Cloudy drizzly snowy Sapporo

Snow. I woke up to snow this morning. Well, not really snow. Kinda snow. It’s sticking, but it’s slushy, drizzly and, would be a pain in the ass to drive to work in. But I brought the right shoes and pants (super comfy fleece lined water resistant) and my coat. I bought the coat on the fly and it’s called a HH Belfast winter coat. Warm on the inside and raincoat-y on the outside. And as soon as I stepped outside this am, I knew it had all been worth it. Dragging around an extra suitcase with all this winter shit in it when it’s been 80 degrees in Tokyo this whole time.
So my snafu from last night is that if I ship my luggage from Sapporo back to Tokyo today. They are afraid it won’t get there by Thurs evening. (I fly home Friday am). And I refuse to stress over the logistics of this trip. I went to 4 concerts in 2 foreign countries. Everything is figure-out-able. And I’m really working on”it’s not what happens in life, it’s your reaction”.
So the issue is I have 2 big suitcases and one carryon). And due to the huge increase in foreign tourism post pandemic they have set tighter rules for luggage that can be brought on. I don’t think they would deny you passage, but it’s the whole courtesy to others, it’s really ingrained in the fabric of the culture.
So I had reserved (for the last leg- 5 hr stretch back to Tokyo) the Gran class car on the Hokkaido Shinkansen. It’s one of those things you do once, it costed extra, and I thought it would be a nice way to end the trip. So generally, if you have extra baggage you reserve a seat in the last row and there is a place for your stuff. If you don’t reserve those seats, you can’t put your stuff there.
So back when the young man showed me how to use the vending machine he had me scan the QR code on my JR pass. When I did it on my own, I never saw Gran class. So I had to go to the office. Well, I went to the office last night at the JR station ( across the street from my hotel) and the office was closed. So I found the JR pass vending machines and tried to see what I could find with a seat for oversized baggage. I found and exchange button. You put your reservation ticket in and you can change it. I did it. And was so excited. Then I realized I had done it for a week ahead. 🤦‍♀️And it won’t let you exchange it again.
So I wanted to read a bit more about what seats had baggage access. Well, of course my WiFi had run out of juice and the station WiFi is shit. For such an advanced country , their public WiFi is terrible. (I think the govt spent all the $$ putting Toto attachments in every single restroom in the country, lol. )
So I went and got some takeout and went back to the hotel. I needed to regroup and charge my WiFi and phone.
I found a diagram about which seats to pick and took a screenshot of it. Then I got dressed again and went back across the street to the JR vending machines in the station. Well how cool, as I was walking it started to flurry. I laughed and thought” Well, it’s going to snow, and at least you are here. All part of the adventure!”
So I knew I couldn’t change my original Gran class ticket. I knew I could get any “green car” seat ( as my pass was a Green car pass) so I started looking for the train I wanted, the different times, and the seat map. It wasn’t busy, there were no tourists, it was around 9 pm and I had nothing but time. I figured I could just get a refund on the gran class and take the green car (on the same train maybe different time) at no additional cost.
So I started hitting different buttons and seeing what I could find under them. And I went under a different button than I ever had and did NOT scan my QR code for my JR pass; and up came my Shinkansen, all the times and this time I could see what they had for availability under green car and Gran car.
So I looked and looked and looked. I was also thinking about having to navigate Tokyo station with all that luggage. So I found a very empty ( so far ) Gran class car , train leaves at like 4pm and gets in at 9. And I got a seat in the last row. And I paid the up charge again. And I got the damn ticket that I wanted and needed for my extra luggage. Now I don’t know if gran class has extra baggage space in the last row like Green and Ordinary”class” does. But I picked the least occupied time of the day, and picked the last seat. Any conductor will see that I made the best attempt to handle my extra luggage the way the Shinkansen rules ask you too. That’s all I can do.
And when I get to Wakkanai today, I can ask about a refund on the original Gran Class ticket. Worst case, I pay for it 2x. The dollar has gotten stronger since I got here, I was able to buy a bunch of stuff tax free (it’s a thing they do for foreigners, purchase a certain amount. Don’t consume it there, take it out of the country you don’t pay taxes on the items. ) so if I have to give extra to help the Japan economy post pandemic, so be it.
So then I was able to go back to my room and crash.
This morning I was showered, breakfasted, caffeinated, cold-medicined, packed (I brought less in my little carry-on than I thought I would, I was very proud) and out the door into the snowy morning at 6:30 am. These stations remind me very much of Grand Central. The scurrying to catch the train is very universal. And these trains that fan in and out of the big cities are very much like the commuter trains, I always think of the Metro North heading out of NYC.
I stoped and got a bento box for the ride up, Coffee that is in a bottle, looks cold but is hot ( love that idea) green tea and a couple of bottles of water. This cold has joined up with me again since I’ve come back to lower humidity but its days are numbered I can tell.
Tokyo might be packed, but this area in the north is very sparsely populated. I can’t believe how much snow I’m seeing. And I have seen literally about 20 big deer (male and female) and 1 very large eagle way up in tree. Not the deer, just the eagle, lol.
As we get closer to Wakkanai the wind starts to pick up and it really starts to snow hard. We arrive and the snow is really coming down hard. I see the JR office and am able to get my original Gran class ticket refunded. I have been using a lot of translation apps these last 2 days. And it really helps. People have been very kind and patient. I’ve also been a good customer. Friendly patient and in no hurry.
After that is taken care of , I go check out the JR station gift shop that has a couple of small places to get food. Hokkaido is known for its milk. And all things dairy here, especially the ice cream. So I sat and had one before I left the safety and warmth of the station to tackle the unplowed sidewalks and parking lots on Wakkanai. I’m such a Florida girl. The sidewalks were buried and I sure as hell wasn’t walking in the streets. The coat, pants, shoes, and wool socks were perfect!! I’m so glad I dragged that stuff. There is no way I could have walked through that snow in any other kind of shoe. They would have soaked and ruined. Just like wearing jeans in the snow. I say a guy in jeans walking through the snow. They will be soaked and take forever to dry.
I checked into my hotel. It’s very nice, but not a lot of people , especially this time of year. lol, it kinda reminded me of the hotel in “the shining.” That movie really ruined a lot of us.
So I put my stuff down and went back out in the weather. I also wanted to get dinner for tonight and stuff for the train ride tomorrow. It’s going to be a 9 hr journey and no time in between long enough to get food. So I did. Then I walked around town a bit. Some sidewalks.were not clear, just 1 or 2 people’s footprints. I really just enjoyed being in the moment, Slogging through shin deep snow, no one else around, kinda talking to myself about the “what are we doing here?” Then explaining to myself what we were doing here. It gets dark about 4: 15 pm so I had an early dinner and am hitting the hay in a few minutes. I’m really glad I made this journey up here. My room is nice clean and cosy. And I’m
To be up tomorrow by 5 ish. I have a long travel day, my train leaves here tomorrow at 6:30 am and I’d like to be at the station around 6.Read more