Sapporo, Japan May.12, 2023
Lilac, Kaitaku Village and Zangi Fried Chicken
I’ve fallen love with Hokkaido since my visit last October. I had visited this northern island many times. However, they are all in Summer, Autumn and Winter, not in Spring. I wanted to visit while lilac is in bloom someday. And I finally decided to visit the city in May with the itinerary of two nights and three days. On this tour, I wanted to see blossom of Lilac on the streets and visit ”Kaitaku no mura“, historical village of Hokkaido, the theme park showing their lives during the early Meiji era（1886-1912).
Lilac has just begun to bloom in Sapporo. They are planted along the Sousei river near the Sapporo TV tower. On my way to the hotel, I saw a lot of lilac blossom along the bank of the river and gentle sweet scent like that of Jasmin is wafting through the air. The trees are from different varieties. There are blue, red, white or purple in color. Each variety has slightly different smell. The gentle hue of the blossom matches with the image of beautiful northern urban town. I felt happy that I was able to see the blossoms during the visit. I also visited the Botanic Garden of Hokkaido University as soon as I finished lunch on the first day. I like taking a walk watching flowers and leaves in the silent garden. A section for Lilac lies on the east side of the garden next to the large Sakura trees. Sakura is in full bloom and Licac has just begun to bloom. The garden looks alive with those blossom. The weather here looks that of early April in Yokohama. I like the garden very much. But I thought beautiful blooms of lilac look look way better on the streets of Sapporo than in the garden.
Next day, I left the hotel in the morning for Kaitaku no mura, which means village of Hokkaido development trailblazers by taking subway and bus. This is the theme park of people’s lives in Hokkaido during the early Meiji period: Koban police station, post office, clinic, photo studio, school, Hokkaido university’s dorm, sake brewery, barns etc. They were all what people had used and moved here from all over Hokkaido. All of them are kept in good condition in this park. You can feel how the life in Hokkaido was like by spending time there. The park is maintained by many volunteers. They are acting sometimes as a police officer at the Koban office or a shop master of the Sake brewery. They are all friendly and enjoy themself by interacting with visitors. Some of them mentioned how beautiful
Hokkaido in Winter is and encouraged me again in the season. I could not agree more.
I have one thing I did not try last time: To eat “Zangi“, Hokkaido style deep fried chicken. After arriving at Sapporo station, I walked straight to Akarenga Terrace, a shopping complex, near the prefectural head office. There is a restaurant Hotei in the food court in the building. “Zangi” is known as a soul food of Hokkaido people. The restaurant is famous for the crispy and steaming hot dish. I had a Zangi & Mapo dofu combo with a miso soup. May in Sapporo is just like early April. I felt it warms my body from inside and happy.
My conclusion: Hokkaido is wonderful place to visit at any season.