Ooops, guys I completely forgot about my holiday posts! Mucho apologies, I promise I'll do much better with getting the next (and final) post out.
So this second week was pretty work intensive. I headed up to Hokkaido, Japan's north island to attend the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival and interview some film makers. But I did a pretty decent job taking in the surrounding towns as well. It was an amazing experience set against an absolutely stunning background. Sapporo is quite a large city but the rest of Hokkaido is so sparsely populated the mountains and forests and waterways really shine. It was a welcome change after the brightly-lit insanity of Tokyo. Be warned though, Hokkaido is a lot less English-friendly than Tokyo, so if you're heading up this way (especially away from Sapporo or the more touristy ski resorts) make sure you read up on some Japanese or at the very least have a comprehensive phrasebook with you. Nothing worse than finding yourself stuck in a teensy town with no idea when and if another train is coming by!
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| The Sapporo Clock Tower |
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| They do love their Eiffel tower replicas in Japan, Sapporo |
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| Tanukikoji Shopping street, Sapporo |
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| Obelisk details in Odori Park, Sapporo |
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| Snowman, Otaru |
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| Bet the kids are eagerly awaiting Spring! Otaru |
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| Suitengu Shrine, Otaru |
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| fortunes on a tree at Suitengu Shrine, Otaru |
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| Poor old man is going to be shovelling for awhile, Otaru |
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| Otaru |
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| Yubari IFFF signs |
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| The town is absolutely covered in billboards for American, English and Japanese films, Yubari |
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| Bright red bridge, Yubari |
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| small cemetery in Yubari |
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| Excellent ski slopes surrounding the film festival, Yubari |
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| Views around Yubari |
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| The trees reflecting the setting sun, Shin-Yubari train station |
