May 21, 2013 (Tuesday)
I didn’t want to go out today because I actually missed
blogging while I’m here in Hokkaido. I’ve been here for more than a week now - touring,
walking and eating just about anything - without internet connection. This is
the first “me-time” I got in Hokkaido so let me tell you about why I’m so happy
today =) I’m so thrilled that I got lost in Sapporo (Sapporo is a city in
Hokkaido, Japan) - just a few hours ago hahaha.
Yesterday, I got tired of going from site to site in
Hokkaido as if there’s no tomorrow. I went with a 7-day Hokkaido tour group and
all the places we went to were amazing (I will tell you more in the next Japan
posts). This is my 9th day here and I stayed behind with a few
people to experience Sapporo a little more =) Today, I wanted to take things
slow, write about some of my experiences, actually enjoy this teeny Japanese apartment
a bit more and have a sense of what it is like to live here. While I do
understand that I’m not certain when I’ll be able return here, I’m pretty sure
that I want this time to recover, get lost on my own and travel at a snail’s
pace for now.
For lunch, I looked for Café Zill Sapporo and found it eventually in 南 14 条 7 西 near Lawson, just across from 東光 (subway N10 green line).
My sister (who lives here now)
recommended that I eat here if I wanted to go out for a while (in case I’m
starving haha). I followed her map, apparently misunderstood it and got lost
for around 45 minutes in the other direction 4 big blocks away hahaha. FYI, you
can just go in a convenience store (konbini) like Family Mart, 7-11 or Lawson
and ask for directions. They will reply in Japanese but you might be able to
figure it out after a while (ask them to write it down) ;) Sometimes, the signs
are partly in Chinese characters so I can understand a little in writing =D You can see this sign from far away.
I found out that I ordered the Chicken Karaage
– fried boneless chicken strips in potato starch and almonds.
They had no
English menu for lunch but a little sign language helped.
Squeezing the lemon
was fun with this thing and it pairs well with the chicken – a little “bitin” because
you can’t have extra.
I would order this dish again - it's good enough for me for the price and taste. They offer cheaper lunch menus in restaurants here
although I’m not sure about this one - 700 yen comes with small rice and around
6 big pieces rice topping style. A single order according to the dinner menu
costs 480 yen but maybe fewer pieces and no rice yet. They have dishes like lamb and tandoori.
But it almost became like a Japanese conversation hub with ladies at the corner talking
loudly and the sound bouncing all over the place..
There’s also a floor-style dining experience available.
Here's all the info you will need to find Cafe Zill. It closes at 2:30 p.m. for lunch then opens again for dinner.
I crossed the street and headed to the big supermarket 東光. I found a simple slip-on (light and bendable) walking shoes for 1980 yen –
converting that to a very reasonable price of 940 pesos. I successfully dodged that
one or else I will overspend again. Oh, the things I find in the supermarket
haha.
I walked for a few meters and there was the
pharmacy/cosmetic shop inside too. I bought these transparent waterproof tapes for my travel kit and picked up
these breath right strips out of curiosity (I want to test it on people when I get
home). Hahahaha.
I have a weak spot for supermarkets and its always fun to
kill time going from aisle to aisle. At this particular local supermarket,
there were ready-to-eat food like sushi, karaage (half the price of what I just ate but
not so special looking hehe), mocha, tempura, etc. At the very last moment, I
knew what I was going to get! Those juicy Hokkaido
strawberries for 598 yen (I got a hold of much sweeter ones in the mountain a few days back for 1000 yen, no sugar needed)!!!
I also saw pre-cut Hokkaido’s special melons for 498 yen (I saw one whole
costs 780 to 2980 yen probably depending on the farm and type!)=D
This is going
to be dinner – a very nice break from all the binge eating here hahaha.
That's it =) I could stay in the apartment happy and catch
on more blogging in Sapporo without having to worry about going out again for
dinner hahahaha.
Getting Lost in Japan - Chicken Karaage at Cafe Zill Sapporo, Things to Find and Buy in a Local Japanese Supermarket in Hokkaido
Do you go to local supermarkets when you go on a trip? What do you look for and what can you recommend for a particular place? (Sample: Hokkaido - Buy melons!) It can be at your own local supermarket that is a specialty in your area. Feel free to comment below =)
Getting Lost in Japan - Chicken Karaage at Cafe Zill Sapporo, Things to Find and Buy in a Local Japanese Supermarket in Hokkaido
Do you go to local supermarkets when you go on a trip? What do you look for and what can you recommend for a particular place? (Sample: Hokkaido - Buy melons!) It can be at your own local supermarket that is a specialty in your area. Feel free to comment below =)