The thing I looked most forward to in my Japan Trip was to have a hot spring bath. Everytime on Japan Hour, when I see those Japanese always go to those so beautiful hot springs, with all the natural surrounding and especially during winter time, is always so so beautiful! So when I was really going to Hokkaido and my package actually includes hot spring, I was overjoyed!!! The first hotel I stayed I already started asking for hot spring but they don't have and only have spa. Spa is not natural hot spring and it's like those Singapore's spa and I don't want that! I want to try natural hot spring!!! I've already found out so many information on Japan's hot springs, the way to bath and really enjoy and make full use of the hot spring water!!! I don't want to go back disappointed. The next hotel was also a spa hotel and I am really getting desperate!!! Only on the 3rd day, at last! My first natural hot spring!!! Yeh Yeh!!! That evening, straightaway after putting down our luggages, hubby and I quickly went to this outdoor foot hot spring!!! Guess what, it's so HOT!!! Hhahhahaaaa... really not used to it but lucky it was snowing at the time we were doing our hot spring. The hotness really make our whoe body warm and doesn't feel the coldness from the snow. Such a good experience. After dinner, we went straight to their hot spring. Of course you have to rest first, at least 45 mins to 1 hour after meal or else it won't be good for your health. There are 2 hot springs, man and woman. It's located at the top floor of the hotel and the hotel's name is 洞爷胡。 It's so nice!!! Okay, let me explain the procedure of the Japan hot spring. Heheheee... First you must get naked with all the other women all around, and don't worry, nobody will look at you. :P You will see all ages of women too, and I actually heard that children can also go to hot spring!!! Hehehee... Next you will bath in a common area with open cubicles, with chairs or stools for you to sit while bathing and I really like that. Remind me of childhood time when mum will bath for me. Heheheeeheee... You really have to bath thoroughly as Japanese don't like you to dirty their hot spring water if your body is not cleaned properly. After bathing, you can slowly go into the hotspring. And I really say slowly means slowly. The normal degree of a natural hot spring is 40 degrees!!! And that is really hot for a first timer. I actually sit on the side first with my legs in the water first, trying to get used to the heat. Then I try pouring water with my hands over my legs and try to get it higher and higher up my body. Next I try to sit down in the water but body is still not inside the water. After a while more, then I started to move totally into the water. It's damn hot at that moment!!! But I try to overcome it and once you overcome it, it's really shiok man!!! But after only about 5 mins, my heart starting pounding very fast and I know I must get up liao. That's actually the normal time for the first timer. You can stay in the water for too long or else you'll faint and that really happened to one of my tour mate, so if really can't take it don't force yourself and you really must do it slowly. You will need to rest for about 5 mins then you can dip in again. This time I tried the open air hot spring!!! It's much much better than the enclosed one as maybe due to the natural air outside and it so cold outside, the hot spring is not that hot (or maybe I'm already used to it) I can actually dipped in for a longer time about 10 mins. Heeheehheee... I wanted to dip it longer (seeing all the other Japanese who can stayed in the water so long, why can't I? :P) but my heart started pounding again. You see the hot spring's heat is so good to your body that a scientist actually find out that the heat will actually go all the way into your bones and not like the normal heat which only go into your skin. And for me, as my circulation of my blood is always very good, it actually heat up all my blood and make them flows so fast that my heart has to be so busy pounding them!!! heheheee... but it's really very very shiok lor. Everyone should really try that. The only pity was they dun have like couple's or unisex's hot spring then I can go with hubby, then not so lonely liao!!! ^_^ Anyway, I love it so much that the next morning, before breakfast, I actually wake up earlier to enjoy the hot spring again! Best of all, I've even seen sun rise at the open air hot spring!!! Such a wonderful feeling and it's so Japan Hour!!! ^_^

After breakfast, we actually went to one of their famous seafood market and have a look at their seafood. Their varieties are so different from us! All their crabs are so big!!! And see, they actually sell live octopus!!! First time I've seen one!!! So interesting and cute!!! This one I actually "help" it before I took this photo. Heheheee... One of its tentacles actually falls out of the bucket and I actually help it to put it back. (Actually I just wanted a feel of how octopus feel like :P) But while helping it, it actually suck my finger so tightly that it was quite pain after it!!! The suction plate on the tentacles are so powerful and I didn't know it! The pain was there even after 15 mins! Now I know how it catches it prey and boy, can they suck!!! ^_^

But, heheheheee... after that I got my "revenge", or sort of lah. :P I actually managed to eat a black ink ice cream. It's actually made from the squids' black ink. It's not a real revenge but that's the octopus's relatives, so still counted!!! :P Anyway, the taste is, errr... quite unique... not too bad... lucky they put more milk than ink and there's only a slight ink taste of squids but the ice cream is greyish and I like that colour!!! heheheheee....

After all of these, we went to some other tourist sights but the best is the famous Hakotate's night view. It's so so so so so beautiful and this is actually one of Japan's best night view. But the problem is, in order to see this, you have to go to a hill top to see and as it's winter time, with all the snow and cold wind blowing as and when, it's so damn cold at the hill top lor!!! Furthermore, the wind is so so strong and poor hubby have to find ways to take this beautiful photo and it's the only one that turn out to be perfect. I couldn't even stand in the wind for more than 5 mins then have to go indoor (there's a building at the hilltop) and poor darling have to stand in the wind to take this photo, and can only take it by putting it on the top of a partition to steady his hands and the camera!!! If not, your camera will be blown away!!! HEheheehee... But all is worthwhile... see nice nice right? ^_^