Japan - Day 2

We started the day at a coffee shop chain that came highly recommended for its simple and cheap breakfasts. We opted for coffee, a boiled egg, and bread with jam. Komeda’s Coffee — there are loads of them.

600 yen, less than £3 each. Who said Japan was expensive?

We took a train to a remote biscuit factory that makes chocolate-filled biscuits — they were everywhere in Sapporo. We were able to use our Suica cards for the first time. They’re virtual cards that you top up with a balance, then tap in at the barriers at the start of the journey and tap out at the end. Simples.

There was a lot of snow — more than usual, as it was all over the news. Everyone in Sapporo just got on with it. It was today that we realised how much of the city is underground. Not just restaurants in the basements of department stores, but huge malls with loads of shops, restaurants, and more.

On the way back from the biscuit tour, we went to see a temple. It was peaceful.

We had an excellent lunch that we basically cooked ourselves. That was fun, and the food was pretty different as well — all very tasty.

In the evening, we walked to the Sapporo Brewery. The museum was free to visit and, to be honest, not that good. We’d also booked a Genghis Khan meal — where you cook as much as you want — which was a little bit of a let-down. Possibly because we’d already done something similar earlier in the day, but more likely due to the lack of atmosphere in the big beer hall, as it was virtually empty.