MP3 track of the day:
You're beautiful – James Blunt
Weather: Beautiful,
both in Otaru and Sapporo. I couldn't have asked for better weather
(considering the time of year).
As this was the only
morning which I could sleep in this weekend, I took full liberty of
the situation. Yesterday I was on a train, tomorrow I need to
check-out, the day after I will be back on a train and then I'm back
at work. I therefore felt no guilt getting up at 9am and lounging
around until 10am. My hotel room was small but it had everything I
needed; the bed was comfortable and the shower was warm however, the
room was cold. This negative aspect was no one else’s fault but my
own; in my 'sleepy' state last night, I'd forgotten that an
air-conditioning unit could produce hot, as well as cold air. To test
the theory I turned on said unit and was greeted by a waft of hot
air. A mental note was made for this evening.
Today I was planning on
heading to a small town called Otaru; 40km's north of Sapporo. As it
was a small town I felt that the entire day was not needed. Indeed,
if I got there too early I would find myself board and wondering
around until nightfall where, apparently, miniature igloos, with
candles inside, are lit all around town. I therefore sat, within my
hotel room, and wrote yesterday's blog, occasionally looking out of
the window to see cars skidding within the falling snow.
At midday my PC was
away and I was heading into town once more. After a quick breakfast I
found an underground walkway which led all the way to the train
station. Sure I missed seeing the ice sculptures however, I also
missed slipping on the ice and waiting to cross roads at traffic
lights. I thought it was an acceptable swap. The first part of the
walkway had shops on either side, which meant people were
'criss-crossing' all over the place. The second part had no shops
meaning that people formed orderly lines. I preferred the second
situation.
I eventually surfaced
into the middle of Sapporo's train station. I scanned the many signs
for the first one which read 'tickets' and I went to join a rather
large queue. In no time at all a Japanese lady, with a huge red hat
and a smile just as big, asked me where I wanted to go. 'Otaru' was
my answer to which she asked me to follow her to an automated
machine. As the next train to Otaru was leaving in four minutes I
purchased a ticket from said machine, said thank you and headed to
'platform 5'.
The train was packed
meaning that I stood the whole way though, as the journey was only
forty minutes, it mattered not. As the train followed the coast I saw
waves crash against the snowy beaches deciding that 'going for a dip'
might not be the best idea. On the other side of the track I saw
small communities, which seemed to have been lost in the snow. If it
wasn't for the amount of people I might have thought that I was
travelling through the Arctic, seeing abandoned 'supply stations'
left to stand forever within the cold, snowy barren wasteland which
lay before me. At this point I was wondering what Otaru would look
like.
Otaru was similar to
Omaru in New Zealand; both had once been prosperous sometime in their
history (Omaru because of it's local white stone and Otaru because
of herring fishing). Due to living within a global society both
had lost their importance however, both had retained some beautiful
grand buildings as a constant reminder of their 'glory days'. The
station was no different; looking like a grand 19th
century European train station, it was beautiful and perched on the
top of a hill. The main road lead away, downhill to the coast. Dotted
along the main road were old 19th century buildings, grand
and defiant despite their towns lack of importance.
I wondered down the
main road with a good feeling. This 'good feeling' felt even better
when the first two shops I found sold expensive cakes and chocolates.
I continued down the road with a bank of snow as high as me to my
right.
Finally I had made it
to Otaru's canal. On one side stood the town and on the other were
lovely old warehouses; beautifully maintained and restored. Huge
icicles formed from the roofs and, with the snow all around, the
scene was very picturesque. I walked along the canal path taking
photo upon photo. Looking at the scene in front of me, I was fully
expecting horse drawn carriages, street lamps with lit candles inside
and men wearing tall hats. It was a strange and historic place; it
shouldn't have fit within it's Japanese surroundings … but it did.
I walked the entire
length of the canal before roaming around the city itself. Even the
grand buildings could not hide the fact that some shops were
abandoned, others closed and many seemed to be on the brink of
closing. Still, the city had charm and as I walked, I liked the
little place more and more.
All too soon it was
4pm. I was in the mood for 'afternoon tea' but trying to find a place
with both cake and hot chocolate proved to be a mission. I went back
to the train station (as I remembered seeing a café inside) but,
at £8 for a slice of cake and a hot chocolate, I declined and looked
for something cheaper. In the end I went to the tourist information
office where, though no cake, a bar served a lovely hot chocolate for
three pounds. After this I moped around town until nightfall.
I felt as though I had
entered a Christmas card. You know the one; an early 19th
century street scene with candle lit lamps and shops open with snow
on the ground. As I turned down a snowy street I was greeted by a
curved line of old store buildings and miniature igloos, with candles
in, which illuminated the area. As I walked along this street I
almost ate the atmosphere, it was that thick. There were chocolatiers
and cake sellers all along the street with staff giving 'free
tasters' outside the shops entrance. I tried as many as I could,
particularly liking the 'cheesecake mix'. I went into the shop but
alas, you had to buy a whole 'family sized' cake. Eventually I did
find a 'cream cake' which had cream and custard jammed between two
circular pastry pieces. I'm not sure whether the cream enjoyed its
surroundings; one bite and it made a bid for freedom covering my
gloves, hands, scarf and coat. I was covered in cream but I didn't
care; the cake was so delicious I was smiling from ear to ear. A sign
of a good cake.
By now the time was
6:30pm. I walked along the, now candle lit, canal path before heading
back to the train station. I had thoroughly enjoyed my trip but now
it was time to head back to Sapporo. With my head slightly low I
walked back to the train station, stopping at a chocolate shop for
some luxury chocolate, before boarding another packed train.
Once back in Sapporo I
made my way to the ice park. The anti-climax of the train journey had
brought on fatigue; with my feet hurting it was therefore a mission
to keep going. To perk myself up I played one of my favourite 'city
games'; it's called 'follow a bottom' and it can be played by both
sexes. The rules are simple; find a nice 'rear' and follow it,
occasionally changing as not to look weird. Being Japan's 5th
largest city finding a 'rear going my way' wasn't too difficult;
keeping up with it however was proving problematic due to the crowds.
After a short while I abandoned the game and went for a meal. Once
consumed I went to the ice park.
Annoyingly the weather
was perfect. It was annoying because I was so tired I couldn't enjoy
it. I tried to keep going but, I just couldn't. I saw some of the
sculptures, bought some more souvenirs and watched local musical acts
performing on an ice stage. One act consisted of four young girls,
who’s voices weren't that strong but they had practised their dance
routine thoroughly and were enjoying their moment. The thing that
made me smile was, somewhere near the front of the stage, was a group
of adults jumping around with lights in their hands. I presumed that
they were family members of the girls as they were acting like a
crowd at a proper Japanese gig (to make the girls feel special).
There was one gentleman filming the whole act and everyone else
was cheering; the whole scene was very heart warming. As I left the
park I had a warm 'fuzzy feeling'; this is why I love Japan as the
people make others feel special for trying, no matter how good or bad
they are.
My feet complained with
every step I took to get back to my hotel. Once in my room I
collapsed on the bed, ate chocolate and read my book. Before going to
sleep I made sure that I turned the air-conditioning unit on.
What a day. Tomorrow,
sadly, is my last day.
Toodle Pip!
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