Don Quijote (ドン・キホーテ札幌店) - 24-Hour Shopping @ Sapporo [Hokkaido, Japan]

Mustafa Centre in Singapore is a 24-hr retail hub where you can spend hours going through its vast variety of products and in Japan, there's a similar shop, by the name of Don Quijote, that offers an equally impressive experience with a more stunning spread.

I heard so much about it from my friends that i made it a point to check it out on the first day i arrived in Sapporo; loved it so deeply that i dropped by on a daily basis just in case i missed out certain interesting products.

With five shop-able levels, i ignored basically level one (cosmetics, medicine etc) and five (game, dvd, cd) given the language barrier and that i am particularly when it comes to medications and beauty products.

Don Quijote is like a huge supermarket with almost everything under one roof and the one we have in Singapore (called Don Don Donki) honestly paled in comparison! Anyway, i am just going to show a few photographs in this post as i didn't take many.

Pet section with so many items; it put some of the pet shops in Singapore to shame. Pricing wise was comparable to Singapore; i am assuming here as i have been out of the pet industry for over 10 years.

One of my favourite sections; snacks! Big companies have the financial capability to buy in bulk and you can sometimes find the same food souvenir at a cheaper price in Don Quijote.

As any experienced Singaporean auntie will say; compare prices along the Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade before you make any purchase! Do consider the fact that you can get tax rebates if you manage to hit 5,000 yen and that's not hard to attain in Don Quijote!

Love Anello bags? They were priced very much cheaper in Japan and that's the original stuff. I should have taken a picture of the price tag as my memory is quite fuzzy. If i recall correctly, they were about 40-50% discount.

Pity i already had gotten a few pairs of shoes at Mitsui Outlet Park as the CROCS was 1,990 yen a pair (about S$24). On second thought, i should have go ahead and got a pair or two!

Was extremely tempted to get the electronic dartboard and am glad i managed to resist it as i eventually got a pretty decent one for S$45 at Decathlon Singapore.

Humongous white tiger heads at less than S$50 a head. The store tried its best to arrange everything according to their designated themes but the sheer amount of goods across so many categories made it a huge challenge!

Argh!!! Fireworks!!!

Since my last leg in Hokkaido was spent in the capital, i didn't know where i can play with fireworks and hence, refrained (sadly) from buying any. Those who plan to make Sapporo the first stop should consider buying the fireworks from Don Quijote as you get so many different types as compared to the convenience stalls in towns.

Quirky head masks - makes you wonder what you can do with them except for playing stupid games or acting in comedy skits.

The above can be used for themed parties, to scare people and to commit a crime where you would not be easily recognized! Those interested in cosplay would also find something in this "hobby section".

Guess you don't need any explanation for the costumes and unlike the branch in Singapore, you can actually find quite a decent range of sex toys for sale. And that includes devices (the small ones) used in the fifty shades of grey.

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Location

3 Chome-6 Minami 2 Jonishi, Chuo,

Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0062, Japan

(next to Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade Lane 3)

Map

As above.

For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.

Alex's Birthday 2018 and the Pandan Kaya Layer Cake from #CavinKitchen!

As some of you are aware, today is my housemate's birthday and i took pain to bake a cake specially for him! p.s. to be totally honest, practice makes perfect and i am always in need of guinea pigs.

Anyway, here's the birthday boy with my pandan kaya layer cake! 

The signature cake from bengawan solo is actually the asshole's favourite cake of all time and with the long hours invested to making this cake (e.g. i blended and squeezed the juice from pandan leaves), i think it's much easier to buy it from the confectionery next time.

Oh well, at least he was desperate to have the cake! 

Finally he got to business and sliced the cake; this is usually the moment i am waiting for since i could finally have a taste of my bakes right after the customary slice by the birthday boy. 

Lessons - i could definitely do with a larger piece of sponge cake and next time, i guess i should pour a layer of the pandan kaya kueh mix before placing the sponge cake. There's another problem; the kueh mix had a bitter aftertaste and i was thinking if there's anything wrong with the pandan leaves. 

For those who are looking for a recipe; click the kitchen tigress recipe here. I improvised a bit by adding shredded coconut and drizzling the cake with the irresistible gula melaka! 

Happy Birthday, Alex! 

Review of UNIZO Inn (Sapporo) - A Few Minutes' Walk from Odori Subway Station @ Hokkaido [Japan]

We have come to the last accommodation of our inaugural trip to Japan; UNIZO Inn @ Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido and fifth largest city in the land of the rising sun!

