Visiting the Unkai Terrace was top on our list to do when we took a trip to Hokkaido. The Unkai, or also known as the "sea of clouds" doesn't happen all the time and only if it's your lucky day, you might not be able to see them. This year, the unkai terrace is opened from 14 May till 17 October 2016. I was so happy to hear that because the dates weren't confirmed until a week or two before our trip so it was kind of a gamble to add this into our itinerary. 

The terrace is actally located within the Tomamu resorts. We were a little lost when we drove there but if you're driving there, park your car at the first carpark you see at the resorts. It is very easy to spot because there'll be a lot other cars there as well. Parking is absolutely free! To reach the terrace, a shuttle bus will take you from the resorts entrance to the next place where a 13 minute gondola ride is needed to bring you up to 1,088 meters above sea levels where the terrace will be located at the end of the ride. If still unsure, just ask any of the staffs there! 

Because we weren't staying within Tomamu, we had to be up really early on this day plus another hour drive to reach here. But this is one thing I'll never regret having to do because the view was so worth my sleep although we missed the sunrise. You might probably have to be up at 3am to catch the sunrise, yes it is that early. You can also choose to stay at the resorts located in Tomamu depending on your budget. 

This place actually turns into a ski resorts during the winter period

A little walk further down leads you to this view right here. How stunning is this? I wish I had this view in Singapore every single day.  

It was probably about 4-6 degrees that morning and so cold that we decided to warm ourselves with some soup and cocoa from the cafe at the terrace plus, have an early breakfast before heading back to our apartment and start hitting the road again. Since this place is a popular sightseeing spot, I was preparing myself and expecting many people but there was none. Maybe just a few but not too many to be able to enjoy the amazing view while having our mini breakfast. We are very lucky. 

We spent about 45 minutes to an hour here before we left.

Once there, we were led by the staff from the restaurant to their live seafood section to pick our feast for the night. All food caught fresh right in front of us and if you're unsatisfied with the catch, you can always ask them to catch another one before you decide. It was definitely an experience to see everything on a bigger scale and right at the sea itself. 

The total bill was about 1.1million rupiah which really wasn't so bad for six people. It would have cost so much more in Singapore and besides, you don't always get to choose your own catch. Will be looking forward to such seafood trips if time ever comes again. 

To end off the night, the driver brought us to a popular store for durians because we wanted some but the result was disappointing. It's not for all and probably the experience once in your lifetime kind of thing.