Day 5 - 23 Mar

Rise and shine to great weather!

the view fr the window outside my hotel rm...the moutain range is simply beautiful!

breakfast was the onigiri again..until i oso dun wan to take any photos liao..so sick of the rice balls..

at Sapporo station for our train to Otaru..it looks like something fr Transformers isn't it?!

1014 Otaru (JR Hakodate Line) - 1046 Otaru

sea view fr the train..
we reached Otaru..its a small town 30min away fr Sapporo and good for a day trip..actually half a day will do..and as all other days in Hokkaido...its v cold..guess its abt less than 5 degrees..the architecture in Otaru is not like any other Japanese cities...its actually quite European style...

and den we walked past this small little shop selling Hokkaido milk and ice cream...its too cold for ice cream so i ordered hot milk...its really creamy and smooth...and does not give me any tummy upset...and there's a heater in the rm which made it really comfortable..almost din wan to leave the shop...


at the famed Otaru Canal..



darling commented tat it looks like our Spore River or rather big long kang...cant c anything nice abt it..but well..its the 'muz-see' in Otaru..so being tourists...there we went!



we walked past down the canal to the street where there r many musical box shops and places selling pretty glass wares...and we saw this!



a seafood shop selling BBQ scallops at 100yen per pc! CHEAP with capital letters! and its v fresh cos they opened all the scallops on the spot...its BBQed wif butter and shoyu ...and there's a loooong q for it..we joined in the fun!



the scallops were v v fresh...and we actually went for 2nd round on our way back to the train station 2 hrs later...haha..


at a clock tower which gives out sounds at every qtr hr and at every hr...there's actually music..

inside a beautiful shop selling musical boxes...wanted to get one..but i'm worried tat i might break it along the way since there's 10 more days to go..so gave up the idea..took a photo of the pretty angel which i had liking to...


another v European looking tower...

den we went up tat tower...for a v nice view ard Otaru town..


and on the 3rd floor was a cafe called Le Tao...v chinese name..but its v French looking inside...

they got the most fragrant tea I've ever drank!

my strawberry cake again (3rd of my trip)...its yummilicious!

darling's choc fudge cake..rich choc taste..he liked it too..


den on our way back..i finally settled for my Butter Potato...cheapskate me walked back 5 min to a store which i saw selling the cheapest Butter Potato along the street...haha..did i mention b4 tat hokkaido potatos r v creamy and soft???


we wanted to hav sushi for lunch..and we saw Waraku...dun tink its related to our SG Waraku cos its actually selling conveyor belt sushi..but unfortunately its full and waiting time was at least 20min..we had to rush for train so didn't wait..

grabbed cream puffs fr the Otaru station souvenir shop..the thing abt Japanese is tat there's always a souvenir shop selling the city's fame food pdts or onaments in the major train stations..so ppl can buy back to their homes and give out as souvenirs to their family members, neighbours etc etc..


den darling had this interest in eating at the standing soba shop on the train platform...and there's one at Sapporo station...

his Tsukimi Udon..

slurping away like the Japanese..

den we proceeded to the Sapporo Beer Museum

Bus stop "Kita 8 Higashi 7"on [East No.63] line, starting at the bus stop "Sapporo-eki-kita-guchi" at the North gate of Sapporo Station on the JR-Line.(About 10 minutes ride)

the old designs of Sapporo Beer

Different can sizes


beer adverts...i find the lady in the center v charming...and ever wonder most beer or alcohol adverts r by women?? hav to attract the attention of hum sup old men..haha..

we had beer tasting..3 diff kinds of beers at 400 yen!

we r Sapporo beer

i liked the feel of this photo..actually it wasn't v misty..but dunno y the photo was captured as such..

snow added a v winter feel..
the old sapporo beer factory


more snow!

and den we had dinner at a BBQ restaurant beside the beer museum...it was a total disaster...not in the food..but the type of food..i din read carefully and thot it was steamboat..it was actually BBQ hotplate...

and i hate BBQ food in a confined area..cos its v stinky! and the way this Japanese Buffet is at such...you r given 100min to eat as much as you can...well..i got sick by 30 min..who needs 100min..

Lamb and Vege

Seafood
Darling starting the hotplate wif a pc of dunno lamb fat or pork fat..

the meat and vege..

we r given aprons to wear..and big plastic bags to keep our jackets and bags so tat they will b free of splattered oil.. v v thoughtful of the japanese service culture as usual...but still..i got alot of splattered oil marks on my sleeves..totally grossed out!

darling was still enjoying the food but i really cant wait to get out..next time read things muz read properly! arghs!

while waiting for bus to get back to Sapporo station..and its really cold!! even thou we juz came out fr the restaurant..i was already trembling inside..

finally we got back to the hotel..and darling showerd and changed into the PJs provided by the hotel...hee hee..he's wearing a dress...

and i had this Mont Blanc flavoured ice cream...i really cant tell wat's in it..maybe coffee? but its totally not nice...

time for bed! and we going to say good-bye to Sapporo...