KINGDOM of COLD

I’D ALWAYS WANTED TO VISIT JAPAN. And as a consumer of popular itineraries and Instagram posturing, I had pictured myself in the country during its famous spring moods. Who wouldn’t want a sprinkle of cherry blossom on their canvas of memory (and album of holiday pictures), after all? So when I got invited to Japan during its chilly winter, it felt bittersweet. Add to that the realisation that I was heading to the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, Hokkaido, and dread quickly sunk in. What followed was a spurt of extreme-winter shopping, the likes of which I had never undertaken before.

People come to Hokkaido for its natural attractions, which include everything from icy landscapes to natural hot springs, from primaeval forests to floral fields. We are headed to Sapporo, the largest city on the island and the capital city of Hokkaido Prefecture. A city of two million residents,