After completing all the formalities and putting their luggage away in the room, the two of them went to Sapporo Ramen Street to experience Sapporo's unique butter-flavored ramen.
This street is located in Susukino, in the heart of Sapporo.
It's called a street, but it's actually just a narrow alleyway a few dozen meters long.
Despite this, there are 17 ramen shops in this alley, and no other shops at all. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a ramen-only street.
The ramen shops that can survive on this street dedicated to ramen shops must have something special about them, if not the best.
And indeed, that proved to be true.
After dinner, the two went to the top of Mount Moyan to see the night view.
Before coming, Kōyū did some research. He heard that Sapporo's night view is among the top three in Japan, and one of the best places to view Sapporo's night view is the top of Mount Moiwa.
He had never been here before and didn't know if it was true or not.
It wasn't until he and Ai stood on the observation deck atop Mount Moiwa, overlooking the city from a 360-degree angle, that he was certain what he had said was true.
They were lucky; the snow stopped when they left the hotel, and now they could see twinkling stars in the deep night sky.
In the distance, the lights of Sapporo twinkled like stars across the land.
The scenery before them lived up to its reputation, and Kouyu and Ai felt that the trip was worthwhile. Moreover, the summit of Mount Moiwa was not just a great place to enjoy the night view.
The observation deck located on the mountaintop is a famous "love sanctuary" in the Sapporo area.
On the observation deck stands a uniquely designed "Happiness Bell":
The base is hexagonal, while the main body is shaped like an upside-down diamond placed on the ground, with the cone-shaped part elongated.
The clock hangs on the diamond-shaped base, with a chain hanging from the pendulum inside to strike it.
It is said that a couple who ring the "Happiness Bell" together will be blessed with happiness.
Beside this "Bell of Happiness," just like in many other places around the world, such as the Pont des Arts in Paris, you can hang a "love lock."
Lovers can write their names on the lock, hang it up, and throw away the key.
It symbolizes that they will never be separated.
The souvenir shop on the mountain sells locks and also provides markers.
On the way up the mountain, Guangyou naturally bought a lock as well.
The lock not only has the initials of their two names, but also cartoon portraits of the two of them drawn by Kwang-yu.
After hanging the lock in the designated place, Kōyū and Ayā stood inside the "Bell of Happiness," holding hands, while their other two hands shook the hanging chain together.
"Clang~ Clang~"
The clear chimes carried the two people's hopes for the future, soaring into the night sky.
The two then smiled at each other, walked hand in hand to the railing, leaned against each other, and enjoyed the night view.
Whether the "love lock" and the "happiness bell" are effective or not is actually not important.
Most importantly, the person you love is right beside you right now.
Being able to lean on each other, overlooking the city and enjoying the night view, is surely a kind of happiness, isn't it?
The nights in Sapporo in February were a bit chilly, but the two hearts that were pressed together were warm.
...
Sapporo has many attractions worth visiting, and Koyu and Ai spent several days there.
For example, Odori Park, which is known as the "heart of Sapporo".
In February, Datong Park was covered in snow and ice, making it very beautiful.
The two arrived just in time for the closing of the Sapporo Snow Festival, which is held every February, and experienced the atmosphere of the festival.
I went to the Sapporo TV Tower and enjoyed the pleasant winter scenery of Sapporo from the observation deck. I also saw some of Sapporo's unique architecture.
After that, the two visited Sapporo's iconic clock tower and the famous Shiroi Koibito Park.
Shiroi Koibito Park features a fairytale-like village of gnomes and a rose garden.
Both places are great for taking photos, and of course, Kōyū took a few pictures of Ai as souvenirs.
Unfortunately, the two of them went in February. If they had gone in the summer, they could have seen hundreds of varieties and thousands of rose bushes in bloom.
There is also a puppet carnival clock tower performance in the park on the hour.
It was quite nice to enjoy the delicious Shiroi Koibito ice cream while touring the area.
Of course, Shiroi Koibito Park has more to offer than just these attractions; most people who come here are there specifically for the Shiroi Koibito Factory.
"Shiroi Koibito" is not a couple with a tragic love story, but a type of chocolate-filled biscuit made by a company in Sapporo.
There's no story behind the name; it's simply because the founder casually remarked on his way back from skiing in December of one year, "White Lovers have descended to earth."
This information is written on the back of the product packaging.
Shiroi Koibito Park was specially converted from a factory building by this company.
The park features a chocolate museum and a factory that makes "Shiroi Koibito" (White Lover) chocolates, where visitors can also make their own.
They each made one and gave it to the other.
What Guangyou particularly liked was that, in addition to their names, the copy Ai gave him also had a sun pattern surrounded by hearts.
According to Ai Haibara, this sun is also him.
"Shiroi Koibito" (White Lover) is one of Hokkaido's specialties.
In terms of sales as a local specialty, Shiroi Koibito (White Lover) ranks among the top in Japan, making it a great souvenir.
There are shops selling souvenirs inside the park, and many of the items are exclusive to this area.
The two planned to have a good time and then come back here to buy some souvenirs before flying back to Tokyo from New Chitose Airport.
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