WE CATCH A TRAIN TO OTARU AND SOME UNWANTED SURPRISES
13.12.2024
Slept well. In fact we slept so well we were almost late for breakfast. That would have been a minor catastrophe as the breakfast was really good for a budget hotel. There was a good mix of traditional Japanese dishes like carrot and potato curry, shredded burdock and carrot salad and a good mix of bread and pastries. Great find at $110 a night! Well done Mami!!
Breakfast done and dusted, we headed off to explore a little bit of Sapporo. We didn’t buy souvenirs for Mami’s parents, instead we decided to buy seafood in Hokkaido and send it to them. Although it cost us $180, sending something they will really like is better than random souvenirs. They will be looking after us for a month at least.
Sapporo has one of the best underground walking systems in the world. These underground mall strips are full of a variety of shops including mens and womens clothing, cafes, restaurants, and even craft markets with hand made wooden cooking utensils, various types of jewellery and scarves to name a few.
Mami has been trying ever since we arrived to get me an Newspaper called the Japan Times. It is printed in English and has both local and global news. I really enjoy reading it and doing the puzzles in the Saturday edition. Mami doesn’t like to give up so this morning she decided to try a bookstore hoping to find The Japan Times … but no luck.! Coffee break was therefore required and luckily, like a lot of bookshops and libraries in Japan, this one has a Starbucks in their store. We both love the concept.
After our need for coffee was sated at Starbucks, we caught a train to Otaru, the canal city, which took about 40 minutes. Known for its beautifully preserved canal area, Otaru played a key role in Hokkaido’s colonisation during the late 1800s as a major port. As a result, it was chosen as the terminal station for Hokkaido’s first railway line, which connected the port to nearby Sapporo. Remnants of the old track still exist, as do some of the signals and lights.
Unfortunately for me, as we walked around the streets of Otaru there was a lot of ice on sections of the footpath. Yes you guessed it, I slipped and took a tumble ….. TWICE!! Not a happy chappy I can tell you. First time I landed flat on my back and right forearm, injuring my pride more than my body. Second time, which actually happened when we got back to Sapporo, my left elbow bore the brunt again and blew up like a balloon. Remarkably I didn’t swear once …. It was more like twenty times! The first fall only hurt a little and I was able to continue walking and to persuade Mami to buy a beautiful blue and white beanie at a store in Otaru.
Mami heard that Otaru is especially beautiful after sunset, as it gets illuminated with lights. Unfortunately Nana was right saying it’s underwhelming. However we stayed around for a rather meagre light show however the actual scenery came up well in the pictures we took. There were lots of Korean people there taking selfies on the bridge, so we left early to miss the rush for a seat on the train back to Sapporo.
The rapid train back to Sapporo took 35 minutes and we had seats all the way. When I fell for the second time, my arm blew up like a balloon. So when I got back to the hotel I put ice on it to reduce the swelling. When Mami saw my elbow, she insisted I go to the hospital and I always do as I’m told.
Finally found a taxi, which is hard to do on a Friday night, and made our way to the hospital. Upshot of this whole drama is the x-rays showed no damage to the bones, just a bit of swelling due the hard hit my forearm took on the ice.
Mami has just returned from the onsen (hot bath) she needed to relax after my calamitous day. She looks relaxed and calm, which the onsen delivered in spades. We are now going to hit the hay and hopefully my icewalking skills improve tomorrow.
*** As I always type in the heading last, I just realised today is Friday the 13th!!!! No wonder we had such bad luck!!
