Shiroi Koibito Park (Hokkaido)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favourite books when I was young. In Hokkaido, there's the Shiroi Koibito Park which is slightly less magical than Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory but fascinating nonetheless. It is best known for its 白色恋人 cookies, a food item everyone brings back after a visit to Hokkaido. 

At the start of every hour, a song starts to play and puppets/figurines start popping out. Kind of freaky but at the same time, there is a carnival atmosphere about this place, making everyone happy.

Right at the entrance, you get to see a beautiful clock tower, small little houses complete with furniture and a rose garden.

You have to decide whether you want to pay for a factory tour (600 JPY). Many things in this park are free, so there's actually no need for you to pay, unless you want to see how the cookies are produced. If you opt for the paid admission option, you will also get to see a Chocolate Cup Collection from the 18th century, chocolate packaging labels and a gramophone gallery.

It was interesting to see how the factory workers carefully sift through the cookies and that every cookie is subject to stringent standards. I suppose in a way, that's you paying for them to impress you.

There were also random facts like the one below: 

You will also get to see some very delicate sugar craft.

The Old-style Children's Toy Box is available to all. Mickey mouse, barbie dolls, Thomas the Tank Engine- you are bound to find some of your favourite childhood toys in this place.

Last but not least, they have a shop selling all their products (duh). However, as the prices are controlled within Sapporo, you can easily buy this somewhere else at the same price, so that you don't have to lug all of them back to the hotel from this place which isn't exactly in a convenient location. Available in white and milk chocolate.

There were cat motifs around the factory- not sure if the owner is a cat lover, or whether it's because the biscuits that sandwich the chocolate are known as langues de chat (cat's tongue).

An interesting visit! While we didn't try the hot chocolate at the cafe, I have read that it's really good- so give it a try as well!

Ishiya Chocolate Factory 
Miyanosawa 2-jo 2-chome, Nishi-ku
Sapporo 063-0052

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The Buffet at Daimaru (Hokkaido)

I love eating buffets- from Singapore to Las Vegas to Japan- if the buffet is value for money, you will find me there. Despite the long queues at this buffet  located on the 8th floor of the Daimaru shopping centre (possibly indicating a good buffet), the food was disappointing.  

You have 90 minutes for the buffet and it costs 1490 JPY (around SGD$19).

They have a clock on the wall to subtly convey the message that you have to finish the buffet within the stated time.

It might look pretty appealing at first- till you realise that there is neither quality nor quantity. There were different stations including a small Japanese food station, salad station, Chinese food station, Italian food station and a dessert station.

The Chinese food section looked totally unappetising. Even the Japanese food section which I assume should have been their forte, looked rather pathetic- the deep fried onion has been left in the open for too long, the sushi was non-existent.

The queues for the Italian food kept forming. They were probably the most edible of the lot. The pineapples on the Hawaiian pizza were really sweet.

The pasta in tomato sauce was accompanied by little chunks of sausage (I think). It was pretty much what an amateur chef could come up with.

The number of desserts you could take at one go was limited to three at one go.

The overloading of mascarpone for the tiramisu totally destroyed the joy of eating tiramisu.

The chocolate cake was dense and good. Another good dessert choice is the waffles where you can add your own syrups and canned fruits over it.

Sure, this buffet is cheap and therefore I shouldn't harbour any expectations. But I think there's a certain bottom line to how food at a buffet should be like and the fact that locals were actually snaking around corners to queue for this buffet made it extremely queer that this buffet is so popular. Not worth the wait and money.

The Buffet
Daimaru
〒060-0005 札幌市中央区北5条西4丁目7番地
8th Floor 

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一丁 (Norbesa) (Hokkaido)

We were walking aimlessly around the Susukino area, looking at pictures on the menu to determine if they looked good. After walking in circles, we ended up at Norbesa, which is where the Noria ferris wheel is located. The restaurant might look quiet from the outside but it's actually pretty crowded. 

This is really the place to be if you want to sample food that Hokkaido is famous for- at extremely reasonable prices. The Crab Sushi (530 JPY) was so sweet and fresh. I love eating crabs and am very familiar with the slightly salty meat of the crab. But this was plain sweet. 

The Scallop (680 JPY) was also insanely good. You get to decide how cooked you want the scallop to be, as it slowly simmers in a tasty broth.

To make ourselves feel healthy, we had a portion of Salad (530 JPY for a small portion). Lots of fresh vegetables in this, together with an absolutely light and delightful sesame dressing.

We also had Yakitori (980 JPY) which was grilled from different parts of chicken, including chicken skin, chicken gizzard and chicken meatballs. This took the longest to arrive at our table probably because it takes some time for the smokey flavour to emerge.

Click here for the menu.

The food was good and worth every single cent.

うおや一丁
札幌市中央区南3条西5丁目1-1(ノルベサビルB1)

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Richmond Hotel Sapporo Odori (Hokkaido)

If I were to recommend a place to stay in Sapporo, I will definitely recommend Richmond Hotel Sapporo Odori in a heartbeat. It is value for money and is near everything- Susukino Station (5 minute walk), Susukino entertainment district (5 minute walk), JR Sapporo Station (15 minute walk), Odori Park (10 minute walk).

There is another Richmond Hotel nearer to the JR Sapporo Station which is more expensive. If proximity to the JR Sapporo Station is not that big of a deal, you should definitely consider this one. 

It is easier to find this place if you walk through the Tanuki Koji shopping arcade. 

An extremely efficient way of checking in- you get your card, scan it at the machine, insert your credit card/cash, and the room card becomes valid. The receptionists are also conversant in English. 

The receptionist also handed us a packet containing the following- face mask, sponge, rubber band etc. This is the first time I'm actually receiving such a package. A small thought goes a long way indeed. 

The room is very small- but by Japanese standards, it seemed pretty okay. The bathroom was also bigger than the bathrooms I have seen in other places in Japan. 

Another plus is that besides the free wifi access (which actually works in the room), the hotel also provides free internet access at the lobby.

For one night, we paid 7000 JPY (approximately SGD$90) for the room. While it may not be situated right smack next to the JR Sapporo Station, I think it's still of good value- book early! 

Tip: There's a shop right opposite the hotel which sells souvenirs of Hokkaido- it is duty free if you buy 10501 JPY and above worth of souvenirs- which is actually a pretty good deal for last minute shoppers. Plus they will help you pack it into boxes if you intend to check them in.  

Richmond Hotel Sapporo Odori 

〒060-0062 北海道札幌市中央区南２条西４丁目４-１

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