Departure !

by Kazu

Early in the morning of our departure day for Tokyo, it was very fine without any cloud. So-called "Magic Hour" came with the beautiful twilight on the east side of Sapporo City. The orange and white lights at the northern end of Hokkaido University's premises were still giving nice twist to the scenery. 

The atrium of the New Chitose International Airport was decorated so nicely with the citizen pride sign  "Hokkaido Love!" on the backside of elevator case. 

The name of the sponsors such as dairy foods producing company "Yukijirushi Meg Milk" and other businesses headquartered in Hokkaido were shown on the elevator case and other walls. 
 

Cheng Long Chinese Restaurant in Iwamizawa City !

by Kazu

On my way of business jaunt to Mikasa City, one of the biggest coal mine area in Hokkaido, I dropped by so nice Chinese restaurant renewed in the downtown of adjacent Iwamizawa City a few years ago. The name is Cheng Long, Seiryu in Japanese pronunciation.  

It seemed to have had been newly built and have a few ample space for the people who throw a party on the basement floor. It had enough space for car-parking and was much closer to the train station and the central area of the city.

The timing of sunrise was getting earlier than in mid-winter. I will be able to see this scenery much more frequent for months. I hope the rising sun will ignite my heart again this year.  

 

Cloudy?

by Kazu

It has been half a year since we saw green leaves in last autumn and soon we'll see young foliage of trees in Sapporo after enjoying a variety colors of cherry blossoms in coming spring.  

My wife and I have already indulged in the beauty of pink cherry blossoms in Tokyo including the premises of Yasukuni Shrine but we are craving for the season of the starting flame of lives on this northern region.

We have to wait more than a month to see what we are eager to savor but the smell of the wind gave us a subtle sign of the beautiful season from the south. We would like to try the cherry blossoms tour from the southern end of Japan in the not-so-distant future.

 

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters winning !

by Kazu

The cheerleaders of the professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters cheered up the team and audience. They showed their regular dance between the innings. Most of the fans of Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters love the show and many girls want to become a member of the cheerleaders. 

Fortunately, we could see a home run by the hitter of Fighters and dancing lights of playing up the beautiful arch of the ball in the stadium. I experienced the enthusiasm of the people for the first time this year.  

The cheering-up drum, shouts and clapping resonated through the stadium and many fans of Fighters ordered another pints of beer in the seats. Drink-delivering girls went up and down the stairs between the seats in the stadium. That may be tough even for young girls with a tank of beer on their back.  

 

Escon Field in Kita Hiroshima on March 4, 2026 !

by Kazu

We visited Escon Field Ball Park in Kita Hiroshima to watch the  baseball game for the first time this year. Needless to say, we had Nippon Ham Special Hot Dog with a pint of beer  just after our arrival. The stadium was filled up with the fans of the baseball teams Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Orix Braves.   

It had been six or seven months since we heard the cheering sounds and voice of the enthusiastic baseball fans and their families. I think we should be proud of the facilities and total concept of the ball park to entertain the visitors not only in baseball season but also in winter.

As a result, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters won the game with the score 2-0 but most of the audience stood up and left their seats at the end of the bottom of inning 8 in order to avoid crowded bus and train but some people tend to continued to savor the culinary delights sourced locally in the food court. 

 

February Special of Starbucks and Intercontinental Sapporo !

by Kazu

We had "the February Special" of Starbucks filled up with white peach and cherry aroma. The taste of the white peach was not so strong as the ones contained in "the August Special" last year. Both of them were served in the frappe but I thought the February Special put the accent on the subtle aroma of cherry blossoms.   

Besides, we visited Intercontinental Hotel Sapporo and had the casual French buffet lunch in the Restaurant Au Blanc. It costed about 40 USD/Person and a variety of culinary delights filled us up with happiness and satisfaction. 

We had to choose one main dish. We chose grilled chicken with gravy sauce and sauteed salmon other than buffet menu. Many citizens were also savoring then cuisine with the scenery of Toyohira River and downtown. It may be good to receive the guests from overseas in the space but I will not go there without my wife or guests.   

 

Somebody Made Snowman !

by Kazu

A happy guy made such interesting snowmen on the trees in Maruyama Park, Sapporo. On our way back from Hokkaido Shrine we visited for the purification, we found those snow works on the trees.  

Some snowmen on the trees had already been exhausted and fallen from the trunk of the trees. I love such works that make the people smile in the ordinary living life.  

A pretty snow bear survived in the bright sunshine and warm weather in Sapporo. It may freeze up in the night and stick to the trunk more tightly. I hope its survival for a while.