Life in Japan

Last year, was my first Valentine’s Day and I wrote “Did I die and go to heaven? This is a fabulous day for the men folk of Japan. Today it is the female of the species that pampers her mate with chocolate temptations. Males can just relax and enjoy the attention, for a month at least, next month it’s our turn to reciprocate on ‘White’ Day.
Today my green tea experience will be embellished by that other special gift from nature, the product of the cocoa bean, a sublime combination.”
This year, this morning in fact, whilst I was holding an English language session with a student I learnt more. She told me that she had bought chocolate gifts not only for her husband but for her son and father too, and that this is quite common. Furthermore there is a new trend in Japan called “Tomochoco”, Tomo meaning friend and choco is self explanatory, wherein women are beginning to gift each other and workmates on Valentine’s Day.
It seems here that Valentine’s Day is becoming Japan’s Easter as far as chocolate consumption is concerned.
I hope our tea-drinking friends here can still kindle a spark of romance next Sunday.

Well what an amusing day I had last Saturday.
It's a week before the 'Sapporo Snow Festival' starts in earnest but a close neighbour gave me an unexpected preview.
I first noticed him yesterday beavering away clearing the snow from his front driveway. By afternoon I thought he was a bit intense and that his discarded snow heap was growing in size. Later he seemed to patting it down with some affection and it was beginning to form a dome like shape, taller than him. This called for the binoculars for an up close inspection from the bowels of our second bedroom to avoid accusations of peeping.
Then I noticed that he was carving out an arched doorway. I thought he must have had a squabble with 'Her Indoors' and was preparing himself a 'dog house' for the night.
But no, he carefully placed a statuette in his 'shrine' and embellished it with head-wear and shawls. According to Ayano, my partner, it has no religious significance so it must just have been his creative way to spend a Saturday and why not? I must say that last night, when he illuminated it with a candle placed behind the figurine that it looked quite beautiful.

This is my second winter in beautiful Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northern ‘Wilderness’ island of Hokkaido. Last winter I was incapacitated and unable to fully appreciate this very new (after 40 years living in Australia), climate for me. This winter is one of wonder and discovery. Winter can be breathtakingly beautiful.

Driving around with snow above the car roof on either side can be disconcerting akin to the bob-sleigh experience I would imagine, certainly exciting enough.

Until recently I’ve been taking ‘Mr Rooney’ our American Cocker Spaniel for early morning and mid-afternoon walks through the forest. He started to come home like a giant snowball and needed to be thawed in a warm bath to rediscover him. Now the snow is too deep to even consider the forest walk so I’m back to walking the streets. The other morning after a particularly heavy snowfall there was the eerie experience, in the half light of dawn, of our neighbours, several of them, busy as beavers shovelling snow from their driveways and footpaths in the total silence of the soft blanket that had covered the streetscape overnight.

I emailed my sisters in Australia about the experience; one replied that she could “almost hear the silence of the snow”. There’s poetry here somewhere, I’m sure someone must have captured it in verse.

We don’t have municipal garbage bins issued to each household here. Instead neighborhoods are broken down to small community groups of, say 20, homes with a designated garbage pickup point wherein each family takes turns for being in charge of assembling and dismantling the infrastructure for a week at a time. The “infrastructure” means a small portable wall of boards or plastic, a net to cover and weights (in our case house bricks), to keep the nets down. The nets are essential to discourage a voracious colony of crows that are prevalent throughout Japan. Assembly needs to be undertaken by 6am; Japanese are early risers and the crows beat them to it.

So what’s this got to do with Christmas?
This week I’m on garbage duty, last night there was a heavy snowfall and I was up at 5:45am to perform my garbage duty. We had dedicated last weekend to putting up our Christmas decorations part of which are the colored lights on the Christmas tree (front room window), Santa climbing up a rope (upstairs balcony front window) and reindeer and lights (outdoor patio and garden tree). At 5:45am here its pitch black so the effect of all the lights flashing and reflecting on the snow was just magical.

