Tag: hokkaido

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025.

Me and Dodi headed to the EIA in the morning to catch our first of three flights that would take us to Sapporo. Right off the bat, I committed one of the cardinal sins in travel. It was as we were passing through Devon that I realized my passport, credit cards, and cash were still sitting on the kitchen counter. We managed to get back home and through airport security in good time, however.

It was a long, rather smooth and uneventful trip to and through Vancouver customs, over Alaska and the Pacific Ocean. We were right on schedule to land in Tokyo when the pilot informed us that we had been placed in a holding pattern. While circling north of Tokyo, we were gifted the most incredible sight of a red sunset over Japan with a clear view of Mount Fuji silhouetted in the foreground. Got to see it twice before the sun finally went down. This delay caused us to miss our connecting flight to Sapporo, but we were seamlessly placed on the next flight out and arrived in Hokkaido’s largest city about 90 minutes later than originally planned. After a 40-minute train ride from the New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Main Station, we walked over to our hotel for a full night’s sleep, before starting our final leg to Shikaoi.

Friday, February 28th, 2025.

We caught a train bound for Obihiro but got off in the town of Shintoku, which is the closest community to Shikaoi on the line. Temperatures were the same as when we left Stony Plain, but the snow… there was a lot of snow! Where it wasn’t ploughed or shovelled metres high, the snow looked like it was at least waist deep. Between the snow-covered Hokkaido mountain ranges, the open flowing rivers, the kilometres-long train tunnels, and a bright blue sky, the two-hour train ride east from Sapporo felt like we were in a dreamlike movie.

Two of Shikaoi’s town representatives were at the station to greet us. We went for lunch to experience the region’s legendary soba noodles before arriving at the SS House (SS – Stony/Shikaoi) for a full orientation and luggage drop. Having someone to go over with you all the working dials that are in Japanese (furnace, washer, toilet, microwave, TV, etc.) is something you don’t truly value until you are on your own.

We made a quick trip over to the high school where old acquaintances were met and new ones began and then our two guides took us to the grocery store for our first shopping

experience. Like the appliances, having two guardians to take you through buying groceries for the first time is a godsend.

Saturday, March 1st, 2025.

It was a privilege to have been invited to Shikaoi’s grade twelve graduation ceremonies this Saturday morning. Graduation always happens here on March 1st, no matter the day it falls on. I shook off the symptoms of jetlag and dressed up to attend this event. It was well worth the experience. So many similarities, but lots of uniqueness that can be attributed to Japanese culture and the ceremonial traditions. Bowing from the waist, respect, reverence, silence, and gratefulness dominated the morning. Albeit in Japanese, all the speeches talked about the same things you would hear at an MCHS graduation. Achievement, the future, appreciation for parents-friends-staff, and lifelong memories made.

Sunday, March 2nd, 2025.

What we thought would be a day of rest didn’t turn out that way. I began the morning with a FaceTime interaction with my 92-year-old mother. I gave her a virtual tour of our Shikaoi home for the next six weeks and she had many questions. Shortly after, we had a local couple come knocking on the door to introduce themselves (Yes, they came with a gift in hand). They live just a couple of blocks away. We had a wonderful visit as both have a reasonable grasp of basic English. Me and Dodi have no knowledge of Japanese except for a vocabulary of a couple dozen words and phrases. The translators on our tablets and phones are a remarkable tool in bridging the moments when communication is lost.

When this couple said goodbye, they indicated that they were going to Obihiro for the day to do some shopping. A short time later there was another knock on the door. One of the couple had returned to inquire if we would like to join them to attend a talent show for the afternoon. This couple graciously offered to take us to a community event in lieu of their planned day in Obihiro. We spent a grand afternoon at the Riding Park auditorium where everyone was entertained by the many local talents of individuals and groups ranging in age from five to ninety-four (a gentleman who sang karaoke).

We’ve made a few meals on our own since arriving. Dodi’s creativity in food preparation is a marvel. Thank goodness washing dishes is the same as what I do in Canada. Recycling is a nightmare, however. So many things to separate and deconstruct.

The first few days of our adventure have been pretty darn good. I’d judge that we are settling in quite nicely while taking the surprises and uncertainty of living in Japan in stride.