Poetic Otaru
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| Otaru Canal |
Otaru of Hokkaido is like Venice of Italy. This small,
quaint town in Hokkaido is poetic, dreamy and romantic with its picturesque
Otaru Canal the focus of all Instagram. A row of stone-walled warehouses lie on
one side of the bank and cobbled stone pathway on the other bank. In winter,
bits of snow and melted ice scatter on the pathway and even though it's very
slippery to walk, the whole ambience is lovely and even romantic. Come during
sunrise or sunset and it's even more magical
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| Customise your own music box |
Shopping is not the highlight in Otaru except for the
Sakaimachi shopping street where you can find lots of quaint shops selling
unique handmade Japanese crafts and snacks. Here is also where the famous Music
Box Museum (or Otaru Music Box Factory) and Kitaichi Glass Museum are located, as well as other cute
cottages selling exquisitely handmade music boxes, glass crafts, accessories
and other specialty souvenirs. Prices are a bit high but it's worth to bring
back a piece of memory in Otaru.
There are also no lack of eateries along these
streets. We wanted to try the ramen at the famed Ramen Alley but it was closed
when we were there. The place which is like a ramen village comprising of
several ramen and soba stalls is only open for dinner. The long stretch of
Sakaimachi shopping street offers delightful peeps into every unique store. But
be warned: walking in the winter cold in this seemingly endless street is quite
a physical challenge. Do drop by the famous Letao shop, their signature cheese
cookies are worth every morsel!
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| LeTao - a must-visit |
Most tourists would take a day tour to Otaru but if you want
to spend more time taking in the sights in this beautiful town, staying one
night here is an option. There are several hotels around the Otaru Canal, one
of which is the Hotel Sonia Otaru which has rooms with canal view that
overlooks the picturesque canal in snowy winter. The hotel is rather dated but
tastefully furnished with an elegant European decor. It also has an in-house
hot springs bath-house and charges 150 yen per adult regardless if you use the
onsen. However in winter, the onsen is a much needed respite for numbing cold
hands and feet.
Dazzling Sapporo
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| Sleepless in Susukino |
If Otaru is a sleepy small town, then Sapporo is a bustling
playful city. If you have been to the Susukino entertainment area in Sapporo,
you would be overwhelmed by the dazzling neon lights of numerous karaoke pubs
and night clubs in that area. It's like a city that never sleeps.
We booked the Royal Stay Hotel which is situated off the
busy Susukino area on a quieter side, with a Lawson's mini mart a stone's throw
away and a popular ramen eatery just opposite the hotel. There is always a long
queue at the ramen place, even on a chilly winter night.
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| Ramen Alley |
If you don't want to
join the long queue, there is no lack of eateries in the vicinity. There is
also a ramen alley at the Susukino area if hunger pangs strike late at night.
If you are too tired to walk in the cold winter after a day of sightseeing like
we were on some nights, the take-out pre-packed meals at Lawson's are not too
bad. They also sell milk and other beverages, and my all-time favourite
Japanese mochi (rice cakes).
Most hotel staff in Otaru do not speak much English, but the
Royal Stay Hotel has at least one reception staff on duty who can speak fluent
English or Mandarin. The hotel is also eco-conscious and rewards guests with a
free drink of their choice if they do not require daily housekeeping.
Shopping Haven
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| Tanukikoji shopping streets |
Sapporo has no lack of underground shopping malls and
shopping streets but the famous Tanukikoji shopping streets, which are made up
of seven blocks of individual shops with the last block being the wet market,
is a must-visit. It is all sheltered so you don't have to brave the rain or
wintry cold outside. There are many cosmetics and pharmacy stores in
Tanukikoji, and prices are very competitive so it's a good opportunity to stock
up your skincare products. There are also plenty of souvenir shops selling
Hokkaido snacks and sweets which you can buy back as souvenirs. Some of the
more notable shops are Daiso, 100-yen shop, Uniqlo and Don Don Quito. There is
even a pet shop selling cute puppies and kittens.
Below the Tanukikoji shopping streets are a whole stretch of
underground shopping malls known as Pole Town and Aurora Town. If you prefer more upmarket shopping, the JR Tower comprises four malls namely Apia, Esta, Paseo and Stellar Place.
Do drop by the food halls at these Japanese malls. There are plenty of delicious and exquisite Japanese snacks and sweets to sample and buy. These underground shopping malls also provide a cosy respite from the freezing sub-zero degree winter outside.
Stroll in the Park
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| Sea of purple at Odori Park |
Sapporo is not just a shopping paradise, there are also many
things to sightsee and do especially in winter. For sightseeing, take a stroll
at the Odori Park and witness the beautiful Christmas light-up known as the Sapporo White Illumination at the park
which is covered with thick snow as it has been snowing heavily that day.
