We are heading to Otaru today and spending the evening there. Ever since my previous visit I’ve wanted to see what the Otaru Snow light Path festival is all about so the Sister and I are making it a point to check it out! By pure coincidence we discover that our friend Photos and his wife Dessert Fiend are in town about the same time we are! So we make plans to meet at the train station and head to Otaru together!
Small Otaru Dessert Shop
By the time we arrive in Otaru, its about lunch time. We first head to the Otaru Sankuku Market for lunch, but it’s super crowded. So we put our name down for a restaurant and head out to explore the city to kill some time. As we walk through the streets we stumble upon a tiny little dessert shop which we pop into. They sell a variety of different items and we each get something different! It’s such a small shop that they don’t seem to have a website, so a google map location is all I have to go on.
Sankuku Market
After dessert we are notified that our table is ready and we make our way back to the Sankuku Market and to one of the seafood stands inside. We’re quickly seated and we order a few different items off the menu to share. Similar to our meal yesterday the seafood is very fresh and super tasty. Though I will say that I need to give the nod to the sable fish as being my favourite.
Otaru Canal and the Festival Preparations
After lunch we set out again towards the Otaru Canal. The canal is a beautiful central element of Otaru and a favourite spot for those visiting Otaru. It’s also a central venue for the Snow Light Path Festival. So as we walk along the canal we see different volunteers maintaining the different snow and ice lanterns along the way. After leaving the canal and heading towards another venue of the festival, we see more volunteers maintaining more lanterns.
Sonia Coffee
After being outdoors for an hour or two, the cold starts to wear on us. So we start to seek shelter indoors and we duck into the Sonia Hotel which has a small cafe. We spend a little time warming up with a few hot drinks and catching up with each other for a little bit of time.
Otaru Snow Light Path Festival
As evening falls, the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival starts to kick off. Throughout the city lanterns made of ice and snow are lit and make for an almost fairy tale like atmosphere. It’s something I only learned of on my previous visit and I’m really happy to have a chance to see it this time. The festival is separated into multiple venues so we plan to visit the two nearby sites.
Canal Venue
Our first stop is the Canal Venue which is around the canal area we visited earlier this afternoon. The lanterns are situated in one main section of the canals and from either end you can look “down” into it and see the area lit up. It’s a beautiful sight against the snowy evening backdrop.
Once you start to walk along the canal you can see the various ice lanterns alight and it’s quite lovely. It does get quite crowded and given the cold the floor can get a bit icy and slippery. But checking out the different lanterns makes the overall atmosphere really pretty great.
Temiya Line Venue
From the Canal Venue, we make the short walk over to the Temiya Line Venue. The Temiya Line Venue is an old railway line pathway that cuts through the middle of the city. Similar to the Canal Venue, the Temiya Line Venue is lit up full of ice and snow lanterns of all different shapes and sizes.
What’s interesting is that without the water of the canal there’s a bit more real estate for the volunteers to build more elaborate lanterns or arrangement of lanterns. So it feels like there’s a bit more creativity on display here. In some cases, it looks like the volunteers are in the process of building a very elaborate shrine like lantern right in the middle of the path.
Wagyu Kurosawa
After walking through the Temiya Line Venue our thoughts turn to dinner. And after striking out at our first choice for dinner due to closing times we end up at Wagyu Kurosawa. It’s a beef cutlet restaurant and after lining up for about half an hour we’re seated and make our orders. Not only do we each order our own individual beef sets, we also order an unagi set to share. I guess the cold really does build up an appetite. The food is super tasty and certainly hits the spot after being outside in the cold for the past few hours!
While waiting to get into the restaurant we befriend a solo travelling Korean in line behind us. As we wait in line, one of the staff members comes out and starts counting us. He stops at our Korean friend and hands him a sign marking the end of the line. Similar to us striking out earlier at another restaurant, our Korean friend will now have to tell any new customers that they would no longer be able to line up behind him. As we wait we joke about this undesirable responsibility he now has and also get to know him a little. It’s always interesting the friends you make along the way!
