Ein bier? Nein! ビル？ はい！！ かんぱい！！

Oh what a day, what a day! I could say I didn't do that much, but then again, I could say I did. I'm going to go with the latter. I woke up rather late this morning, around 8:30 after waking up multiple times during the nght. I still don't think my body has gotten used to the time change, especially since I've been going to bed at around 10:30, which is super early for my standards. After getting my lazy butt of of bed, I walked downstairs and made myself a cup of really crappy free coffee. I'd rather pay for a good cup than have a shitty free one. I then went straight to the computer to check my email, Twitter, facebook, and whatnot, something that felt really good to be ablevto do sin e I was away from it all for so long. Not to say I can't live without the interwebz, but how would I let all of you know what I'm up to in the land of the rising sun? Tell me that, huh! So after shmoozing around the hostel, I figured that I would go out and walk around Sapporo to familiarize myself with the place. I stepped outside and BAM! It started raining. I liked it though, so I just went back inside and grabbed my sweater, something I thought I would have no use for In japan. But it was rather cold outside, so it was worth having. I can't believe how the weather changes so much over such a short distance. I mean, Tokyo was super hot and sticky, and in Hokkaido, it's freezing. What's the deal (with airline food)?? So after getting to Shiroishi station, I picked up an iced coffee and snack from one of the thousands of vending machines that are in the city. I then got off at Odori station, thinking I could save some money by walking to Sapporo station. Turns out it costs the exact same amount and I ended up wasting twenty minutes walking there. Now this whole journey was just to pick up a card reader so I could dump all of my pictures to my blackberry so I would have more space. Once I got to the station, I headed over to the electronics store, grabbed a card reader, and went on my way. Now after all of that, which has nothing to do with Japan or adventure, the fun really started. I don't know if I mentioned it, but one of the reasons I wanted to travel to Hokkaido was to try the many famous brews that come from the area. And this time of the year is very special, because during a three week period starting the 21st of July (Today!!!!), all of the major beer companies set up biergartens in the massive Odori Park. Each company gets one of the 12 or so sections of Odori Park to set up shop and offer their exclusive brews, many of which I have never seen or heard of in America. So I headed off to Odori Park from the station, which took me another good twenty minutes of walking. Once I got there, I knew I was entering heaven. There in front of me was the Suntory biergarten. I walked through the bannered entrance, and found myself in what was essentialy a massive outdoor beer hall. There were bunches of groups, sitting at tables and feasting on barbequed fish and meats, with hundreds of waiters in outfits taking constant orders for beer. On each side of the tables there were refill stations to which you would bring your drink ticket, and in return they would hand you a frosty mug of liquid gold, or in my case liquid black. I'd say most of the beers that I ordered from the different gartens were specialty black label beers, which had a dark molasses color to them. Suntory's was especially amazing, as it had a sweet and creamy taste to it that I had never experienced before. They weren't only serving mugs though! They had mini kegs for small groups, and for larger groups they had these monstrous 6ft tall tubes filled with beer that would dispense from a small spout. Each of the companies also had a different centerpiece at their setup, along with stages where performers would entertain the drunken masses. After trying the standard Suntory brew, I moved on to the next block of the park where the infamous Asahi brewing company was stationed. Now before I went on to my next taste test, I got a couple of barbequed snacks to satisfy my hunger. Asahi as well had a special black label beer, which was like Suntory's except it had a sharper taste to it. Asahi's booth wasn't as packed as I would have hoped, but then again I was there a bit on the early side. I then moved on to the next block, which housed another well known name, the powerhouse of japan's beer business, Sapporo. Now their selection was a bit different, as they had three brews that were very special. I only tried two, as to avoid alcohol's effects, and they were both delicious. The first was another black label which was good because it had a sort of spicyness to it. The second was one that none of the other companies offered, an amber ale. That one was equally delicious, but was much lighter tasting with a slightly sweet wheaty taste. The third one, which I plan to try tomorrow, is called Sopporo Classic and is only offered in Hokkaido. I was satisfied though with what I had and decided to head back to the hostel. Oh, there were a couple other companies there that I am eager to try throughout the rest of the week, Otaru, Hakodate, and Taisetsu, but those will had to have waited as well. So I took the train back to the hostel and rested up a bit. After about an hour, I decided it was time to eat, so I asked the lady at the front desk where a good cheap place to eat was. She recommended the ramen shop on the corner, so I went there. The shop was a tiny wood covered building with a sliding door. I entered the restaurant and found myself being the only one there. I sat down, and decided to try something new, so I ordered the spicy ramen. Boy was it spicy!! I'm pretty sure I went through a pitcher of water while eating. Anyways, after having that delicious meal, I decided it was time to rest up for whatever I am going to do tomorrow. I took a nice hot Japanese style bath before going to bed, during which I had a nice chat with a Japanese man staying in the same hostel as me. Remember that in japan, baths are public, so if you plan to go to one during your stay, you better not be afraid to be naked in front of others. The taboo of it in america is not how it is in the rest of the world. Yeah, so I don't really have anything specific planned for tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll make a day trip to some city near Sapporo. Something always happens everyday, whether I expect it or not.Well, we'll see what happens!