the eggs had only managed to provoke our appetites, and the next boat wasn't leaving for 30 minutes, we stopped at the station cafe, more like a cafeteria, and ate lunch.  I had ramen.  Russell had curry.  As usual, both were delicious.

We were excited because, in my opinion, we got to take the best boat across the lake.  It was a replica of a man-of-war tall ship.  It was really cool.  At any minute I expected pirates to descend upon us.  Instead a gallant looking Japanese man, walked around in a blue velvet coat and captain's hat, and solicited tourists for photos.


Prettiest boat on the lake.

The boat ride was 30 minutes and it was really cold but our hardship was rewarded by dazzling views of Mt. Fuji lakeside.  

Icicles hanging off the shoreline.
Yeah, that's how cold it was.

Another view of our ship.

From the boat dock, we walked to the Hakone Check Point, a reconstructed guard house depicting the original checkpoint along the Tokaido Highway.  The Tokaido Highway refers to the ancient road leading from Kyoto to Edo (now known as Tokyo), not a ten lane highway for speeding motorists.  Apparently if you were caught trying to sneak through the check point back in the 1600s the fine was stiff.  If you were a man they just cut your head off.  Nice.  If you were a woman, they shaved your head, and then gave you to any man who wanted you.  Who says chivalry is dead?

Edo checkpoint gate.
Her head isn't shaved so I guess she's OK to pass.

After the Checkpoint, with just minutes remaining until the next boat, we raced to the Hakone Detached Garden so we could get to the observation deck for one of the best views of Mt. Fuji in the country.
Frankly, the garden was just OK, but the view was spectacular.

View from the observation point in 
the Hakone Detached Garden.

We would have liked to stay longer but since somebody, (Russell), had insisted on buying roundtrip tickets, we had to make sure we got back to the gondola before it shut down.

We made it just in time to board the last gondola back.  We opted to skip the cable car and walk back to the Hyatt from Sounzan station.  It was only a 15 minute walk but it was freezing.  Thank goodness our friends already had our seats waiting and the champagne was flowing.

For dinner that night we ate at the Hyatt's French restaurant.  I was surprised they didn't have a pre fixe menu.  It seems all French restaurants in Japan have them.  It didn't matter, the menu had great choices for all, even Sally the serious meat eater.

Smoked salmon on top of beets.

Fois gras cooked two ways: sweet and savory.
Or as I like to call it: good and good.

My duck, sliced with hashed browns.
This would be good at breakfast.

Russell's lamb chops.
They even give you a bowl to clean your fingers.

The next day we arranged for a 1pm checkout and had a leisurely, Yukata clad breakfast in the dining room.  They have a nice breakfast buffet.  I went to the onsen for the third time that weekend and had it all to myself. Regular check out is at 11am and the Hyatt shuttle leaves for Gora station at 11:15am so the place is pretty much empty Sunday afternoon.  Next time we should stay till Monday, I decided, submerging beneath the curing, steamy water.  

For health reasons of course.

Somebody hand me another black egg.

Cocktails? Hand Me My Robe - Hakone Part 1

In the U.S., people used to "dress" for cocktails; in Japan they wear robes.  Actually they're called Yukatas and each room at the Hyatt Hakone furnishes them, along with a heavier short coat (which is kind of like a bed jacket worn by women in the 1940s) and wooden slippers.  Guests are encouraged to wear them anywhere in the hotel during their stay.  No really, they mean it.  You wear them to dinner, to the spa and, of course, to the lobby bar where they serve free champagne (and it's good stuff), wine and beer from 4 to 7 each evening.

At first I felt really uncomfortable wearing a robe in public. It could have been the fact I can't walk in the wooden sandals provided.  I was sure the Japanese guests were secretly laughing at me as I hobbled like a four year old wearing mom's high heels across the lobby to join our friends around the fireplace.   But after a few glasses of Piper, and a couple glasses of red wine, I was very comfortable, probably too comfortable.  

Russell and I spent the weekend with some friends in Hakone, a mountain retreat just a 30 minute ride from Tokyo on the bullet train, called the shinkansen.  I like to think of Hakone as the Big Bear of Tokyo.  Big Bear is a mountain retreat just an hour and a half drive outside of Los Angeles.  If they had a shinkansen it would only take 30 minutes.  As I had never been on a shinkansen or to Hakone, I was really excited.

