[GoNative]

Thanks for posting those steel and bringing them to my attention John. I actually got a little emotional seeing the region I love so much featured like that. I've never seen any of his shows before and really enjoyed them.

The first restaurant he went to in this area, the yaki-tori place, is actually my favourite restaurant in Kutchan (called Torimatsu). I go there often and over the years have become quite good friends with the owners.

In Sapporo it's only the main sidewalks like down in Susukino that are heated. Many of the side streets are not and are quite treacherous in the winter.

And steel you shouldn't underestimate the quality of the food in this region. It's famous throughout Japan for it and people from all over come up here to sample the gastronomic delights on offer!