Along with our arrival also marked the return of the rental car that has been our convenient and main mode of transportation for the past five days! Therefore, i had a hard time choosing a hotel / inn for this Sapporo leg; it's has to be near a subway station yet wouldn't make us pay through our noses!

Checking in at the bright reception counter.

The lobby was decked out in white sofas which wouldn't be my preferred colour as it would be extremely noticeable once someone accidentally dirties it.

Hotel card was passed to me and at the same time, the receptionist brought out two large bags of mineral water and put them on the table. I was bewildered for a while and realized they were the so-called complimentary bottled water for our 3-night stay!

Room 903 - located right opposite the lift, my jaw dropped when i stepped into the room; it was tiny compared to the other accommodations we had in the last four days (i.e. airbnb in Furano, airbnb in Otaru, Daiwa Ryokan and Takimoto Inn).

Our window view.

Despite the cramped interior (13-14 square meters), it was surprisingly 'well equipped'; there's a safe, a mini fridge and an electric kettle for me to have a cup of 3-in-1 white coffee every morning.

Free WiFi; speed was decent! 

Since UNIZO is largely a business hotel, the services were skewed towards those on business trips. Hence, i found a LAN cable (for laptops) which isn't that commonly found in smaller hotels.

Double bed that appeared narrower than my queen-sized bed at home; to be exact, the information on the website indicated a width of 125 centimeters! Loving the simple clock at the bed frame and the conveniently placed USB ports for us to charge our phones while we sleep!

What's on the bed? A laptop tray for you to work on the bed as there's not much space for you at the dressing table! Honestly, i did manage to squeeze in my ASUS laptop although it's a hassle when using the mouse.

Pyjamas?!?! Well, i don't have a habit of wearing pajamas and prefer to sleep topless most of the times unless the weather was sickening cold! The thickest i have ever worn to bed was in Lijiang, Yunnan when the radiator broke down and night temperature dropped to zero degree celsius outside the hotel.

Television on the wall perpendicular to the bed - no way to watch the programmes until dozing off. Not an issue to me since i can make do without television; can't survive without my smart phone though.

No physical wardrobe by the way; just some bars with hangars for your clothes. However, I was impressed with the little thoughtful items like the lint remover and the fragrant spray for the clothes.

Instead of the irritating tags to hang over the door knob, UNIZO Inn uses magnetic tags (same as Taipei CityInn) that we can just throw literally on the door if we were to need the housekeepers to make up the room or steer clear from it.

Let's now explore the all-important washroom!

The usual toilet amenities; toothbrush with toothbrush, comb, cotton buds, shaver etc. There's also a dryer and I think a pack of cotton pads and shoeshine paper (obviously not for sneakers and i regret not bringing it back for my leather shoes back in Singapore).

*Gasp* remote control for the bidet and it came with a dryer version! I am so impressed with the toilets in Japan but given my small washroom cum bathroom; only a non-electronic bidet is possible.

Wait, nothing is impossible; especially when UNIZO Inn managed to squeeze in a Japanese soaking tub! I am not a big fan of long bath but the Japanese tub is something i enjoyed throughout my stay in Hokkaido!

Shiok to take a soak after a full day of walking! In case you have missed out the previous photograph, the inn provided three large bottles of shampoo, body soap and conditioner. No more having to ration the usage with those typically small bottles that's more than half gone after one usage.

We shall proceed to check out the rest of the hotel and hey, there's a ticket dispenser outside the lift of our floor. At 1,000 yen a ticket (more than S$10), the video on demand wasn't cheap and filled with titles of the triple-X nature.

Internet corner (with computers) was located on the first floor with vending machines and water dispenser. Those who wish to smoke may be pleased to know that there's a smoking room in the inn (opposite the vending machines).

Too many days in Japan and it's high time for you to wash your clothes?! Get it done at the laundry room where there were two wash and dry machines.

p.s. instructions in English were provided but you may wish to note that there's a fee; from the display, i think it's 3 kilograms for 500 yen (120 minutes) to wash your dirty clothes (detergent is automatically added) and another 100 yen to dry 3 kilograms for 30 minutes. To save the hassle, you can also request for laundry service!

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Location

3-3-10 Kita1-jonishi, Chuo-ku,

Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 060-0001,

Japan

Location Map

Check out under the label for "UNIZO Inn" under header "Sapporo (08-11 Aug)"

Exit from Underground Passage

The passage connects Sapporo Station and Odori Station and the nearest exit is number 7. However, if you need to take the lift, exit number 9 is the best!

Website

http://www.unizo-hotel.co.jp/en/inn-sapporo/

Pricing

Twin Room - S$129.50 via Hotels.com

(we didn't opt for breakfast)

For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.