Sapporro and Twilight Express to Osaka

Day 20 – Sapporro and Twilight Express to Osaka

Tuesday, 24 April 2012

After checking out of the Gracery Hotel and leaving our luggage at reception, we went for a final walk in Sapporro.

We walked to the clock tower, a national important cultural asset. This wooden building was originally part of an agricultural college, then releocated to its present site, and is now a little museum dedicated to preserving the history of such 1870s buildings across Sapporro.

Along Odori park where gardeners were planting out garden beds with pansies and engineers were working on water features. Buds have started to form on trees but it will probably still be at least a week or two before they have a blaze of cherry blossoms.

The Botanical Gardens wont open until the end of the month. However, two crows were having fun digging in the recently tilled planters.

Back to JR tower shopping complex for early lunch of our pilfered bacon sandwiches and rolls from breakfast, and green tea at Nana’s Green Tea house. This tea house seems to specialize in green tea lattes, smoothies, parfaits and cakes. Not to Anthony’s taste – too green!

Boarded the Twilight Express bound for Osaka at 2.05pm. Our twin berth is smaller than on the Hokutesoi but seems a little more opulent in terms of furnishings. We have a one up and one down arrangement, with the bottom bunk currently set up as two lounge chairs facing each other over a table.

We sat for some time in the viewing car which has panoramic windows to the views and took too many photographs!

We were hoping to see the crossing from Hokkaido to Honshu but it was dark before then and incomprehensibly the train had begun to go the other way!

So turned in for the night – with myself in the top bunk and Anthony on the lower.

	Sapporro Clock Tower [Map]		Black birds [Map]
	Nana’s Green tea cafe [Map]		The Twilight Express from Sapporro to Osaka [Map]
	Photo 1 [Map]		Photo 2 [Map]
	Photo 3 [Map]		Photo 4 [Map]
	Photo 5 [Map]