Hokkaido is the gorgeous Northern most island of Japan. It's well known for its agricultural products, farms, wide-open/wild/rugged places, hip cities and good beer. Need I say more?
It started with a train ride... a "twilight express" 20 hour train ride. Our first stop was Hakodate, a port town famous for its European influences, kickin' sea food and its history. From boat rides, to museums, from brick warehouses to the Greek Orthodox Church, from sushi to caramel pastries, Hakodate proved to be a fun city full of awesome sites, a lot of history and great food. I also enjoyed being overcome by a certain Dorothy-ism; "Toto, we're not in Japan anymore."
(Above) The night view of Hakodate city. (Below) Masa chillin' on boat ride around Hakodate Bay.
After Hakodate, Masa and I left for Sapporo. Sapporo proved to be a big, bustling city and for any of you folks who know me at all, you know that's not my cup of tea. With that said, I enjoyed the sites and there were a few things that really struck me. Sapporo is surrounded by what is called the "Green Belt," that is, the city is surrounded by parks, parks and more parks. We didn;t have time to get to many parks, but the one we did go to left an impression. I loved, loved, loved Morenuma park designed by the famous Japanese/American architect Isamu Noguchi. The shots below are just a few pieces of this sculptural museum/playground/park.
Sooooo, Sapporo is famous for its beer. The shots below are from the beer museum and the original factory, both of which I found to be fun, interesting... and tasty.
We took time to "get out of the city" by going to the botanical gardens in the city.
A famous site in Sapporo is the old clock tower pictured below.
After Sapporo, Masa returned to work, but I did not have to... Hell, since I had come 20 hours on a train, I figured I might as well have stayed a little longer. So what did I do? Hopped on a bus going east for another 7 hours. Hokkaido is HUGE! For about 5 days I hung out in Shiretoko National Park. Everyday I hiked, saw plenty of deer, hung out with cool people in the hostel and just had a good time surrounded by the forests and mountains. I didn't realize how badly I had needed a respite from the city until I had gotten there. Fantastic! Pictured below are my hostel friends from Canada, Japan and Germany. We had a great time sharing meals, snacks, stories, jokes, hikes... whew the list goes on. Needless to say, they were a great bunch of folks to meet!!
Stay tuned for pics of Nagano (apple farming), adventures with Daddy-O and most recently, the weekend get away in Noto.
Miyajima is perhaps best known for Itsukushima Shrine, now an UNESCO world heritage site. This shrine was originally built in the 6th century, but was rebuilt as many times as it was destroyed; the last time it was rebuilt was in the 16th century! 
While visiting the shrine, there was a traditional-style wedding. Dad was tickled to see everyone in their beautiful kimonos, to hear the music and to watch the ceremony.
Perhaps one of the most well-known views is the torii of the Itsukushima shrine. A torii is an arch which denotes a sacred place. We stayed the night (thankfully), so we had the opportunity to see the torri during high-tide, low-tide, during the evening, the sunset and at night.