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| Unique crafts at Christmas market |
There
is also a Christmas market going on and it was very crowed with locals and
tourists as it was a Sunday. At the Christmas market, there were several quaint
huts and cottages selling exotic handmade stuff from candle holders, glass
accessories, snow globes to Russian dolls and music boxes. As the night comes
early in winter around 4pm, it is recommended to go earlier before it gets too
dark and crowded.
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| Snowy Nakajima Park |
Another recommended place to get a glimpse of the beauty of
winter is the Nakajima Park. We have not
planned to visit this park, but as it is within walking distance from our
hotel, we just decided to go there after breakfast for a morning stroll. There
were not many people there so the whole place exudes a sense of quiet beauty
and wintry serenity with white carpeted snow everywhere. Someone even made a
snowman at the park!
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| Enchanting frozen lakes |
There are also frozen lakes and ponds which look
stunningly beautiful under the reflection of the sunlight. It was a magical
feeling walking through the Nakajima Park, like you are being transported to an
enchanted forest.
Winter Wonderland
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| White Lovers Theme Park |
Another park that is Instagram-worthy and will appeal to the
young and young -at-heart is the famous Shiroi Koibito Park (also known as
White Lovers Theme Park or Ishiya Chocolate Factory). We knew it would be a tourist trap and were not
expecting much but were pleasantly surprised it turned out to be quite
enjoyable.
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| Tudor-styled architecture |
The whole place was decorated like a fantasy land with
Tudor-styled European architecture, miniature houses and huts for the little
kids to play, and lots of snowmen and Christmas lightings. When night falls and
the entire place lights up, it looks like a fairytale winter wonderland! It was
beautiful and definitely Instagram-worthy.
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| Candy-making in action |
The park entry is free but you have to pay 600 yen if you
want to join the factory tour. There is also a section where you can see how
candies are made. The only thing that spoils the experience is the souvenir
shop is so crowded it is like a marketplace. Perhaps there were several tour
groups there at the same time. Despite the crowds and snake-long queue, it was
rather orderly and fast-moving.
Ski Plan Derailed
We had initially planned to go to the Bankei ski area but
the ski section for kids and beginners was closed and would not be open till
late December. In fact most of the ski resorts we checked were closed for the
beginners/kids sections. Only the higher ski areas in the mountains for
experienced/professional skiers were open as there was not enough snow in the
lower part for beginners and kids to snow play.
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| Sapporo TV Tower |
Eventually we decided to visit the Sapporo TV Tower, which was built in 1957 and an icon of Sapporo city. Standing adjacent to Odori Park, the observation deck of the TV Tower provides a fantastic 360-degree bird's eye view of the whole city and the Sea of Japan. We also visited the German Christmas markets at Odori Park again. The ambience at the
park in the day time is very different from the one at night. It's a warm day
that day and all the snow has melted. There is no fresh snow the night before
so the entire Odori Park looks very bald without the beautiful white snow we
have seen the day before.
After a late lunch and some window shopping at Aurora Town,
another underground mall, we return to the hotel for some much needed rest. We
have wanted to try the heavy metal-themed Haruka ramen place at the famous
Ramen Alley that is highly recommended by Tripadvisor but are too tired to walk
out in the chilly night to Susukino, so we just settle for take-away meals from
the Lawson mini-mart just across the road.
Recommended Eatery
Otaru
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| Otaru Kuraya |
Nestled in a stone-walled warehouse near the Otaru Canal, this small eatery named Otaru Kuraya stands out from the rest of the eateries in this Otaru Canal Food Court due to the snaking queue. Prided itself for its handmade noodles made from unique wheat flour that is 100% produced in Hokkaido, the humble looking bowl of soup noodles did not disappoint. Although the queue is long, service is rather fast and efficient. Most patrons are considerate enough to eat and go so that the next customer can have their seats.
Sapporo
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| Ebisoba Ichigen |
Had ramen dinner at Ebisoba Ichigen, about two blocks from
our hotel. The shrimp-based ramen was cooked with shrimp and pork bones, very
different from most ramen we've tasted. It was so good we almost slurped up the
soup. Even though it was quite crowded, the queue was very orderly
and you get to sit while waiting. The crew will come over to take your order
first and you get to choose the soup base you want. Service is quite good and
they even shouted "welcome" in Japanese to every customer who steps
in.
Footnote
Although we have planned to go to a ski area for some snow
sledding since we are not doing any serious skiing, we were disappointed we did
not get the chance for snow play as most of the ski areas closed the lower
sections for kids and amateurs due to insufficient volume of snow. Only the
higher sections of the ski mountains were opened for professional skiers. That
is probably our only regret on this winter trip. It's also a stark reminder
that global warming has seriously affected the climate change resulting in the
lack of snow even in winter.
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