July th, nts/6days from: $1995 dbl/tpl $2250 single

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Arleen Benson
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1 The Sapporo Summer Fest & 52 nd Annual Otaru Tide Festival July th, nts/6days from: $1995 dbl/tpl $2250 single Shop, Sightsee, Eat, Drink -Have lots of Fun! Hokkaido s summer-the perfect travel time! Omiyage is a gift or souvenir you give to friends, coworkers, and family after returning home from a trip. Omiyage is so much more than just an edible souvenir. Here in Hawaii, bringing back omiyage from Japan is almost a tradition. Sapporo is one of Japan's most cosmopolitan cities. Its wide streets and tree lined boulevards give the city an almost European feel. Coffee shops and cafes proliferate throughout the city and the center is packed with a fantastic range of shops, restaurants, and bars. This year we have added a visit to Yurigahara Park to take in the World Lily Gardens, where approximately 100 types of lilies collected from around the world can be enjoyed. Otaru, one of Hokkaido s most popular tourist destination for Japanese visitors is a romantic port town steeped in a rich history that dates to its glory days as a major herring center. There are great options for foodies and if you re into music boxes or any kind of glass objects, this is the place! Come, enjoy the 52 nd Annual Otaru Tide Festival this weekend along the picturesque canal district. Besides all the great food and shopping we have added a visit the Tanaka Sake Brewery for tour and tasting. By the way, if you re into music boxes or any kind of glass objects, this is the place! Itinerary/Details Day 1 July 24 th, 2018 Tuesday Depart from Honolulu8 Hawaiian Airlines #441 Departs Honolulu 1:30 pm Arrive Chitose 5:00 pm + 1 Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines Terminal, Lobby 3, Makai side at least 3 hours prior to flight time Day 2 July 25 th, 2018 Wednesday Chitose-Sapporo On arrival in Chitose, please make your way to the baggage claim area as we need to clear immigration and customs. Free luggage carts are available. We suggest that you use one as there is a short walk to our chartered bus. Our local English speaking Japanese guide will be there to meet us. Accommodations for our stay in Sapporo are at the Sapporo Tobu Hotel, ideally situated, steps from Nijo Market and across the street from the entrance to Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade. Odori Park and the Susukino district are just minutes away. The drive time from Chitose is under one hour.

Accommodations: Sapporo Tobu Hotel Day 3 July 26 th, 2018 Thursday Sapporo (B) After breakfast please meet your guide by 9:00am as we are off for a full day of exploring Sapporo.

The park features unique flowerbeds and gardens including the World Lily Gardens, where approximately 100 types of lilies collected from around the world can be seen, and the World Gardens, which

Take a ride on the Lily Train, which runs through the park and allows you to enjoy seasonal flowers from inside a comfortable train. From here we are off to the Sapporo Jyogai Market or Curb Market.

2 Accommodations: Sapporo Tobu Hotel Day 3 July 26 th, 2018 Thursday Sapporo (B) After breakfast please meet your guide by 9:00am as we are off for a full day of exploring Sapporo. The day begins with a visit to Yurigahara Park, featuring approximately 4,600 types of flowers and plants. The park features unique flowerbeds and gardens including the World Lily Gardens, where approximately 100 types of lilies collected from around the world can be seen, and the World Gardens, which comprise four different types of gardens built in collaboration with Sapporo s sister cities Portland, Munich, and Shen Yang. Take a ride on the Lily Train, which runs through the park and allows you to enjoy seasonal flowers from inside a comfortable train. From here we are off to the Sapporo Jyogai Market or Curb Market. It consists of nearly 80 stores and restaurants lined up along several blocks. This market specializes in Hokkaido seafood such as crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, squid and scallops, and local produce such as corn, melons and potatoes when in season. The market's shops cater to both locals and tourists alike, offering a good selection at reasonable prices. Like other seafood markets around Japan, an excellent way to experience the market's offerings is to have a meal of fresh local seafood served over rice (domburi) at one of the local restaurants. There is also a grouping of ramen shops along one of the side streets. Choose one and enjoy a delicious bowl of Hokkaido s finest ramen. Enjoy free time here to shop, explore and a leisurely lunch on your own. Jogai Curb Market-Fish Market side street ramen shops Once back in Sapporo, a visit to the top of the Sapporo TV Tower. This landmark has been a popular attraction since its opening in It takes about a 60 second elevator ride from the third floor to the observation platform at meters above the ground. The tower overlooks Odori Park, adorned with flowers from season to season and hosts various international events throughout the year. Up on the observation deck you will be able to enjoy a view of the whole city as far as the Sea of Japan and the magnificent Ishikari Plains in the background. The remainder of the afternoon will be dedicated to serious shopping time and there is no better place to begin than the Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade. Your guide will take you for a stroll and point out the more popular shopping stores, UNIGLO, Tokyu Hands, Don Quijote and Daiso 108-yen store. This shopping arcade has been in operation since the frontier period and one of the best places to purchase Hokkaido souvenirs! This ten block long outdoor shopping arcade with over 200 shops offers everything from clothing, jewelry and souvenirs to nightclubs, cafes and restaurants.

3 Enjoy free time to go off and shop your heart off. Just in case you don t find everything this time around, no worries as there is another free afternoon later in the trip. Now off to our hotel, arrival by 5:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Accommodations: Sapporo Tobu Hotel Day 4 July 27 th, 2018 Friday Sapporo-Otaru (B) After breakfast please meet your guide by 10:00am as we are off to enjoy the 64 th Annual Sapporo Summer Festival, a treat for both locals and tourists. Sapporo is most alive during its festivals. While the most famous is the Sapporo Snow Festival in February, the summer beer festival draws over a million visitors over this one month event. Odori Park which runs through the heart of the city, is transformed into a giant beer garden, 13,000 seats! Each of Japan's major brewers has a square where they set up a bar and outdoor seating for Sapporoites to enjoy from early afternoon until late in the evening. Many events are held during this month long festival, such as a Hokkaido Bon Odori dance, the Sapporo Bazaar antique fair, music and Jazz shows, firework displays, but the most visited event is the beer garden stretched into seven blocks. It s a complete free day for you to enjoy not only the festival, but get in a bit of shopping and as well explore the city. Accommodations: Sapporo Tobu Hotel Day 5 July 28 th, 2018 Saturday Sapporo-Otaru (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby as we are off for a full day of touring. The day begins with a visit to the Tanaka Sake Brewery, the most famous local sake brewery in Otaru. The building is designated as a historical architecture by Otaru City, built in 1905, during the Meiji era. Enjoy a factory tour, sake tastings and time in their gift shop where you can purchase a specially produced sake from this factory, Takaragawa, the famous original sake. Takara means treasure and Gawa=Kawa means river. Tanaka s Sake is made with 100% Hokkaido rice and ground water from under the factory. Being that it is summertime, enjoy the taste of their fresh water located in front of the building. From here, we are off to Otaru s historical downtown area with a recorded history that goes back to the 16th century. From old days, when they sailed trading boats from Honshu-mainland to Hokkaido, this city played important roles as the center of trade or commerce, not to mention fishery in Hokkaido. Walking along the main streets, you find a charming and nostalgic city filled with historic architecture. Here you will find the old remnant of Otaru s major industry, glassware shops. Glass buoys were used to light up fishing boats at night to attract herrings. A glass industry flourished in Otaru to support the herring trade. When the herring fishing industry declined in the 1950s, the makers of glass buoys diverted their business to produce refined glassware, as the demand for buoys plunged. The result today are numerous glass shops, which now carter mainly to souvenir hungry tourists. If you think that blown glassware is only made in Venice, then you are wrong.

4 The city is renowned for its glassworks, music boxes, and sweet shops that can be found lining Sakaimachi Street. As you near the end of Sakaimachi Street, look and listen when you come to the vintage steam clock at the front of the charming Music Box Museum. The nostalgic atmosphere inside the main building of the museum takes you back in time. The museum houses almost 15,000 music boxes, ranging from matchbox sized souvenirs to precisely tuned masterpieces. The Music Box Museum has something for everybody, from The Beatles to the latest J-pop hits. We will enjoy a hands on music box making experience. Another must stop is at the Kitaichi Glass Shop where you can enjoy looking and shopping for beautiful glassware. How about making glassware on your own with the help of the artisans? Another famous landmark in Otaru is the Kitakaro confectionary shop. The cake and confectionery store is a popular stop for tourists and locals alike. There is a cult like following of its famous honeyed wheeled layered cakes and there are good reasons why. The layered cakes are delicate and the honey flavored intense, but not too sweet. Sit and enjoy at the small café right in the store. Coffee, tea and ice cream are also available. The remainder of the day is free in this lovely town. Enjoy a leisurely lunch on your own at one of many restaurants just steps away. Otaru is well known for its beer, and Otaru Beer, next to the canal, is a popular restaurant with a medieval Germanic theme. If sushi is more to your liking, a stroll down to Sushi-dori Street is well worth your time. You will find a collection of some 20 sushi restaurants. Accommodations are at the Hotel Nord Otaru, less than a 5-minute drive from where our bus is parked. Located along the picturesque boulevard of the Otaru Canal, the ideal spot to enjoy this evening at the Otaru Tide Festival. Arrival at the hotel will be by 5:00pm. Enjoy time to relax and freshen up, then meet your guide for the short walk to the 52 st Otaru Tide Festival. There will be plenty of dining options to choose from. Enjoy time at this annual sea festival where locals give thanks to the sea and set lanterns adrift at the Otaru Wharf. Accommodations: Hotel Nord Otaru Day 6 July 29 th, 2018 Sunday Otaru-Sapporo-Chitose (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am. It may be our last day here in Hokkaido, but we will make the very most of it before our flight home later this evening. Our day begins with a visit to Shiroi Koibito Park, a theme park by Ishiya, a local chocolate company. The company s flagship product is the Shiroi Koibito cookie, which consists of two thin butter cookies and a layer of white chocolate in between. It is one of the most famous souvenirs from Hokkaido. The park consists of a free area with a shop, cafe and restaurant and a paid area with various chocolate related exhibits and, most interestingly, a few large windows through which you can observe the cookie production process in the factory. Now off to Sapporo, stopping at the AEON Mall for some small kine shopping and time to enjoy lunch on your own. Next is a stop at Okurayama Ski Jump and a ride on the lift to its peak. This ski jump stadium was used at the Winter Olympics held in Sapporo in Once at the top enjoy time at the viewing lounge and the panoramic views of the city of Sapporo, the Ishikari Plain, and Ishikari Bay. It is also an ideal location to view the start line of the ski jump right before your eyes - looking directly down at the steep slope of the approach will certainly give you an idea of how the skiers are feeling when they begin their jumps! From here we are off to Lake Shikotsu. Here and nearby Lake Toya are the two most prominent features of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Both are caldera lakes, which were formed from collapses in the earth after volcanic activity.

5 Most of Shikotsuko is little developed except for Shikotsu Kohan, a small, touristy town with a visitor center and a small number of lodgings along the lake's western shores. From there, visitors can rent boats, bicycles or scuba gear to enjoy the natural surroundings. Sightseeing cruises of the lake are offered in glass bottomed boats from mid-april to early November. And now we will make our way to the Chitose Airport to begin the check-in process. Arrival will be at approximately 5:00pm. Hawaiian Airlines #442 Departs Chitose 8:00 pm Arrive Honolulu 8:45 am

Sapporo, Asahikawa & Otaru Memorial Day Omiyage Weekender 2019

Sapporo, Asahikawa & Otaru Memorial Day Omiyage Weekender 2019 May 23 rd 29 TH, 2019 5nights/7days fr: $2195 dbl/tpl $2395 single Book by December 15 th -Save $50 per person Shop, Sightsee, Eat, Fun- A