Winter Wonderland in Hokkaido

Seeing snow is fascinating as we never get to experience it in sunny Singapore. Can you imagine our excitement when we first glimpsed the thick blanket of snow embracing the city of Hokkaido from the tiny window of the plane? Our stomachs fluttered and our hearts skipped a bit like we were in love! We were in love - in love with the magical and enchanting winter wonderland. Skiing is the first activity we did in Hokkaido (like many people do). It was our first time skiing and we went to a beginner-friendly ski resort - Sapporo Teine Ski Resort. It has a good selection of trails from advance to beginner. Arming with our ski gears in our many layers of clothes, we set off to the Olympia Zone which has less steep trails and a family park for sledding. It is named the Olympia Zone because the trail is used for ski events during the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics. We were thrilled to be able to ski on the very slope that the Olympic athletes competed in! Skiing is difficult, it needs a lot of controlling and balancing on slippery ground. We couldn't really get use to it and kept falling down (as seen in photos) but we definitely had fun. It's an exhilarating experience! Try when you get the chance. The following day, we went to see trees in Biei Town. They are not just any trees. They are famous trees which appeared in commercial ads and have attracted a lot of visitors in the past year. Some of the famous trees are the Seven Star Tree, Christmas Tree and mother-and-child tree. Against the snowy backdrop, the trees look even more magnificent. I came to know that Biei Town is beautiful in spring with bed of flowers blooming. If you are not rushing for time, you can plan this 'tree hunting/flower watching' trip into your itinerary! 1. Sapporo Teine Ski Resort Address - 172 Teinekanayama, Teine Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 006-0049, Japan Getting there - About 45 minutes by train and bus via JR Teine Station. About 40 minutes from central Sapporo via Teine IC. Admission fee - Full day 5700 yen (SGD$57) Half day 4600 yen (SGD$46) Nighter 2300 yen (SGD$23) 2. Biei Town Address - Kamikawa District, Hokkaido, Japan Getting there - About an hour and 20 minutes from Sapporo on the JR Hokadate Line to Asahikawa Station. Attractions - Trees in winter and flowers in spring! #hokkaido #tripblazers #winter