The ride from Shinagawa station was fast, really fast, hence "bullet train".   I couldn't believe how quickly we made it to Odawara station - the gateway to Hakone.  If we hadn't had to rent a car that morning and drive three hours to Narita and back to take Ranger to his kennel, the trip would be a cinch.  We have GOT to find a more convenient kennel.

From Odawara station we took a small train to Hakone Yumoto station and from there a free taxi (sponsored by the Hyatt when their shuttle is unavailable, but only one-way) to the hotel.  The Hyatt was a lot nicer than I expected it to be.  Apparently it had been a "private" hotel before the 80s bubble burst and the financial corporation who owned it had to sell it.  Fine by me.  Our room was very spacious and Asian inspired with a fabulous view of the mountain.  

It had snowed right before we got there.  It was as if they had dusted just for us. All the trees were outlined in white, like freshly pressed uniforms. 

Hakone Yumoto Station

Pretty Winter arrangement in the reception area.
or a dead tree.

I love the Asian inspired screens leading to the dinette area.


Russell in his yukata.
Nice sticks in the background.

Well into our fourth glass and loving it!

After several glasses of champagne and a scrumptious cheese plate, we headed to dinner at the hotel's sushi restaurant.  They gave us a private room.  Russell, Steve and I had the pre-fix sushi menu, which was great.  Sally, who doesn't like fish but loves Japan, ordered steak off the a la carte menu.  Russell and I had smuggled a couple of bottles into the hotel and ended up drinking both at dinner, with a little help from our friends, of course.

Pork appetizer in a peanut sauce

Pinot goes better with sushi than I would have thought.
But then Kistler goes good with anything.

After dinner I did something I've been wanting to do since moving to Japan - go to an onsen.  For months I'd been trying to convince Russell to take part in this oh-so-Japanese ritual.  But he wouldn't do it.  Technically "onsen" means "hot springs", although it's generally used to describe a public bath. It is a major tradition in Japan.  Communal bathing is thought to be a way to break down barriers in their highly regimented society.  Onsens used to be co-ed, but now a lot have segregated into male and female.

Like all things in Japan, the onsen experience is extremely ritualized - meaning: there are a lot of rules.  Because of this, and the fact you're totally naked in front of complete strangers, or worse new friends and/or business associates, it was very intimidating to me.   But since I was fortified with liquid courage, (have I mentioned before wine makes me brave as well as funny?), I decided to try it.

After dinner, I took my drunk Yukata and clumsy sandal self to the Hyatt onsen.  I had carefully read the instructions provided for correct "onsening" in my room.  I unrobed, stored my stuff in a locker, and walked naked into the onsen.  I went directly to the bathing stall, sat on the tiny wooden bench provided, and tried not to look at myself in the mirror as I rinsed all body parts with the handheld nozzle provided.  I washed my hair and my flesh vigorously, just to demonstrate to all the Japanese, who I was sure were watching, they could rest easy, the gaijin would be clean.

I was relieved when the guests already in the two foot deep pool of deliciously hot and steamy water didn't vacate the minute I got in.  My friend Sally was already in the bath.  It was awesome!  I have to do this more often.  As I said, onsens are hot springs and are thought to have medicinal qualities. This one was said to cure everything from a headache, to muscle pain, fatigue, cuts and burns, and even the dreaded: "chronic female condition."  The brochure actually said that.  Chronic female condition?!  Did they mean PMS or just our incessant complaining?  Apparently the only thing the onsen didn't cure was a hangover and world peace.  Well it worked for me.  It relaxed me and put me right to sleep the minute my wet head hit the pillow.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

VD - It's Contagious

Of course I'm referring to Valentine's Day, not an STD.  Consumerism in Tokyo is mind blowing.   I can only imagine what they would do with Arbor Day here.  For all I know they probably have an Arbor Day equivalent, albeit on steroids, featuring special pre-set menus and party favors.

They may not buy into the concept behind a holiday, (Christmas is anything but Christian here), but they absolutely buy, buy, buy.  Store displays in Tokyo evolve from one holiday to the next.  And if there isn't a Western holiday dominating a window display, there's a Japanese holiday.

I was in Loft, (a Tokyo institution, kind of like Target but a fraction of the size and better merchandized), and was astounded by the Valentine's display.  During Christmas one third of the first floor had been dedicated to miniature Christmas trees and assorted decorations.  I walked in right after Christmas and the same floor, but even more of the floor, was dedicated to Valentine's Day.    CRAZY!

