Going to Otaru... Two

18th October, 2006 - Well T-chan has definitely been feeling worse in the mornings now - and still no sign of her  taste returning. We decided to borrow the parents car and head off across to Otaru to spend some more time together. On the way we planned to visit <a href=" />Asari Dam again. The "UFO Bridge" looks quite different during the day, and I have to say that it's even more freaky to drive over when you can see what you're doing! Did I mention my growing fear of heights?

Deep waters run still. However, deeper waters also tend to overflow... not sure why the engineers hadn't quite worked out where the water level was going to get to when they build the fence. Still... keeps the fishes in. This is a hard thing to watch all of this water... just sitting there.... considering that Australia and Adelaide was (and still is) in the grip of a drought.

This is generally a good place for Autumn Colours, however, this year was definitely a disappointment. There was very little colour around, especially when I recall Jozankei and how absolutely impressed I was.

It's still a nice area, but it's a bit cool for a picnic.

We left Asari Dam and continued on to Otaru (here's a link to a useful map of the Otaru). It had been three years since we last came during the Autumn months, and it had be beautiful back then. Once again the weather was beautiful for strolling around... but the chill air had started to appear lately. These sorts of days were coming to an end with the approach of winter in Hokkaido. Otaru is separated into two main tourist areas. The canal and the Sakai-machi street where you will find most of the glass and music box shops.

The following shows just some of the scenes along Sakai-machi street. The big building here is the Kitaichi Venetian Museum of Art. Why in Otaru? I think it's the link to the glass/crystal industry. Venetian glass being the yardstick by which others are measured.

School kids on excursion. This is a typical "real school uniform" look... very smart. Not exactly sure what they'd be doing here today - T-chan says they'd be part of a school trip from somewhere else in Japan (2nd year High School students invariably go for a trip either to another part of Japan or even overseas). You'll notice that there's not that much bling on these girls. When T-chan went to school (a few years ago now)... their dresses were measured to ensure that they were "appropriate length", and hair dying was definitely prohibited. T-chan and her mother had to convince that her hair was naturally curled (actually it was permed... shhhh... family secret). Generally things have loosened up a lot in Japan these days - even in the private schools.

Near the end of street there is a large public square, known as Marchen Square.

LeTAO le Chocolat cafeteria in Marchen Square... you'll often find someone outside offering free samples of their wares... yummy.

Otaru Orgel Doh (often translated to Emporium)... Orgel or music boxes are one of the famous things in Otaru. Here you'll find just about any type of music box from the modern and small to the enormous and old (and with prices to match). Sorry - no photos inside on this trip...

Out the front of the Orgel Emporium is the Steam Clock... yes - a steam powered clock. It's supposedly the largest in the world, and only the second to be built. Actually, whilst this appears old, it was made in 1995 by Raymond Saunders. Steam clocks are a generally recent thing, the first popular one was actually made in Gastown, Vancouver in 1977. Every 15 minutes the chimes ring out...

Whislt your here - if you've got any anime interest at all, make sure you stop in at Yume no Oto (The Sound of Dreams). There's a great range of Studio Ghibli gear, as well as a raft of other anime-themed gear.

(care of Street View)

Good ol' Totoro! And if you don't know about Studio Ghibli then you should go out and hire one of their movies - especially anything by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki.

Bears are never far away... at least this one is not stuffed! He also looks much more friendly (on account of not being stuffed I'm sure).

The architecture in Otaru is quite eclectic. Theres the more traditional old Japanese building...

And the stranger fusion styles as well.

Nothing says old like living walls...

Not exactly the golden arches of McDonalds... not sure it will catch on.

Or if you want a treat - you can always go low-brow and get a Frankfurt-on-a-stick . Not quite a hot dog, but yummy nonetheless. And yes... they're called Furankufuruto! T-chan was looking forward to reliving childhood memories of eating these... but not sure they're that appetizing when you can't taste.

Otaru is famous for it's hills. And it's snow. Generally this is not a convenient combination. Outside of winter you get to see how they keep it all together. Doesn't look that sturdy - but works a charm.

And here's the obligatory canal shot. Not much has changed in 3 years.

Our fourth trip to Sapporo is winding up... and today was just a test-run for our hectic adventure in Kyoto. It's been a good day -  but we know it's going to be hard trip.

Peace Waterfall (Sapporo)

24th October, 2003 - Time waits for no man (or even woman)... and at times like these when time seems to be racing away you can really appreciate moments of peace. That's what you find at the peace waterfall (heiwa no taki). Ok - it's not going to win any height awards, and I can't see too many daring fellows crashing over this baby in a barrel to impress their girlfriends, but... in Autumn it's a beautiful spot.

It's a bit of a drive (about 12 km from the city centre by car)...see the map below.

