Postcard from Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan

View from Otaru Station

 A very quick side-trip to the lovely (touristy, usually?) & historic port of Otaru, just west of Sapporo. I was already going to be in Sapooro for work over the weekend, so what's another little train trip?!

19th century western influence immediately obvious around the canal (not many of these in Japan that are not actually moats), with stone warehouses & factories I guess, as well as remanants of Hokkaido's first railroad (to haul coal to the port, I think - sorry, not a planned trip but a whim!).

Charming unrushed feel to the place - a lovely sunset over the old dockyard...some yakuza having some sort of ceremony stylishly in a car park...tourists jostling to get into a 50m boat cruise along aforementioned canal!

Canal cruises - not ocean going!

Had to go for seafood - sushi & tempura - after sundowners in a German-style "beer garden" - my size of steins for once!

Shrimp tempura - divine!

My holiday report - Rukiya

Dear Jim,

Tempura soba

I ate soba at a restaurant in Matsumoto in the Golden Week. It was around 11 a.m. but the restaurant was crowded. We went by car.

It was cold because it was on a high mountain.

There was tempura, not only soba. The food was very good.

Posted for Rukiya