2014 Jan Hokkaido;Japan - Day 2

I'll still in shock that I will be leaving Singapore to Korea for a year in 10 days time and I'll still stuck with my Jan trip posts. I will try to finish blogging it before heading off to Korea. 

This post will be slightly longer as this is my favourite place of all in Hokkaido. I like to share all the thing about this place with you all and hope if anyone of you are heading to Hokkaido, please give this place a day and I believe you will fall in love with this place too. 

7 Jan 2014 - Hokkaido ; Otaru (小樽)

Otaru - Otaru Canal (小樽運河); Sakaimachi Street (境町通り) ; LeTAO ; Otaru Orgel Museum Main Building 

Shin Sapporo JR Station platform

Actually I planned to go to some where else today ( somewhere further out of Sapporo ) , but we were still in tired mood, so Aunties made me change my itinerary to go somewhere near for second days of the trip as they don't think we were be able to wait up so earlier in the morning. So I decided to change the plan abit and head to Otaru instead. 

I did alot of homework on the JR train before heading to Hokkaido. As many know that if you are to travel in Japan, it will be better to get JR pass as it will be much easier. Actually I did thought of buying this too, but because I have a grandma that I need to worry about,  I can't plan to travel out to many place in that week so I had to look into other ticket offers that JR Hokkaido that offers to tourist. 

And thank god that I found that JR Hokkaido had a few ticket offers for Otaru itself. The most popular discount ticket was < Sapporo-Otaru Welcome pass >, where it contain round ticket of JR train and 1 day subway pass in Sapporo. But I chose < Otaru Free Ticket > instead as this contain round ticket of JR Train and 1 day Chuo bus around Otaru. I don't need the 1 day free subway pass in Sapporo because we gotten the < Kitaca > card (is the same as Singapore's Ezlink card * I will write about this future post ). You can read more there - http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/pticket/pticket06.html

Otaru (小樽)

Otaru is a small harbor city, about half an hour northwest of Sapporo by train. Its beautifully preserved cancel area and interesting herring mansions make Otaru a pleasant day trip from Sapporo or a nice stop en route to or from Niseko or the Shakotan Peninsula. 

From the early days of Hokkaido's Colonization in the late 1800s, Otaru served as major trade and fishing port. It was hence chosen as the terminal station of Hakkaido's first railway line that connected the port with nearby Sapporo. Many old warehouses and former office building by shipping and trade companies give Otaru's city centre a special character reminiscent of past decades 

(Taken from : http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6700.html )

We headed out later as planned, by the time we reach Otaru is already noon time. We find one restaurant and headed in for lunch. 

A seafood restaurant in Otaru

Simple and easy ; feel likes people living home

Yummy !!! 

Main course ; More Yummy !! 

After the yummy lunch, we chose to walk to the most populate attention of all - Otaru Canal - which is nearby (as we had missed the timing if the Chuo bus too) . The walk was not very far but because there were ice everywhere, we had to walk slowly and to be careful not to fall down. (Is about 3 min walk but because of the ice, it took us 10 min to get there). 

Otaru - Otaru Canal (小樽運河)

It was a central part of the city's busy port in the first half of the 20th century. Large vessels were unloaded by smaller ships, which then transported the goods to warehouses along the cancel. The canal became obsolete when modern dock facilities allowed from direct unloading of larger vessels. Thanks to a citizens' movement, a part of the canal was beautifully restored in the 1980s instead of being landfilled, while the warehouses were transformed into museums, shops and restaurants. 

The canal makes for a pleasant stroll during the day, when artists present their works to passing tourists, and during the evenings when old fashioned gas lamps are lit and provide a romantic atmosphere. The canal also serves as the main site of the town's Snow light path Festival (end Jan - Feb)

(Taken from : http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6701.html )

The most populate tourist attention - Otaru Canal 

The very first snowman I even made !!

While walking on this path, we can't stop taking picture and seeing the snow so white, seem so clean, it made us want to stop our steps and want to play!! We had snowball war and made snowman too. Maybe because it was very cold and the snow festival is not out yet, there wasn't many people at that period, we were able to play until so crazy or else is really very embarrassed thing (like a bundle of crazy girls! ) 

Otaru - Sakaimachi Street (境町通り)

It is an attractive, preserved merchant street in central Otaru, a short walk from the city's canal area. During the development of Hokkaido in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Otaru thrived as a port city, and many trading and shipping companies constructed impressive Western style buildings in the city center to house their offices and shops. 

Many of the buildings along Sakaimachi Street have since been converted into restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, boutiques and museums. There are also a few glass workshops for tourists to enjoy a hands-on experience in creating the local Otaru Glass. 

(Taken from : http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6704.html )

One of Kitaichi Glassware shop 

Otaru - Sakaimachi Street (境町通り) ; LeTAO 

100% must try dessert when you are in Otara is LeTAO, they have more than 50 kinds of cakes and sweets are prepared at all the time. Sometimes they have limited product which is served in the head store of LeTAO only. Not only that, they have a cafe on the 2nd level which people are able to enjoy cakes and coffee or tea. 

Address : 7-16 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido, 047-0027 

Tel : 0134-31-4500 

Shop Hours : 10am ~ 6pm (vary from season to season) (cafe close at 30 min beforehand)

(offical website of LeTAO : http://www.letao.jp/global/en/stores.html )

LeTAO 

Cakes !! yummy yummy

Otaru - Sakaimachi Street (境町通り) ; Music Box Museum 

The Music Box Museum consists of multiple building scattered around the southern end of Sakaimachi street, one of which house a small museum about music boxes. The most prominent building, however, is a large shop with a wide variety of music boxes on sale. In front of the building stands a steam clock, a present by the city of Vancouver

Hours : 9am ~ 6pm (until 7pm on Fri and Sat in Summer)
Fee: Free

Too late, closed by the time we reached

Since most of the shops were closed then, we tried to walked back to the train station. But the ground was too slippery and the snow was quite heavy so we cab back instead (to be safe.) Tomorrow, we will be heading out (that was planned to go today), so was good that we head back earlier to rest.