In Tokyo, Valentine's Day is a two-parter.  On February 14th women give men chocolate.  Yes, women, not men.  There are several kinds of gifts.  "Obligation gifts", called Giri-choko" in Japanese, which are given by women to male associates or office workers; and there are more "romantic" gifts, called "Honmei-choko" which are given to their hearts desire as a gift of their affection.  Strings are attached and I'm not talking about the wrapping paper.

A month later, on March 14th, otherwise known as "White Day,"  men are expected to return the favor and more.  Men who received "obligation gifts" are expected to reciprocate with a token of equal value.  Men who received the more substantial and meaningful Honmei-choko are expected to reciprocate with homemade cookies or cake, dinner, flowers or more.  This explains why there were so many cookie making kits at Loft.

As for me, I got Russell a box of our favorite mini-chocolate souffle cakes. They're made by Kinotoya bakery in Sapporo.  We looked for them on our recent visit to Sapporo but had no luck.  A restaurant in our neighborhood that specializes in Hokkaido desserts flies them in once a week.  These things are addictive.  They're the closest thing we've found to American style chocolate cake here.  Which means they actually are sweet.  Most Japanese desserts are just mildly sweet, if sweet at all.  Six come in a box and they're bite size.  Well, by American standards they're bite size, just slightly bigger than a chocolate truffle. Like most Japanese products they're made with no preservatives and only last a couple of days in the fridge, assuming we haven't eaten them all in one sitting.  They're so rich and creamy.  I'm just glad I can't read the calorie content on the back of the box.

I look forward to reciprocity.

Happy Valentine's Day, Tokyo Style!

Check out this huge heart display I saw in Loft.
I think it's a hypnotic devise brainwashing shoppers to buy more chocolate.
I had to detox when I got home.

Amazing selection of chocolates.
Look my love, I'll give you the world!

This is too pretty to eat.

I thought we were talking about Valentines not Easter.
Last year was the year of the Rabbit.
Are these left over?

Amazing selection.

A fraction of the VD display.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Sapporo - It's Not Just About the Beer

Russell and I finally made it out of Tokyo. Yippee! Last weekend we went to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. Specifically, we went to Sapporo.  But not for the beer.  We went for the annual Sapporo Snow Festival -  a free exhibition of amateur and professional snow and ice carvings.

The trip was sponsored by TAC (Tokyo American Club).  It was our first such tour and we weren't sure what to expect.  The good news: there was fresh snow.  The bad news: we had to be at the airport by 7am.  That meant dropping off Ranger-the-Wonder-Dog at the kennel the day before and getting up at 5am the next morning.  UGH.

The flight from Haneda airport is only an hour and a half.   The fact we could actually see Mt. Fuji from the airport, and our seat on the airplane, helped ease the sleep deprivation.

Mt. Fuji taunting us.

Once in Sapporo, there were several tour choices.  We could have skied, gone directly to the hotel, or taken a bus tour of the city. We opted for the bus tour, which is not usually the kind of thing we go for. But we were intrigued by the buffet lunch at a resort in the country side.  Country side?  Really?  I'd pay to see some trees.

We were not disappointed.  First of all, we had a really fun bus.  A Japanese tour guide gave us fun facts about Hokkaido and Sapporo and lured us to sleep.  The hotel itself was set amidst several acres of forrest and golf courses which were covered in snow.  Hokkaido had experienced the coldest temperatures in recorded history a few days before and was covered in downy fleece.  It was amazing how expertly the bus driver negotiated the unplowed roads.  Usually the hotel, called Kita-Hiroshima, is a golf retreat, but during the Winter it's a wonderland, complete with a modest ski slope and gondola.  

We didn't gondola, unless you count the elevator to the top floor where the buffet was.  It had a great view of the surrounding countryside.

Hurray! Trees!

Now, I don't usually like buffets. The food is generally sub par and we always over-eat.  I scanned the offerings dubiously.  But it was cold, and as everyone knows, the body burns a lot more calories trying to keep warm.  What the hell!  Plus they had these convenient buffet plates which keep the food nice and separated.  The food was outstanding!  And on the way back to the highway we actually saw some Hokkaido deer.  Unfortunately we were so busy pointing we forgot to take a picture.  

Besides great food, including the freshest fish on the planet, crab and diary products, Hokkaido is also famous for its wildlife.  Specifically deer and bears.  We didn't see any bears though.

