Image above: The artisan watching the vase take shape as I blow (a bit too hard!) down the pipe. [Saturday 30 January] | [View all photos]
Day 8 and we spent our final day in Hokkaido visiting picturesque Otaru before catching our evening flight back to Tokyo.
After a a decent breakfast where the view was actually better than the food – a weird take on a cooked Western breakfast – our train flew past the coastline of Ishikawa Bay as we headed up to Otaru.
We first hit the old railway track lined with igloos which were part of the winter candlelight festivities held each evening. Unfortunately, with the transport issues the previous day we missed that but, instead, we got to walk along the charming Otaru Canal.
With Otaru still a working port, we had a wander around the deserted docks and looked out across Ishikawa Bay before the bitterly cold wind got the better of us and we headed back to explore the old part of the town.
This turned out to be the highlight of the day as I tried to make a glass vase for my Mum. With zero experience, I had an artisan show me how to do the glass blowing and shape the glass. That didn’t quite go according to plan but, thankfully, he fixed my major mistakes before applying the finishing touch.
So one misshapen vase but a lot of fun too! Funnily enough, when I gave it to my Mum she asked where the box of chocolates I normally get her were!!!
Well, after all that exertion, it was time for lunch in this absolutely miniature tempura restaurant. With just enough room to seat around 10 customers it made for a cosy experience with all of us sitting at the counter surrounding the chef. Waiting patrons unfortunately had to stand outside in the cold for a free space.
One slight downside of this was that we all got covered in oil from the intense frying but y’know it was worth it as the tempura was simply delectable. Though, even that wasn’t enough to stop me from snacking afterwards as we continued walking past endless food shops and street stands. You have got to love free samples! :)
Then, quite sated, it was time to head back to Sapporo Airport and head back to Tokyo. Kinda regretted not bringing back a frozen tabara crab in the airport shop …
Coming up … a decadent dinner back in Tokyo on my last night of my Japan trip.
related posts:
