Arrived in Asahikawa in the evening. The hotel was well set up, with a covered walkway connecting to the parking structure and a smooth check-in. After a rest, we found an izakaya one floor underground and went in. The owner was immediately warm and talkative, which was a lot to navigate for two introverts who couldn't follow most of what was being said. Ordering something we thought was chazuke turned out to be pickled vegetables. We managed not to laugh out loud, barely. The owner kept the conversation going anyway, recommended the cheese balls, asked if we were on a honeymoon, and suggested Asahikawa Zoo for the next day. On the way out he sent us off with a hot bowl of miso soup. Outside, it was snowing. We stood on the street for a while just watching it come down, then went back to the hotel and got into the outdoor onsen. Snow falling, hot water, no one else around. That was the moment Hokkaido stopped being a destination and started feeling like something else entirely.