Ma ka lā 23 o Malaki ua lele nā pua o Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani i kahi ʻoluʻolu ʻo Hokkaido. No kekahi o mākou, ʻo kēia ka wā mua a mākou i huakaʻi ai ma waho o ʻAmelika a ua hoihoi nō ka lele ʻana mai Shinjuku a hiki loa i Hokkaido kahi i noho ai ka poʻe ʻoiwi ʻo ka Ainu hoʻi. He mau lawaiʻa ka poʻe Ainu a no ko lākou hoʻomana he ʻano mālama ʻāina.
Ua ala mākou ma kahi o ka hola 6:30 ma ke kakahiaka nui i hiki ke hōʻea ma ke kahua mokulele ma mua o ka hola 10. Ma mua o ka haʻalele ʻana mai ka hōkele ua ʻai nui mākou ma ka hale ʻāina ʻo Mermaid a māʻona ko mākou ʻōpū. Ke pau kēlā, ua kalaiwa loa mākou i ke kahua mokulele ʻo Haneda, he hoʻokahi hola ka lōʻihi o ke kalaiwa ʻana. Ma laila nō mākou i mahalo aku ai iā Shinho, ka wahine i kōkua a mālama nui iā mākou e noho ana ma Shinjuku. Ua pā ka naʻau o Shinho i kō mākou aloha iā ia a ua ʻike ʻia ka nui loa o kona mahalo iā mākou. Ma hope mai, ua haʻalele mākou no Hokkaido. I ka hōʻea ana o mākou i Hokkaido ua ʻike ʻia ka hau e heleleʻi ʻana a he mea pūʻiwa maoli kēia no mākou ʻoiai ʻaʻole he mea maʻamau ma Hawaiʻi. Ma hope o kēlā, ua kalaiwa mākou i Eat Up a ua ʻai mākou i ka nui o ko mākou makemake. He sushi ʻoe, he kupa papapa azuki ʻoe, he ʻiʻo hipa ʻoe a pēlā wale aku nā ʻono lhaliha o Hokkaido. I ka māʻona ana o kō mākou ʻōpū, ua aloha aku mākou i ka poʻe hana o ka hale ʻāina a haʻalele mākou mai laila a hōʻea i ka hōkele ʻo Emissary ma Sapporo.
Ua hālāwai pōkole mākou me ke kāne no kēia hōkele i walaʻau e pili ana ka mōʻaukala a me ka nani o Sapporo. ʻO Dima Azarov kona inoa no ka hui Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation. Ua nui kona ʻike no ka hoʻokele waiwai o Sapporo nei. He ʻaha pia he ʻelua mahina ka lōʻihi, he ʻaha meaʻai he ʻelua mahina, he ʻaha Kalikimana Kelemania, a he ʻaha kiʻi hau anu i kaulana a puni ka honua. A i kēia manawa ʻānō ke nanea nei mākou i ka hōkele nei.
On March 23rd the students and teachers of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani flew to Hokkaido. For some of us, this was the first time we flew outside of America and the flight from Shinjuku all the way to the home of the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido was amazing. The Ainu people are fisherman and their religion is to care for the land.
We woke up around 6:30 in the morning so that we could make it to the airport before 10. Before we left the hotel we ate at the Mermaid restaurant at the hotel until we were overstuffed. When that was finished, we drove all the way to Haneda airport which was about an hour away. There was said our goodbyes to Shiho, the woman who cared and helped us while we stayed in Shinjuku. She was so grateful for all of our aloha. Then we left no Hokkaido. When we arrived in Hokkaido we saw snow falling for the first time and man it was such a surprise since itʻs not often we see that in Hawaiʻi. Afterwards, we drove to Eat Up where we ate all we wanted. Sushi, azuki bean soup and so much more. And then we left there and arrived at the Emisia hotel in Sapporo.
We met really quickly with someone from the hotel to talk about Sapporo. His name was Dima Azarov and he was from the Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation. He knew a lot about the economy here in Sapporo. They have a two month long beer garden, then a two month long food festival, German Christmas, and a world-famous snow sculpture festival! And at this moment we are cruising and waiting for dinner.