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押す(meaning “PUSH”) was the last thing I remember after arriving in Kunitachi last night. That is what I read on my way out of one of the MANY local convenience stores here, as I bought a bento (ready-made meal) on my way back to the dorm after nearly 11 hours on the train from Sapporo - the main city in the island of Hokkaido - in the far north of Japan.

I think the best way to write this entry is in a chronologically-reversed manner - this is me testing the limits of CREATIVITY in my silly online diary. Woohoo!

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Arriving in TOKYO: Okay, so last night, I was on the 11.15pm train from Tokyo station back to Kunitachi (the town I live in). Sunday nights on the Chuo line in Tokyo are usually an AWEFUL time to ride the train, especially as the time for the LAST TRAIN approaches. However, last night was strange - it wasn’t packed in the usual “sardine can” way. But still, there were many people. For some strange reason, and despite the millions of people who are in Tokyo, I always notice that it is the SAME type of crowd who climb on the local trains - last night was no exception. Absolutely EVERYONE on the train wore either BLACK or WHITE shoes - except for me in my brown PUMAs. Oh, there was this one young Japanese woman who was wearing bright orange sandals, but they were a little classy. I ALWAYS a get a few looks of horror from others on the train - probably because I am a foreigner who does not have any European feautures. Something about Japan, and I don’t mean this in a negative way - but anyone with “European” features, tends to be treated a little better than anyone else. I’m not bitter about this, it’s just something I notice. Also, there are people sitting and standing on the trains, obviously. 70% to 80% of the people sitting are ALWAYS SLEEPING throughout the entire ride. Sometimes, you find people resting their heads on the shoulders of total strangers - I can’t imagine the audacity one has to do that. As for the people standing - the guys standing ALWAYS hold onto the grips with their LEFT hands, while girls ALWAYS with their right. I don’t know why - but it is something I noticed as well. Even I do it. Anyways, it was 50 minute ride from Tokyo station to Kunitachi - a very long 50 minutes after nearly 10 hours on the Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Sapporo to Tokyo.

On the Shinkansen (Bullet train): I bought the ticket one day before in Sapporo to get onto the Bullet Train. It was a little annoying to have to switch trains twice during the trip, which didn’t really make it any easier for me to catch up on my sleep. However, I managed to nap on the FIRST leg of the trip, between Sapporo and Hakodate. This was a good two hour nap. I tried to continue reading the novel I recently started - “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles” by Haruki Murakami - but, it was just pointless as I was too exhausted. In the second leg of the trip, I couldnt easily find my seat - I got lost on the train for a while but finally managed to sit down next to a guy who REALLY seemed depressed. He didn’t mind that some strange foreigner would sit next to him, which is very nice, and didn’t disturb me at all during the trip. At that time. I had decided to pull out that book and started reading. It was a very relaxing read, and I enjoyed it. Even though I was a little hungry at the time - it’s okay, I was to wait until I arrive in the next station. Next station, Hachinohe, on my way to the next train, I grabbed a sandwhich made of crabmeat and salad, and got onto the train to Tokyo. It was a NEW train - similar to the one I rode on my way to Kyoto the week before. Again, I enjoyed reading the words of Haruki Murakami - one of the best discoveries I made in Japan yet. I arrived in Tokyo Station at 11.05pm, dodging crowds and rushing to my train in a Tokyoite frame of mind.

In Hokkaido:
Sunday (Day 3): My train to Tokyo was leaving at 1.17pm, I couldn’t be late. I woke up early that morning to a wonderful breakfast prepared by the mother of Tsuyoshi (the friend who hosted me in his home. He also visited me in Bahrain last year during the Golden Week Vacation). Before going to the train station, I had a wonderful Sushi lunch in the area of Otaru, with three other friends from the Ship of World Youth program I was on last year. Prior to that, we walked around the town of Otaru, famous for it’s glass and chocolate (great combination, wouldn’t you think?). The weather was cool, a little cloudy, but no rain. I loved it. Hokkaido is beautiful this time of year.

Saturday (Day 2): Up by 8am, had a great breakfast, and headed out to the Ainu museum. The Ainu, by the way, were the first known inhabitants of the island of Hokkaido. The Japanese colonized it in the late 1800s, and the number of the Ainu population has died down since. I was happy to be exposed to a little of that unique culture - their music of another world, their food delicious, their clothing colorful, and their lifestyle very peaceful. The nature around this open-air museum was AMAZING - there was a lake in which the water was clear - it was painful to see. We also rode on a ship in the area of Toya - and sailed to a small island with many deer - forced to stand on the other side of a fence. The visitors of this island enjoyed feeding the deer “sembe” (rice-crackers). I am beginning to believe that rice-crackers are THE thing to feed deer, as I have seen this before, during my trip to Nara the week before. Rice Crackers are yummy. Lucky deer.

Friday (Day 1): Arrived in the New Chitose Airport in Sapporo at 6pm. I took the train to Sapporo station, where I was to meet my friend, Tsuyoshi. In the same station, and on the 38th floor, is the CN tower - in which you can have a panoramic view of all of Sapporo (the fastest growing city in Japan). They also had a FUNNY toilet there, in which you were surrounded in glass. I just went in to take pictures of the toilet, but a little too embarrassed to use it - even though it was on the East side of the 38th floor in this tower. I doubt the people down below can see what’s going on up there. Outside this toilet, the view was GREAT - there was a bar serving beer Sapporo is famous for, I settled for a yummy cafe late. Hehehe.. I’m a good guy, ne?

Friday - before arriving in Hokkaido: I was going to fly to Hokkaido, on an AIRDO (short for Air Hokkaido) plane. My flight was to leave at 4.30pm that day, from the newly renovated Haneda Airport. All I can say about this airport, is that it is BY FAR the most beautiful airport I have EVER been to. Small, but lively. VERY clean, and there was a path in which you can go to the roof, and walk around in the sun, and have a WONDERFUL view of the sea and the city of Yokohama not too far away. You can also see a lovely mountain range on the other side. I never say that in any other airport in the world, and I really thought it was great. From the airport, I bought a copy of “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles” by Haruki Murakami, the novel to which I am still glued. The book is around 600 pages, but, I flew through the book REALLY REALLY fast.

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Woh, a diary in reverse! Hope it made sense to you.

Please enjoy looking at the few photos I took during my trip in the album named “Trip to Hokkaido”