Sapporo

This looks like a regular street to you, but to me, it’s a delicious reminder of home. Tokyo streets are ridiculous; they rarely go in the same direction for very long, and they rarely cross at right angles. Also, Tokyo’s buildings are packed together so tightly that you’d never have much of a view as to how the streets are laid out anyway. The young city of Sapporo, however, was designed with the help of USAmericans who really knew how to get their grid on. The cool, windy weather also helped to make me feel like I was right at home in Chicago. Sapporo is in Hokkaidou, Japan’s northernmost and most recently civilized island. Hiroko and I went up there for a few days before she had to go back to the USA. It’s very scenic, and its history as an international trading hub makes walking around looking at the old ports and warehouses quite interesting.