Last day at the Sapporo Snow Festival
Trip Start
Jan 02, 2013
1
35
70
Trip End
Mar 17, 2013
Where I stayed
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Monday, February 11, 2013
Today is the last day of the Sapporo Snow Festival as well as my last day in Sapporo. It was cloudy in the morning. I walked to Odori Park and started walking east through the Sapporo Snow Festival toward the Sapporo TV Tower. I expected it to be relatively empty since the weekend was over but it was quite crowded.
My destination was the Ni-jo Ichiba market. Since I've seen everything in the park a number of times I walked part of the way underground through what's known as Aurora Town, one of at least two underground shopping arcades in Sapporo. I eventually had to come back up and walk the last couple of blocks above ground.
There were some interesting seafood displays at the market but it was smaller than I expected. I had seen it all fairly quickly. One of the most common things being sold was Red King Crab. I've since looked online and I was surprised to find that it apparently is all imported from Alaska. Here I thought it was a market for the fresh catch brought in by local fishermen.
I then decided to go to Hokkaido Jingu, a Shinto temple on the western outskirts of town. I took the train from Odori Station to Maruyama-koen Station. I then headed east since my Lonely Planet guidebook says the temple is a few blocks in that direction. When I didn't find it I asked someone and was pointed in the opposite direction. I eventually got to a park and was pointed up the road into the park.
I came across a small shrine. I was afraid that that was what I was looking for but I waited for someone to wander by and they pointed me further into the park. I eventually came to a large temple.
There were quite a few people in the courtyard of the temple but I didn't see anyone going in. I eventually found an entrance. I was told that normally I wouldn't be able to go in unless I was praying but that today was special since it was Foundation Day, which is a holiday marking the start of the country sort of like America's Independence Day. Japan's a lot older though since they're celebrating something that happened in 660BCE or 2,671 years ago. I was directed to a waiting room.
Eventually the people in the waiting room were directed into a space at the rear of the temple. A monk started to speak. He soon moved to the front of the temple and started chanting. Eventually a couple more people joined in singing and playing a drum. At the end people were called up to the barrier separating the rear of the temple from the front. They were given a conifer branch, which they then placed on the barrier. After a few words were spoken by both them and the monk they then headed for the exit. There was nobody to translate for me so I only have a vague sense of what was going on.
The temple was quite attractive. The interior is very elegantly done up in light-colored woods with lots of brass and gold accents. Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take pictures of the interior.
I took a train back to Suskino Station and walked to my hotel. I was thinking of heading to Otaru, a nearby town that has their own snow festival but inertia set in and I decided not to go. I have to get up early tomorrow to catch a bus to Niseko. I headed out in the evening for dinner and then turned in early.
