KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館), Sapporo (札幌), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.24
Day 10 (3/6).
During our Hokkaido trip, we visited three works by Japanese architect Tadao Ando (安藤 忠雄): the Chapel on the Water in Tomamu, the Hill of the Buddha in Makomanai Takino Cemetery, and in Sapporo, the Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan (北菓楼札幌本館). The Japanese confectionery store is housed in the two-storey brick masonry building that was once the first library (北海道庁立図書館) and the first ever art museum in Hokkaido. Then, after being used as an archive of public records, the most recent renewal by Tadao Ando opened the building to the public once again. Ando’s team has done a great job in preserving the masonry structure and interior features of the original building such as the elegant stair at the building corner. They also created an airy atrium space with white cross vault ceiling and large bookcases on the upper level to remind visitors the building’s history as a library. Today, the lower level serves as a flagship store selling Kitakaro’s confectionery while the upper level is a popular cafe.
The historical library building (北海道庁立図書館) is a beautiful piece of architecture dated to 1920’s.
The original masonry facades are well preserved.
Little contemporary touches give new life to the former library building.
The main entrance of the confectionery shop, a glazed box attached to the side of the history building, presents a visual contrast to the original structure and suggests a sense of respect to the heritage building by not mingling a “fake antique” with the old.
The original stone stair is well kept. It leads visitors up to the cafe on the upper level.
This stone stair has become a popular photo shooting spot for visitors.
The ground level is occupied by the confectionery store. Here visitors can appreciate the white vaulted ceiling overhead and the airy atrium.
The red brick walls are well preserved, while the new vaulted structure is completely detached from the old masonry facade.
From the upper level visitors can appreciate the variety of the colourful boxes of sweets available.
The interior design of the cafe is inspired by the building’s former use as a library. Bookcases are used as feature walls that stand out from the white surroundings.
The cafe is popular with both locals and tourists .
It is pleasant to dine in such an airy environment with super high ceiling.
Spaghetti with scallop in cream sauce. The cream sauce is surprisingly light but rich in scallop flavour. The cream sauce has the subtle sweetness of the fresh scallops.
This is Kitakaro’s Special Omelet Rice. What lies underneath the layer of fresh and soft omelet is a combination of rice and Hokkaido beef. It is served with a rich sweet sauce. This dish might look simple but the combined aromatic flavor from the fresh Hokkaido ingredients is really remarkable.
The famous cream puff with smooth and silky cream that melts in the mouth, leaving behind a milky aftertaste that lingers.
Hokkaido is famous for its lavender fields in the summer. Just like Ando’s Hill of the Buddha, lavender is used at the Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan (北菓楼札幌本館) to give some pleasant colours to the historical structure.
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Introduction
HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP, Hokkaido (北海道)
Day 1 – from Tokyo to Shiretoko Peninsula
Day 1.1 TSUKIJI OUTER MARKET (築地場外市場)
Day 1.2 ARRIVAL IN SHIRETOKO, Utoro (ウトロ)
Day 2 – Utoro
Day 2.1 SHIRETOKO FIVE LAKES (知床五湖)
Day 2.2 UTORO FISHERMAN’S WIVES CO-OPERATIVE DINER (ウトロ漁協婦人部食堂)
Day 2.3 FUREPE FALLS (フレペの滝)
Day 3 – Rausu
Day 3.1 RUSA FIELD HOUSE (ルサフィールドハウス)
Day 3.2 JUN NO BANYA (純の番屋)
Day 4 – Rausu
Day 4.1 MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳)
Day 4.2 FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡)
Day 5 – Lake Mashu & Lake Akan
Day 5.1 SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖)
Day 5.2 MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈)
Day 5.3 SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖)
Day 6 – On the road from Lake Akan to Furano
Day 6.1 FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖)
Day 6.2 TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝)
Day 6.3 ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野)
Day 7 Furano & Biei
Day 7.1 LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.2 FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.3 BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.4 PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.5 NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス)
Day 8 – from Furano to Otaru
Day 8.1 CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾート トマム)
Day 8.2 HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園)
Day 8.3 SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽)
Day 8.4 RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽)
Day 9 – Yochi & Sapporo
Day 9.1 NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市)
Day 9.2 SOUP CURRY NIGHT
Day 10 – Sapporo
10.1 OKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 )
10.2 MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店)
10.3 KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館)
10.4 SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE
10.5 GOTSUBO OYSTER BAR(五坪)
10.6 MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠)
Day 11 – Sapporo
11.1 FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎)
11.2 RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社)
DAY 1 (3/6): TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM (東京国立博物館), Ueno Park (上野公園), Tokyo, Japan, 2017.06.14
After the magnificent lunch bento at Innsyoutei, we followed the main path further into Ueno Park to reach the museum clusters. Here one can find the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, National Museum of Wester Art, as well as the largest of them all, the Tokyo National Museum. Established in 1872, the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館) is the oldest and largest Japanese museum. We didn’t plan to see everything. We were a little tired from the flight, so we took it easy to explore the museum complex.
The Tokyo National Museum is consisted of several buildings: Honkan, Toyokan, Heiseikan, Hyokeikan, etc. We started with Honkan, the main museum hall. This present Honkan was designed by Watanabe Jin. The building was completed in 1938 to replace its predecessor designed by British architect Josiah Conder. The former building was severely damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
There are two main levels in the Honkan. We walked up the grand staircase to the upper level to begin our visit.
Beautiful amours of samurai and shogunate were some of the most impressive artefacts in the museum.
The “Fujin and Raijin”or the Wind and Thunder God by Ogata Korin reminded us our visit to Kyoto’s Kenninji Temple (建仁寺), the original location of the screen. At Kenninji, we saw a replica of the famous screen.
The Yaksha Generals (12 Heavenly Generals) is one of the most impressive display in the historical sculpture collection.
Architectural drawings by British architects from the 19th century reveal the popularity of Western culture in Japan during the Meiji Period.
Historical photograph of a Japanese samurai taken in 1862.
At Honkan, there is a room opens to the garden behind the museum. The room is decorated with exquisite mosaic and plastered motifs.
A traditional telephone matches well with the historical decor.
A garden of traditional pavilion and reflective pool provided some fresh air during our museum visit. Unfortunately the pavilion was inaccessible from the museum.
Apart from sculptures, paintings and photographs, historical textiles and garments also provided us a glimpse of the old Japan.
The museum shop at Honkan is beautiful designed. A gentle passageway ramps up to the upper mezzanine. Along the ramp stands a low wall of book display.
After Honkan, we walked to the adjacent Toyokan Building. Toyokan houses a few levels of artifacts and artworks from Asia and the Middle East.
The Chinese and Korean exhibits reveal the close linkage between the cultures of the Far East.
The Toyokan also contains some interesting pieces from Egypt and the Near East. After visiting Honkan and Toyokan, we had a little more understanding on the heritage of Japan, and felt it was time to check out the other museums in Ueno Park. So we exited the Tokyo National Museum, passed by a gigantic model of a blue whale in front of the National Museum of Nature and Science and headed towards the National Museum of Western Art.
Blue Lapis Road 