What We Found Up North

Just in the first day of our trip, we found some nice men along the quaint streets of Otaru... 

this quite shy one giving free samples of ...

chocolate!  (very good chocolate at that!)
this quite friendly and laid-back one grilling seafood along the streets...this fun and very outgoing one wanting to take a picture with me posed as a crab...and my man waiting with a local beer in hand. 
There were nice canals to walk along...
and a cool micro-brewery to drop into.
We found three distinct micro-brews to try. 

And since in our party, one of us is allergic to alcohol...
"Kampai!" looks like this...

We found sushi restaurants with the freshest selections... 

(Mashi ordered these Hokkaido specialties - uni, ikura, and tobiko.  Having not yet acquired a taste for sea urchin or fish eggs, he thoroughly enjoyed these delicacies all to himself.)

 

and our first day ended as a fun evening out.

On the rest of our short trip we found...

 beautiful views of the sea...
which inspired dancing...
and silly posing.
We found serene rows of poplars at the Hokkaido University campus in Sapporo...
bright streets for nightlife...
yummy ramen...
a riverside and snow-capped mountains to enjoy during a morning jog...
and finally, a second chance to see spring...
this work of art which doubles as a slide...
and a nice bench to give our master trip planner a much deserved break.

The rest of our "Golden Week" vacation was, well, much more of the same.  I'm afraid we find ourselves often going out for beers with friends, walking along riversides, and eating fish.  Thanks for reading this far those who did.  And if you're up for more photos, our travel companion wrote about our trip as well.  You can find her version here:  

http://acatsblog.blogspot.com/