To remind me of what Japan was like during normal times, I’m going to continue blogging of our trip to Japan last month. I believe life in Sapporo is almost normal except for shock of the devastation further south.
We arrived in Sapporo on the Twilight Express around lunch. Hungry, we immediately went for lunch. We had soba at Shinoya in central Sapporo. It was excellent.
Not used to walking on snowy sidewalks, it took us a while to change our walking style to avoid slipping.
The locals seem to have no trouble even in heels and are so acclimated that they can wear hot pants and mini-skirts in -4 degree (24F) weather – fashion over comfort.
Lots of cones on the sidewalk to prevent pedestrians from getting close to buildings to protect against falling icicles.
Bowing doorman sign warning about falling icicles.
Sapporo shiden (札幌市電) streetcar:
A Yakult lady making her rounds on the snowy sidewalks of the business district.
Pursuing Wabi 
I was looking for budget accommodation for my Sapporo trip when I spotted the entry on Spa Safro at the bottom of the list of tightarse places to stay. Im accustomed to eating mud crabs back in Singapore where the meat in the claw is abundant and succulent but the stuff I had in Sapporo really beats it in taste. Its this epidemic of corporate downsizing I tells ya!One of the major culinary specialties of Sapporo is ramen.