December 10-15, 2022.

Welcome to Japan! I was so happy to be back in the country. I had an evening flight from Korea, overnight layover in Tokyo, then an early morning flight up to Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. I tried to stay in one of the airport capsule hotels but they didn’t have rooms available. So instead, I flew business class and then slept on a bench in the Tokyo airport. The flight was lovely and the airport wasn’t that uncomfortable. I managed to sleep a few hours.

After a short flight I arrived in beautiful, snowy Sapporo. Sapporo is a lovely city. I got the bus to my hostel, left my bag, wandered around, accidentally tried fish sperm sushi, toured the Sapporo brewery, and indulged in delicious bowls of ramen.

I took a day trip to the small town of Otaru. It was a picturesque seaside village with tons of snow, canals, special soft serve ice cream, sake breweries and bathhouses. Delicious and relaxing. My perfect location!

I finished my time in Hokkaido in the ski village of Niseko. Niseko is known for having some of the best powder snow in the world. I’m not that big of a skier, but I really wanted to experience it. So up to the mountain we went.

Even in December the snow was incredible. It snowed every day I was there. I skied and relaxed in outdoor onsens (traditional hot springs). I even got to stay in a cozy ski lodge/hostel where the host mother made dinner for everyone each time. It was homey and comfortable. I could have easily spent a week just enjoying life there. Sadly, my trip was coming to an end, so I had to fly back to Tokyo, Japan.