Hokkaido: Day Two
As cool as Sapporo was, we decided to branch out a bit. Suzanne’s students had mentioned Otaru was worth visiting for the excellent seafood (again, food-centered recommendations), so Sunday morning we hopped on a train and 40 minutes later found ourselves in the coastal town of Otaru. There are many images to follow, so make yourself comfortable.
A cool building near the train station. The sign says ‘Surira (?) Karaoke.’ I’m not sure what a bat/gargoyle has to do with music, but I like it nonetheless.
A small seafood market and souvenir center. I don’t know if they sold whale meat here or not, but here’s an interesting factoid about Japan’s whaling industry (courtesy Wikipedia): In 2005 Japan announced that they would significantly expand their whaling. With the adoption of this plan, Japan’s lethal take will include 100 sei whales, 10 sperm whales, 50 humpback whales, 50 fin whales, and 50 Bryde’s whales, all of which are endangered, along with 1,155 minke whales.
A mask shop, obviously. I don’t know if there’s a huge demand for masks, but they were quite beautiful. Classical music reverberated from the shop’s loudspeakers, and I found myself suddenly wanting to attend a masquerade ball. In the end, I bought a really cool spirally ring.
Believe it or not, we didn’t have any beer, Sapporo brand or otherwise, while in Hokkaido. And where was the horse that goes with this beer cart, you ask?
Here, taking a break. It looks so sad in the second pic, but really, it was quite friendly and enjoyed being patted.
The mascot character of a small gyoza joint where Suzanne and I ate. The woman in charge was Ainu, Hokkaido’s indigenous ethnic group. The restaurant was great. Everyone sat around the enormous hotplate where she grilled the gyoza (they’re like potstickers). It was very cozy. The woman next to me was so excited when she found out we spoke English and not Russian. Her son or grandson, about 7 or 8 years old, said he loved us and then was too embarrassed to look at us again. The locals were also extremely impressed with our chopstick ’skills.’
The famous canal that runs through the city.
A very interesting man and talented musician. It’s difficult to see, but his sign says ‘This is a gramophone violin’ in both English and Russian. He lived in California many many years ago studying street music and performance. Had he been selling CDs I would have bought one in a heartbeat.
Suzanne made fun of me for taking so many pictures of these boring glass fishing floats, but I was entranced. They often wash ashore along the Washington and Oregon coast. Otaru is famous for its glass blowing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the floats sold as souvenirs back home originated here.
Quite possibly the only tree in the country unfurling its fall foliage. I’m told the leaves don’t start changing until the end of October.
A different tree, a different perspective. I like the pattern and coloration of the bark.
One of Otaru’s many harbours and one of its many inhabitants.
Suzanne and I took a boat cruise along the coast. 2000 yen (less than $20) for over three hours! It was amazing.
It cracks me up. Japanese people love feeding seagulls from the boat. I think almost every picture I took on the tour has a seagull or two hovering within. Can you spot them all? It’s like Where’s Waldo… except not fun.
See, there’s one!
Japanese also seem to enjoy ferris wheels. The first picture is looking back at Otaru. The second is farther along the coast, near the Otaru aquarium. The boat stopped in the harbour, but apparently our tickets didn’t allow us to disembark. (The captain shook his head vehemently and motioned us back to our seats when we tried to follow people off.)
Local fishermen.
Not the most interesting picture, but the notches in the cliff remind me of a goofy face watching the birds and boats come and go with the tidal flow. Yeah, that was cheesy, but it felt like a rhyme was needed.
Boats, boats, and more boats sailing the big blue wet thing.
More gulls! This may look like a dramatic, artistic angle (or not), but really, I just lost my balance while snapping the shot. I mean… yeah, it was completely intentional.
The dramatic coastline.
I didn’t manipulate the colors – the water really was this beautiful. It looked almost tropical. There appears to be some sort of shrine built into the cliff here. I would have loved to do a bit of exploring.
Beware. There be pirates in these waters.
On our way back to Otaru. A lighthouse on a hill.
Back on shore, some flowers. (Just in case you couldn’t tell.) 
And finally, a hilarious sign. It needs no explanation. However, if I saw someone with a cigarette as big as the guy’s in the third diagram, I wouldn’t hang around waiting for its smoke to hit my face!
I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I certainly enjoyed taking them! Don’t be shy. If you like any of my photographs or have any questions, please leave a comment. I know you’re out there…. mwa ha ha.
