The big plans for the day was to finally get out to the Sapporo Beer Museum which has a biergarten next to it with the availability of all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink. Having that to look forward to, I basically didn’t do anything all day, other than debate back and forth over whether I should starve myself in preparation or not. Hanging around the hostel all morning, I did pop over to a supermarket to grab something for a light-ish lunch (a small sushi bento, enough bread so I could finish off my marmalade, and a yogurt). I took a nap and studied for a bit before I reckoned it was time to head out.
I decided to swing by a few tourist attractions that are on the list, but haven’t been particularly enticing. Essentially, I walked over to the Old Prefecture Government Building, which hosts a few galleries about Hokkaido history and what not. One of the rooms was completely dedicated to discussing the “Northern Islands,” a group of four islands between Hokkaido and the Kuril Island chain that is contested between Japan and Russia. Though there is obviously a layer of propaganda, the Soviet Union did declare war on Japan days before Japan’s surrender just so it could grab territories in East Asia.
On my walk out to the Sapporo Beer Museum, I swung by the Tokyu Department store again to go ahead and buy the famous chocolate cake (called Mont Blanc). Afterwards, I headed over to a park to dig in. The park was next to the old Sapporo factory, which confused me as to how there were two old Sapporo factories, mere blocks apart.
Anyways, the museum was good (and free), and I resisted the temptation to hit the onsite bar to sample a number of beers while I was waiting for my Tinder date to get off of work and meet up. I did my best to get my money’s worth, but because the “Genghis Khan” grilled lamb dish takes time to cook between rounds, it slows down how fast you can eat while you have to compete against a hard 120 minute limit (and they cut you off 20 minutes before your time runs out). It was really tasty and paired well with the beers, but I probably needed another half hour to really get my fill.
It was barely 8 when we finished, and I had a 40 something minute walk back to my hostel. Being really hyper from the food, the drink, and the talking, I did pop into a convenience store (or two) on the way back for some dessert and a “digestif.”
| Sushi lunch | 596 |
| Choco Mont Blanc | 378 |
| Genghis Khan | 4424 |
| Ice cream | 180 |
| Beer | 394 |
| Total: | 5972 JPY (RMB 403.1 RMB) (USD 58.32) |
Running Total: RMB 40006.2 (USD 5788.5)
Daily Average: RMB 327.9 (USD 47.45)