Hokkaido Part 2: Niseko + Overnight Trips with Kids

    Niseko is known as a ski resort, so summer is a great time to go if avoiding crowds is a vacation criteria. Hokkaido is the most expansive region in Japan, and places are far apart from each other. Committing to one location meant foregoing others due to distance. We chose Niseko because it has a beautiful river, nice mountain trails, and other outdoor activities such as fruit picking and farm visiting. Since Hokkaido is the northernmost island of the main Japanese islands, it typically enjoys dry and mild summers. Unfortunately, like other places around the world, this summer has been atypical in Hokkaido with lots of rain. 

    We flew into New Chitose Airport in Sapporo and rented a car to drive to Niseko. My mother-in-law, a lifelong Tokyo resident, described Hokkaido as being "just like America." With its majestic mountains and sweeping plains, I did feel like I was somewhere in the American west. The landscape felt refreshingly expansive compared to the main island. Like most places with big spaces, however, the easiest way to get around with kids and luggage is by car. There is a train line that runs from New Chitose Airport to Niseko, but there are not many taxis in Niseko to take you to your final destination. 

    About twenty minutes away from Niseko is a charming area at the foot of Yoteisan where a subterranean river gushes out in streams and little waterfalls. The water is cold and clear, and we saw other visitors who had brought jugs to fill up with this mountain water. I am instinctively skeptical of claims of untreated water being pure. Perhaps this is unfair, but how many things left in nature is "pure"? Where there is people, there is industry, and where there is industry, there is usually pollution. Then again, I thought, no one has been known to become ill despite crowds of people going there to drink the water. Despite my doubts, I dove in alongside the others to fill up my water bottle, and I have to say that it tasted amazing. Cold and pristine. So good was this water that E, whom we always have to encourage to drink more water, drank two bottles. She subsequently used the toilet three times in the next hour. 

    My favorite things about Japanese hotels are the pajamas and the futons (the Japanese bed kind, not the sofa bed kind). Hotels provide adult pajamas, and some provide child pajamas (in different sizes even). This means fewer things to pack. The futons are great for kids because I don't have to worry about cribs or kids falling off beds. Since my kids sleep in their own beds at home, they love the novelty of sleeping together on futons. I also like that the futon rooms create separate a sleeping space. Futons are set up on tatami mats in traditional rooms enclosed by sliding doors. With young kids, this gave us the freedom to stay up past 8pm in our hotel room. 

    We wanted to take advantage of Hokkaido's great outdoors and had planned for the whole family to go rafting on our first full day there. With the kids in tow, we had chosen a gentle rafting course that "even two year olds can experience." The rafting company we booked supplied wetsuits, footwear, and life vests. Along with a few other families, we met at their lodge to change. Then we were all driven to the river, where we were given tips and safety instructions. We rafted a stretch of the river that was calm, and even though there were a few thrills, it was very much still a controlled environment. One of the things I love about traveling in Japan is that outdoor activities are accessible to a wide audience. Like snorkeling in Okinawa last autumn, it was surprisingly inexpensive. Moreover, the rafting was marketed as something anyone could enjoy rather than an extreme activity for thrill-seekers. Our guides simply loved what they did, and loved sharing it. 

    We didn't make it to fruit picking because of the rain, but we did go to an ostrich farm. Ostriches are strikingly tall and aggressive. Surprisingly, they co-exist peacefully with cows. The two species live on opposite sides of a single pasture and mind their own business. We bought some ostrich feed, consisting mostly of corn, and headed to their large enclosure. E cautiously threw them the feed at some distance. M walked straight up to the ostriches, hand extended, throwing food at close range. The ostriches gawked and pecked at each other to get to the food first. Then, out of the blue (or maybe not for someone more familiar with these crazy birds), one of them bit M's hand. It was not a bite meant to hurt her but rather a "Hey you! Give me some food right now!" type of bite. She was just a bit startled, and her hand was a little red. I'm sure my scream attracted more attention than the bite itself. After that, we calmed down with a snack at the farm's cafe, and all was well. There you have it, the ostrich farm.  

