Sunday
Day 2
Weather at Tokyo(to be exact in Narita Air Port) was fine and warm.
We had a 10 o'clock flight to Hokkaido.
We woke up leisurely before 7am and washed and packed.
We were excited that our real advendure began with 3 of us reunited after a day's safe and smooth travel.
Breakfast was included.
This whole Japan trip breakfast was included in our tariff which was very handy.
I was impressed that we had to use a square metal dish plate containing lots of tiny square compartments.
Everything was in a minimal size and especially the size of glass for milk surprised me.
Meal was not excellent but good enough.
Shuttle bus took us to the domestica terminal in no time after breakfast.
Suze found a massage chair operated by coins near our gate so while we were waiting for our flight to Chitose
we were sitting in the massage chairs.
She complained about her back pain but luckily it didn't seem too severe.
I hoped it was temporary due to a long flight which might have aggravated her dormant pain as she is with chronic scloiosis.
9 hours' flight was a bit too long for me too.
From Narita to Chitose it was a short and smooth flight.
We arrived at the Chitose Air Port before noon.
Before picking up our rental car we decided to have lunch at the Airport.
The distance between where we were in the terminal we arrived and where the shops and restaurants were
was far too a long way.
It couldn't be connected easily if we wanted to use a lift about which we realized
later looking at the map.
It was very frustrating.
They must have added new buildings to the old one but they didn't design it more logically.
We had 5 suitcases plus 1 big back pack.
After a lot of efforts and waits we finally arrived at the restaurant floor.
There were lots of different restaurants which were very crowded with people.
We found another problem.
Couldn't we go inside with a trolley full of these bags and suitcases?
Also lots of optionss made us very indecisive too.
After discussions and considerations we ended up having sushi with some noodles.
Luckily they had enough space for our bags at the corner to my relief.
Their price was a bit dear but it was very delicious with good quality.
It was a good choice.
We were finally able to move to the actual rental office located ouside the air port by their shuttle bus
after the arduous travel back to where we were.
The young girl who looked after us at the Rental Car was very quiet.
I was not sure if she understood when we talked because she didn't show any reaction soon enough but
she seemed to know what she had to do.
By the time we drove our car out of the place it was already 2:30pm.
They gave us a bigger and nicer car suitable for almost 7 or 8 people without any extra charge.
Both Eddie and Suze were very happy about that.
Actually it was really good for us as we had a lot of suitcases and bags.
We purchased ETC card which covered unlimited e-toll fares during our rental period.
It was a really good service for tourists.
It took for us a while to learn how to use the installed navigation.
Finally we were on the motor way when it started raining.
On the motor way almost every speed limit signs we saw was 80
but everybody ignored it.
It's as if we were blocking the traffic flow by keeping the rule.
Soon Eddie decided to go like other cars with the flow and I got really worried.
To be exact I was very much confused with their double standards.
First why they didn't make a reasonable speed limit on their motor road?
It should be 100 or 110 at least for the road condition and traffic.
Majority of cars were driving at least over 100 or so and some reckless people went way faster than that.
No cars were going like us.
I thought Japanese people abided by rules and regulations very faithfully.
But in reality they didn't.
We arrived at our first accomodation 15 minutes before 6 pm which was a bit later than our estimation.
We wanted to do a few things on the way but we only went a very simple grocery shopping.
On top of that last bit of travel we got lost a few times.
Simply following the instructions from the navigation was not simple at all in a new environment.
Unfortunately I was suffering a mild hay fever in a long time that day.
From late afternoon Suze started complaining about her frequent and painful urination.
Everybody was tired and we were reminded we were in Hokkaido with the freezing cold weather on a rainy night.
We stayed at a cottage where we had a kitchen.
I bought a small pack of rice, and a pack of chicken with some vegetables.
Eddie cooked rice in the old rice cooker whose model I remembered vaguely from my childhood.
Like the electric kettle at Narita Air Port hotel
I was amazed that they still kept such an old model by now.
I marinated chicken with a bbq sauce I brought from here and
later cooked in a sauce pan with spring onion and cabbage.
I also bought a cucumber which I served as fresh.
Luckily they found rice and chicken all right.
When I finished doing dishes it's already almost 9pm.
Suze was in severe pain and agony by then and luckily I brought a course of antibiotics just in case.
She took the medicine but very grumpy and unhappy due to pain.
I was exhaused with the whole day's travel and a little down with the tiring hay fever symptoms.
It was quite a unsettling night with unexpected turnout in fact.
But I forced myself to go for a first time ever ON-SEN tour on my own in Japan.
Public ON SEN was in the main building which was a bit distanced from our cottage.
I was a little nervous in my mind because I didn't want to make a mistake or attract any attentions
from local people.
Before I went I read the information leaflet the hotel people gave me when I checked in carefully and didn't find
anything much different from what I already knew from my past experience in Korea.
Finally when I dipped myself in the big warm tub I felt all my tiredness melting away straightway.
Had I not gone to On Sen that night I must have missed this precious good experience.
From then on I enjoyed my luxurious On Sen tour twice a day everyday except 2 days when we stayed at Sapporo.
