KURATABI

I left port in Sendai to Tomakomai at night. Even though it was windy in Sendai, the waves were still calm and I slept well.

I don't remember how many times I've been on a ferry so far, and I'm used to spending time without internet. Reading and watching downloaded movies. Recently, I started embroidery and am currently working on it.

At a dollar shop, I found this cloth for beginners to practice embroidery, and now I am learning basic stitches with it. One day in the near future, I would like to try making something with embroidery.

The 15 hours have passed quickly, and I arrived at Tomakomai port. Beside the ferry that I took, I'm waiting for the bus to Sapporo to come.

Why such a huge lump of iron can stay floating in the sea? Putting it aside about principles, I also still don't understand why airplanes can fly.

I got on the bus, and soon after reaching the center of the city in Tomakomai, it started snowing. The bus continued driving and entered the expressway. It is my first time to come to Hokkaido in winter. The mountain view with a lot of white birches reminds me of scenes that I saw when I studied abroad in Denmark.

Finally arrived in Sapporo. First, I went to the hotel to put my luggage. This time I decided to locate in Nakajima park again. If you want to stay in a convenient location, Odori or Susukino is better, but I like the calm atmosphere around Nakajima park, with a lot of nature surrounded.

As the colored leaves fall, I sense the change of season from autumn to winter. The weather app informed me that it is 2 degrees outside when I opened it. Last week in Hokkaido was warm, but it was a good decision to bring full winter outfits: wool coat, muffler, and thermal underwear.

My late lunch is the assorted seafood rice bowl at Nijo market. Honestly, I wanted to eat grilled shellfish, but unfortunately I couldn't find any stores at this time.

After lunch, I went to a cafe to grab some coffee. The cafe was inside the multi-tenant building, and it was a bit hard to find, but soon after I entered I liked the atmosphere.

I ordered an unbaked cheesecake and a cup of coffee. The cheese was really soft and tasted good. A live recording of Tom Misch was being played. The audio was excellent and I was able to take my time listening to music with coffee.

On my way back to the hotel, I dropped by a supermarket. I bought cheese and eggs for snack to compensate my lack of protein while traveling. I'll cook boiled eggs using an electric kettle.

Monday for easy start of new week

Next morning. It's Monday and I'm back to work. I had free breakfast at the hotel this morning.

The room isn't large, but since I can see Toyohira river from the window, it gives the room an open feel. Changing my pillow can cause me to sleep lightly, but last night I slept well for some reason.

I finished my morning task and now it's lunch break. Passing through Nakajima park, I'll go to Marumi coffee.

I got a seasonal waffle with sweet potato and a coffee.

The staff explained to me about coffee, and I selected the Maracaturra bean from Carmen's farm. These days I prefer a light roast. When I sipped the coffee, the fruit flavor spread first, then the bittersweet taste of caramel remained.

It's been lightly snowing on and off. I feel like having something warm tonight. Maybe a hot pot?

Supper with side dishes that I bought in the deli on the street corner

Next morning, I went to the bakery. The one I wanted to visit was closed, so came here instead.

Breads are made of flour from Hokkaido. There are various breads, like simple ones that you can enjoy ingredients in, and stuffed or sweet ones, and some of them are already sold out.

I chose an apple pie, a croissant, and a pain complet noir (the name comes from French).

I was thinking about enjoying breads while working, but this morning I had got rush work. I bit a croissant sitting in front of the computer. I felt the rich butter in the bread, and was good.

In the evening, I went to a delicatessen near the hotel. Tomorrow I'm off, so am thinking to drink in the room tonight.

Every dish looks good, and If I cook myself, it will take time. I bought a vegetable mousse, a rillette, and a quiche with green soybeans. For rillette, I'll eat with a bread that I bought this morning.

I have peeled a persimmon and here are my appetizers. All the dishes are delicious, and go with wine.