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The waterfall is next to a forest that makes for good walking (in good weather) - but this time, it really is getting into the bears domain. So be careful... Also, expect a steady stream of local residents coming down for a peaceful drive or stroll to the waterfall. 

Watch your step...

The path leads right down to the waters edge...

Not far from the Peace Waterfall, you can find small parks such as this one which are beautifully decorated in Autumn colours.

And a closer look at those very happy carp... no fish and chips tonight my friends, not tonight.  (|8^/)

The waterfall and surrounding area are a great place to get back to nature - especially the walks around the hills.

It's most probably not going to make it to the top 10 of things to do in Sapporo if you're on a tight timeline however.  Let the local Sapporo people enjoy this little treasure.

A Pioneer for a Day, Sapporo-style

21st October, 2003 - After a late night in Moiwa-yama, we headed off the next day to the Historical Village of Hokkaido (Kaitaku no Mura)...Actually, T-chan just calls this the pioneer village. This is one of those living museums where you get to experience life back in Meiji Period Hokkaido. It's a long drive by car, and about 1 hour by public transport from Sapporo Station by train (shown below) which takes about 460 yen. After you get off the Shinrinkin Kouen station, there's about a half hour walk. You can also take the JR bus (to Kaitakunomura) from Sapporo Station.

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 I'd suggest getting there by car.... and for this reason, it's most probably focussed purely on local Sapporo residents rather than "tourists" per se. There's a lot of things to see here... but not much in English. The museum is separated into four areas... residential, agricultural, mountainous and fishing. Cost is about 830yen.

The first thing you see is the re-located original Sapporo Station as the grand entrance to the Park, originally constructed in 1908 it was in place until about 1952. It's a grand provincial style station - a fitting front gate to the park.

Alongside the train station (front gate) is the Development Commission Headquarters Building (like the pre-cursor to the Old Hokkaido Government Building) was first constructed in 1873.

The horse drawn cart is a "icon" of the park (yes there's a horse out the front)...but as you might have guessed, the horse had an easy morning! Actually, being a Thursday, there was almost no one around during the main part of the day. It wasn't so much a living display as a ghost town...

And the ghosts had a particularly solid feel... like some archeological dig of a Japanese Pompeii, the inhabitants of the town forever caught in-between a moment of time. Another mystery...for some reason, all of the pioneers had really bad hair (actually - this may not have been far from the truth).

And sometimes it feels like we're the ghosts walking around this strange silent place.

The Watanabe General Store... has everything an aspiring pioneer could ask for. Hmmm - now where's the thermal underwear? There's lots of shops and businesses, which you can enter and walk around. I'm not sure if it's normal, but there was no one there to provide explanation, and it felt weird - like sneaking into someone's house after they'd gone out for the day...

There are some nice buildings located around the town (which measures about 50+ hectares).

Beyond the buildings, there's a nice feel to the open-air museum, being on the verge of Nopporo Forest Park, there's a beautiful presence in Autumn...

The golden leaves provided a bit of colour in the absence of visitors...

And if nothing else, you can enjoy the walk around the precincts

The wooded walks are refreshing and there's sweet little moments to be found all the way through the forest.

And at the end of the day, there's always a friendly bout of Sumo to get your appetite in order...

And you might need to take a moment to reflect upon the truth of things at Ryuun-ji... a Jodo sect temple completed in 1893.

It was a fun day at the Historical Village... and whilst it was very quiet (especially in the morning), I can imagine that weekends might get a bit busy. There was a lot more than I could include in this post, and as such, if you've got an interest in the late 19th century Meiji period Japan in Hokkaido, it might be worth the effort. It's worth going, especially in Autumn, but perhaps only if you have your own transport.

A day in the Park - Asahiyama Kouen (Sapporo)

17th October, 2003 - We went for a drive to one of the great vantage points of Sapporo, Asahiyama Memorial Park, which as you can see sits just at the outskirts of Sapporo city itself. The trees here had not quite come in to full colour yet, but were close.

Actually, this park has undergone a lot of renovation recently (completed in 2008), so had limited access recently, but even back in 2003 it was beautiful...

But the most beautiful thing for me wasn't the scenery...

You can go for nice long romantic walks through the forests... They say that you have to be careful of bears in Hokkaido (much like elsewhere in Japan), but surely you wouldn't have to worry about them this close to the city? Best thing is to make a lot of noise anyhow.

It was a good day... and the good thing about Sapporo is that even though we were a stone's throw from the city, you could quickly immerse yourself in the mountain air. It's also a lovely place to share a moment of silence with your partner... apart form the making lots of noise to scare the bears away!

A word of warning - don't be confused... Asahiyama Zoo is not in Asahiyama Kouen... but rather in Asahikawa City. This is a good thing to know Asahikawa City is a LONG way away!... and a final word from our sponsor...

Picture perfect... even with a smiley!