Yummy!

It took about an hour to get to Sapporo, basically a nice nap.  Once in Sapporo the driver took us around the small city, (in comparison to Tokyo), pointing out the ice sculptures still being worked on, the city square, our hotel and the site of the snow festival.  It was actually a good way to get our bearings.  Because we were ahead of schedule, the driver actually stopped at the Hokkaido former government building, a baroque style building designed by an American (go figure) and let us walk around.

The building was interesting,  it felt like being in Philadelphia, apparently it's built after the government building in Massachusetts.  The best part was the snow covered adjacent garden.  

Former Hokkaido Government Building Ice berg-ed up.

Pretty Japanese garden with nesting ducks.

After the tour, the bus dropped us off at our hotel, the Royton.  It was no Four Season's, but it had great hot water, something I've longed for since moving to Tokyo.  It also had two twin beds.  Russell insisted we sleep in one.

Dinner that night was at the Asahi Beer Garden.  As Sapporo produces a lot of beer, beer gardens are a big deal here.  Basically it's a gigantic hall where they serve lots of beer while you cook your own food over small grills at your table.  Bibs are mandatory.  They actually put your coats in plastic bags so you don't take home that beer-hall-BBQ-smell.  The food is good.  

This beer garden was at the Asahi beer factory so the brew was especially fresh and they served a particular beer only available at this time of year, at this location.  It's called Kohaku-no-Toki or "amber time".  Let's be clear - I am not a beer drinker.  But I did sample it, and it was pretty good, for beer.  I had to be content with the expansive wine list.  The choices were "red" or "white".

Let's just say we were at the fun table. We had a great, hard-drinking, joke-telling crowd.  And we convinced the men to cook!  We told them we'd clean up and they fell for it!  My favorite part of the evening was when I got up to go the bathroom and, like a magnet, attracted most of the women from the table to go with me.  It had nothing to do with me - it's the women's code.  Women like to travel in packs.  To this, one of our new friends, a handsome man from North Carolina, said to Russell, most congenially, "Russell, do you want to go to the bathroom with me?"

Bib city.

After dinner a few of us went back to the hotel bar and kept it open longer than the manager intended.  Apparently they had been warned.

The next day we walked around the snow festival.  Technically, the festival wasn't officially opening until Monday, the day we were leaving, but it was already crowded and the sculptures were done.   It also seemed to be press day and a lot ribbon cutting was going on at several of the larger scale sculptures. 

Interesting how the festival poster is in English.

The snow festival was centered at a couple of sites including Odori Park, Tsudome and Susukino.  The primary site being Odori Park, which is a long, narrow city park that runs through the center of Sapporo.  Odori Park was conveniently located across the street from our hotel.   The park had about 250 snow and ice sculptures of various sizes, including giant snow scenes the size of a house. But most of the snow carvings were about the size of a Chevy truck.  In between the rows of sculptures were various squares: bustling food courts, snow slides, an ice skating rink, and even a huge snowboard ramp. The brochure claimed 400 snowboarders would make 4,000 jumps.  We gotta see that!

Adjacent to Odori Park was Susukino, in the food and shopping district, where the majority of the ice sculptures were.  We made it to Odori and Susukino.  The Tsudome is kind of a snow playground about a half hour away.  We didn't make it there. 

The snow festival originated in 1950 and was started by a bunch of high school students who made six sculptures that year.  Since then it has grown into an internationally recognized event visited by over two million people annually.  Professional sculptors and total Joes can participate from any country in the world, even the U.S.A.


A lot of the sculptures had a Twitter board next to it.
Course it was all in Japanese, so I couldn't understand what it meant.

One of my favorites.

We noticed a lot of the sculptures were sponsored by major corporations and were promoting social messages or cartoon characters, maybe both.


Promoting reading?

Promoting Friendship?

A Japanese person told me this is a very popular cartoon character.
I like bunnies.  I like baby chicks.  What's not to like?

Anime character.

A lot of the sculptures were cute.


Fun in the snow translates in any language.

Even the U.S. Navy had a showing.
Nice jar head.

Jaws!  Cool!
We're going to need a bigger sled.

There were no barriers around the park.  Anyone could attend for free.  We saw lots of locals walking their dogs, which were much larger than Tokyo dogs.

This dog belongs.

This one, not so much.
I'm surprised it wasn't wearing a sweater and booties
like they do in Tokyo.
Oh, these are country dogs.

