First experience at Hokkaido

Finally I’ve arrived at Hokkaido, Japan.

Large area of Hokkaido is woods and forest, now winter is just over, so everywhere looks brown from the airplane view as trees are left with only empty branches, no foliage at all.

Meeting me at the airport are my supervisor and two lab members. After introduction, I bowed to my supervisor, a 90-degree bowed with “dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu” – try to express how earnest I am in looking forward to learning from him.
Immediately after our very first meeting, he took his flight to US and the two lab members were taking me to my dormitory (a place where I will stay for this spring semester).

Picture of my two lab mates; Saha-san is a Bangladesh and Muto-san a Japanese. (Muto-san looks like my colleague Chew)

Weather here was so cold that the air that we breathe out turned into white haze. I really feel excited about this, sayonara to Malaysia’s hot weather!

One of the lab members learned about the multi-racial society of Malaysia, and he ask me this question: “Are you a pure Chinese or mixed?” Well, it seems like I can’t run away from being misunderstood as Malay even when I am at Japan!

We take a bus from Chitose Airport to Sapporo (where Hokkaido University is located). Along the journey, I can see huge landscape of trees with empty branches, but from a bus-window view this time. I also see snow-toped mountains, the term that I’ve long heard from a friend who once visited Switzerland.

Maybe because the weather is cool or raining today, Sapporo seems like a quiet town to me. There are not many cars in the street and there are only three of us in the bus.

Upon reaching Sapporo, raining started, oh! It rain like Malaysia at Hokkaido! I thought it only snow!

In Sapporo, before the two lab members bring me to my dormitory, they treat me a lunch at a very specially decorated restaurant. Guess what I had for my very 1^st lunch at Japan? Udon mee? Sushi? Curry rice?
Yes, the answer is curry rice (see picture below)! To my surprise, curry is one of the popular foods in Sapporo. They grade the level of spicy ichiban, niban, sanban, yonban and goban (level one to five). I took the level two one, and after tasting it I know level five will be no problem for me.

In the afternoon, around 1.30 pm, I checked-in to my dormitory and took a look around the facilities; I am very satisfied with it. The toilet tub comes with many seemingly high-tech buttons. I don’t dare to press it afraid water will be shooting out from nowhere. Also there is a free internet access in each room, so I have no worry of keeping in touch with friends around the world. In fact, since I log on to my msn, I am having Q&A session with friends for about 5 hours. At 11.30 pm I am still biting on my bread that I bought for dinner because it’s not easy to eat and answer each question. Notably that the tap water here are drinkable, so I don’t have to worry about drinking water.

For a kampong man like me who came to Japan, I know there are more to explore, and I am ready for all the surprises ahead. Though tired with the flight, but excited with what I’ve experienced so far.