From Hakodate it was time to go to Otaru next. The journey to Otaru was quite convenient, the first leg was a Hokuto ride to Sapporo, then we switched to the airport rapid train (at least that's how I remembered it).
Departing Hakodate on Hokuto - Galaxy S23+
The journey took about 3.5 hours in total and we arrived in Otaru just nice for check-in before sunset.
Welcome to Otaru Station - Galaxy S23+
When we arrived there had been some snowfall earlier which made our walk from the station to the hotel quite difficult as we had to drag our luggages along, despite the hotel located only some half kilometre away from the station.
At Authent Hotel Otaru Lobby - Galaxy S23+
After check-in, we went to a nearby mall for early dinner and for Lindsay to get a new pair of winter boots. After we were done, Lincoln insisted on going to Book Off again, which the missus agreed to. I was very pissed but I kept it in. Sometimes I swear she indulges this boy too much. To get to that Book Off, we had to take a train ride from Otaru station to Minami Otaru followed by a 1 way 900 metre walk. And we had to do that along dark roads and heavy snow. Gosh... The missus REALLY indulges the boy too much sometimes.
Book Off... Again - Galaxy S23+
When we reached the shop, they were just minutes from closing, which is at 8 p.m. So we didn't stay long there although I was quite relieved to get some refuge from the cold.
From Book Off we returned to Otaru station again and walked down Chuodori street towards the Otaru canal. As we walked down the road, Linc slipped and fell down. Fortunately he was not hurt, but that showed how precarious it is walking on icy roads.
Beautiful Snow Covered Roads - Galaxy S23+
Before reaching the canal we spotted a LeTao cafe which occupied an old fire station. We went in as I thought we could still get some LeTao confectioneries there, unfortunately the shop was already closed, only the cafe was still operational. So I got ourselves some soft serves and a cup of coffee for us to rest.
The Missus and Linc in LeTao Cafe - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
From LeTao cafe we went on to the canal where I got some great photos of the spot. I remembered it was a cold -2 degrees then.
Finally I Got a Shot of This Canal - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
The Missus and Linc at The Canal - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
After that we walked back to the hotel for a good night's rest. I was so lucky that the hotel has a laundry machine and I decided to wash and dry our inner wears before finally calling it a day.
Beautiful View on The Way Back to Authent Hotel - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
On the next day, it snowed heavily in the morning and turned the city into a magical white winter wonderland. I went off to Otaru station first to make train reservations for our Furano trip.
Cool Morning View From JR Otaru Station - Galaxy S23+
From there I returned to the hotel to meet the missus & the 2Ls and made our way to Sakaimachidori street under heavy snow once more. We took a quick refuge inside a nearby Lawson shop, and once we were sufficiently warmed up we started our exploration of Sakaimachidori street.
Starting Our Exploration Here - Galaxy S23+
Sakaimachidori street was filled with many shops selling souvenirs, confectioneries, music boxes, glass handicraft and restaurants. LeTao certainly made it's presence known on this street, occupying 5 locations here. But there were other good brands as well such as Ryugetsu and Rokkatei.
Coffee Stop at Kahisakan - Galaxy S23+
Tendon Lunch at Wagyu Kurosawa - Galaxy S23+
One of The Music Box Shops - Galaxy S23+
Amazing Life Sized Music Box - Galaxy S23+
The Best Music Box Shop in The City - Galaxy S23+
My favourite place here is Snoopy Village, which is previously known as Snoopy Cha ya. I absolutely love the goodies depicting Snoopy and the gang in Otaru as well as the Snoopy stained glass decorations around the store.
Welcome to Snoopy Chaya - The Missus' iPhone 15
Cute Snoopy Stained Glass - Galaxy S23+
We also took some family photos along the street to remember this place with.
The Missus & The 2Ls - Galaxy S23+
Just Us - Galaxy S23+
We stayed around till sunset to enjoy the sights of the street after dark.
Snoopy Chaya From Outside - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
Sakaimachidori As The Sun Set - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM
We then made our way back to the hotel on foot again. After we dropped our shopping stuffs, the kids and I went to a neaby Mos Burger to buy dinner. I've noticed the missus not feeling well, so I quickly went to a neaby Lawson hoping to find some medicines, unfortunately there weren't any. I quickly checked the Google maps and found 2 pharmacies, one of which already closed by then. Luckily the other one (playfully called "koko kara fine") which is just next to the hotel was still open. I got 2 kinds medicines for fever and cough after consulting the pharmacist (bless that guy really for being so helpful and still keeping the shop open). Then I started packing our things on behalf of the missus who was resting as we had to leave for Furano on the following day. I knew she had been off throughout the day but she didn't tell me at all, until we were finally back in the hotel. Sometimes she can be so stubborn...
Anyway, I felt like we hadn't explored Otaru fully, unfortunately I had to maximize the JR pass' usage which only had 5 days validity, hence, the somewhat rushed stops between cities. I'd really love to drop by Otaru again. It is such a lovely city for sure.
Time to Leave - Galaxy S23+
Here's a closing shot for this entry of our 2024 Japan holiday series:
Linc's Stitches Go Places - The Missus' iPhone 15
~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy S23+, The Missus' iPhone 15, Sony A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM~
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