Known as the food basket of Japan, farming is one of Hokkaido's main industries. When you buy dairy products in Tokyo, it will likely say "from Hokkaido," with a map of the region on the package. Hokkaido is cow country and the touristy areas are landmines of soft serve ice cream advertising Hokkaido dairy. While Hokkaido is also known for beef and seafood, what we really wanted was an abundant dinner full of seasonal vegetables. And we were able to end the first part of our trip with just that. 

A salad from Japan's land of plenty. 

Hokkaido Part 1: Traveling with Kids Within Japan

    For the summer holidays, we debated whether to return to the US, go to Europe, or stay in Japan. I wanted to visit family and my dog in the U.S., but Japan was still requiring Covid testing for returning residents. With the hodgepodge masking situation there and my spouse's limited vacation days, I didn't want to risk getting infected while abroad. My parents plan to visit us soon anyways, so we decided to postpone the American trip. As for Europe, some of the the same problems applied. In addition, airplane tickets to Europe are really expensive at the moment. So Japan it was. Since we had already visited Okinawa down south, we headed to Hokkaido up north this time. 

    From Tokyo, you can travel to Hokkaido by Shinkansen or by airplane. The Shinkansen takes over four hours and stops at Hakodate, located in the south of Hokkaido. We wanted to go to Niseko, which is really far from Hakodate, so we flew. As our second time flying domestically with the kids, we knew what to expect. Plus, M is now more toddler and less baby, making travel (mostly) easier. Here are some differences I noticed between air travel here and in the U.S. 

    Airport parking costs less in Japan. If it is an option, it's totally worth it to have a family member or friend park and help you with the luggage and children. Once you are at the airport, the going is easy. Even when it is crowded, as it was during our trip, the staff is organized and willing to help. We traveled during Obon week, which is the peak week of summer travel in Japan. Even then, the lines at both baggage check and security were controlled and orderly. 

    Airport amenities in Japan are incredible. There are plenty of dining options that extend beyond fast food. Most airports have convenience stores that stock the same things, at the same prices, as their non-airport stores. You will never have to dehydrate yourself to save $5 on a bottle of water. I do wish there were more water fountains and bottle refill stations in Japan. Of course, if traveling is an opportunity to indulge, there are options for that too. I found a Baskin-Robbins vending machine! There was another ice cream machine placed strategically next to the kids' play area - a strategy of which I am not a fan. 

The child seat even reclines. 

    For parents especially, there is a lot to be optimistic about. You can find free luggage carts with child seating at various stations in the airport. Bathrooms are clean, and there are dedicated family bathrooms as well as changing/nursery rooms for babies. Although it varies, most airport bathrooms are touchless so that you can flush and open the door simply by waving your hand in front of a sensor. It's hard to take that for granted in year three of the pandemic. 

    As in the U.S. and anywhere else, families with young children receive priority boarding. Maybe I've gotten lucky, but the time between boarding and takeoff seems shorter. It's entirely possible that they really are faster here, as it is the land of punctuality. Oh, and if you are hoping that the airline will wreck an old stroller to get it off your hands, you won't be lucky. The airline staff handle things with utmost care. They lovingly wrapped our old stroller in plastic to be shipped to the destination. The care they took was nice of course; the plastic was unnecessary. 

   The actual plane ride is the same as anywhere else: a beverage service and maybe a toy gadget for the little ones. I would say that air travel with children is easier in Japan simply because there are fewer delays: the airport lines are well-managed, the processes are streamlined, and the staff is always helpful. In my next post, meet us at our destination in Hokkaido. We will drink mountain water, go to a public bath, and get bitten by an Ostrich. 

Uniquely Japanese Foods that My Kids Love

Kabocha

Kabocha, sometimes sold as "Japanese pumpkin" in American supermarkets, is a type of squash. Compared to the more conventional sugar pumpkin and other squashes such butternut and acorn, kabocha has a denser, creamier texture - probably why my kids love it. 

In Japan, the classic preparation is by simmering with soy sauce and sake. Kabocha is also a great substitute for potatoes in croquettes. I always use kabocha instead of sugar pumpkins for things like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. Muji cafe serves mashed kobocha mixed with some chopped greens. This  tones down the bitterness of some greens, and my kids enjoy it a lot. 

