There are two schools of thought about Hokkaido, the Northern region of Japan: the first says that you should avoid going in winter. Too cold. Freezing. It's better to wait for the sunny season when it turns pleasantly refreshing. The second answers : don't you think that you would miss the spirit if you don't go in winter ? How could you ever say "I've seen Hokkaido" if you've never seen it under the snow ?...

I was hesitating about going or not going before spring when I heard of the Snow Festival in Sapporo, the capital of the North. The Snow Festival. Just the name made me daydream. So here I go, with my warmest clothes and wintery expectations, pretending to be the Snow Queen and enjoying the whiteness of life in Sapporo ! Let it snow !

For the travellers' information : I used Skymark to fly from Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo New Chitose airport (18 000 yen, go and back, with webwari). From the aiport, it takes about 30 minutes by Express train to Sapporo station (about 1200yen). There is a good "welcome pass" for the tourists (2500 yen, including the transportation between the airport and sapporo, plus illimited subway) but nothing special for the residents like me. By the way, the subway is not a must : the main spots of the city are easy to reach by foot (even  on snowy days !).

I arrived under the sunshine early in the morning but quickly, the sky turned white. From the street,  I could see 30 to 40 centimeters of snow on the roofs, and even more on the floor ! But it was less freezing than I expected, and I wasn't cold at all. Maybe too excited for that...

Everywhere in the city, you can see the star as a symbol of the "pioneer spirit".

The White City

The classiest smoking area ever

Of course, the main attraction of Sapporo, in February, is the Snow Festival at Odori Koen. Pure and fleeting beauty. Foreigners, don't be surprised if the kids jump on you to practice their English sentences (just as in Kyoto...). It happened to me at least 20 times in two hours. Fortunately they were cute enough. I also got interviewed by a local TV about the shape of snowmen in my country. I am afraid to say that it is exactly the same than Japanese ones... Fail.

Masterpieces

Kawaii Snow Art

I really think that actually, Sapporo is more beautiful under the snow. Except the ancient buildings, the city's architecture is commonly modern, not especially charming. However, the historic buildings smell like Russia and UK. It is totally different from the atmosphere of the rest of Japan.

Tokei-Dai, the symbol pf the city

Sapporo City Hall

Sapporo Brewery

Most of the sidewalks in Sapporo are heated from below, in order to prevent the snow to invade the way; I have serious concerns about the ecologic cost of this system, but I have to admit that at least, it's amazingly effective...

With heating system

Without heating system

Lunchbreak : impossible for me not to have a Sapporo beer ! No way ! And the best place to enjoy this proud beverage was the Sapporo Beer Garden. Warm, cosy and affordable place where I got Hokkaido potatoes, tasty sausages and the most delicious king crab balls. (bus ticket from the station : 200yen)

Itadakimasu !

Sapporo Beer Bear

 Bye-bye Sapporo; on the afternnon, I took the train to go to Otaru Snow Lights Path Festival (小樽雪あかりの路). The small town is situated at 30 minutes by train from Sapporo station and it really worth it ! I am afraid that my pictures can not reflect the magic of the place. It was... wow. I was enchanted.

Into the white

Magic in the air

Waiting for the night to fall, I had a delicious "gouter" at a French-style coffee shop with an amazing view on the canal. Cake and coffee set for 700 yen. This lemon and chocolate pastry was amazing... not even mentioning that RFI was braodcasted in the place (sister !!) and that the program was about Mali... My little world is following me wherever I go !

5 o'clock break

And then I was ready for the snow storm... and the most magical snow and fire scenary ever. Enjoy !

Fire under the Ice

But beauty doesn't make you feel warm. I still had to taste the region's king crabs and sushi...

I didn't regret my choice even one second : Hokkaido in winter, it rocks !Thank you for reading, and don't miss next year's Snow Festival in Sapporo and Otaru !

With love,

There is always something new to see around Tokyo. Something new... or ancient ! Thanks to the AFJ's activity program for February, I discovered the "Japan open-air Folk-House Museum" (日本民家園, Nihon Minkaen), in Kawasaki city, gathering no less than 25 old "public houses" (民家, minka) where the Japanese peasants were living together in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. In the past, Japan has experienced an almost-communist period, especially in the countryside, where  the people were living in small communities and working in common lands. This spirit is easy to feel inside the beautiful minka from Tohoku, Kanto, or Kanagawa regions. Here is a glimpse for next week's visitors with the AFJ !

To get there : From Shinjuku station, by Odakyu-Odawara line until Mukougaokayuen station (around 25 minutes). Schedules and entrance fees here. Access map here.

Hara House, the jewel of Kawasaki

Nagano Water Mill

Houses from Nanto

Old Tohoku spirit

A Kabuki stage

Culture and Nature are going well together. Not only the houses, but the surrounding forest was delightful.

Frozen pond

Green and happy

A very moving site to discover asap !

Un de mes plus intenses souvenirs d’enfance remonte à la nuit où ma petite sœur s’est annoncée. Si si, bien que ce soit difficile à croire, cette grande jeune fille aujourd’hui chargée de presse pour une radio internationale a un jour été un petit bout de chou sur le point d’être mis au monde.