Pre Christmas here is very similar to the west, a festivity the Japanese have readily adopted and adapted since WWll. Department stores resound to the usual seasonal ‘muzak’ and tinsel and gift wrapping is everywhere. Here Christmas really is for the kids; you don’t see turkeys, hams-on-the-bone or Christmas puddings and cakes in the stores. Japan’s traditional Christmas meal is KFC and generally Japanese don’t like fruitcake, instead they opt for a light sponge cake decorated with cream and strawberries. But Christmas day is a working day here, wait until New Year then the feasting begins and how!

Yesterday we headed off to Niseko, one of Japan’s premier ski resorts, to promote Charaku’s organic Japanese green teas to the skiers this season. Niseko is about a two hour drive from our base in south Sapporo, usually a delightful scenic drive, at this time of the year potentially deadly especially driving over Nakayama where the snow was heavy, familiar landmarks blanketed in snow and visibility down to the tail-lights of the car in front. I was happy to be a follower and not the leading driver.
Niseko is nestled in the foothills of the awe-inspiring Mt Yotei. The township is Christmas card picturesque with magnificent ski lodges huddled tidily into cozy looking streetscapes. The lodge manager who has been kind enough to entertain our green tea promotion is The Niseko Company. Their GM, Steve gave us a tour of one of the lodges built by West Canada Homes, a three story all timber lodge of spacious dimensions featuring a massive entrance hall with benches for the skiers to change in comfort and a thoughtfully placed bathroom for those in a hurry whilst changing, four impressive bedrooms with king size beds and tastefully decorated with Ainu (Hokkaido aborigines), woven wall hangings. Each bedroom has a massive ensuite bathroom. The owner has a flair for art and has commissioned a fascinating oil color landscape on the landing wall with another under way when we visited. There’s a huge patio with equally huge outdoor table and chairs, seating about eight from memory. The central floor is the showpiece comprising a very well equipped kitchen, with a central bench for serious food preparation, leading into a large and comfortable lounge. All the windows offer magnificent views of Niseko or Mt Yotei.
Something to behold on leaving Niseko were the “Gondolas” transporting their lucky skiers in enclosed comfort to the slopes from the doorstep of The Niseko Hilton. Now that’s got style!
We wish all the skiers and workers in Niseko a happy and safe ski season.

Japanese brides are drawn to Christian style bridal gowns and even wedding ceremonies. Hence, to a visitor it may seem that Sapporo has a large Christian fellowship but the steeples and spires are likely to be a reception center which primary purpose is to host weddings.
Many Japanese couples have two ceremonies, one traditional Shinto dressed in kimonos followed immediately by a western style wedding and reception.
It was our honor and privilege to attend a close family wedding recently. This couple decided to forgo the traditional element.
The church/reception venue was amusingly named the 'Shalom Church'. The complex itself was very tasteful, the attendants effusive, the mood serious. The bride looked fantastic and the groom very elegant. The grandmother and the mother of the bride both wore kimonos. The bridal gown had a trail about 3 yards long.
The service was good, the chapel quite large, as big as a small English church. We were greeted at the front doors of the church by two girls, dressed as choir girls (they later became part of a good mini choir of 4, one of them doubling as a flautist), carrying large candles. When the doors opened we all trailed in, brides family to the left, groom's to the right. There was a large stain glass window behind the altar, a female organist also dressed in a surplus to the left of a central raised pulpit. The priest was a real one, the service conventional with prayers, hymns (the whole congregation sang) and the wedding ceremony. Much of the service was in Latin. Even though the whole affair had a touch of ‘Gone with the Wind’ it got away with it and the gravity and sincerity of the occasion won over the day.
All in all it was a very well orchestrated affair with nothing left to chance. The facilities were so good and well planned. Comfortable guest waiting rooms, gigantic dressing rooms for the bride and groom, sweeping stairway and fresh petals for the flower shower leading down to a very fine restaurant/reception area and very good food. Everyone at the dining table got up in turn to say a few words. All in all a good and dignified if somewhat serious day.

