Holidaying in Hokkaido – Winter Edition!

Hey everyone!

During the holiday season, Sandra visited the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido! The second-largest island in Japan is basically a snow paradise in winter, and as a Singaporean who do not see any four seasons, she was excited to be able to see and touch snow!

Hokkaido is one of the few locations in the world where you are able to experience really different aspects of nature in each of the four seasons. Further, Hokkaido is the least densely populated region in Japan, with only about 5% of their population living on the island. With many different areas in Hokkaido to visit, Sandra was able to witness various aspects of nature, from volcanic activity to beautiful, clear lakes!

Sandra had brought along the MINT Instantkon RF70 and the Polaroid SLR680 folding camera. However, due to the immense cold (it was below zero during some of the nights!) the Polaroid Original film she had brought totally “died” i.e. the battery did not work. Thanfully, the RF70 runs on its own battery so it contended with the winter much better. The instant photos can also be seen on our Instagram as well, but we will try to give a bit more context over here!

Noboribetsu and Hakodate

Jidai Village, Noboribetsu: a historic recreation of life and architecture in the Edo era, this is the place if you want to experience what life was like back then!

image_c17a5e8f-107f-435d-b6f9-5115701da272.image (672)a — Jigokudani: Named “Hell Valley” in English, the strong sulfuric smells fill the air as you witness thick steam rising from holes in the ground. Nearby lies many hot springs and onsens, which as you can guess is one of the main highlights of going to Japan!

image_45f456fb-7abc-4f49-8f8a-b5be5e554b26.image (672)d — Mount Showa

image_834b61f7-2bd8-460b-a5ff-35a47afaa61f.image (676)a — Trappistine Monastery: Located near Hakodate, the Catholic convent was built in the early 20th century. Pictured here are some pine trees in the winter.

image_c117b84a-11bb-42db-bfef-5fd36046379e.image (678)c — Fort Goryokaku, in Hakodate, is known for its star-shaped citadel, which shape can be seen from high above.

image_97c925da-26c5-4531-93d3-e16124f71002.image (677)a — View of Hakodate from Goryokaku Tower.

Otaru and Sapporo

image_a72b4778-4dc6-47e8-aa5d-fc57e8bf1623.image (680)b — Wondering through the famous Otaru Canal; the waters were frozen!

image_615d8f3c-2dc5-4764-87ef-e1180ec0c3da.image (680)c — Along the snow-laden streets of Otaru. The Fujifilm Instax Monochrome film felt really appropriate given the darkening sky and atmosphere!

Sapporo Clock Tower: some of the buildings in Sapporo look like a scene out of the American Midwest in the 1800s.

image_f50b949d-4994-4bb7-921b-57c9a3eff1ab.image (682)b — Along the streets of Sapporo

image_534845b6-6af8-435c-9bc3-affe88dd4471.image (686)b — Sapporo at dawn.

image_39800c2a-38f7-4ace-91ec-3f5d3199c25c.image (687)b — Ishiya Chocolate Factory, location of the famous Shiroi Koibito chocolate biscuits!

image_25cb0970-aa4a-460d-b62c-35fda28129c5.image (687)a — A garden outside Ishiya Chocolate Factory.

image_1307ee7f-5f2e-414f-bb0c-0488d1dc442a.image (686)d — Yet another clock tower at the chocolate factory hmm…

Along the streets in Hakodate. One recommendation to keep the Polaroid film developing after ejecting it is to keep it close to your chest. In the winter, this proves especially useful!

image_96a59d3d-d6a6-4e1d-8716-b56d0056e8d0.image (688)c — Snow capped mountains at Daisetsuzan Sounkyo National Park. It is quite a different sight in winter, with only whiteness filling your vision. In summer, the mountains would be covered with greenness instead!

The famous Asahiyama Zoo!

image_b59fe0e4-cce0-4258-8ee5-af3dd5ea68fb.image (690)a — Emperor Penguins!

image_31be68ab-a272-4de5-8e32-4a6cd414fced.image (690)d — Snow monkeys! They sure look comfortable there…

December is always an apt time for us Singaporeans to get out of the hot, sunny Singapore, and bask in winter sites around the world. Hokkaido has been a fun holiday for Sandra, and certainly as always, she got to see aspects of nature, rare animals and even the Japanese culture rarely seen in Singapore! Let us know your favourite winter destinations, or if you prefer to travel somewhere warmer during this period!

As this is the last post of 2019 (so fast?!?!), we want to wish all our readers and visitors a happy new year for 2020, and we look forward to even more photography adventures ahead!

Till next time,

Damianwithsandra