Day 1: Tokyo → Sapporo → Furano

It was a quick half an hour ride from CTS into downtown Sapporo, with the train ride fully covered by the JR Hokkaido Rail Pass, which we bought while transiting in Narita.

Since we needed a break before continuing on the train ride to Furano, we figured that visiting the Sapporo beer museum would be a good idea.

The museum tour was free, though one would have to pay for beer-tasting, with each beer costing JPY 200~300. We figured that it made much more sense to pay JPY 500 for a premium tour, which included 2 beers.

So the tour started with an introduction of Sapporo beer and its master brewer Seibei Nakagawa, followed by a tour of brewery, or rather what remained of it.

During the tasting session, our guide gave a short session on how to pour beer, which was quite amusing. It was also interesting to note that unlike what we were used to in Singapore, where bartenders are trained to dispense beer at an angle to avoid causing too much foam to accumulate, our guide specifically performed a three step process with great skill to produce a glass of beer with a thick layer of frothy foam.

To be fair it was an informative session, though the brewery site itself was far less impressive than the Tsingtao brewery I visited in Tsingtao back in 2006.

We finished the tour and headed back to the JR station to continue our train ride to Furano, where we would be staying for the night. It turned out that the journey was slightly more complicated than we had imagined. 

Photo credit to Wayne

Eventually, after an arduous uphill route march, we arrived at the Furano Hops Hotel, where we were greeted by an elderly gentleman whom I suspect was the hotel's proprietor. Check-in was done in minute, and we were asked on our preferred timing for breakfast.

The room was fairly large by Japanese standards, and impeccably clean. While the furnishing was not exactly new, they are all in good condition with minimal signs of wear. The TV was small, and more like a LCD screen, but given we were only there for one night, it was not an issue at all.

The bathroom had both shower and traditional Japanese bath featuring water from the nearby hot spring, and was well stocked with Shisedo amenities. In fact, there was even an information folder filled with hand-drawn maps giving directions to that spring, among other sights nearby.

The mattress is also soft, which is a great relief. So thanks in part to the welcoming bed, as well as to the hot bath and a long day of travelling, it took little effort for me to fell asleep.