what goes through that brain: Hokkaido 2007

There's no clearer picture then the pictures itself. Its my first time in Japan.

Everyone has their first times. =P

Its an approximately 8 hrs flight to Japan, and an approx. 1hr flight to Hokkaido. I must say I am excited with a tinge of anxiety. Its been almost 2 years since I travelled with my family. And for the 1st time I have got kayan with me on a family trip. =)

Noboribetsu: A traditional village where the first inhabitants of Hokkaido resides. They still do today, but in the age of Globalisation, there is no room for their culture. They are similar to the 'a-mei' tribe in Taiwan. And I must say.. They got very good vocals.

The fishes you see in the background of the pictures are their food supply. Yes they are real. They preserve it as winter food back in then. Now it is more of a tourist attraction. One of the male also joked, the traditional costumes they wear now are their working attire. Although it is still something they are extremely proud of.

By the way, did you know, their perception of an ideal women must be: 1. Big and strong. 2. Heavily pierced and tattooed (for good luck).

Sounkyo Gorge: waterfalls Ryusei-no-taki Falls and Ginga-no-taki Falls

Also know as Shooting Star Falls and Milky Way Falls. Legend has it that they were a pair of star-crossed lovers- deeply in love but separated forever. The falls both have its own distinct features, with 1 resembling a male and the other a female. It is an alluring setting to behold I assure you.

Kita Kitsbe Fox Village

Here is probably as close as you can get to a real life fox. They are extremely tame and shy. Only interesting thing for me here will be a bunch of Singaporeans throwing snow at each other. What made it so interesting? Well.. I saw shit among the snow. =)

"Jigokudani" Hell Valley

As the name suggest, its like hell there. Well, not exactly hot or evil or hellish, but the smoke that emits from the ground and water coupled with the surrounding landforms, it truely looks like.. well.. hell.

Seafood place

Gosh.. All those lovers of raw Japanese seafood out there.. Here's the place for you. GOSH. Well I am really not a huge fan of raw food, but the variety and quality of the live seafood they have here is really a sight to behold. Its really raw man. -_-

We rented snow mobiles and ventured into the mountains. My mum hitched a lift from me. =) Well it seemed as if we all enjoyed it. But I guess the truth is many suffered while riding the snow mobile. Just ask Ky. She got wind-kissed. Kept shaking. Kept shivering. Haha..

*does the pout face* "cold"

HAHA =X

Oh my gosh these grizzly bears are con artist! They know we are there to see them. They know we bought food. But with so many bears there, the choice could have been so random. But NO. The bears each have a plan. Well not for the lazy ones. They know they have a certain 'cuteness' in them. They were so right. They begged and they clapped and some danced. I almost felt cheated if not for them being bears.

Lake Mashu or Lake Kussharo (not sure)

Here they have got so many swans (are they swans?) and they have a urban legend too. The locals say there were sightings of this loch-ness monster lookalike spotted some years back, with visual proof as well. Maybe it was here they got the idea for Godzilla?

Alrights I am really not sure where this place is. All I could remember was I thinking I was in paradise. Just too beautiful. I wasn't sure if I was seeing what I was seeing.

Chocolate Factory where the famous Hokkaido chocolate is made.

Looks like a scene ripped from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Too bad we did not manage to enter the factory. Apparently the factory had to close down due to complaints of them using expired milk (sounds like Prima Deli?). And because of this, we weren't able to purchase the chocolate as production had just resumed. =(

Just some trivia:

1. Hokkaido wasn't part of Japan until around the beginning for WW2. It was part of their interior defence plans where they needed buffer zones against invading enemies.

2. The transportation system of Japan is one of the most extensive in the world at the moment. You basically need just a train ticket and you can travel around Japan easily and conveniently.