Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Otaru City Of Canals - Hokkaido

I would vote Otaru as the most interesting place to visit in Hokkaido. It is a small harbour city which you could make a day trip from Sapporo by train. We only covered Sapporo, Otaru, Muroran & Chitose towns during our trip.




We walked out of our Sapporo hotel to visit a small Buddhist Shrine
which is located on the next block. Here is the nice entrance
to the shrine.




This is the Amitabha Buddha's Shrine which was closed on that day.





Our hotel is just next block to this Hosui Susukino Train
Station in Sapporo. It is very easy to reach everywhere once
you are inside the train station. We connected our way to the main
Sapporo Station and hopped to the line that took us to Otaru.


OTARU CANAL CITY - HOKKAIDO




It takes slightly over 1 hour by a normal train which passed 
through many picturesque snow scenery and mountains along 
the way. Here at the Otaru Station, there is a Tourist Information
Booth where there was a friendly lady who spoke Japanese,
English, Mandarin and Cantonese!! She advised us to take the
public bus to the end of the bus route and get off.



 My postcard pose at the lovely old buildings with European
architectures during Hokkaido's colonization during the 1800s.




They have many lovely old warehouses and herring mansions that line
along the famous Otaru Canal.





 We had to stop by the world famous Hokkaido Ice Cream parlour.
They have the purest lavender and melon flavours. Too many to choose.



  
Here is my yummy 6 flavoured ice cream! Sluurrpss!!




There are many fresh seafood restaurants along
the many streets in Otaru.



It was my first time seeing Snow Crab alive!


  
The prices scared me!




We took a ropeway (cable car) up to Mount Tengu.



Mount Tengu is a very popular ski resort in Hokkaido.



This is the panoramic view of Otaru Town with its harbours
and the Shakotan Peninsula across the seas.





***





36 comments:

  1. Wow, 6 flavours in one ice cream and more eating it on cold day.

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    Replies
    1. I think I would be happy with ice cream in my mouth on any occasion and location! Try it when you visit Hokkaido in Winter.

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  2. Good afternoon TM... The weather is so hot here...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It just rained so heavily here and flooded many places , as usual. Malaysia Boleh!

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  3. Thank you for the postcard, I have receive it...

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    Replies
    1. Welcome! Keep them yeah, one day become collector's item and can auction at Sotheby! LOLOL

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  4. Replies
    1. I know it is cheap there but I cannot afford it dei. One hai costs more than my hotel room per night. No wonder you ate the claws only. Muahahaha

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  5. I liked the architecture of the old buildings and shrine… too many flavours in a single ice creams looks yummy and your posture make feel envy. Lol but ice creams are too cold for me in the cold ambiance alike. And that’s one huge crab I have seen

    Cool photos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to see old and historical buildings. Someday I hope to visit the historical palaces at Jaipur and then eat ice cream at Kashmir in Winter!

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  6. Oh wow! Your ice cream is so tempting. I wonder what it is like eating ice cream in such cold weather. I want to experience!

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    Replies
    1. I am sure you would love the yummy flavours! Eating them in WInter is fun and you will roll plonk-plonk on the snow. Wakakaka

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  7. I love winter and I love to visit other countries during winter time as I am so afraid of heat

    I wish one day I can visit Japan as I had seen too much Japanese Drama and very attracted to it

    I just ran into a friend today inside the MRT and he told me that he is going to Hokkaido end of the year, how I envy him

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    Replies
    1. You can easily visit Japan since your currency is strong now. With just Sing$800 you can fly to Osaka for a week holiday with air tickets, hotel and food included.

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  8. The scenery looks Really Icy to me... grrrr.... cold, cold.. Salute you, eat ice cream also.. but then, I also ate one when in Tokyo last time during winter too.. heheehe.. that time younger la.. can tahan the cold!

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    Replies
    1. Age is just a number and you still look like the siblings of your children. Please practise by eating ice cream inside your bedroom with air con full blast. LOL

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  9. Prices of snow crabs should deservedly be scary if you've seen how dangerous it is to fish for snow crabs in the Bering Sea. I've watched enough Deadliest Catch episodes to know that these fishermen risk their lives to catch these snow crabs (and Alaskan king crabs) for our consumption! >.< You didn't eat one? ;)

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    Replies
    1. Wow! Thanks for sharing this knowledge which I was not aware. I must watch YouTube to understand more. I didn't eat snow crabs as my wife is allergic to most seafood and that saves my money too. Hihihihi...

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  10. cool pics! i love eating ice cream during cold weather too ... and that looks like a very large ice cream serving that you're enjoying! :D

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    Replies
    1. High 5! Let's go eat ice cream next winter in Japan.

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  11. Really? I thought must at least a few thousand Sing Dollars

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course I am sure of the cost after going many times. You need to fly from KL.

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  12. hahaha saw in your FB. that time was thinking this crazy fella... wear shorts in snow and also eat ice cream ...so darn cold leh.

    Pss pss.... Unta Pos finally arrived a few days ago

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha I didn't know I am crazy.
      I thought the unta died but he is alive. Great news.

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  13. the picture of u holding the ice cream with ur tongue dangling out can be a publicity photo for that shop...so cold yet u r so cool about it! haha~!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your tips. I should ask the shop for royalty fees.

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  14. Now you make me want to go to Hokkaido in winter but it looks so cold in your photos that I am sure I would be frozen to death there, hahaha. Will bookmark your post for reference because I also want to eat the 6 flavour ice cream.

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    Replies
    1. There were over 2 million visitors from worldwide who braved the freezing weather to visit this Sapporo Snow Festival. I am sure you can easily survive like them. I regret for not eating the maximum 8 flavours!

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    2. ah max is 8 flavours? then i must go eat this 8 flavours.

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  15. I saw the 6 layers of ice cream... "SHOUT for it!

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    1. I could not understand what they meant by soft ice cream until I sank my teeth onto them. It was really so soft unlike our McD's cones ice cream. You would love to eat this "I SCREAM"...

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  16. I like the building where u took your postcard pose photo, very photogenic!
    The snow "stalactite" looks amazing!

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  17. Is it easy taking public transport in Hokkaido?

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