北海道で一生懸命に勉強中

Sorry for the lack of update!
As expected, there is limited internet access here. I am sitting at the window of the HIF student lounge and my laptop is connected to one of the few numbers of cables they have here.
I talked to my mom and aunt online. After not seeing me for half a month they both asked immediately "how was the food?". Since this is probably going to be a universal concern and topic of interest, here is my yet to be continued journey of exploring amazingly delicious Japanese cuisine :)

There is a nationally famous morning seafood market 2 minute walk away from hakodate station--函館朝市. The last day before we moved into our host family, a couple of friends and I decide to get up early and visit there. Otherwise, we will have to travel by train in the morning to catch the 5:30 market from our host family.
I am glad we did.
Walking passing by rows and rows of street vendors, we saw water tanks with gigantic crabs that waved their claws at us;
we saw perfect-looking melons of all the same size and color put in boxes and sold as around $35 each. While we were wondering if the melon with heavenly high price really has heavenly delicious taste, we ran into this street vendor that sold slices of melon for a taste. There was 100 en pieces and 200 en pieces and I had the 200 one. All I can say is that was the best melon I've had in my life--it tasted like melon flavored icecream melting in your mouth, except infinitely better. Apparently melon is a local specialty here, and they also do national deliver service, just as the picture below shows.

I was too distracted by the morning market the whole morning after our visit at 6 am. So at lunch time, we came back to one of the many small restaurants at the area (probably as authentic as you can get for Japanese food) and ordered a meal for ourselves. This is what I got:


Ika (squid) is seen everywhere here. If the city has a mascot this is it. Isn't this the custest sign ever?
Even their manholes:
Later that day I bought a box of the most perfect strawberries. They are all of the same size, color and facing the same direction. I wonder what the Japanese people did with the ones that are not of the right size...


Japan has been amazing so far. Food is just one of the reasons that made it so, but I will stop here for this time since the center is closing down.
Thank you for reading!
until next time :)