Hokkaido - Day 7 (Ramen Alley - Tanukikoji Shopping Street - Pole Town - Maruyama Park - Maruyamainari Shrine - Maruyama Zoo - Mount Moiwa Observation Deck - Susukino Street)

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling nauseous and ended up vomiting because my stomach was upset after drinking half a can of Sapporo beer earlier. When I drank water after that, it tasted sweet! This was the first time it happened to me. Thankfully, I was able to fall back asleep and felt much better the next day.

On our second last day in Sapporo, the temperature was 3℃ with sunshine and no snowfall. We decided to walk to Ramen Haruka and get there before it opened at 11am. However, when we arrived around 10.50am, there were already 19 people ahead of us queuing in front of the shop. There were only nine seats inside the shop, all bar-styled and arranged around the kitchen. We waited for more than an hour, and when it was finally our turn, they gave us a card to scan and order.

We ordered a bowl of kelp salt hotate (scallop) ramen (thin noodles) and a bowl of miso (soybean paste) cheese ramen (medium thickness noodle). The service was slow, and even though there's an empty seat next to us, they didn't offer it to any of the single people waiting in line outside.

The cheese ramen came with bean sprouts, onions, and cheese. It was slightly salty at first, but the soup was flavourful. The egg was coated with cheese, and the noodles had a nice al dente texture, similar to Maggi noodles. On the other hand, the kelp salt hotate ramen tasted like wonton noodles with a slightly eggy flavour. The soup was rich and flavourful. It was served with two scallops, one lotus root, spring onions, seaweeds, bamboo shoots, and one slice of pork. The shop's payment method is to pay after you finish your meal. So, if you asked me whether it's worth the wait, I would say it's worth a try.

(Total bill - ¥2,250)

 

Sapporo Ramen Haruka

Scan the QR code to place your order

Kelp salt hotate (scallop) ramen (thin noodles) - ¥1,000

Miso (soybean paste) cheese ramen (medium thickness noodle) - ¥1,250

Address:

Sapporo Ramen Haruka

3 Chome, Minami 5 Jonishi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 064-0805,

Japan

The Soft Cream House is just a 7-minute (450m) walk from Sapporo Ramen Haruka. We returned because we didn't get to try it on our second day in Sapporo. We had the chocolate soft serve with a chocolate cone. It was creamy and rich. The cone had a crispy texture, but it tasted average to me.

Susukino entertainment district

The soft cream house: chocolate soft serve ice cream with chocolate cone - ¥550

Address:

The Soft Cream House

5 Chome-23-1 Minami 2 Jonishi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 060-0062,

Japan

Opening hours: 1pm to 9pm

I'm glad that we tried the baked cheese tart from Kinotoya Bake on our way to Maruyama Park. We were here on our second day in Sapporo, but we only tried their milk soft ice cream and custard cream apple pie. Somehow, it never crossed my mind to try their baked cheese tart until a friend reminded us. Even though we just bought one piece of baked cheese tart, it was neatly packed in a paper bag. The cheese tart had a smooth and creamy filling. The crust was slightly crispy and buttery. It was so delicious and definitely one of the best we have had so far.

Baked cheese tart - ¥250 each

Kinotoya Bake packaging

Baked cheese tart

Baked cheese tart

Address:

Kinotoya Bake Pole Town store

3 Chome, Minami 2 Jonishi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 060-0062,

Japan

Opening hours: 10am to 8pm

We walked to Odori Station and took the subway to Maruyama Koen Station (¥210 per person) exit 3. From there, we had to walk 1km to reach Maruyama Zoo. Along the way, we passed by Maruyama Park and Maruyamainari Shrine. The view was stunning with snow everywhere. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to visit the Hokkaido Shrine.

By the time we reached Maruyama Zoo, it was already 2.10pm. The zoo closed at 4pm, so we had less than two hours to see everything! The admission fee was ¥800 per adult. The zoo is not huge, so we managed to see all the animals within two hours. Most of the animals stayed indoors because it was cold outside. The surroundings of the zoo were beautiful, covered in snow.

The main highlight was seeing the polar bear and the Amur tiger, which was incredibly active inside its enclosure. He was attempting to leap on a child who was watching it from the outside. Apart from that, the zoo also features an aquarium section where you can watch the seal swimming. We also saw penguins, Hokkaido brown bear, lion, snow leopard, and many other animals. However, the tropical birds section was closed due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza among wild birds in the city. 

Subway from Odori Station to Maruyama Koen Station - ¥210 per person

Odori Ave

Odori Ave

Snow art

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park

Maruyamainari Shrine

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Zoo

Maruyama Zoo entrance ticket - ¥800

Maruyama Zoo

Maruyama Zoo

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Kangaroo

Owls and hawks

Meerkat

Ostrich

Sapporo Maruyama Zoo Official Station

Maruyama Zoo

Amur tiger

Amur tiger

Snow leopard

Bear

Red panda

Lion

Grant's zebra

Penguins

Penguin

White pelican

Tiger

Reptiles & Amphibians

Angel island chuckwalla

Snow art

Polar bear

Polar bear

Aquarium

Seal

Aquarium

Hokkaido brown bear

Hokkaido sika (deer)

Tropical monkeys

Maruyama Zoo

Maruyama Zoo

Maruyama Zoo

Elephant

Orangutan play ground

Maruyama Zoo

Address:

Maruyama Zoo

3 Chome-1 Miyagaoka,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 064-0959,

Japan

Opening hours: 9.30am to 4pm

Our next stop was Mount Moiwa. To get there, we had to walk for about 15 minutes (1.1km), passing through Maruyama Park again. Then, we took a bus (¥240 per person) from Maruyama Park Station to the Moiwasan Ropeway bus stop. The bus was quite packed, and we had to stand for half of the journey. The bus stopped right in front of Mount Moiwa Ropeway Sanroku Station. From there, we took the lift to the fourth floor to purchase the ropeway ticket.

