Thursday, April 3, 2014

Holiday Photo Diary: Sapporo, Yubari and Otaru (week 2)

Ooops, guys I completely forgot about my holiday posts! Mucho apologies, I promise I'll do much better with getting the next (and final) post out.


So this second week was pretty work intensive. I headed up to Hokkaido, Japan's north island to attend the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival and interview some film makers. But I did a pretty decent job taking in the surrounding towns as well. It was an amazing experience set against an absolutely stunning background. Sapporo is quite a large city but the rest of Hokkaido is so sparsely populated the mountains and forests and waterways really shine. It was a welcome change after the brightly-lit insanity of Tokyo. Be warned though, Hokkaido is  a lot less English-friendly than Tokyo, so if you're heading up this way (especially away from Sapporo or the more touristy ski resorts) make sure you read up on some Japanese or at the very least have a comprehensive phrasebook with you. Nothing worse than finding yourself stuck in a teensy town with no idea when and if another train is coming by!

The Sapporo Clock Tower

They do love their Eiffel tower replicas in Japan, Sapporo

Tanukikoji Shopping street, Sapporo

Obelisk details in Odori Park, Sapporo
Snowman, Otaru

Bet the kids are eagerly awaiting Spring! Otaru

Suitengu Shrine, Otaru

fortunes on a tree at Suitengu Shrine, Otaru

Poor old man is going to be shovelling for awhile, Otaru

Otaru
Yubari IFFF signs

The town is absolutely covered in billboards for American, English and Japanese films, Yubari

Bright red bridge, Yubari

small cemetery in Yubari

Excellent ski slopes surrounding the film festival, Yubari

Views around Yubari

The trees reflecting the setting sun, Shin-Yubari train station


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