July in Sapporo has been wet, very wet; mercifully not as wet as some parts of the main island Honshu where there has been significant loss of life through floods and landslides. We did have a tragic reminder though of the unpredictability of this wilderness northern island when, even in midsummer, 10 experienced bushwalkers perished from exposure whilst trekking in the Daisetsu-zan National Park.
On a brighter note the humid conditions have made the gardens lush green and colorful and our veggie patches and commercial crops are sprinting towards a good harvest.

According to my English language newspaper ‘The Daily Yomiuri’ Hokkaido’s experiencing a 13 fold increase in Chinese visitors compared with last year. This is attributed to the release in China of the film ‘If you are the one’ (Feicheng Wurao), which features Shiretoko Lake, Akan and other sites of beautiful Hokkaido.



I visited Otaru for the first time in early July. It’s our closest port. Interestingly Vladivostok is closer to us than Tokyo which explains the frequent Russian street signs. The town is scruffy as most ports in the world are but the ‘old’ section has been transformed into a tourist Mecca. A canal stretches along the water front where it used to service the loading of cargo to a strip of warehouses. Many of the warehouses have been converted to shops and restaurants. The shops sparkle with exceptional offerings of ‘Viennese’ glassware, a legacy from the days of blowing glass marine buoys and tinkle to the sound of musical boxes. The canal is illuminated by gas light at night so you can imagine the ‘Olde’ world ambience that is achieved. Add to this rickshaws and horse drawn carriages for tourists and the scene is set. My partner was eager for me to try the local seafood for which Otaru is renowned; the drawback was parking in the center of town. I vowed to return in a couple of week’s time when a food festival and firework display at the marina was assured. Next we’ll book into a hotel to allow us to browse the treasures of Otaru at our pleasure. This is where the ‘Surreal Tikka Masala’ kicks in. We were hungry and searching for somewhere with parking so that we could relax over lunch. The surreal experience was the unexpected find of an authentic Indian restaurant tucked away in this outpost with Indians speaking fluent Japanese whilst we watched a Russian variety program on cable TV. The food incidentally was authentic too and quite delicious. (Japanese curry is a bit thick and sweet for my taste).

Our second visit was better planned. We booked in the Hotel ‘Sonia’ close to the seafront and in the centre of the action. Torrential rain for the entire weekend didn’t mar our or other tourists’ enjoyment of the weekend. Umbrellas were prevalent. We kicked off in a beer garden for dinner, all you can eat for $12, sound familiar? Well it wasn’t one of those pig-out establishments. Each table had an inbuilt circular hotplate for one of Sapporo’s highlights, the Ghengis Khan BBQ. Here you griddle your choice of finely sliced lamb, beef, chicken and vegetables selected from a vast range. The buffet also included plentiful and attractive offerings of the primary Otaru specialty, seafood. Add to that soup, stews, cakes, fruit, jellies and ice creams all presented with thoughtfulness and color. Outside live bands were playing golden oldies from the 60’s and 70’s from an undercover stage erected on a bridge spanning the canal. Mercifully the rain held off long enough for us to take a stroll around the shops, restored warehouses and illuminated buildings of historical significance. Back to the hotel for a relaxing spa bath, then from our 8th floor balcony a spectacular view of the firework display at the marina, about a km away along the seafront. The next morning it was still raining so we opted for the aquarium. Very impressive with a most entertaining seal and dolphin display, inside thankfully.
The lunch. Well you've probably seen them on TV; a restaurant with a conveyor belt continuously on the go with plates of goodies on it, mainly seafood (sashimi and sushi), but some chicken, fruits and sweets too. Basically as a plate you fancy passes by you just lift it off the belt and enjoy. The plates are different colors to represent varying prices. At the end then you press the bell for the waitress who comes and totes up your plates to reach the final figure. Dangerous way to eat but the fun bit is when you've 'pigged' out and are just sitting there waiting for something irresistible to come along.

