Weekend 119: February 10 – 11, 2024
Day 831: February 10, 2024
Saturday – Rumoi
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| It's a snowy Saturday morning |
Today was a snowy day, and while we didn't have any plans to go outside or take a road trip, we managed to make the most of it and have a productive day. My wife and I spent quality time with our children, cherishing the precious moments together.
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| Making videos for our page "JapaNice Adventures." |
We used our family time not only to bond but also to learn a new skill—creating reels. This led us to launch our Facebook page, “JapaNice Adventures.” Although making and publishing the videos involved many trial-and-error moments, we successfully released one video and prepared another for later. My wife also created her own engaging video, making the experience fulfilling but exhausting. Recognizing our need to rest, we decided to sleep early to regain energy for tomorrow’s trip, which we’re excited to enjoy together.
Day 832: February 11, 2024
Sunday – Asahikawa City
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| It's a beautiful winter day |
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| Walking from our home to the Motokawacho Bus Stop to catch the bus to Asahikawa City |
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| Motokawacho Bus Stop |
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| Waiting for the bus that would take us to Asahikawa City |
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| Here's the Engan Bus from Rumoi City to Asahikawa City |
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| This trip would be Kai's first bus ride to Asahikawa City |
We woke up early today to catch the first Engan Bus trip out of Rumoi City going to Asahikawa City. However, seeing our children still deep asleep, my wife and I chose not to wake them up, especially Kai, who had a hard time sleeping last night. Hence, we decided to board the 9:49 AM bus instead.
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| Asahikawa Station |
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| AEON Mall Asahikawa Ekimae |
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| I had a haircut at Quick Cut BB inside the mall |
We reached Asahikawa City at around 11:50 AM. From the bus terminal in front of Asahikawa Station, we first headed to AEON Asahikawa Ekimae, where I had a haircut at Quick Cut BB.
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| We're heading to the venue of the Asahikawa Snow Festival at the banks of the Ishikari River |
After that, we went to Asahikawa Heiwa Shopping Street to admire the ice sculptures. This area is one of the two main areas of the Asahikawa Winter Festival where snow sculptures are displayed. It’s safe to say that this area is the “Romantic Area” as it is lit up at night and lovers and families would usually stroll here.
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| Quick stop at Asahikawa Central Library to warm ourselves a bit |
From there, we walked several more blocks to the main venue, which was the banks of the Ishikari River. On our way there, we decided to stop for a bit at the Asahikawa Central Library to warm ourselves a bit and also for a toilet break.
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| There were several yatai along Tokiwadori |
From there, we walked along Tokiwadori to the Asahibashi venue of the winter festival. There were food stalls along the way, and we tried karaage, yakisoba, and okonomiyaki from these stalls. We were able to find a gazebo near the venue where we ate the food while enjoying the musical performances from the festival grounds.
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| We bought karaage, yakisoba, and okonomiyaki. We found a place to eat near the festival venue. |
The Ishikari River Binks was several meters away from the library. This area is what I dub the “Activity Area” because it is where most of the main festival activities are held. There was a concert, dance performances, snowman making, and even a snowmobile ride activity in the area.
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| The festival venue was just a few feet away from where we ate, so it was very convenient |
After eating, we went to the festival grounds and enjoyed the music and presentations. I’m amazed at how the gigantic snow sculpture was made. The design was different from last year. There were also smaller snow sculptures, but most of them were damaged by the weather and probably by some tourists who touched them.
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| Asahikawa Winter Festival 2024 |
We stayed there until 3 PM. We then decided to head back to AEON Asahikawa Ekimae to wait for our 5 PM bus home; aside from that, Kai was getting hungry too, as he was getting moody. Like earlier, we made a brief stop at the Asahikawa Central Library first, but this time, so that Kai could be breastfed.
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| Asahikawa's famed rotunda, which was featured in the drama series "First Love." |
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| Double Chocolate Frappuccino |
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| Coffee break at Starbucks in AEON Mall Asahikawa Ekimae |
After that, we continued on our way back to the mall, passing through Asahikawa Heiwa Shopping Street once again. Since we arrived an hour early, we still had time to burn, so we went to Starbucks for a coffee break. I tried the special Double Chocolate Frappuccino.
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| Hina Doll Display for the Hina Matsuri |
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| Ishikawa Takuboku inside the Asahikawa Tourism and Local Products Information Center |
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| Ella is playing one of her favorite songs |
When we finished our coffee, we still had about 20 minutes, so we went to the Asahikawa Tourism and Local Products Information Center inside the Asahikawa Station to look for new travel brochures that we could use for our road trips this year, and also check out the different products sold there.
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| Waiting for our bus back to Rumoi City |
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| It was a snowy ride home, but we knew that the driver was experienced in this kind of weather, so we didn't stress about it. |
The bus to Rumoi arrived and left on the dot. It was a very snowy trip back home. In a way, I am thankful that I didn’t drive today, as there were times when it was almost zero visibility. We got back home at around 7:30 PM.
Overall, it was my 2nd time to experience the Asahikawa Winter Festival, but it was the first time for my family. It was a fun and memorable but tiring experience for us as we walked a lot today, and it was very cold. Regardless, we will surely come back next year, and next time we visit, we will make sure to spend more than a day in Asahikawa City.
Read more:
Japan Diaries 4: Week 119
Japan Diaries 4: Day 832
Asahikawa Heiwa Shopping Street
Asahikawa Winter Festival 2023
Asahikawa Winter Festival 2024
Food Trip: Okonomiyaki
10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City
10 More Things to Do in Asahikawa City
Hokkaido 179
Japan Diaries 4: Summary
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