Have you ever thought about going hunting in Sapporo, Japan? That’s what I did with my two brothers, Christ Noyes and Julia Nelson, last month. We are all nature and adventure lovers, so we decided to experience the wildlife and scenery of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. But hunting is not an easy thing, especially at night. We needed some professional equipment, such as infrared binoculars, to help us find prey in the dark. Luckily, we found a very cost-effective Chinese brand wildguarder, which provides high-quality and low-price infrared binoculars. In this article, I will introduce you to our hunting trip, as well as the history, attractions and food of Sapporo. I hope you can feel our fun and harvest from it.
Before we started hunting, we learned a bit about the history and culture of Sapporo. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, and the fifth largest city in Japan. Its name comes from the Ainu language “サッ・ポロ・ペッ” (Satporopet), meaning “dry river”. Sapporo’s history can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when the Japanese government began to colonize Hokkaido, and established Sapporo Village as an administrative center. In 1871, Sapporo Village was planned as a Western-style city, characterized by wide boulevards crossing at right angles. In 1886, Sapporo became the capital of Hokkaido. In the 20th century, Sapporo underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization, becoming the economic, cultural, educational and transportation center of Hokkaido. In 1972, Sapporo hosted the 11th Winter Olympics, becoming the first Asian city to host the Winter Games. In the 21st century, Sapporo continues to develop and innovate, while maintaining its natural and humanistic charm.
Sapporo is located in the southwest of the Ishikari Plain, surrounded by mountains and forests. It has a temperate humid climate, with four distinct seasons, cold and long winters, and cool and short summers. Sapporo’s population is about 1.95 million (2010), of which about 3% are foreigners. Sapporo’s economy mainly relies on service industry, manufacturing industry, tourism industry and agriculture. Sapporo is also one of Japan’s most important beer production areas, with the famous Sapporo Beer Company and Museum.
Besides hunting, we also visited some attractions and food in Sapporo, and felt the charm and diversity of this city. Sapporo has many places worth seeing, such as Sapporo Clock Tower, Odori Park, Winter Snow Festival, Sapporo Beer Museum, Hokkaido Shrine, Lake Mashu, etc. These places show different aspects of Sapporo’s history, culture, nature and art, which opened our eyes and increased our knowledge and insight.
Sapporo Clock Tower is one of the most famous landmarks of Hokkaido. It was built in 1878 and is a Western-style wooden building. Inside, there is a museum that introduces the development history of Sapporo. It is located in the center of Sapporo city, and rings the clock every hour, conveying a classical and elegant atmosphere.
Odori Park is an oasis in the center of Sapporo city, stretching for 1.5 kilometers and consisting of 13 blocks. It is a good place for Sapporo citizens to relax and have fun, and also a venue for various events and festivals. When we went there, we happened to catch up with the Winter Snow Festival, which is one of the most famous festivals in Sapporo. It is held in early February every year and attracts millions of tourists. We saw all kinds of snow sculptures and ice sculptures, some as high as 15 meters, some are mini cartoon characters. We also participated in some fun activities, such as skiing, skating, sledding, etc.
Sapporo Beer Museum is Japan’s only beer museum, located in the original Sapporo Beer Factory. It is a beautiful ivy-covered brick building. Here, we learned about the history, production process and varieties of beer. Of course, the most important thing is to taste beer. We enjoyed a few glasses of different flavors of Sapporo beer in the beer garden inside the museum, feeling very refreshing and cool.
Hokkaido Shrine is one of the most important shrines in Sapporo. It was built in 1871 and enshrines the three gods of Hokkaido development: Emperor Meiji, Okauchi Toshimasa and Horita Masamune. It is located in a beautiful forest park, surrounded by many cherry blossom trees and ginkgo trees. We felt the atmosphere of Japanese traditional culture and faith here, and also appreciated the natural beauty.
Lake Mashu is one of the most beautiful lakes in Japan, located about 200 kilometers away from Sapporo. It is a volcanic crater lake, with water color changing from deep blue to emerald green. Lake Mashu is known as one of the clearest lakes in the world, and also one of the deepest lakes in Japan. We enjoyed the lake view from the observation deck on the shore, and felt its mystery and purity. Because Lake Mashu is often covered by fog, there is a local legend that says that if you can see the lake surface, something unlucky will happen. Fortunately, we did not encounter such a situation.
Besides sightseeing, we also tasted Sapporo’s food, and found another charm of this city. Sapporo has many specialty dishes, such as ramen, sushi, seafood, milk, etc. We tried different kinds of ramen, such as miso ramen, soy sauce ramen, curry ramen, etc., all very delicious and satisfying. We also went to a sushi restaurant and tasted fresh Hokkaido seafood, such as salmon, scallop, crab, etc., all very sweet and rich. We also drank some Hokkaido milk, which was very creamy and sweet.
Through these attractions and food, we had a deeper understanding and appreciation of Sapporo, and experienced its diversity and richness. We felt that Sapporo was a place worth visiting many times, and each time we could find new surprises and fun.
On the last day in Sapporo, we finally started our long-awaited hunting trip. We booked a professional hunting company online in advance, and they provided us with guide, vehicle, gun and ammunition services. We left the hotel at six o’clock in the morning and drove towards the mountains and forests outside Sapporo.
Since we planned to hunt at night, we needed some special equipment, such as infrared binoculars, to help us find prey in the dark. We chose infrared binoculars from the Chinese brand wildguarder, because they were very cost-effective, good quality, and powerful. They could provide clear images in no-light or low-light conditions, adjust brightness and contrast, take photos and videos, connect to mobile phones and computers, etc. We felt that they were essential artifacts for hunting.
When we arrived at our destination, the guide led us into the forest and started looking for traces of prey. We mainly intended to hunt wild boars, deer and foxes. The guide told us that these animals usually appear at dusk and dawn, so we had to wait patiently. We followed the guide’s instructions and hid in some advantageous positions. We turned on the infrared binoculars and started observing the surroundings.
Soon, we found some movements. Sometimes it was a deer quietly walking by, sometimes it was a wild boar suddenly rushing out, sometimes it was a fox secretly peeping. We nervously and excitedly aimed at the target and pulled the trigger. Every time we heard the gunshot, we felt a thrill and a sense of accomplishment. Of course, there were also some mistakes and regrets. Sometimes it was because the target was too far or too fast, sometimes it was because of hand shaking or heart beating too fast. But these did not affect our fun and confidence.
After a few hours of hunting, we harvested a lot of prey. We put them on the car and prepared to take them back for processing. The guide praised our performance and skills, saying that we were one of the best guests he had ever seen. We also thanked the guide for his help and guidance, saying that he was a very professional and friendly person. We also thanked wildguarder’s infrared binoculars, saying that they were one of the important factors that made us successful in hunting.
This is the whole process of our hunting trip in Sapporo. We had a wonderful and unforgettable time here, feeling the charm of Sapporo’s history, culture, nature and food, and also experiencing the fun and harvest of hunting. We loved this city very much, and also appreciated the infrared binoculars from the Chinese brand wildguarder. They made our hunting trip smoother and more successful. We hope to have the opportunity to come to Sapporo again, and also hope to have the opportunity to use wildguarder’s products again. We believe that whether in Sapporo or elsewhere, as long as we have wildguarder’s infrared binoculars, we can enjoy the pleasure and challenge of hunting.