Otaru Art Village Venue
After dinner we sadly have to part ways with Photos and Dessert Fiend. While the Sister and I are staying the night in Otaru, they need to catch the train back to Sapporo. We have plans to meet up again back in Sapporo so this isn’t good bye for this trip however. On the way back to our hotel, the Sister and I inadvertently stumble upon the Otaru Art Village Venue of the Snow Light Path Festival. We didn’t know about this venue but since its just across the street from our hotel we decide to check it out! And like the other two venues, it doesn’t disappoint!
Before heading back to the hotel and turning in for the evening, we quickly pop into a convenience store and pick up some snacks. After a beefy dinner a pudding cup with fresh fruit seemed like an apt after dinner dessert!
Unwind Hotel Breakfast
After looking at different hotels to stay at in Otaru, the Sister and I decided on the Unwind Hotel for several reasons. It’s known for having a great bar (which we unfortunately didn’t get to check out). But it also has a pretty cool High Tea Breakfast. It’s a bit unique and something we’re both looking forward to. So after heading down to the hotel dining room, we are seated and presented with a three tier high tea style breakfast. What’s cool about it is that the food is Japanese inspired so there is a fusion of cultures happening. Sufficed to say it’s a very satisfying breakfast!
Otaru
After breakfast the Sister and I decide to simply stroll around the town of Otaru. We head in the direction of the Sea of Japan and along the way some things catch our eye. We don’t see this in Canada much but their way of clearing snow off roofs seems super simple yet effective. Both the Sister and I were fascinated by it and spent a few minutes simply watching the workers work!
Eventually we reach the Port area of Otaru and we see our first glimpses of the Sea of Japan. Around the port area are mainly industrial buildings, but there are some small eateries and shops which the Sister and I check out. It’s also apparent that heavy snowfall is a fact of life here!
Port Bakery
Nearby to the port is a small “container” complex of restaurants. One of which is a bakery with some delicious looking items. So the Sister and I stop in sample some of their wares. It’s also a chance for us to get out of the cold and wait out some heavier snowfall occurring at the time. In this specific case, its actually very true that this area really is a “port in the storm!”
Mahoro Ramen
After the snow dies down a little we slowly make our way back to our hotel and check out. From there we head to Mahoro Ramen for lunch. There’s nothing like a hot bowl of soup and noodles on a snowy day! When we arrive its relatively empty, but by the time we near the end of our meal the place starts to fill up. So maybe we got in at the right time!
Train back to Sapporo
After lunch we head back to the train station and wait for the next train back to Sapporo. It’s probably one of the more scenic train rides you can take with lovely views into the Sea of Japan. Adding the snow as a backdrop and you get a very pleasant journey from Otaru to Sapporo.
Hokkaido Prefectural Government Red Brick Building
Upon arriving back in Sapporo, the sun is shinning! And instead of taking a subway to our next hotel, the Sister and I decide to walk. We walk around the Hokkaido Prefectural Government Red Brick Building which is this beautiful park near Odori park. With the hustle and bustle of the city, there’s a bit of calm in this area and I really enjoyed walking through it on our way to the hotel.
Yakiniku Like
After checking into our hotel and taking some time to settle in our thoughts turn to dinner. Right across from our hotel is Yakiniku Like. We order some lemon sours and a few plates of meat to share. We spend the evening barbequing and chowing down on meat and reminiscing on our previous 24 hours in Otaru.
Even though we’re starting to feel the fatigue of the whirlwind past few days we still want to pop out to pick up more Japanese snacks. However, that does mean we need to brave the elements once again. And since the wind tends to lower the temperatures we start to find innovative ways to hide from the wind while still keeping a watchful eye on the traffic lights to know when we can cross the street!
But in the end it’s still worth the effort so we can try fun and new snacks like Apple Ice treats and Banana smoothies!
Tomorrow we will be meeting up once again with Photos and Dessert Fiend at the Sapporo Beer Museum. But not before a well deserved night of rest and possibly a bit of a sleep in!
Glad that little Minion found many of his friends!