The ferry reached the port of Tomakomai at about 10:30 in the morning. I didn’t need to rush because the bus to Sapporo was scheduled for 11:45. So, I hung out in the cabin for a bit to avoid the huge mass of people rushing to get down to their cars in the hold. While hanging out, I struck up a conversation with a pair of European backpackers who also happened to be staying in said cabin. They were really winging the trip and spent the time waiting for the bus immersed in their phones trying to figure out plans: any hostels? any couchsurfing hosts? any campgrounds? etc. When it was time to get on the bus, they were still stuck in their indecisiveness, almost willing to wait for the next bus. I had to tell them there wasn’t a next bus and to go ahead and just take it into Tomakomai where they could find a train or bus to wherever they eventually decided to go.
It was about 90 minute ride to Sapporo and I walked from the train station down to my hostel. When I had booked it, I was under the impression that it was very central, but it turned out to be much further out than I thought. Sapporo is quite a big and spread out city, so in the larger scheme of things that assessment was correct. Anyways, its a great hostel with huge beds and all the amenities one could theoretically wish for. I checked straight in and hung out in the lounge, drinking coffee and charging my electronics. I wasn’t in a rush to go out and do any sightseeing. I’m still not.
In the late afternoon, I decided to go for a run, but that didn’t go so well. The blocks are short and the lights are timed to make one wait. Run 30 meters, wait 30 seconds, run 30 meters, wait 30 seconds. Odori Park, a long stretch of green in the heart of the city was also hosting a handful of festivals with white tents set up to sell barbecue, booze, and ramen. Between the crowds of revelers and the traffic lights, I quickly gave up on exercising.
After showering and dressing, I went to the lobby to ask about dinner recommendations, but saw a sign advertising a free pizza party. Well, that was convenient. The Brazilian guy working the front desk still gave me lots of recommendations about food and offered to head over to the party together when he finished his shift. To kill time, I popped over to a grocery store to buy some stuff for breakfast.
At 7:30, F and I went over to the other hostel where the event was taking place. It was only a block away. There was quite a crowd waiting around for their free pizzas while a team of people were hard at work prepping dough. I was so hungry and crestfallen at the realization that it was going to be at least another hour before any food would be ready. Being a party, lots of people were drinking, and after wavering a bit, I ran over to a convenience store to grab a six-pack of cheap imported beer. It was a good party and I met lots of people from all over the world. Because there were only two ovens and four groups of people, we only got a pizza once every 25 minutes. They were small pizzas and divided up among 7 people, so though I probably ate quite a lot of food over the course of the evening, I never felt full. So, when the party ended, I readily agreed with the suggestion to get ramen.
Five of us headed over to a ramen shop which had about 30 people queued up outside the door. We might have waited if there wasn’t some high pitched buzzing sound that was very unpleasant. Ramen is ramen, but Sapporo takes its ramen seriously. We found another shop that was less crowded, but still quite good. I was back and in bed by midnight.
| Bus to Sapporo | 1310 |
| Hostel (6 nights) | 889 RMB |
| Groceries (bread, jam, eggs) | 303 |
| Beer | 498 |
| Ramen | 850 |
| Total: | 1093.3 RMB (USD 158.44) |
Running Total: 38577.1 RMB (USD 5590.6)
Daily Average: 326.9 RMB (USD 47.38)