Otaru is a 'small' town of just shy of 200,000 people. It is beautifully set on a bay with hills to its back large enough to support a ski slope and has the feel of a struggling fishing village on the verge of discovery by the touring masses. It is sold as the Venice of Japan, but only has one major canal that parallels the bay. I had one person recommend it to me because the loved the snow gleaming festival, while I read another review that said skip it unless you are a die hard fan of canals, blown glass or music boxes, for which they are also famous. So, I went into the town tentative about what to expect but the longer I wondered the streets the more I fell in love with its small town charm.
My first stop was to drop off my bags at the Morinoki hostel, which had more of a bed and breakfast feel. The owner was very friendly, and the house was cozy with traditional Japanese architecture. My second stop was for lunch because I hadn't eaten all day. My map recommended Sushiya Street, which is known for its sushi restaurants. I stumbled on one and the staff were friendly as well and made and effort to strike up some conversation with me despite our language barrier. I even chatted with the couple sitting next to me who were travelling from Tokyo and had a similar itinerary to me. We had trouble with the language barrier but compared photos on our cameras of the Snow Festival in Sapporo and they had pictures of all the lanterns from the Snow Gleaming Festival in Otaru they had taken the night before. And I had a few people on the street and in festival booths say hello and ask me about where I was from, all of which added to the small town feel.
Along the canal there is a mix of charming old buildings, fancy new hotels and run down fishing industry boats and buildings. However, at night, under the glow of candle-lit lanterns that lined the sidewalks, bridges, and strung across the canal, it all melted into an inviting and romantic atmosphere. I wondered down the canal to view the various lanterns and other creations all made of snow and lit up by candles. Then wondered up the road away from the bay and canal in search of some dinner and stumbled upon the old railway, which is now a trail/park and was filled with more candle-lit snow creations. Ice slides, tunnels, alters, and even an Ice Bar that was a small building made completely of ice blocks to include the tables, bar and even a small fire place mantle with a digital picture frame above it playing images of Otaru in the four seasons. I stopped in for a glass of hot wine and watched the seasons pass in the digital picture frame , which only encouraged another visit in spring for the cherry blossoms and summer for surfing (although I saw some die hards surfing while it was snowing as I crawled along the coast in the train).
My first stop was to drop off my bags at the Morinoki hostel, which had more of a bed and breakfast feel. The owner was very friendly, and the house was cozy with traditional Japanese architecture. My second stop was for lunch because I hadn't eaten all day. My map recommended Sushiya Street, which is known for its sushi restaurants. I stumbled on one and the staff were friendly as well and made and effort to strike up some conversation with me despite our language barrier. I even chatted with the couple sitting next to me who were travelling from Tokyo and had a similar itinerary to me. We had trouble with the language barrier but compared photos on our cameras of the Snow Festival in Sapporo and they had pictures of all the lanterns from the Snow Gleaming Festival in Otaru they had taken the night before. And I had a few people on the street and in festival booths say hello and ask me about where I was from, all of which added to the small town feel.
Along the canal there is a mix of charming old buildings, fancy new hotels and run down fishing industry boats and buildings. However, at night, under the glow of candle-lit lanterns that lined the sidewalks, bridges, and strung across the canal, it all melted into an inviting and romantic atmosphere. I wondered down the canal to view the various lanterns and other creations all made of snow and lit up by candles. Then wondered up the road away from the bay and canal in search of some dinner and stumbled upon the old railway, which is now a trail/park and was filled with more candle-lit snow creations. Ice slides, tunnels, alters, and even an Ice Bar that was a small building made completely of ice blocks to include the tables, bar and even a small fire place mantle with a digital picture frame above it playing images of Otaru in the four seasons. I stopped in for a glass of hot wine and watched the seasons pass in the digital picture frame , which only encouraged another visit in spring for the cherry blossoms and summer for surfing (although I saw some die hards surfing while it was snowing as I crawled along the coast in the train).
After wondering the city for about another hour, I determined I had seen the majority of the festivities and headed back to the hostel to join some of my fellow travellers in the living room for a movie and some journal writing before bed. In the morning I was off for Niseko for snowboarding.
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