Hokkaido, Japan II (03/06/2013-03/12/2013)

We had a 'fire and ice' theme to our honeymoon. The previous posts were the 'fire' and this was the 'ice' - Hokkaido in winter. I've never seen so much snow in urban settings in my life. Apparently it was the heaviest snow fall in 10 years. 

We came to Hokkaido primarily to eat, and to soak. Hokkaido is famous for its fresh seafood, ramen, and milk (!). It also has a healthy amount of natural hot springs, and while I don't have the photos to show you (probably better this way), it's really nice to soak in a geothermal pool during a blizzard with your hair frozen solid from the -15C air, then rolling around in the snow. Rinse and repeat.  

We started our trip in Sapporo, where we feasted on crab and sushi, and visited the legendary ramen street, where I came across a shop owner who had been making ramen in that location for over 40 years, whom I met and had a chat with 6 years ago. He didn't remember me ~200,000 customer visits later, but that would asking a bit much.

Following Sapporo, we joined a Taiwanese tour group (because they had a bus and driving would be suicidal) and explored the interior and north of Hokkaido, stopping off to visit wineries, sake breweries, various hot springs, small towns, and then a ride on an ice breaker in Abashiri. We finished the trip in the romantic town of Otaru, which was a little less romantic in the winter.