Had a few days away in Hokkaido which is the least populated area of Japan. With it's cooler temperatures and open spaces it was the perfect antidote to Tokyo and a great place to let off steam.



This was atop of the highest point on the isalnd and, at 5 degrees C, the coolest place in Japan - some trees going autumnal already. We had a great time.

Food was special since it's really fresh up there. The best was the "Genghis Khan" restaurant. It was a tiny little place around a bar packed full of people half of them eating and half waiting for a spot. The staff were a miracle of ergonomics: one on veg one on the huge kettle one on the left side of the bar and the head chef who was continuously chopping up bits of icelandic lamb and monitoring our Genghis-Khan-helmet-shaped grill onto which he put lumps of lamb fat so we could fry effectively. It was more or less silent while we all focused on cooking and eating the lamb. I have no evidence but I imagine that Genghis would have been proud of them.