By far, the coolest sculptures were the large scale ones.  The first, being developed by the Self Defense Force of Japan in 1955.  Apparently that hasn't changed.  They were out in full force to cut the ribbon to their entry this year: Aizu Tsuruga Castle which is in the Fukushima prefecture.  Yes, that Fukushima.

The military are here but not doing crowd control.

This is one for my scrapbook.

In front of the sculpture.

In addition to cute dogs, there were the prerequisite, adorable Japanese kids.  Apparently they were busing them in.  Mini-gangs, of five at a time, would approach us, clipboard in hand, and tentatively ask us three mandatory questions:
  1. Where are you from?
  2. Is this your first time to Sapporo?
  3. What's your favorite sculpture?
We were an easy target.


Is this an ad for baby gap or what?

My snow! Back off.

"But I don't want to look at the ugly foreigners!"
Check out Russell in the background
on email no less.

And then there was the food.  OMG! Even the State Fair of Texas doesn't have food this good.  Well, except for maybe the deep fried Twinkies.  Russell and I stood in the middle of the food court salivating, until Russell got a special treat from a local bird.  It crapped on him to the amusement of everyone standing around.  Getting crapped on is funny in any language.   

These were Hokkaido scallops cooked on an open grill.
Nice matching jackets.

Hokkaido crab.

Hokkaido bananas?
Ok, maybe the bananas aren't from Hokkaido.

Hokkaido is famous for its dairy products.
Nice udders.  Do you think they're real?

We couldn't decide if this was natural or hand evoked.
Scary either way.

After snacking on some Hokkaido grilled corn, we decided to eat at a crab restaurant called Hyosetsu no mon.  It was hard to find but so worth it.  Not only was it a charming traditional restaurant but the food was great.  At first I didn't think we ordered enough food.  But after long lag times, they kept bringing out more and more. Soon I was full and actually appreciating the fact the walk back to the hotel was about twenty minutes.

Our private dining room behind soji screen.

Raw crab appetizer.  I'd never had raw crab before.
It was amazingly sweet.

Crab amuse bouche.

I had the crab hot pot.  I put all these ingredients into a boiling pot of broth.
Afterwards they used the remaining broth to mix with rice.
Amazing!

The carnage.
I'm talking about what's in the bucket.

After the crab we walked through the Susukino Site, which is where most of the ice sculptures were.  They were still working on them.

This is really cool.  Those are real fish and crab frozen in there!

Somebody hand me a pic and some drawn butter.

Supper cool dragon ice carving in progress.

We walked by the snowboarding jump on the way back to the hotel.  It was like the X-Games.  They even played American Rock.

Russell wanted to try this.

Dinner was on our own that night so we met up with our friends, Nancy and Brian, and had sushi.

Another private room.  I'm beginning to think they're hiding us purposefully.
Hide the gaijin!

This is as pretty as it is delicious.
Keep it coming!

On the way back from dinner we walked back through the ice and snow sculptures.  At night they're even more magical.

Now that's what I call a sake bar.
Pass me a cup.

Belly up for a mug of beer.
Gives new meaning to "refreshing."

Oooh, they're even prettier lit up in colors.

Nancy and Brian took us to a wine bar they had been to before.  They had a nice selection of French wines.

And look at the size of those glasses, 
hence the size of our smiles.

The entertainment district.

Mini Tokyo

The highlight was seeing the large scale snow sculptures at Odori Park lit up.  Keep in mind these are the size of a house or even bigger.

Russell's favorite - go figure.
Tokyo Disney Resort

My favorite.  It's called Snow Aquarium - Treasures from the Sea.

National Palace Museum (Taiwan).
The lighting is fantastic!

Taj Mahal

Aizu Tsuruga Castle.
This is the one the military picture was taken in front of.
It's amazing lit up!

The next day was the opening of the festival and the crowds increased exponentially.  We walked from square to square, amazed.  We were glad we already had the opportunity to take pictures.  But I couldn't resist this last one of my favorite sculpture:


I love the glass eyes and whiskers.
He looks so real.

No trip to Hokkaido is complete without tasting the ice cream.  So after we tested the local ramen, amazing BTW, we walked into a little ice cream parlor.  The chocolate syrup might have been Nestle's, but the ice cream was all Hokkaido and full fat.  It was so creamy and delicious!

Sweet!

Even sweeter!
Look how cute he is.
I'll take that with a cherry on top.