Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

I am in Japan. I have never been to Japan. But now I am here, eight days now. I am participating in the Pacific Music Festival  and will be ending my time in Asia with a brief orchestra tour to Tokyo, Shenyang and Bejing, China.

What is Sapporo like? Well, I'm sure everybody will tell you different things, but here I will give a brief summary of things that I have noticed and discussed with others.

LAND

• I had heard there were mountains, but it has been a nice surprise to see such a variety in the landscape. The green mountains are not terribly tall, but have many peaks and account for a number of windy roads for the city.
• Sapporo was the host city of the winter Olympics in 1972. Because of that, there are various sites in the city that were built in this time. Across the street from our hotel is the ice skating rink and some other stadium. There are also tons of pathways that run along the Makomonai River and small but beautiful bridges that I suppose were constructed for this event.
• Cars drive on the left. If I don't come back from Sapporo, it's probably because I looked to the right before crossing the street.
• Does anybody jaywalk?

FOOD

• Whether it's fish, beef, pork, rice or noodles, you can bet that it has a fishy taste.
• With the exception of some soups, there are few hot foods. Cold meats, salads and noodles are common. 
• Melons are ridiculously expensive. But they are incredibly delicious and sweet. We get to enjoy them at our lunches at the Art Park (where we rehearse) restaurant.
• Most common vegetables of the US are rare. Instead you will mostly find cabbage and tomatoes. Egg also may top a salad. Vegetables, like fruit are very expensive.

OTHER

• Not a lot of trash cans. Not a lot of trash. Where does it disappear to?!
• Hotel keys are a bit weird. I have to share one metal key with my roommate and to keep the lights on in the room, you are supposed to put this keycard in a slot on the desk.
• The smallest bill in Yen is 1000, which is about 12 dollars. So this amounts to a lot of change in your pocket!

Life is busy here, but I'm managing to have some fun!

More about the festival itself later :)