Hokkaido/Hong Kong - Day 8/Day4

It was our last day in Hokkaido. The temperature was 1℃, and we were delighted we could still see the little snowfall before leaving. We were definitely going to miss the soft and fluffy snow. We checked out of Mercure Sapporo around 11am and walked to the Susukino (Minami 4 Nishi 3) bus stop to catch the New Chitose Airport Limousine Bus to the airport (¥1,300 per person). The bus stop is located in front of Sushi Zanmai Restaurant, just a 4-minute walk (180m) from the Mercure Sapporo hotel. The journey took approximately 70 minutes, and buses to the airport run every 15 minutes. There was a guy at the bus stop who kept track of how many people boarded the bus. The bus arrived at 11.26am and we reached New Chitose Airport (CTS) at 12.40pm. The bus accepted cash, IC cards, and card payments, and we paid as we got off.

Susukino (Minami 4 Nishi 3) bus stop

Susukino entertainment district

Sapporo city

New Chitose Airport Limousine Bus

Upon arrival, we took the escalator to the 1st floor and saw Kinotoya. There was a long queue, but that didn't stop us from queuing. We bought the baked cheese tart, baked blueberry cheese tart, and chocolate soft serve ice cream. We still think the baked cheese tart tasted better than the blueberry one. The chocolate ice cream was delicious too, with a creamy and rich texture. Even though the shop is located in the airport, the prices remained the same.

Kinotoya

Chocolate soft serve ice cream - ¥550

Baked cheese tart - ¥250 and baked blueberry cheese tart - ¥270

Baked cheese tart

 Baked blueberry cheese tart

Address:

Kinotoya Shinchitose Airport Factory

2nd Floor, 987-22 New Chitose Airport Terminal,

Bibi, Chitose,

Hokkaido 066-0012,

Japan

Opening hours: 9am to 8pm

There are many eateries on level 1. At first, we thought we had plenty of time before our flight to Hong Kong, but later we realized time was running out. The departure hall is on level 2, so we walked to counter C to drop off our luggage. The check-in process was quick and straightforward. We used the Cathay Pacific self-check-in kiosk to print our luggage tag and boarding pass.

We arrived at the departure gate at 1.45pm, and only had to scan our boarding passes. Before proceeding to the immigration checkpoint, we had to go through a security check. As part of the screening process, we walked through the metal detector without our bags and shoes. We had to remove our shoes and put on their slippers. At the immigration checkpoint, there is an autogate where you scan your passport. There was no stamp on my passport, and I finished by 2:05 pm. My partner got stuck at the autogate and had to go through the manual immigration process.

 

Cathay Pacific self-check-in kiosk

Departures

We had about an hour plus before our boarding time, so we decided to have lunch at Hokkaido Miso Kitchen, which is located inside the Hokkaido Food Hall. We ordered the Hokkaido chargrilled pork rice bowl with miso soup (you can choose either miso or soy sauce soup) and fried prawn curry. The restaurant provided face towels and iced water. The food was nicely presented, the pork in the rice bowl was tender, and the curry was decent. It was satisfying but didn't particularly stand out in terms of flavours.

Hokkaido Food Hall

Iced water and face towel

Hokkaido chargrilled pork rice bowl with miso soup - ¥2,500

Fried prawn curry - ¥3,200

Address:

Hokkaido Miso Kitchen

3F, International Terminal Building,

Opening hours: 9am to 6pm (last order 5.30pm)

Since we still had some time, we walked to the nearby Duty Free shop, and I bought a box of Royce fruit bar and nutty bar chocolate (¥700 each). Boarding began at 3.30pm and it was done by groups. The process was smooth and fast. The flight took approximately 5 hours and 21 minutes to reach Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Dinner was served around 5.45pm. We can choose either chicken pasta or rice. I had chicken pasta, but overall, the food didn't taste great. The chicken taste was intense. However, the fruits were nice and sweet.

I saw the sunset from the plane around 6.20pm (Japan time). The flight landed at HKIA around 8.50pm (Hong Kong time). It was a perfect landing, and kudos to the pilot. We didn't feel anything at all during the landing. The immigration checkpoint was extremely swift. We didn't need to fill out any arrival card, and they just issued us a visitor permit slip. By 9.25pm we had already completed the immigration process and were waiting for our luggage at the HKIA baggage reclaim hall.

Duty free shop

Duty free shop

Royce fruit bar and nutty bar chocolate (¥700 each)

Gate 68

Good bye Hokkaido

Peanuts and cold water

Chicken pasta

Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream

Sunset from the plane

Twenty minutes later, we got our luggage and headed towards the public bus area. We managed to catch the 10pm Cityflyer A21 bus (HKD 34.60 per person) to the Prudential Hotel. The bus ride took around 50 minutes, and the bus stopped at the Prudential Center. Bear in mind that you need to ring the bell before your stop. Otherwise, the bus will proceed without stopping. The hotel is just around the corner. We were familiar with this route because we stayed at this hotel last year. The location is excellent, with many eateries nearby.

HKIA baggage reclaim hall

Arrival hall

Cityflyer A21

After we had settled down, we walked to Sun Hing Chang Restaurant, just a 6-minute walk (400m) from the Prudential Hotel. The shop was quite empty since it was already almost 11.30pm. We ordered a bowl of fish (slices) porridge with pork meatballs. The porridge was silky smooth and flavourful. The pork meatballs were tasty, but there were a lot of bones in the fish slices. It felt wonderful and comforting to have hot porridge at night, especially when the weather was cold.

Sun Hing Chang Restaurant

Fish (slices) porridge with pork meat balls - HKD 65

Address:

Sun Hing Chang Restaurant

23 Ning Po St,

Yau Ma Tei,

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 8am to 12am

We were still hungry after our porridge, so we went looking for other food and ended up at Aberdeen Fish Ball. We shared a bowl of beef brisket noodles with two fish balls. We chose kueh teow (flat rice noodles), and the soup was flavouful. Besides that, the fish balls had a smooth and bouncy texture. However, the beef brisket was a bit tough and chewy.

Aberdeen Fish Ball

Beef brisket noodles with two fish balls - HKD 50

Address:

Aberdeen Fish Ball

G/F, Block K,

1, Nanking St,

Jordan, Hong Kong

Opening hours: 10.30pm to 10.30pm

Kai Kai Dessert used to be our favourite dessert shop in Hong Kong, but after this visit, I don't think it is anymore. We ordered our favourite glutinous rice ball, but the skin was thicker and not as soft as it used to be. They also increased the minimum order for dine-in from HKD 20 per person to HKD 25 per person. We couldn't think of any other dessert to order, so we went with the red bean and mung bean paste soup, which we had tried before. It didn't stand out for us. The shop was quite empty when we arrived around 12am. Besides that, the lady at the counter was not very friendly towards the customers.

After our late-night supper, we walked back to our hotel. The temperature was 17℃, cooling but not too cold. You still need a jacket to stay warm.

(Total bill - HKD 58)

Mung bean paste soup - $29

Glutinous rice ball - $29

Address:

Kai Kai Dessert

No. 29, Ning Po St,

Jordan, Hong Kong

Opening hours: 12pm to 1am