Well, since Lisa's been packed for our Sapporo trip since...I don't know, last Tuesday? I figured the least I could do would be a little research (don't worry! I've made a packing list and that's almost as good as actually doing the packing, right?). Guess what I've learned?
There's a chocolate factory! And you can tour it! And then you can eat in the chocolate lounge afterward! My nirvana awaits. And, of course, there's the Sapporo Beer tour, too, followed by an all you can eat meal that we hear is worth the wait. So even though we're going to be little popsicles walking around all week in the cold, cold, cold, we'll be sated.
I also learned that some Japanese don't consider Hokkaido to be "real" Japan since it wasn't settled until the late 19th century (during the Meiji era, for you history buffs out there). Ummmm, that's a little like the Japanese not thinking Okinawa is "real" Japan. How do you think it would go over if we "mainland" Americans said we didn't think Hawaii and Alaska were "real" United States? It seems a little judgmental, no? But anyway, apparently we Americans helped the Japanese in developing Sapporo, so it's laid out on a grid and has many Western style buildings, including some dome that was modeled after the Massachusetts capitol building. Hmmmm, who knew? It should be a good trip and by the time we leave I'll be one step closer to being an expert on non-real Japan. Lucky me!
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