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The Third Day ...
- Otaru (小樽)
Otaru is a port town on the coast of the Sea of Japan in
northern Shiribeshi subprefecture. At one time, a canal
ran through the middle of the town, but now only a
portion of it has been preserved for tourism. It is
supposed to be a pleasant stroll along the canal during
the day, and romantic in the evening when the gas lamps
are lit, but our tour bus only stopped here for 10
minutes :-(
We spent a couple of hours in Sakaimachi
region to enjoy special shops like Music Box Museum
(Orgel-Doh, 八角音樂盒), Kitaichi Glass Studio (北一硝子), and a fantastic coffee shop,
"Kitaichi Hall", with glittering glass crafts
and old-fashioned gas lamps, and delicious snacks from
Kitakaro (北菓樓).
- Snow Crystal Museum
Snow Crystal Museum is one of the three museums in
Hokkaido Folk Arts and Crafts Village in Ashikawa (旭川). The
spiral staircase leads down to the world of snow
displayed in the Ice Corridor with series of ice columns.
The view here is fantastic that it is more like in
European countryside than in Japan.
- Sounkyo (層雲峽)
Sounkyo is
a touristy hot spring resort in a narrow valley of
Daisetsuzan National Park. Down in the gorge near
Sounkyo, there are two beautiful waterfalls, Ginga no
Taki (銀河瀑布) and Ryuusei no Taki (流星瀑布). Unfortunately, it was already
in the late afternoon when we got to Sounkyo, and our
tour itinerary did not allow us to explore more around
Sounkyo and Daisetsuzan.
We stayed in Choyo Resort (a hot spring
hotel) with Japanese style rooms in Sounkyo Onsen. Although I
did not enjoy the all-you-can-eat crab buffet, the hot spring
bath was a good way to relax after a day's bus ride.
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