Yesterday I didn’t have any classes so instead of hanging out at home I thought I’d check out this “Odori Park” I read so much about. In a nutshell, Odori is an awesome park for the awesome city of Sapporo. Just because you may have never heard of Odori or Sapporo for that matter doesn’t take from the fact that these great places exist.

Let me set the scene first. As I walked out of Odori Subway station I was greeted by a crystal clear blue sky. The temperature was perfect. Warmer then Portland, but not too hot or humid. The sights and smells filled the air and I watched as Japanese street venders sold roasted corn-on-the-cob to pedestrians along the side walk. Sapporo has an inspiring “old and new mixed” aesthetic. Walking through Odori you get the feeling that the people here took extra care when they built this city.

An interesting note about Odori park. According to a local, the park was originally created to protect one half of the city from fire. If a fire was to break out (say in Susukino, the party district) the park is big enough that it could prevent the fire from spreading to the otherside, such as what happened in the Great fire of London in 1666. I don’t know if it could really do this, but it’s a cool story.

Here in Sapporo, and I assume all of Japan engrish is everywhere. In a vending machine I found the sollution to you Americans that are just *too happy all the time it’s “DEEPRESSO” no matter how you justify it, it’s just funny to see it everywhere.

To get to Odori I had to walk to the bus stop, then take the train all the way in, then walk around. By the time I was actually in Odori it was about noon so I was hungry. Luckily Sapporo has a secret weapon! ラーメン！(Ramen Noodles). Sapporo is famous for their ramen noodles. They’re a little spendy but well worth it. They’re served in huge bowls and usually has all sorts of meats, veggies, and stuff in it. So to eat it you basically take a pair of chopsticks (箸 ha-shi) and a soup spoon (the chinese style) and dig in. As you can imagine, if you’re aren’t good at chopsticks better get to the nearest chinese restaunt and start practicing! There’s no spoons, forks, or knifes at these establishments.

What did you expect?
it’s Japan…

So anyway… Odori is split up into quarters or districts. One of them is Susukino, susukino is kinda like the red light district. It’s pretty active at night, but pretty sleepy during the day. As I was walking around this place, looking for this so called “Best Ramen,” I saw caberets, bars, pachiko parlors, you name it. It was only after about half hour that I found this ramen sancturary “ramen alley” what you say? Ramen alley? yeah it’s one ally that’s all ramen. From Miso to Squid every kind is represented. It’s the Ramen U.N. (United Noodles). Prices were reasonable I guess. Big Bowl of noodles runs you about 700-600 yen. Good stuff.

Packed full of noodles, I went out exploring the streets, taking pictures, and chilling. Sapporo is just like any other big city. Stores, parks, old town places, and groovy graffiti. The only real difference between Sapporo and Portland is that everything is mostly geared towards, what I call, “the Japanese experience.” Meaning that people here are born and raised in this place and thus, think this is common. It’s the source of culture shock when you take a person from this and put them somewhere that’s not this. Make since? Sure. I’m an American, but, I’m just not any old American. I’m a westcoaster. And If the topic is culture shock, i’ll be honest. I had more culture shock in the middle of New York City then I have here in Sapporo, Japan. Speaking of Portland. For those conservationists out there I found this kinda funny—> engrish gotta love it.

Too bad Portland doesn’t have one of these next to the 711. It’s a Buddist temple. Often on the major walking paths you’ll find a monk from one of these temples standing with an offering bag. In many ways it’s real cool to see someone dressed in traditional buddhist robes, not saying a word, just standing there. It harkens back to this feeling of the old exsisting with the new is some kinda weird harmony.

Past the temple you find shopping strips. Not strip malls, but a covered street (like fremont street in Vegas) where it’s all shops. One of the better ones is this place (see left) the “real monkey.” Again from the Japanese experience, this is a play on history, when America de-humanized the Japanese durring world-war 2 by calling them monkeys. This store just counters that with size 150+ jeans over a giant American flag. The message couldn’t be more clear…

Don’t get outraged though, we got the drop on these guys. In some ways this store is scary because inside they’re selling Jeans for 50+ USD. All sizes from w28 L32 to w42 to L36. Levi’s 517, 501, 535, etc. yeah.. it’s places like this that kinda makes me wonder if I shouldn’t just buy American Levis and sell them here then try to work some 20 year career at a desk.

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It was getting late so I made my way back to the park when I ran into this guy. No real audience beside me taking his picture after pic of this guy doing crazy stuff on a BMX bike.

It was time to go so on the train I went back to shin-sapporo station. Trains here are really cool. I might just devote a whole blog post to them sometime. Padded seats, heated or ac, digital maps inside. yeah JR trains rule.

On my way, via the bus, I took a minute to snap a pic of this place. It’s the “Homac” or the Home Depot of Japan. It has all the home improvement you’d need AND they’re extremely… EXTREMELY helpful. Walking in, 99% of the time you can guarantee you’ll never get lost and the employees will help you get whatever you need or didn’t need till now!

Today I got to ride my bike to school and the trip was long but worth it. It took about 50 min, but that’s because I stopped and took pics and checked the map and stuff. Tomorrow I expect to cut it down to 40 minutes or less.

On my way I found, yes, Ma-cu-do-na-ru McDonalds.

Here’s a cool sight on the way home. According to the Historical Museum of Hokkaido:
[The]”Centennial Memorial Tower’ was completed as a part of the undertaking of the centennial commemoration of the Hokkaido in September, 1970. The gratitude of Hokkaido people all the predecessors who built today’s Hokkaido is put, and it is the tower of the steel frame “torasu” structure built as a thing which symbolizes endless development to the future. It is based on the 100th anniversary in Hokkaido, and the height of the tower is 100m. That shape symbolizes development to the future by secondary curve to cross in the height of the infinity in the speck toward the sky. When it is seen in the planar, that shape makes the hexagon of the crystal of the snow a motif.
　It can hope for the stores and houses on a street of Sapporo and Ebetsu and the wood of Nopporo from the view room in the height 23.5m.”

from:
http://www.hmh.pref.hokkaido.jp/english/annai/kouen/E_tou.htm

No Joke either. I took this shot from probabally 20-30 miles away. It’s a bike ride away and free as well.

Some trip ‘eh? Tomorrow is friday and I got some Japanese tests to take, but then it’s the weekend. A three day weekend none the less. Monday is respect the elderly day. It a day that the country stops and *respects the elderly for their wisdom and stuff, but if you ask any Japanese what they’re doing on Monday they say, “hey it’s a day off, I think i’ll go shopping, or fishing, or go the baseball game.”

Ok signing off another day…

See ya on the flipside good night! or should I say good morning…

~J out

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