Day 3:
We woke up at 7am plus and went out at about 8am. Excited to conquer Sapporo with the limited days we have, we headed towards the Tourist Information Center at the Sapporo station to make enquiries of the recommended places of sightseeing; basically, questions of where to go and how to get to the various designated spots.
After gathering all the necessary information, we went to Miyakoshiya cafe, located at the Sapporo station. It turned out that it was one of the most expensive breakfast I've had - over S$50 - for only cheese with toast for the both of us and a cup of coffee latte for me while Emma had milk tea. It was totally not worth the money though I must admit that the toast and the coffee latte was superb.
After breakfast, our first stop was the Shiroi Koinito Park, more commonly known as the 白色恋人 factory. Besides the very pretty European-styled architecture, one of the few things we enjoyed was to watch the production line of making the Shiroi Koibito cookie. The highlight for us was to participate in the DIY of making the cookie. We had to make booking slot to try our hands at making the confections. It was a long wait and the only slot that was available for us was only at 2pm (We went to the Cookiecraft studio at about 12pm).
As we had time to kill, we took the Shiroi Koibito railway ride; more appropriate for children though and yet nothing much to see. Then, we had our lunch at Restaurant Owls which was within the premise. And, we shared a cone of soft cream at the Chocolate Lounge.
Back to the process of making the cookie, it was an interesting experience for the both of us. It took us an hour, with guidance from the staff, to make a piece of cookies each from the start to the final packaging. The most enjoyable process was to design the cookie by squeezing white chocolate on it, thereby customizing it. Both the experience and the outcome of the cookies were quite a memorable one for us.
Next, we rushed to Mount Okurayama where the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum is located. We were both afraid that we couldn't make it in time to try our experience at taking the chairlift up the Okurayama viewing point. More than Emma, I was keen in doing it, coupled with the vicarious experience of ski jumping and other winter sports. Thank God, we made it for both activities (only I went for the vicarious experience). The chairlift experience was a pleasant one - we could almost imagine the height and the steepness of the ramp. Scary. The view from the observatory lounge was awesome as it offered a panoramic view of Sapporo. However, the winter sports experience was quite a disappointment to me. It wasn't as thrilling as I imagined it to be. Nonetheless, an experience that I could add on to my list.
Next, was an adventure of another kind - food hunt. We went to the most happening night places in Sapporo which is Susukino. At first, we had wanted to settle our dinner at Ebi Kani Gassen (Prawn and Crab Buffet) but the lady told us that we had to wait until 10pm. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of such great treat, we made reservation and will be back tomorrow to savor the seafood.
So, we walked along the streets to enjoy the vibrant, boisterous and most lively Susukino. Emma had done some homework on the places to eat and amongst the many alternatives, one of them was the Ramen at the Ramen alley. From the name of the alley, it seemed to suggest that it had one of the best Ramen. We went into one of the outlet and it was true (not sure if it was the best but definitely very satisfying). We shared a bowl as we intended to continue our food hunt.
After finishing up the Ramen, we roamed along the streets and came across a restaurant that had yakitori. It tasted great but the waiting time for the food was a little too long for our comfort; we waited about an hour for just a few sticks of yakitori. Anyway, we were quite full after that. We took a train back to Sapporo station and shopped around Stellar Place for about half an hour or so before we began our search for dessert. Finally, it was parfait and waffle that we succumbed to. After that, we went back to the hotel to rest.
So, the food adventure concluded at about 10pm (We started at 6pm). Of course intermittently, it was shopping and waiting time. Now, I am beginning to think how long can we last for the Prawn and Crab Buffet. Well, we shall see tomorrow.