Planes, trains, automobiles, and beer

 

East Meets West.

[ A breakfast of local fish, miso soup with seaweed, and a perfect omelet ]

We were awake at 6 o'clock this morning to a sunny day and mountains visible in the distance from our hotel window. We spent a slow morning with coffee and a beautiful buffet breakfast with vast offerings of local fish dishes. I could not decide on what to choose so I partook from the cuisine of both sides of the world. 

[ Waiting for an RL train to Sapporo Station ]

[ Navigating the ticket kiosk ]

We spent most of the day resting before heading out to the Hokkaido International School in Sapporo to attend their annual fundraiser, a three-day international Bare Bear Beer festival. Thanks to my friend Polly we knew exactly where to go despite our jet lag and the subway ticket kiosk information written in kanji, hiragana and katakana. Once we reached Sapporo Station we switched to the Namboku subway line to Sumikawa where we got off the train and walked up an enormous hill to the school. Once there, we found gathered in the school's gymnasium a welcoming community and beer on tap from around the world. 

[ A local IPA ]

I was the designated driver for this event because the superintendent of the school handed me the keys to a van that I would be responsible to drive to Niseko tomorrow. So as dusk approached,  I backed the van out of the school parking lot (Tom, Wiley, and Norah as my passengers) to start the drive through Sapporo back to our hotel in Chitose. My nerves were nearly shot before we made it out onto the street as everyone watched me back out, maneuver through a narrow driveway and try to turn right onto the opposite side of the street. While sitting on the opposite side of the car. I put my foot on the gas pedal and turned on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal and then accidentally put the van in reverse. Everyone gasped and closed their eyes. Wiley was the navigator beside me and he steadily coached me through it. We pulled to the street to the curbside shouts of "you can do it!" and sped away towards downtown Sapporo during rush hour. It was a nail-biter as I adjusted to turning left and right, finding the edges of the road from the opposite side and retraining my hands to use a turn signal instead of the windshield wipers every time I changed lanes. There were a few moments. 

[ A nail-biter on the streets of Sapporo ]

We did make it to the hotel. Tomorrow we will be leaving and heading to Niseko. I just need to take a minute here and express gratitude for the superior technical performance of the hotel room bidet. The seat is gloriously heated, although there is a warning label that states that sitting for an extend time could cause low-temperature burns. 

[ Hotel honourable mention ]