It was our last day in Sapporo and the plan was to experience more Cherry Blossom snowstorm, the prettiest pink snowstorm. So after breakfast at Komeda’s Coffee (sixth time in Japan, first time at Komeda’s Coffee!), we headed to Nayajima Park that was now covered in Cherry Blossom carpet. So pretty! The most beautiful sight ever!
For our last meal in Sapporo, we ate at a 60 years old soba restaurant. So delicious with such an authentic feel! You can have a look at the restaurant here.
So that ended our short trip to beautiful Sapporo. Tomorrow, off to an early flight to Tokyo!
Otaru is a must visit when in Sapporo. But it was not because of the Otaru Canal and its surroundings, it’s because of Temiya Park.
Temiya Park is the fourth oldest existing urban park in Hokkaido located on a hill with a beautiful ocean view. There are around 700 cherry trees of different varieties in the park that makes cherry blossom viewing so beautiful. I love how this park shows off different layers of beauty. From the light blue sky, to the snow capped mountains, to the brilliant blue ocean, to the emerald grass, to the pretty shades of pink… It was such a divine view! Here I’ve also experienced the Cherry Blossom snowstorm that gives a very warm feeling of Spring. I was so happy to get to see all of this!
It only took just over an hour to reach Otaru from Sapporo by bus. It is also a must to try the local snacks, like Hokkaido ice-cream, steam buns and Hokkaido sweet potatoes covered in rich butter. Don’t miss them before heading back to Sapporo.
Back at our hotel, another evening came to Sapporo. Tomorrow is our last day. Tired yet happy!
We flew in to Sapporo from Nagoya on a Peach airline, a budget airline which was really cheap. It was a good flight as we can gradually see the sun shining brightly after leaving the rainy Nagoya. As we approached Sapporo, the beautiful snow capped mountains from afar revealed themselves. So beautiful!
We took the bus from Chitose Airport to downtown Sapporo which took about an hour. Our hotel was facing the Odori Park and we really liked it there. I love the peaceful Sapporo atmosphere with few tourists. And the weather was just perfect.
For our first proper meal, my husband googled a ramen place near our hotel. But when we followed the map, we couldn’t find it, although, we can surely smell the food. Until we figured out that it was undeground, a-hole-in-wall restaurant that sits only 10 people. The queue never disappeared. People just kept on coming. The Miso ramen was very good and it was very cheap too!
After the tasty meal, we went our way to visit Marumaya Park. This park is the most known park in Sapporo to see the Cherry Blossom and it was very beautiful. The area near the Hokkaido Shrine has lots of Cherry Blossom varieties that I’ve never seen before. They were so pretty and I was glad that I got to see them!
The evening came to Sapporo and we explored Sapporo by foot especially the Susukino Area. It was indeed a perfect decision to come to Sapporo at this time of the year to experience the Cherry Blossoms and its peaceful vibe. The next day was a visit to Otaru…
I did consider another country for our next holiday. I really did! But after much thought, my longing for Japan returned. I guess I’m just too old with not much money to spare to go on a holiday that I’m not sure if it will succeed. But having been to Japan 5 times, I haven’t got any disappointment yet whatsoever. So I recall that a 6th time will not hurt either. The tricky part were the dates. The Cherry Blossom season was over in the mainland and we also wanted to avoid the Golden Week. So we decided to go after the Golden Week and to fly to Sapporo for the Cherry Blossom. It was an amazing idea! Sapporo was so beautiful at this time of the year and I have never seen as many varieties of Cherry Blossom in my entire life. I also love Sapporo’s peaceful atmosphere with few tourists. Although I know that it will be a different story during the winter season especially during the Sapporo Snow Festival in February. But we didn’t fly from Helsinki to Sapporo. Instead we flew in to Chubu Centrair International Airport with the initial idea of walking a part of the Nakasendo trail in Kiso Valley for the last part of this trip before flying back to Helsinki.
