Introduction to today's journey
Founded in 1868 in an unlikely wilderness location in the depths of Hokkaido, the planned city of Sapporo was established during the Meiji Restoration, Sapporo quickly developed to become the vibrant capital of the region. The rapid population growth was largely influenced by immigrants moving from the main island of Honshu along with foreign advisors envisioning a city embodying Western style urban planning and agricultural methods. Despite the brutal winters and early setbacks, Sapporo quickly flourished making its mark by hosting Japan's first beer brewery and establishing the iconic Sapporo Snow Festival. Today the city offers visitors a blend of historic charm juxtaposed nicely with its modern sophistication nestled amidst its scenic landscapes as a strong reminder of the wilderness this city established itself upon.
Today's journey takes me around Hokkaido's capital city Sapporo, exploring the city centre and heading to a sumo wrestling match.
Today's Journey
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The morning dawns a clear day, with an amazing view across Sapporo with its lush summer vegetation and rugged mountains surrounding the city. |
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I head underground to the metro system to catch one of Japan's very reliable trains. Fortunately the rush hour is over so there are not many people crowding the platforms as commonly found in Japan. |
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Heading across town, I reach the Green Dome, where a crowd gathers in the stifling heat of the building to watch a sumo wrestling match. |
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After much ceremony, two sumo wrestlers take to the ring and eye each other in anticipation of the match. |
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They wrestle with each other, with the simple goal of pushing the other one out of the ring. The battle is very short, lasting only seconds. |
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The sumo wrestlers queue up for each of their very short matches against each other. |
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Much of the match is very ceremonial, we see the tip of the iceberg of a very deep religion of the sumo wrestlers. |
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Once the match is over, I return to the city centre to explore it by day. Curiously it is quieter by day than it is by night. |
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In amongst the concrete jungle are pristine streams with lush vegetation. |
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An artist paints a scene across one of the city lakes in Nakajima Park. |
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Within the park is the Statue of Dr. William S. Clark. He was an American professor who played a significant role in the development of agricultural education in Hokkaido. |
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Exploring the city I pass numerous houses all very well landscaped with a surreal natural appearance of bonsais and very well manucured trees with stone paths meandering between them. |
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