J'avais cinq ans et je dormais du sommeil du juste, lorsque que mon père vint me réveiller doucement. Le bébé tant attendu allait bientôt arriver, et « comme prévu » dans ce cas-là, je devais aller passer le reste de ma nuit « chez Léone ».

Léone, c’était la maman de ma copine Pauline, avec laquelle un lien mystique était noué pour toujours puisque nous étions nées avec exactement une semaine d’écart. Cela me semblait, à l’époque, constituer une sorte de parenté sacrée qui m’a tellement marquée que même aujourd’hui, alors que les dates importantes, remarquables ou symboliques se bousculent dans mon agenda, je ne peux pas m’empêcher d’y songer malgré moi à chaque fois qu'arrive le 10 novembre.

Depuis le début de ma scolarité, j’avais donc un abonnement « chez Léone », à la table de laquelle j’échappais pour quelques années aux affres de la cantine, et chez qui j’allais également après les cours, faire mes devoirs et jouer avec Pauline jusqu’à ce que ma maman à moi puisse enfin s’échapper de ses interminables réunions parents-professeurs. Ce deuxième foyer était pour moi emprunt des rituels quotidiens, de la révision des tables de multiplication et de l’odeur du goûter ; c’était la maison des jours d’école, de la petite routine bien huilée de l’enfance. Aussi, l’idée de descendre l’avenue Maurice Ravel en pleine nuit pour m’y rendre à une heure si peu normale me faisait l'effet d'une grande aventure. J’avoue que la perspective de l’arrivée de ma petite sœur m’apparaissait comme un évènement mineur par rapport à l’excitation d’aller dormir chez mon amie de façon si inopinée.

On m’enfila, sacrilège ultime, mon manteau directement sur mon pyjama, et mon père m’emmena dans la fraîche nuit de janvier.

Un coup d’ascenseur plus tard, et je me retrouvais face à Léone qui nous attendait sur le palier, en chemise de nuit, serrée dans un châle, ses épais cheveux bruns cascadant sur ses épaules. Je me rappelle d’avoir été stupéfiée de les voir si longs et si beaux, eux que j’avais toujours vus impeccablement nattés et noués en chignon, onduler dans le courant d’air comme des sarments d’hiver. C’est toujours de cette façon que je me souviendrai de ma nourrice : une apparition magique et bienveillante sur le pas de sa porte ouverte, les bras tendus prêts à m’accueillir, postée là tel le bon génie de la maison.

Mon souvenir d’enfance s’arrête là ; sommeil ou inattention, je ne rappelle ni m’être couchée, ni avoir pris le petit déjeuner le lendemain matin avec mes hôtes, ni quoique ce soit jusqu’à la visite à la clinique où je rencontrai enfin ma sœur. Mais je garde à tout jamais la sensation exquise de cette nuit incongrue, et la mémoire du sourire calme de Léone, toute auréolée de lumière.

Avec tout mon amour

Sometimes you feel like you need to find your path to heavens. You need spiritual food. If it happens to you in Tokyo, I suggest you to go to Gokokuji area (Bunkyo-ku, Yurakucho line) and raise your spirits.

First stop : Saint Mary Cathedral, designed by Tange Kenzo. A springboard to the sky !

Second stop :Gokokuji, one of the very few temples that were not destroyed by the bombings during WW2. Spirits are among us...

See you in Heaven !

There is nothing magical like snow. It's like it was purifying the world, leaving it brand new, untouched, ready for everything. It cleans your soul too, making you believe in love again. The silence of snow... lets you hear your own heartbeat.

On the way back home

The winter season is so sunny in Japan that it is always suprising when the rain comes back at the end of January. We even had  snow on Friday. I was going to have a nice walk in Bunkyo-ku, but I could not move from home because of the cold, rainy, awful weather. So : what should you do in Tokyo when it rains and you already visited all the interesting museums ? The answer is easy : onsen and shopping.

Shimizuyu-onsen, 5 min. from Musashi-Koyama station (Tokyu Meguro Line)

Entry : 450 yen (bring your towel and soap)

Made in Japan shoes, Musashi-Koyama Arcade

1500 yen (in sales)

Wish you al a nice grey Sunday !

For some reasons I love living in the XXIth Century. For example, you can get this kind of map for free. It shows my world, based on my friend list on Facebook. Japan and Europe (all Europe ! Thanks ETP !) are at the top of Noemi's Friendly Lands shortlist; as well as North America and East Africa, where I have never been...

It's a small world after all

Great, isn't it ?

Alors en tant que princesse, n'est-ce pas, je suis habituée à cotoyer les plus grands. Et accessoirement des membres du gouvernement. Bon, normalement je ne devrais pas leur accorder si facilement de prendre des photos à mes côtés, mais bon... Je n'ai jamais su résister à mes admirateurs transis, hu hu hu. C'est beau de faire le bonheur de quelqu'un.

Ce soir, le ministre des Affaires étrangères Alain Juppé était à la Résidence de France, Tokyo, pour faire un petit coucou à ses chers compatriotes et nous dire de ne pas désespérer. C'est la crise, mais on va survivre.

Eeeeet une incruste de toute beauté, ni vue ni connue... oh la belle prise

Who's next ???