Natto

Natto is the infamous slimy, stinky, fermented soybean dish that is a fixture in Japan but hated by nearly all non-Japanese people who come across it. Natto is not considered delicious per say, but it is definitely a refrigerator staple. It typically comes with a soy-sauce based seasoning packet and a packet of Japanese mustard. Natto is a nutritious source of protein (especially good for gut health I've heard) that involves no cooking, so it is easy to see why it is popular. You can top it with different things. Common toppings include scallions, sriracha, mayo, chili powder, mustard, and nori. 

The thing with Natto is that it smells worse than it tastes. It makes the dishwasher and garbage smell horrendous. Its slimy texture - a detraction for many but a virtue for some (mostly Japanese kids)  - is a familiar texture in Japanese cuisine and one that kids seem to be fond of here. Although I didn't grow up with natto, I've learned to like it, unlike my kids, who adore it. When dinner fails to completely satiate, we pull out the natto. And it is never eaten by only one person. Once the natto is out, both kids clamor for it. As E says, "it's a natto fest." 

Nikuman

Technically Chinese, nikuman has become a popular part of Japanese cuisine. Its basic form is a steamed yeast-leavened bun with a filling. In Japan, that filling is usually minced pork ("niku" literally means meat in Japanese) with a few variations. 

When I was a teenager, I spent summers in Shanghai with my grandfather. He lived in an old part of the city where street vendors sold freshly made baozi, the broader Chinese name for it. There are endless varieties of baozi in China but my grandfather's favorite vendor sold ones filled with Chinese mustard greens and shiitake seasoned with sesame oil. This too became my favorite. 

I haven't found anything similar in Tokyo, but nearly every supermarket and department store food hall here sells the pork-based nikuman. While it's not impossible to make at home, it requires some time and technique, so we buy it and keep it as an easy weekend lunch. 

Soba

Soba is a Japanese buckwheat noodle. Because it is made from buckwheat, it is though to be healthier than its relatives, ramen and udon. Whereas ramen and udon are more often served in fast casual settings, soba is a bit more refined, though it also exists as fast food. Soba can be served in a hot broth or it can be served cold alongside a cold dipping sauce, a popular summer option. 

My kids prefer soba over salty ramen and chewy udon. I usually do too, but I'm also considering how I will feel after the meal, and I doubt my kids think about that. It is common to serve soba with tempura. My kids like soba so much that they will abstain from eating more fried foods to save room for the buckwheat. I like it, but it is a mystery to me. 

Shishamo

Shishamo is a smelt fish (capelin) native to Hokkaido. It is a small fish about the length of long green bean and barely a finger's width wide. You grill, bake, or sauté the fish and eat it whole. The awareness of sustainable seafood is low in Japan, but the production of farmed shishamo has grown recently to lessen the burden on wildlife stock. It seems that Atlantic capelin may be more sustainable, perhaps due to lower popularity. 

My kids, who were introduced to it at an early age, also eat the entire fish. In Chicago, it was a treat because we could only buy it at the Japanese supermarket a half hour's drive away. In contrast, it is too accessible in Tokyo. Nearly every supermarket, even bodegas and convenience stores, carry shishamo. I still try to keep it a treat. 

Edamame

Until moving to Japan, I only knew frozen edamame. Then I tasted fresh edamame here, and as you might expect, it tastes a lot better. Edamame season runs through the summer. In June and July, you will see fresh edamame stalks in supermarkets. Perhaps surprisingly, edamame is a popular beer food here in Japan, and as such, it's sold at sports concessions and bars. 

As for my kids, they get a kick out of removing the beans from the pods. When edamame is on the table, it is difficult to get M to eat anything else. It is also super easy to prepare - just boil for a few minutes and sprinkle with salt. 

Tofu

Japan is tofu-nation, and Kyoto is tofu-town. Kyoto has many incredible restaurants, and some of those serve multi-course kaiseki meals specializing in tofu. In daily life here in Tokyo, tofu is not as exalted but just as versatile and ubiquitous. You can grill it, fry it, flatten it into a pouch and fill it with rice (inari sushi), or simply eat it cold with soy sauce and a squeeze of citrus. Both my kids prefer tofu over most meats, and I suspect it's because of the tender texture. Basically they prefer to chew as little as possible, and meat requires many more chews than tofu. 

