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OTARU |
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One of the most relaxing ways of arriving at or leaving Hokkaido is
on a ferry to or from the port of OTARU , some 40km northwest of
Sapporo. Though the town itself has no major attractions, save for an
area of restored Meiji-era buildings along a canal, and Mount Tengu,
where there's skiing in winter, its cluster of good-value hotels make
this a possible base if you can't find anywhere to stay in Sapporo.
To find the nineteenth-century canal quarter, head towards the sea from
Otaru Station down Chuo-dori, the town's main street. The canal is at
its most attractive for a very short stretch to the right of Chuo-dori,
especially at dusk, when the gas lamps flicker to life. Facing the
canal, to the left of Chuo-dori, is the Otaru Museum (daily 9.30am-5pm;
¥150), with an average collection of historical and nature displays in a
converted 1893 warehouse. In one of the warehouses to the right of the
main road you'll find the jibiiru (microbrewery) Otaru Biiru , where
gleaming copper stills dominate the wooden beer hall. The brewery serves
three regular German-style beers (a crisp Alt, the darker Dunkel and the
cloudy, "banana-flavoured" Weissbier), at ¥500 a glass, as well as
special seasonal beers and snacks. If they're around, the German
masterbrewer or his assistant can give you a tour of the brewery.
Limited express trains (¥620) from Sapporo take around thirty minutes to
reach Otaru - buses and local trains are slower and slightly cheaper.
Ferries from Niigata in northern Honshu and Maizuru and Tsuruga, both
north of Kyoto, dock at the ferry terminal, some 5km east of the train
station. Regular buses run between the ferry terminal and Otaru Station,
and a taxi will cost around ¥1000. You can pick up an English map at the
tourist information office inside the station (daily 9am-6pm; tel
0134/29-1333).
Of the cluster of hotels near Otaru Station, one of the cheapest is the
Green Hotel (tel 0134/33-0333; ¥7000-10,000), five minutes' walk down
Chuo-dori, offering singles for under ¥4000. The Otaru Tengu-yama Youth
Hostel (tel 0134/34-1474, fax 24-0422; under ¥3000) is 5km south of the
station, near the cable car which goes up Mount Tengu, and is convenient
for the ski slope on the mountain. To reach the hostel, take the bus
from platform 3 outside the station. Pon Pon (tel 0134/27-0866;
¥3000-5000) is a youth-hostel style minshuku ten minutes' walk north of
Otaru Station. Separate men's and women's dorm rooms are ¥3500 and
breakfast is ¥500. More upmarket is Hotel Nord Otaru (tel 0134/24-0500,
fax 24-1085; ¥20,000-30,000), with Western-style rooms in an elegant
stone building overlooking the canal.
For eating , head for Pépé Saré , which overlooks the Asakusa-bashi
bridge across the canal, serves inexpensive pasta dishes, and has
outdoor seating. Otaru is also renowned for its sushi and sashimi
restaurants, none of which are cheap - you'll find them at the end of
the Sun Mall Ichiban-gai shopping arcade, to the east of the station. A
sushi assortment ( moriawase ) for one costs ¥2500-3000.
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