September 20, 2016
Last night Darlene and I located something I haven't had for about ten years. We used to get it at breakfast in Toyokoro but haven't seen it anywhere other than that. It is whipped peanut butter and honey and it is so YUMMY I can't even tell you!!! We brought a little tub of it back to our hotel room along with some bread from the grocery store so for breakfast this morning we had P.B. & Honey buns with coffee at a very expensive price tag of about $3/person for breakfast. Not bad heh?!
Father Manfred and Makoto San arrived to pick us up at our hotel lobby right on schedule at 10 a.m. And now that we've all absorbed enough of the Japanese culture everyone was not only on time but even a few minutes early! Could it be that we'll all go home with new habits? It will be interesting to see just how long those new habits last. :-)
We all climbed aboard Father's little van....well....it just seems little now compared to the big one we had in Toyokoro. On Father's van we even have to use the jump seats that run down the middle aisle of the van so it is a bit like a human puzzle when we load and unload.
With the sun shining down on us and a forecast of 23 degrees we knew we were destined for a great day! We headed northward toward the town of Otaru where we had a couple of museum stops planned and then it would be free time with the option of returning to Sapporo with Father on the van or pushing the envelope a little and taking the opportunity to join the masses of commuters and make our way back to the big city by train or bus later in the afternoon or evening. Darlene and I had already decided that we wanted to do the train so there was no discussion required for us on that front.
Otaru is a city filled with history and it's old district is ribboned with canals that lead out to the Sea of Japan. These canals were used by the fishermen and traders of old as they used ships and waterways to move their goods. Our first stop was at the city museum where we learned a little more about the ways of the First People who lived in this region as well as the animals native to the area. We practiced making fire with bow drills and pump drills and hand drills. Bottom line....none of us were able to get the stick spinning fast enough to make fire! We would be a hungry bunch or happy to shift to a raw food diet. The second museum stop was at an historic fisher mans co-op. More than 120 men would sleep on the first floor (on tatami mats) getting up to fish all day, come back to sleep and then do it all over again the next day. Another reminder of how lucky we are! The view from this second stop was really lovely....gardens around the house and a million dollar view over the Sea of Japan and the fish plants along the shoreline. We could also see an area where sea lions and dolphins are known to play but unfortunately they were not up to their antics during our visit today so we missed out on seeing their show this time round.
Many of us decided to stay in Otaru to catch the train back and so when we said good bye to Father and Makoto we knew this would be the last time we'd see them too. It was another bitter sweet moment as we said good bye to these new friends recognizing once again how quickly they'd found their way into our hearts. Isao, Makoto's son is coming to Vancouver for a year beginning the end of this month and so the invitations for him to come visit were coming at him thick and fast.
Once we were dropped off in Otaru city proper we broke into smaller groups and in our "foursome" was Hannah, Carmen, Darlene and I. We lunched at Victoria Station where the corn soup was AMAZING, we sat on the shopping street waiting for the steam clock to strike the hour so we could watch it chime and whistle, we listened to the clock tower strike the hour right behind the steam clock, and all the while we munched on chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries....another sweet memory from this land of very good food.
Shopping along this shopping street is endless and there is something for everyone. From Hello Kitty to Snoopy and from kimonos to samurai supplies there was no shortage of 'stuff' to see. In the end, I settled on some Green Tea Kit Kat and grape soda mentos as new taste sensations to bring home to the kids. Hannah treated us all to a green tea confection that we're still not too sure about. It was some kind of marshmallow (I think) and it was thickly coated with Matcha tea. Hannah was the first to give it a try and she convinced me to go for it too. Darlene and Carmen got lucky and were allowed to just try a half piece. The only thing I'll say about that particular confection is that I'm hoping it's good for you (matcha is supposed to be) as that is about all it has going for it!
We found our way to the train station in time to catch the 5:40 train which would put us back in Sapporo at the JR station at 6:20 pm. The train was very comfortable and just 700 yen (less than $10) as well as being a new experience to add to the list for this trip. Once we were underway we wished we'd left about an hour earlier as the tracks run right along the water's edge so it would have been a gorgeous trip had we had a little more daylight. Dusk and dark come early here (as does dawn) so it's a little hard to figure out what time it is based on the amount of light in the sky.
Everyone made it home from Otaru with stories to tell and a new sense of confidence and success that comes from having stretched the comfort zone just a little and lived to tell the tale. It was another great day and we're all really starting to feel tired. Not just tired from the quick pace we've been keeping but also from the constant stimulation and the emotional roller coaster we've been on for the past several days.
It was a pretty early night for everybody tonight as tomorrow is our final day in Sapporo and it is a free day for everyone to do as they please. I know I'm looking forward to a relaxed pace for tomorrow and I suspect there are a few others who share that sentiment.
Till next time....sayonara from Sapporo,
Lorrie and Darlene
No comments:
Post a Comment