Japanese Jaunt with a rugby ball. North to Sapporo 22nd Oct

You can't get a direct train from Kanazawa to Sapporo in one day. The Shinkensen does not run after midnight so a break in the journey at a hotel is needed to avoid being on a platform for 6 hours through the night.
We decided to make it Aomori which was a couple of stops before the train had a rest for the night.
People who have familiarity with the fruit trade in Spalding may have heard of Aomori in the context of Fuji apples. Fujis are the large pink apples that we import from Japan and Aomori is the centre of the growing region. Continuing in the morning we were heading for the Seikan tunnel. This tunnel connects the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido beneath the Tsugaru straits it has a total length of 53.85 kms including a 240m deep and 23.3km undersea portion. Completed in 1988 it is the deepest and longest undersea tunnel in the world.
This is the fine beast that took us through that tunnel and I timed it at 25 minutes.

The Island of Hokkaido has not always been Japanese territory prior to 1869 it was referred to as Ezo and had its own indigenous people called Ainu. Colonialism increasingly led to development to detriment, as ever of the local population. The islands immediately north of Hokkaido were invaded by the Russians after Japan's surrender in WW2 and as a result neither country has signed a peace treaty ending that war between each other. Sapporo is nearer to Vladivostok than Tokyo and lies on the same line of latitude as Marseilles. It's the proximity of Siberia that makes it such a fine winter sports venue. It was the Winter Olympics of 1972 that was the making of Sapporo. A huge investment in facilities and infrastructure was made. An underground shopping mall was created on a vast scale. Two linked towns, Pole and Aurora meet at right angles and have around 160 retail outlets between them. Above all this is a city built on a grid system. It has it's own Champs Elysees, Odori Park which starts with the TV tower, which is the centre of the city, and is laid out for 1.5 km in a western direction. We walked the length and admired the statuary. 

An in and out fountain. 

This is my favourite, it has both visual and tactile qualities and at the same time is functional as a fun slide. It is entitled Black Slide Mantra. The kids loved it too.

Something more traditional but I was more interested in the effect of light. 

Finally my favourite photo. This modern bronze lady clad in jeans appears to be posing contemptuously in front of the old Court of Appeal while surrounded by a rose garden. Reflections are still visible in the pond at her feet. 

As well as the permanent businesses in the underground mall, there are lots of stalls that pop up. We bought a spoon from this handcrafted woodware stall. 

We also got some jewellery from the lady running this stall, who also took the photo. 

There is an observation hill on the edge of the city. A couple of cable cars get you to the top. The autumnal colours were about at their best and here frame a Shinto cemetery. Similar to Christian cemeteries plots are defined with individual headstones for separate family members. Square stone posts seem to be the favourites. 

The view from the top is pretty spectacular. Definition is lost towards the horizon, but the sea is to the left as Sapporo is a port and you can make out the river and bridges in the city. 

Our hotel is a tall white building left centre of this photo. I expect that you will find that information really helpful.