Hokkaido Summer Trip

Sept 5^th to Sept 9^th 2007

 

For me, visiting Hokkaido was the first and maybe also will be the last experience. I enjoyed the summer trip. I write some interesting experiences below.

 

Almost all was photographer

 

Camera was a popular thing in the summer trip. Almost all of grantees plus Sasamori san and Nunokami san brought camera. We were categorized as professional photographers (including Dinar san, Lahar san, Marish san, Sutikno san, Chairat san, Faizul san) because using big and heavy camera; amateur photographers (including Mirwan san, Sasamori san, Nunokami san, Manaphorn san, Wira san, me) because using small camera. Almost all events in the trip were recorded in our camera, except playing bowling at Toya Park Hotel Tensho and singing in Karaoke room at Kaiyotei Hotel. In my case, my activities related with my camera were to take beautiful views/things by myself and to ask help from somebody to take the pictures of me with interesting view as background using my camera. As the results, I had many interesting pictures. I showed some.

 

Picture 1

 

Picture 2

  

      

Story behind picture 1 and picture 2 

 

Those two pictures were taken at Hitsujigaoka Observatory. Marish san showed this place. I agreed that the two sheep would be very interesting place as foreground. Then I asked Marish san to take picture of me and Hayati san. The result was great (picture 1). It was really like two funny sheep. I really wanted to know the result if we used the two sheep as background. Then I asked Marish san one more time to take picture from back. Before taking the picture Marish san said, “Are you sure?” And I answered,” Of course.” At that time, I kept in my mind about ‘why Marish san asked that question’. Later, after I knew the result from back (picture 2) which was not like two sheep at all, I could understand the reason of Marish san’s question. He was professional photographer, so that he could guess that the two sheep were not good as background J

 

 

Great Food

 

Dinner meant Japanese style food and lunch (except lunch in the first day) meant Western style food. From my observation, Japanese style food was one table full of various foods with beautiful presentation. I always feel sorry every time I start to eat, because the food was so beautiful. Nunokami san told me there is no rule about which food we could eat first, second, etc. So, I started with sashimi. Yummy, I like sashimi very much. It was delicious. Until the third day, I still could not eat all of my dinner, because too many for my stomach. If I had chance to get those kind of dinner for one week more, my stomach might be become accustomed, so I could eat all J

 

Lunch was also great time. I remembered the beautiful view when we had lunch at Ginrinso restaurant on the second day. It was not like dinner. We didn’t have one table for one people, but one table for six people. The food was served in order, first the opening food, then main course, main course, dessert, and coffee. The amount of the food was not too many, so I could eat all. We had lunch at French style café on the third day. I thought the food was not too different with lunch on the second day. It was delicious, beautiful presentation, served in order, and the amount not too many. But one of us said that the third day lunch was very special, because the chef, who used to be chef in JAL, prepared a little bit different taste of French food. I could not give any comment for his statement. This was the first time for me eating French food. I didn’t have any comparison J

 

 

Onsen … Oh … Onsen

 

There was onsen in every hotel we stayed at night, at Sapporo, Toyako, and Hakodate. I and Hayati san really wanted to get experience taking a bath in onsen. But until the third day, we didn’t do it. Although we ever tried to go to onsen at 04.00 am, hoping there was no one there, but we still couldn’t do it. We are shy. It was very unusual for us to use nothing at public place.

 

Singing in Karaoke

 

Singing in Karaoke was also great time. Listen other sing was please. Moreover if many of us knew the song, so we could sing together.

 

Other interesting experiences were dancing with Ainu, shopping at Souvenir shop at Otaru, and shopping at Morning market at Hakodate. All was great experience. Thank you Sasamori san, Homma san, Miyake san, Nunokami san. Thank you Hitachi J

 

Nanik

Sept 18^th, 2007