I've always enjoyed a lazy style of fishing; more a meditation.
Driving around Victoria, Australia for 30 years, I discovered the pick of the riverbank or lakeside spots to settle down for the day, far from the maddening crowd, with my kit of a box of worms, some refreshing ale and a packet of smokes. The method was to place a worm on a hook, relax and daydream to the sounds of the water running or lapping against the shore and a continuous chorus of birdsong. Every once in a while the peace would be disturbed by the twitching at the tip of the rod announcing an enquiry from the river or lake bed. On rare occasions I would be able to take home a couple of decent trout for dinner; if I wasn't successful it was a good day anyway. I like fresh trout, simply grilled and lightly seasoned it's probably my favorite meal.



The last two times river fishing in Hokkaido have shown a disturbing trend. For example, a scenic one hour drive through plantations of potatoes, corn, rice and asparagus, around winding roads and through alpine tunnels brings one to a choice of several mountain streams and rivers. The kit is the same, substituting the ale for chilled green tea nowadays but the activity is far from relaxing. No sooner was the hook baited than the trout were lining up to snap up the offering. After a half an hour of frantic activity, I had caught and released 8 pan sized beauties when my appetite overtook my desire for bigger fare. I bagged the next 3. They were delicious.

Fishing has become exercise. Gardening is the new meditation.

There’s a quaintness about Sapporo that takes me back to my childhood in Kent (now suburban London), 55 years ago. It’s a comfort zone that’s delightful to revisit and a reminder of how community pride and concern, home grown produce (a war time legacy when I was a kid), for the family and sharing with neighbours and the consequent slow cooking improves one’s wellbeing.

In our street the young mum’s seem happy to be working at home, maybe a luxury in this modern world because house prices are affordable to pay off on a single income here. Cars are driven with caution allowing children to play in the road with confidence; tiny tots walk to school unescorted without fear and seniors are active in their gardens, taking a stroll or enjoying their cross between ‘pitch and put' and putting golf-like game. In essence the streets are alive and therefore, safe. In nearly a year of living here now I’ve not witnessed an act of vandalism; seen a drunk or had hoons dropping ‘wheelies’ on the street in the early hours of the morning.

Apart from the home grown food Sapporo benefits from a rich volcanic soil, it’s still host to dormant volcanoes and frequent earth tremors (you seldom feel them and get used to the TV. announcements); subsequently agriculture is evident on a massive scale. On my now regular summer drives into the country I’ve witnessed onions, melons (in hot houses), rice, asparagus and potatoes on farms stretching as far as the eye can see. Fish and other seafood are plentiful and cheap here too.











Yesterday we visited Kyogoku park which sits on the foothills of Yotiezan (Hokkaido’s Mt Fuji), and hosts a magnificent spring. The water is fast running, cold, pure and sweet. The authorities of this beautiful park have been thoughtful enough to supply mugs for visitors to capture a taste from the water cascading through wooden pipes running adjacent to a waterfall.
Peace of mind, Japanese Green Tea and a healthy diet have improved this scribe’s life immensely. Thanks Sapporo.

To this gaijin (foreigner), May in Sapporo has been a delight.

Spring comes late to Sapporo, the cherry blossom, which touches the heart of all Japanese, bloomed in Tokyo in early April. Here it came with May. We’re lucky enough to have a cherry tree in our front garden which is featured from all the windows on the western elevation of our home so our joy was close, touchable. Beyond home the avenues and gardens had bountiful displays which, accompanied by the daffodils and tulips heralded spring.

Early may is also celebrated by ‘Golden Week’, a national holiday when families travel to reunite from all over the country and overseas. Children’s Day, which is really boy’s day (the girls had a day in March) falls during ‘Golden Week’, on May 5th to be precise. Schools and homes are festooned with decorated flagpoles and pennants of carp, blue and silver, red and gold representing growth and family life. At home a display Samurai artefacts are featured in the family room for the son, traditionally the display has been handed down from his grandfather.


The rest of the month has offered a kaleidoscope of colour a spring flowers are gradually giving away to their summer cousins. It’s a very short growing season here so gardeners are busy everywhere nurturing flowers and vegetables. Houses are being repainted, schools are having their sports days, clothing has become more seasonally comfortable, in all there is a general joy de vie. Summer is on its merry way and we have to make the most of it, in 5 months time it will be snowing again.