When my kids were weaning, I blended tofu into ground chicken to make chicken patties. The tofu makes the patties more tender, fluffier, and easier to eat. Nowadays I keep packet of soft tofu in the refrigerator for an easy summer side dish - just cut, season with soy sauce or ponzu, and perhaps a sprinkle of bonito flakes, sesame seeds, and/or scallions. 

Digital Books, Eating at Muji, and a Chilled Saturday

    I received a Kindle for my birthday last year, but it took me some time to warm up to digital reading. In Chicago, we lived down the street from the public library, and it was easy to check out and return books. I liked physically browsing books and taking them home. Choosing a book via Kindle felt like online shopping - it should be easier but was somehow harder and took more effort. The enormous digital selection was overwhelming. Then one day, my spouse, an enthusiastic proponent of digital reading, bought Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I started reading it, and that got me into reading on the Kindle. I'm glad I did. In a Japanese-speaking world, it's a convenient way to access English-language books. 

   Because of that, I have been reading a lot this summer. I just read Ruth Ozeki's The Book of Form and Emptiness, which is a story about an adolescent boy who is navigating life with his mother after his father dies. He begins to hear voices from objects and is subsequently hospitalized in a pediatric psychiatric ward. I wasn't particularly drawn to plot, but I love Ozeki's other works, so I gave it a try. It's a fictional story, and not at all a treatise or critique on current issues. Like her earlier book My Year of Meats, it represents in a thoughtful way all the maladies afflicting our post-industrial society. It's also about the power and morality of objects and our relationships with them. It is fiction but relevant, absurd yet relatable, despairing yet hopeful. It's my favorite book this summer. 

    E has been in summer school. It is farther than her usual school with no efficient public transportation routes, so we have been commuting via mamachari. It is a 40 minute ride roundtrip with two roundtrips each day. And so, I have been treating myself to kakigori. Kakigori is shaved ice with condensed milk or syrup or both with various toppings. Its ice is usually finely shaved compared to other types of shaved ice (like the New Orleans snoball). It is a fixture of Japanese summers, especially this summer which has been brutally hot. 

    On Saturday, we went to an indoor play space for the kids. We braced ourselves for a long queue but it wasn't that bad. In fact, there were fewer people than there had been on a weekend during winter. This play space is located in an indoor shopping mall with grocery stores and lots of restaurants, making for an easy transition to lunch. It also has a very cute bathroom dedicated for kids. 

Everything is a smaller size - the stalls, toilets, wash basins, etc. Japanese kids are afforded so much independence, and the infrastructure makes it easy. 

    The biggest problem with dining out in Tokyo is not dining with kids but rather dining without a reservation. People make reservations by default. If a good restaurant has a reservation system, it will likely be full unless you book a few days ahead. If the restaurant does not take reservations (more casual lunch spots, food courts, etc.), be prepared to go early or wait in line or both. You must constantly think ahead. With this in mind, at 11:15 am, we headed to the Muji cafe, which does not take reservations. 

© Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.

© Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.

    Muji is a Japanese brand that is based on a philosophy of minimalism, recycling, reducing production, and having a no logo/no brand policy. Not a bad philosophy, but it is also a massive retailer, so who knows. In Japan, they also have a cafe that sells healthy cafeteria-style food. It makes an effort - unique among big Japanese brands - to offer alternatives to animal protein. It is also a great place for families. I really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of cafeteria-style eateries. There are no kids sets per se, but you can pick and choose among daily dishes, salad sets, curry sets, and soup sets among others. Better than the typical kids set that comes with fries, juice, and jello. It cost less than $30 USD for our family of four with large appetites. 

    If you have small kids, you may well know that they start declining in energy after lunch. It becomes a countdown to getting home and taking a nap. So we squeezed in a trip to the grocery store, picked up donuts from Mister Donut, and headed home. It was a relaxing Saturday.