This is the first time I think this has happened on a trip but I’ve nearly “run out” of viable things to see (I had to pass on the Mt. Moiwa Ropeway as the overcast sky wouldn’t have made for good viewing) in Sapporo’s daytime hours. The last must-see location wasn’t open until noon so I just rehabbed my ankle sprain while emotionally cheating on Mona and Freya by visiting a rescue cat cafe. Like most other theme cafes in Japan, you pay by the hour/extension but are accompanied by ferals, strays, and other secondhand cats looking to be reincorporated into human society. Light jazz and kitties snoozing on your lap make for a pleasant reading atmosphere (and for me to catch up on curating photos for the trip album).
A long trek through the industrial area of the city led me to the Sapporo Beer Museum of which the namesake alcohol is produced. Some of the equipment on display comes from the founding of the brewery over 150 years ago when the government ran it (imagine that in the US today). Though not as in-depth as the typical exhibition, the tasting room at the end allows for a potable history tour with the original recipe, the current Black edition, and a local variety which cannot be found outside of Hokkaido.
Adjacent to the museum is the Sapporo Biergarten which is a bit of a misnomer. Certainly there’s plenty of alcohol (all-you-can-drink for 90 minutes was an option), but the real star is the food. Lamb sizzled on a personal grill is known as the “Genghis Khan”, and just like the drinks you can get an all-you-care-to-eat special at reasonable cost. The constant smoky atmosphere lends an antique feel to the hall which surprisingly is undercut by the robotic staff; refills are brought to each table by a multistory Roomba.
Before getting in a power nap at my Airbnb in preparation for my last night in Susukino (the entertainment district of Sapporo) I decided stop by a classic staple of Japanese economics – the Don Quixote. This seven story department store offers everything from daily groceries to school supplies to high tech electronics…which as I write it doesn’t sound too different from a US supermarket but it’s a big deal here where every store seems to be hyper-specific (e.g. I couldn’t find an ankle wrap in four different pharmacies I visited).
In the interest of transparency, I decided to forego any partying this evening in order to have the good sense to figure out my way down to Tokyo tomorrow. As compensation, I’ll post a photo of the club exterior I was going to hit up – you’ll get the gist of its atmosphere well enough.
Ice's Travels 