Hokkaido Day 3

the view from our lakeside hotel room

we were in those family rooms with the tatami mats where we sleep on the floor.
apparently there were some rooms with beds but they were mainly for 2 people and we had 3 :(

view from the hotel
the room where we ate from for our buffet dinner the night before and breakfast

we also got to go to their spa before dinner :D

breakfast with a view hehe glass windows from floor to ceiling..

very nice ;)

they had this courtyard you could go out on to take pics of the lake :D

the drums on stage where there was a performance the night before during dinner.

there were male and female drumers though only 3 people in total.. man their biceps were huge!!

both male n females



pics from the courtyard in the morning. was quite cold

they had a small water feature where the water runs down the wall and down the small river into the lake

we went to see this bear park where u can buy a bag of apples and biscuits and throw them into the enclosure for the bears and racoons to eat :D

the bears were trained to stand on their hind legs and wave or put a paw up as a means of asking for food

there were quite a few enclosures of different bears.. they all stood up if they wanted apples and if u throw it at them they caught it in their strong mouths.

natural spring in the mountains.. u can see the steam from the natural spring as it is so hot.

some really nice colours on the mountain from the plants n trees :D

the sand or sulphur from the natural springs in the ground.. the ground there was about 60 degrees which was fenced off.

some nice trails around the natural springs.. was quite cold tho so i sort of dissappeared into a shop for warmth :D

ice cream vending machine :D

i saw others try it but i didnt.. too cold :P

next.. our big seafood lunch!! we had to go and pick the seafood ourselves. pay for it.. and they prepare it for us and bring it to our table ready for hot pot :D

the view outside the restaurant.

our hotpot veggies etc to go with the seafood



our hot pot at the start :D looking very bare

our seafood :P all raw.. the crap was cut up with the shell stuff etc..



our raw crab... with some other things.. ive never tried raw crab before :S but it was true.. the meat was quite sweet :)

my friends love the caviar.. and theirs were huge in japan!! nicer then the ones here too.. they didnt have that fishy smell at all.. very fresh ;)

our hot pot underway.. hehe :P yum

had some raw fish thing i think.. tried it raw.. and tried it cooked :P
was quite soft .. tasty :P bit fatty

they had these huge things on the roof of the restaurant



took some nice scenic pics near the water :D

we had more hotpot that night for dinner.. surprised i didnt nosebleed :P



we got this special beef to try that was quite expensive.. its like a special type of cow that has oils massaged into its skin alot so the fat in this beef was quite even.



came in its own box and wrapping with a certificate even about the cow.. wat it was fed.. how old it was.. which farm n farmer it came from etc. all neatly documented to show you are eating quality meat.

beef was quite nice :D tasted better stirfried then boiled tho..

abalone!!! :D huge ones.. cooked fresh before us =\.. never had to watch this things squirm before while they were cooked alive >_<