Good evening, Hivers. Nomnomnoodle is here with a little game for you to help me spot the winter animals in the snow and take you guys to see how Sake (a traditional Japanese alcoholic drink) was made. You're in? Cool! Let's begin..
After Hokkaido Winter (Animal) is Coming.
and The King Penguin Parade and The Big Cats
that I told you guys about the zoo. This is the last part of the zoo and conclude my day 2 of the Hokkaido trip back in February 2023.
This time though, I find it challenging to find the winter animals in the snow, so I thought you guys could play this little game and see if you can find them hiding in plain sight or not. I'll post the answer in the comments below. Let's start with the easy one, the Polar bear.
I love how they have this open area where you can take pictures of them. That day they were napping in the snowy bed. Looks very cozy and I wish I could order a bed like that at home.
Next one, a little tougher, the Snowy Owl. This might be easier seeing it from the picture, but when I was there, I spent a lot of time finding it. I tried calling her Hedwig but she didn't even budge.
Then we walked to see Blakiston's Fish Owl. This owl is the largest living species of owl. Wow! They belong to the Eagle-Owl family. They are listed as one of the notable species here in Asahiyama Zoo.
I took this picture and felt scared that they were gonna eat me.
After being outside for a while, we decided to pay a visit the Capybara inside a Capybara house. They're so cute!
Hello Hooman!
I can see that this house is very informative and friendly, especially for the kids. The bones of a capybara were displayed along with some other posters.
Then, we were back outside and visit the Snow Bunny. Can you spot them and tell me how many bunnies are there?
They were so round and fluffy~
Due to the time that we had, the last animal we visited is the Red Fox. Can you find it?
He was just sleeping in the snow. I wouldn't want to disturb him.
The time was almost noon, which meant we had to leave for lunch. The weather was still so cold and stayed -2 Celsius.
We hopped on our car and on the way, it was snow everywhere.
Finally, it's time to eat! We got Japanese set lunch. Here I'll explain to you by numbers:
Nr.1 is a mini seafood hotpot.
Nr.2 is Grilled Gindara/Snow fish with Teriyaki sauce. (So heavenly good this one).
Nr.3 are the Sushis.
Nr.4 is Shrimp and vegetable tempura.
Nr.5 are desserts: chocolate roll and blood orange (This one I don't like sadly)
Nr.6 is the rice.
Overall the food was nice and definitely filled us up after the long walk in the morning.
Now, let me take you to Otokoyama's Sake Brewery and show you how they make one of the most famous Sake in Japan. This is the entrance.
In this brewery/museum, there are displays of the ingredients and the process from the ancient Japanese Era (Edo period) and the recent one.
As you might have heard, Sake is made from rice, koji, and water (alcohol may also be added) and made through the fermentation of yeast.
The Brewing Process
Here are some photos of the brewery.
old vs new
Otokoyama of local sake brewed in this very spring water in front of the building. It has been going on for 40 years.
You can just drink it from there. Very cold and refreshing.
In the souvenir zone, you can put coins in this vending machine and try out the sake that they have, to know which one to buy home. I tried only a couple and felt tipsy already. They're so strong for me.
I'm pretty sure my dad knew which one he like and bought some. Sadly, the Sake didn't make it even a whole day. He drank it all in a night.
Before we left, they let us wear the outfit and take pictures with the original bucket(?) that used to brew the sake. We got to get some fun there. haha
The boss just ordered us to do the hard work. Poor us. 😂
We left the brewery and on the road to Sapporo. By the time we arrived it was late and to have dinner buffet at the the hotel Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom Sapporo.
The last thing to do of the day is the Onsen. But this Onsen wasn't located inside the hotel so you have to walk to the next building and looked like this.
I can't take pictures inside, so this is how far I can take you. Thank you for reading my long post and see you again next time.
Part 1 - First time in Hokkaido in forever
Part 2 - Cheese and Wine Museum Day in Furano
Part 3 - Kamikawa Ice Pavillion
Part 4 - Perfect Day Ends with an Onsen
Khob khun kaa,
Nomnomnoodle 🍜