We arrived in Nagoya in the evening after a 13 hours flight from Helsinki. It was the best immigration process ever. We just walked straight to immigration with no queue whatsoever! We then took the airport limousine to our hotel. We walked a bit near the hotel to the lake (or was it the sea, or river. At least, a body of water) for a refreshing evening walk with a quick bite of this and that from the convenience store. The next day was an early wake up to our flight to Sapporo. It was a rainy Nagoya and it was a good idea to fly away from the rain.
After a few wonderful days in the Kyushu region of Japan, we flew back to Seoul. This time we stayed in Ikseondong. It was fun to see familiar places from last year. However, I felt that there were many more people. I guess the restrictions last year made the place less crowded. The Cherry Blossom has also arrived in Seoul. So the next day, we took the train to Wonmisan Mountain to see the Azaleas with the Cherry Blossom in the background. We didn’t just go to Azalea Hill but we climbed the summit of Wonmisan Mountain. It was a great, unexpected challenge but we did it! The Azaleas were breathtaking. It’s hard to imagine how the Azalea Hill actually looks like unless you are physically there. It was a vast ocean of pink and purple. So pretty! Check out the reel here.
For the evening, we had to visit the N Seoul Tower again. It was so foggy last year so we wanted to go again on a sunny day with the Cherry Blossom adorning the Namsan Park. After too much climbing in Wonmisan Mountain, we decided to take the cable car going up to the Tower. But somehow we managed to enter the climbing path! And in the end, we decided to walk down anyway. We reached a total of 15,70 km walk for the day. We were tired yet happy! Check out the reel here.
We were also in luck that we were able to eat at Myeongdong Kyoja, something that we missed the last time we were in Seoul. Myeongdong Kyoja is a Michelin star, family-owned restaurant since 1966. We were the last customers of the day. The Kalguksu was very good!
It was our last day in Fukuoka and I was feeling sad about it. The morning was spent at Yusentai Park which was built in 1754. However, it was just in March 1998 that it became a designated tourist spot in Fukuoka. It was an absolute serenity. At the Ohiroma Hall, we enjoyed Macha green tea with Japanese dried confectionery. They also gifted us with origamis. The garden was well maintained and beautiful. You can check out the reel here.
Then it was time for the finale of this trip and it was to return to Maizuru Park where it all started. We didn’t experience the full bloom when we arrived in Fukuoka a week ago. We also wanted to see the Cherry Blossom illuminated. This was a first for me and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. It was an amazing experience. Here is a reel of our final day in Fukuoka. I also have to mention that our last dinner was at an Izakaya. We were treated by a Japanese friend and we had lots of fun and laughter.
I must say I love Kyushu! We could have left to South Korea earlier but changed our plan to stay longer. I tell you that the Sakura in Japan is in the next level. If someone would tell me that they are all the same, sorry I won’t believe you. Many thanks, Japan. You are always amazing! Now off to Seoul for a few days…
And finally, one last tip – stamp collecting! Check this out if you want to know what I mean.
I know that many people were disappointed because it is not easy to get tickets to the popular Yufuin No Mori train. It happened to me too. Although I know that the tickets will be available a month in advance, I was a bit confused because it is a leap year! And since this train ride was the highlight of this Yufuin trip, we decided to stay only one night in Yufuin instead of the initial plan of two nights because tickets were already sold out on the day that we were supposed to go. So yet, another change of plan. I have to mention now that it is always a good idea to book accommodation that has free cancellation.
So what makes this Yufuin No Mori train special? Well, the Yufuin No Mori train has been in operation for 35 years. It’s a beautiful emerald train and its interior is really pretty. It was like going back in time… The train also has its own merchandise and a special 35th anniversary stamp. Don’t miss out on those!
Our ryokan was a few minutes walk from the station and surprisingly, the Cherry Blossom road was just across from it. It was absolutely gorgeous. The day was so sunny with clear blue skies. It was amazing! You can check the reel here as I was sat under the Cherry Blossom.
