KURATABI

It had been raining from morning. I wasn't in the mood to dine out, so ended up going Seicomart nearby. When I went out of the hotel and opened a folding umbrella, the cold air touched my cheek.

One of famous dishes from Seicomart, a hundred-yen pasta. It seemed they raised the price, and it was not a hundred-yen, but still very affordable. There were many kinds, and I bought a ketchup-seasoned pasta. Additionally, I bought this Guarana beverage too. It's very fun to look around inside the store, since Seicomart has many original products.

The rain didn't stop in the afternoon, and the quiet time passed. I took a break at a cafe near the hotel in the late afternoon. Coffee was good, but the staff's attitude wasn't quite right.

It was Friday, but even after finishing my work, rainy mood still remained. I ordered room service that night.

It is rare for business hotels to provide room service. The hotel has a slightly tricky structure: a business hotel on the lower floors and a love hotel (for couples for short stays) on the upper floors. That's why they have room service.

Next morning. The weekdays were over, and it was a weekend. I planed to go on a day trip to Jozankei hot spring. On my way to the bus stop, I put the letter in the mailbox.

Sometimes I write to myself in 10 years. When I get older, I want to reflect on where I've been reading letters. I also want to write to my friends, but it's difficult to continue exchanging letters in this era. One day I hope I find my pen pal.

It was a sunny day after the rain. I arrived at Jozankei hot spring. There were not so many shops in the hot spring town.

For lunch, I had a stew with various local vegetables. It was a mild taste with natural sweetness of vegetables. It served with bread that was kneaded with Japanese mugwort, and its scent was good.

I found a cafe that served home-roasted coffee, and I had coffee there after lunch. It had been a long time to drink French press coffee, and I could taste the coffee oil in it and felt a rich taste. The coffee was quite different from the one I drink every day.

After the coffee break, I went to a hot spring. I could see the mountain from open-air bath, and I really felt relaxed.

After leaving the hot spring, I visited this lounge.

The lounge has a footbath. Desserts and free drink are included in the entrance fee. Cakes and cookies in the boxes were pretty.

The footbath was crowded, so I spent time reading books. There were many books associated with Hokkaido.

The Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, believe that every living thing has a spirit. Nemuro means "the thickly-wooded quiet place", and Shiretoko means "deadlock of the land". Their language is interesting.

Illuminated with lights, the atmosphere of the town at night was different from in the daytime. I left the town and returned to Sapporo.

Dinner for my last Sapporo night was Korean food. The restaurant is located in Stellar Place building, and easy to enter alone. I had Sundubu, Korean pancake, and Makgeolli.

I didn't feel like going straight to the hotel, so strolled around a bookstore. There was a corner of picture books for Christmas. The picture book author junaida's illustrations caught my eyes.

I also found "I SPY", which I used to play with when I was a child. Those books were popular when I was in an elementary school. I attempted to open a page again.

On my way back to the hotel, I stopped by Seicomart, and bought the ice cream and Guarana drink again. The cheese-flavored ice cream was also good.

Even though the winter just started, I was already in love with the season in Hokkaido. Next time when I come, I'll stay longer.