Where I Traveled Yesterday: Otaru

Before getting start: I bought a guitar! Used, 8300 Yens, Ibanez. The multi effects pedal was 5100 Yens, and the amp just 1900 Yens. All (except the keyboard, which I brought from Korea) from a second-hand shop. It IS surely better to compose with a guitar. 

Anyways, I went to Otaru with 3 friends of mine. It's a city famous for being the background of a Japanese movie from the 90's, Love Letter. It took about 30 minutes by train, from Sapporo station to Otaru station, and costed 640 Yens for one-way trip. This was my first time to see a sea since I arrived at Sapporo. The sea above is called "Sea of Japan" by Japan (and many parts of the world), and "East Sea" by Korea (and some parts of the world). Of course it is an ongoing dispute. I personally does not support either; rather, I think "Sea of Peace", "Blue Sea", or that kind of name is good. Well, who cares about the name of a sea? Not every island in South China Sea nor those in East China Sea belongs to China.

A scenery from Otaru station. One can see the sea even from the station. But I couldn't 'smell sea', which made me a bit disappointed. The atmosphere was indeed different from that of Sapporo. It was more like a traveling spot, an European city, and even more peaceful (though Sapporo too is a city of serenity).
On this spot, we decided where to go: Otaru Canal.

The remains of a tram. I couldn't read what the signs said, so I don't know the story.

Welcome to Japan! Now I have to be careful about tsunami! Hilarious but alarming sign.

This is the canal. Honestly, I didn't think that Otaru would be so beautiful. The buildings along the canal were merely warehouses of some companies. But they made an breathtaking view. I want to visit Otaru again when the city is covered with snow.

Overall, Otaru is a very peaceful and silent port. People were fishing on the shore, or even at the canal.

And there were a lot of street foods. For example, "potato collection (what you can see above)", soft ice cream, "tornado potato" and zangi (a local food which is fried chicken or sea foods). So sadly, at least for me, there was no takoyaki, which is my all-time favorite Japanese street food.

As the city is famous for sea foods, we went to try some. This place offered the cheapest or something, and we got in. Well, the tea served looked like it was made from... seaweeds. Not only that, they did taste so. But the server said it's just Japanese green tea. Really? Hm...

Anyways, I ordered a domburi with raw salmon flesh and salmon eggs. It was great. Salmon was soft, and the eggs were juicy and had unique smell and texture. Two of the friends I went with had never eaten a salmon's egg. I thought it'd have been more popular than that. Well, it might seem a bit grotesque, but the eggs go very well with rices.

After lunch, we walked around the city.

It's an music box shop. The building looks quite old, as others do.

As the temptation of soft ice cream was so strong, we ate one. Mine was an ice cream with maple syrup on it. Tasted nice, but too much syrup was left in the end, making it TOO SWEET that I even quivered.

It's really thankful and good to see Korean translations for travelers, but it's often quite hilarious. The Korean name of Sweet Potato Cake became "Sudden Rice Ball Cake". Sudden? Haha. Where did it come from, in the first place?

A funny naming. PoseiDon. (ポセイ丼, 丼 means Donburi (Domburi))  

Finally I had lavender ice cream. It's a 3-story ice cream: chocolate, melon, and lavender flavor from the top. The best was melon. It was fantastic. But the lavender was disappointing to some extent. Even the taste on my tongue was lavender. The smell and the color was fascinating, but I don't think the taste of lavender goes 100% well with ice cream on its own.

And then we walked along the canal to a park.

This is it. It's a plaza or square, rather than a park.

Two girls were playing volleyball. In Korea, except for the classes, I've never seen students actually playing volleyball. I don't know whether the sport is popular in Japan or not, but still it was interesting enough.

Not Cold Stone (an ice cream franchise), but Gold Stone. The building was used as a warehouse tens of years before.

Lastly, before leaving the city, I decided to try "Kuro Burger"(黒バーガー, which means black burger). It is sold only(?) in Japan, and it was kind of an event for the Halloween. I've always wanted to try it since I came here, but I didn't have any chance since there are only one Burger King in Sapporo, which is located quite far from my dorm.

I took it to my dorm. So it became wet and many wrinkles were made. Still, it looks delicious, doesn't it?

Except that no vegetable was in it, the taste was nothing too extraordinary or abnormal. The patty tasted pepper, and the cheese was a little bit salty. Nothing very special but for its 'outstanding' appearance.