A round-trip ticket between the mountain base and peak costs ¥2,100 per person, which includes both the ropeway and the mini cable car ride. To reach the summit, we first took the ropeway from Sanroku Station to Chufuku Station (middle station), then switched to the mini cable car to reach the summit. The sunset was at 5.18pm, but by the time we got to the Sanroku Station, it was already 5.14pm. The queue for the ropeway was long, and it operates every 15 minutes. In the end, we missed the sunset at the summit.

The Mount Moiwa ropeway can typically accommodate around 60 to 70 people per cabin. If you happen to stand in the middle, it can be difficult to enjoy the view. The ride takes about 5 minutes to reach Chufuku Station (middle station). Our cabin was very packed, and I was surrounded by people, so I couldn't see anything at all! Then, from Chufuku Station, we need to take a mini cable car to the summit. The Mount Moiwa mini cable car can accommodate around 15 to 20 people. It's smaller than the main ropeway cabins. Sadly, it was also very cramped, and we didn't enjoy the ride at all. The mini cable car ride was shorter than the ropeway ride.

Once we reached the top, everyone rushed to the rooftop to find the best spot for a night photo. It was windy and cold. Since all the good spots were taken, we decided to take a break by buying a meat pie from The Jewel's Restaurant on the 2nd floor. The crust was flaky, and it's hot. Apart from that, the filing was flavourful. Right next to the restaurant, there's a souvenir shop. You can either take the lift or stairs to reach the 2nd floor and the rooftop.

We waited for the crowds to clear before heading back to the rooftop. In the middle of the summit, there's a Lover's Sanctuary where couples can ring the "bell of happiness". We spent less than an hour at the peak and had to wait again for the mini cable car and ropeway. After getting off the ropeway, there were too many people waiting to take the lift from the fourth floor down. So my partner and I decided to walk down the stairs instead. Overall, the experience was unremarkable, and it didn't seem worth paying so much money just to wait in line and see the view.

Spotted a furry friend outside the Zoo

Road heading to Maruyama Park

Spotted two furry friends

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park Station

Bus tickets

Mount Moiwa Ropeway Sanroku Station

Mount Moiwa ticketing counter (4th floor)

Mount Moiwa tickets to the summit - ¥2,100 per person (round trip)

Queueing to ride the ropeway

Mount Moiwa Lover's Sanctuary (ringing the bell of happiness)

Mount Moiwa Observation deck

Mount Moiwa Lover's Sanctuary

Mount Moiwa Observation deck

The Jewel's Restaurant (2nd floor)

Meat pie - ¥500

Mineral water - ¥120

Sapporo night view from Mount Moiwa

Chufuku Station

Queueing to ride the ropeway

Address:

Mount Moiwa

5 Chome-3-7 Fushimi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 064-0942,

Japan

Opening hours: 11am to 10pm

We decided to head back to Susukino for dinner. From Mount Moiwa Ropeway Sanroku Station, you can either walk to the tram or take a free shuttle bus. We were unaware of the free shuttle bus, so we walked all the way to the tram station. The Sapporo tram is a convenient and affordable way to get around the city. It operates on a circular route with a flat fare of ¥230 per person. Passengers board the tram from the rear door and exit from the front. As you exit the tram, you can pay with cash (exact fare) or with an IC card. If you don't have the exact fare, you can use the change machine beside the fare box.

When we arrived at Susukino tram station, we were so hungry that we randomly walked into the first restaurant we saw. The restaurant was warm, making it uncomfortable to eat. We ordered grilled salmon belly, deep-fried sesame tofu with avocado, crab cream croquette, shiraoi wagyu beef rump (200g) and a bowl of rice.

The crab cream croquette was creamy, but I couldn't taste much of the crab meat. The salmon was too salty, but the skin was very crispy and best eaten with wasabi. Besides that, the tofu tasted a little odd to me. We requested the wagyu beef to be well-done, but it came slightly undercooked in the middle. Overall, the food was not impressive except for the rice, which was soft and fluffy. The restaurant also provides face towels and free iced water.

(Total bill - ¥6,864)

Tram

Yachiyo Susukino Ten

Iced water

Rice - ¥165

Grilled salmon belly - ¥902

Crab cream croquette - ¥902

Deep fried sesame tofu and avocado - ¥759

Shiraoi wagyu beef rump 200g - ¥4,136

Address:

Yachiyo Susukino Ten

Suzuran Building 2F,

4-5-2 Minami 4 Jonishi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 064-0804,

Japan

As we walked by McDonald's, I decided to try their Hitokuchi Kuro Churros Strawberry Chocolate. On top of that, I bought a strawberry McShake, and my partner got a cup of Coke. The churros looked good in the photo, but in actual fact, they didn't taste good at all. They were slightly bitter and dry. On the other hand, the strawberry McShake was nice and refreshing. Later that night, we ate the miso ramen we bought from Lawson the other day. It was surprisingly good. The ramen had the perfect texture, and the soup was tasty.

(Total bill - ¥530)

Susukino street

Susukino street

McDonald's Sapporo Susukino

Coke - ¥120

Hitokuchi Kuro Churros Strawberry Chocolate - ¥260 and strawberry Mcshake (small) - ¥150

Address:

McDonald's Sapporo Susukino

4 Chome-16 Minami 4 Jonishi,

Chuo Ward, Sapporo,

Hokkaido 064-0804,

Japan

Opening hours: 7am to 11pm