I made a very simple map for you. Basically, from Ikebukuro station, go out the exit OPPOSITE side of Sunshine City (Sunshine 60) and look for Maru Ichi Maru Ichi (circle one circle one, sometimes called Marui or Oi Oi). It is very close to there on the second floor. It is somewhat famous so if you ask somebody in the area where is Nakamoto, they can probably get you close.

Another warning, if you go at peak times you might have to wait a while to get a seat…

My friend suffering from eating two bowls in two days of Nakamoto’s spicy ramen.

Not really actually, I just wanted to use this photo of him assimilating to Japanese culture.

Here is another photo and some information about Nakamoto Ramen at World Ramen and another account of just how spicy it is.

For more information and a few photos, see the official Satoland Site.

Thanks to Greg Logan for the photos!

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  • You like canals–Otaru has a famous canal (which can actually make for some interesting photos…maybe)
  • If the Snow Lantern Festival is going on, it might be worth checking out Otaru at night.  This festival goes on around the 2nd week of november, but don’t plan to stay more than a few hours.
  • You like music boxes–there are a few music box museums here
  • You are into glass–there are some interesting glass products and art available here
  • Seafood is your favorite food and you are not content with the seafood in the city where you are
  • You have a very short time slot open and you are bored of your current location
  • Otaru is the only place in Hokkaido you have not been to.

Seriously, Otaru is really close to Sapporo but almost every other place in Hokkaido as a lot more to offer not only for photographers but for an average tourist as well. If you have been and disagree with my, please leave a comment, it is possible I was just in a bad mood and the weather was really bad when I was there…possible, but unlikely!  Let me just say this, it isn’t so much that Otaru is a horrible place, it is more of the rest of Hokkaido being that much better!

For more information about Otaru, see the Japan-Guide.

I have not been to many zoos in my time but I have to say I was pleased with Asahiyama Zoo. There are some exhibits that are set up really nicely to take some very interesting photographs. The two best for this are the penguin exhibit and the polar bear exhibit. If you are traveling with kids, I highly suggestion considering taking a trip to the Asahiyama Zoo, and come on, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like animals? Especially ones that you most likely will not have a chance to see real life in the wild.

More photos after the jump and check out the official homepage of Asahiyama Zoo (English) for more information or see a video of the penguins.

These ice sculptures (are maybe I should say ice advertisements because that is pretty much what they are) are cool but the best part or the little ice bars that open up at night. In 2007, there was a Baily’s, Hennessey and even a Song Park Karaoke place where you could sing a song and you get a score depending on how accurate you were and then depending on your score you would get a coupon for a real establishment of Song Park.

Check out the video of a few of the ice bars here and a few more photos after the jump.

I actually went a few days before it started and left on the second day because it was a lot cheaper to do it that way. I suggest doing it this way not only because it is cheaper, but also because most of the big ones are (almost) done anyway and you can also see how they are made.

Of course it seems whenever I go to Hokkaido I am really unlucky with the weather because on the first day I was it it was so warm that it was raining and almost ruined a lot of the sculptures. The main part of the snow festival is in Odori Park but there 2 other places to check out, Sato Land and Susukino. I have a different post about the ice sculptures and ice bars in Susukino.

At the Odori Park site, the big sculptures a lot of times are used as stages for different perfomances throughrout the festival. As you can see below, they even built a (not so) small jump for skiers and snowboarders to do some tricks.

On a side note, if you are looking for something else to do because maybe you are arriving before the Sapporo Snow Festival starts or staying after it ends, you may want to check out the smaller and lesser known Chitose Ice Festival.

Check out more photos after the jump or check out a video of some performances and other happenings at the Sapporo Snow Festival.

If the weather is nice I can see this place being really beautiful and also it is a place where a car or at least renting a bike would be really convenient since the lake is really too big to walk around. Also, if you are so interested, water activities such as fishing, paddle boats, and taking a boat tour are available. For more information, check out the official site of Onuma Koen or the Japan-Guide.com.

If you can handle the cold, or like winter sports, going to Sapporo during the snow festival is a great time to go. The snow festival has amazing sculptures made of, you guessed, snow and ice. If you are more into not freezing, then in the summer months the weather in Sapporo is pretty mild and not as humid as the rest of Japan. Below is the Sapporo Beer Factory and Sapporo TV Tower.

Sapporo is about a 40 minute train ride from Chitose Airport, 3 hours from Hakodate and about 2 from Furano and Biei.

If you are going to Hokkaido and plan to travel I recommend thinking about getting one of the Hokkaido free rail passes (they have different ones for foreign tourists–3 and 5 days–and one that anyone cane use–7 days).

If you plan on only staying in Sapporo, you do not need a car, but if you plan on going to other areas of Hokkaido, it would not be a bad idea to consider renting a car as a lot of places in Hokkaido are best accessed by car.

If you are going to visit any other areas other than Sapporo, I HIGHLY recommend considering renting a car. Not only are a lot of places in Hokkaido spread out, once you get to your destination, public transportation and getting around can start to become very infrequent and inconvenient.

Some places worth considering going to in Hokkaido are:

• Sapporo–Japan’s 5th largest city.
• Hakodate–Famous for it’s spectacular night view.
• Onuma Koen–Quasi National Park close to Hakodate.
• Lake Toya–Famous hotsprings and Japan’s most recent active volcano.
• Furano and Biei–Famous for rolling hills, fields and flowers.
• Rebun and Rishiri–Japan’s northern most islands, both national parks.
• Daisetsuzan–Large national park.
• Shiretoko–Considering to be the last unspoiled are of Japan.
• Akan–Large national park.

Access

From Tokyo it is about 1.5 hour flight (and is one of the world’s busiest flight routes) and one way ticket can cost anywhere from about $150-300.