The ryokan was pretty too and I’m still wondering what made the beddings of the futon so soft… We were also able to enjoy the private Onsen.
Check out the reel of the day here where we explored the Yufuin Floral Village, the cute owls and Kinrin Lake. We also visited the Yufuin Station Showa Museum which was a lot of fun!
Tomorrow will be exciting as we travel to Kurokawa Onsen…
We arrived early at Hakata International Port in Fukuoka and we were the first ones to get out of the ferry because we had the Deluxe room. We rented a pocket wifi at the arrival area then took the bus to Hakata Station to leave our luggage at the hotel very close to the station. Then we took the subway to Tenjin to enjoy lunch under the Cherry Blossom while visiting the parks. One difficulty I had was to choose a bento. We were just in one small supermarket but the choices were endless…
It was my first Sakura this year and I can’t believe that one of my dreams just came true – to see the Cherry Blossom in Japan! I was also happy to see Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin while walking in Ohori Park! The Spring weather was so lovely but most of the trees were not in full bloom yet. So I decided to cancel our return to Busan in 6 days to stay longer in Fukuoka after our trips from Yufuin and Kurokawa Onsen. I really wanted to experience the full Sakura in Japan.
The next day, we enjoyed breakfast at an old fashioned cafe. Then we went to Hakata Bus station to take the bus to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. I like taking the bus as I enjoy looking out of the window. But when we were queuing at the Bus Station, we were informed that there was a road incident that will take the bus longer to travel. So we took the subway and train instead. There were lots of people in Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. But we found a quiet spot a bit outside of the shrine and enjoyed the Cherry Blossom in full bloom. It was so beautiful and my heart was full! You can watch the reel here. Please don’t forget to click the links too to see how it was.
I wasn’t really keen in visiting Busan. I had this idea that it would be good to visit during the summer as it is a city by the sea. But who can resist a Train to Busan as a title! Yes, we took the KTX train to Busan which took us 2 hours and 15 minutes while the regular trains will take up to 6 hours. (The KTX trains are the Korean equivalent to the Japanese Bullet trains yet so much less expensive.) It was a smooth, uneventful train ride. Although, a question was posted on my TikTok asking if there were zombies! 🙂
Our hotel was right infront of the Haeundae Beach and across the Busan X the Sky, a 100 floors building . Our room was facing the ocean so it was so lovely! Haeundae beach is really clean and beautiful. It was fun to look at the skyscrapers coming to life at dusk. For dinner, we had a huge serving of Dumplings and Milmyeon (Wheat Noodles), a typical Busan dish, at a nearby restaurant and was blessed by a short, light rain on the way back to the hotel. The next morning was spent exploring the Busan X the Sky before heading to Jinhae.
I heard that Jinhae has around 350,000 Cherry Blossom trees which makes it a must place to visit during the Cherry Blossom season. We took a tour with Trazy on a very comfortable bus and Jinhae didn’t fail us at all. It was indeed very pretty but there were also lots of people! I really enjoyed trying out the street food and I especially like the Strawberry Milk and Strawberry Mochis. And at this point, the young seller told me that I look like Princess Raya! I also enjoyed watching how Dalgonas are made – melting sugar, pouring it gently to form a circle then stamping a character on it with a hot metal. Dinner was Kimchi potato pancakes at a very homely restaurant with only three long tables. It had a very friendly atmosphere and the people from the next table showed us their food so that we can order. There was no English at all and I really liked how everyone participated so that we can get food. It was really a fun day in Jinhae. We returned to our hotel in Busan at 23:30 and I can’t believe that I was indeed under the Cherry Blossom. At this point, I felt like I was Cherried Blossomed! 😀 And of course, while we were waiting for our ride to Jinhae, we went in a selfie booth and got a selfie for the first time ever in our entire lives. We had so much fun and laughter!
The things I've seen. The places I've been. 