My dream home is in Hokkaido!

My final day in Hokkaido was an adventurous and memorable one. The first stop was at Hokkaido Prefectural Natural Park also known as Nopporo Forest Park. There are stunning walking trails, an observation center and unique animals here. The park itself is huge (2053 ha which equals close to 8 square miles) and sits between Sapporo, Ebetsu and Kita-Hiroshima. We were in Ebetsu, which is western Hokkaido and a charming little town that originated as a farm village. Honestly, not much has changed as farms and agriculture still play a big part in the region. In particular, Hokkaido is 100% sustainable with fresh produce, dairy, farms and other highlights that will make you feel comfortable knowing if something were to happen in this world Hokkaido is the place to be. 

On our stroll through the forest. We were just about one-two weeks ahead of the start of winter and the many feet of snow they expect.

This tree was very special as it is over 300 years old. We each took a moment to stand by it and take a photo, but first our group actually held hands in a circle around the tree to give thanks.

After a visit to the majestic forest and observation center (where unfortunately I did not see any wild animals) we stopped at Machimura Milk Garden.

Here we got to meet and pet the baby cows (Calves). This white and black cow is a boy so he was separated from the ladies. The wonderful thing about this dairy is there was literally no smell. As a kid driving past the dairy on Kauai it always smelled so bad, but here it was beautiful, so clean and quiet and no smell at all. If anything it had a nice fresh scent. These are happy pampered dairy cows for sure!

In the milk garden they have an impressive selection of fresh cheese, milk, yogurt, pastries and of course the famous soft serve milk cream. Unlike the cones you see in America, the soft serve is more of a frozen ice with a delightful light milky flavor. It's not really all that creamy but more milky. It was served in a variety of flavors including melon, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and more. It's super fresh and you can taste it. 

​Now get ready here comes the highlight of the trip!!!

Nami our guide from HTB was delightful and so fun to hang with. She was raised in New Jersey so her English was excellent and she was super fun.

Now here is the major highlight for me. We drove a short distance to another farm called Earth Dream and I literally lost it here. Lost it in a good way. This is where I wished I could live and work everyday, with the animals. This is a petting zoo unlike any other in the entire world. As you can see I was first greeted by mini-horses...

Then full-sized horses, puppies and beagles. This place is an unbelievable park for families and animal lovers to meet, greet, pet and play with animals. They want you to feel the energy and warmth coming from the animal. This truly was heaven on earth for me.

They have literally any animal you can think of... Pigs, Cats...

Sheep, goats, turtles, birds...

a llama! Yes, a LLAMA!

Alpacas even.

All sorts of bunnies!!!

And then they feature horse races and rides. Although it's not what you think. The horses are former race horses and they are dying to run around. They have them race each other in a friendly race or two and then you can ride in the wagon behind them as they run around the makeshift track.

And another dog... there were so many and this one was so cute and cuddly. As Melissa said "He's giving himself to you... You don't even know her!" she scolded him.

And last but not least this place was a dream because yes, they served fresh brick oven pizzas, made with local cheese, house made sausages and farm fresh eggs.

Add to that they also serve breakfast! An amazing petting zoo/farm with all the cuddly animals you can think of and they serve fresh pizza and breakfast food all day! I know it's a dream!!!

Mahalo again to Doko Ga TV, HTB and Hawaiian Airlines for this amazing opportunity. I also want to say a big heartfelt thank you to Pali Kaaihue and Yumi Ozaki and my good friend Melissa Chang for inviting me to attend. Melissa is a true friend who has been there for me through thick and thin and always thinking of ways to allow me to grow, learn and experience new adventures. I am very grateful!

For more information click:
​www.dokoga.tv

​And for future tour info visit:
www.dokoga.tv/tours
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