[JohnBraden]

I just saw his newest episode, filmed a few weeks prior to the Great Tohoku and Kanto Earthquake. This time he visited Hokkaido. I was glad he finally went off the beaten path and went to Japan's "Wild West".

I immediately thought of Go Native when I saw this episode, as he was quite close to his Kutchan. He started in Sapporo and then went to an izakaya in Niseko. The following day, he went skiing nearby and had lunch in a soba-ya in Niseko.

Anthony also headed to a ramen shop in Shiraoi and visited the Ainu people. It was enlightening how similar their predicament is with the Native American people here in the U.S. Finally he headed to an onsen in Noboribetsu and had a robatayaki meal.

It was quite interesting to see that Sapporo's sidewalks are warmed and there's no snow, while the pavement is inches deep in the stuff.

I don't know if I'll go back up there as a tourist. It would be awesome to go, but it's quite far from 'mainland" Japan. All I saw of Hokkaido was Wakkanai airport and a few buildings in that area. Ooops, I don't know if I was supposed to mention that, seeing as I "was never there, oficially"....wink, wink....

Anyway, I thought of Go Native throughout the episode. I don't know if you know who Anthony Bourdain is or have ever seen any of his episodes, but if you're interested, pm me and we can talk.