Otaru Canal - Be There for the Sake of Being There As a Tourist @ Hokkaido [Japan] #otarucanal

Otaru Canal is said to be the number one attraction in Otaru, a small city that's less than an hour train ride from Sapporo in Hokkaido, and we decided to pay it a visit despite reservations from friends who had been there.

Honestly, i can understand why those friends felt that way as the canal was underwhelming and aside from the contrast of old with new; the canal itself didn't appear any special from the monsoon drains in Singapore.

The converted warehouses on the ride side of the canal did make the environment more charming and it's hard to imagine that a hundred years ago, the canal was filled with smaller boats that acted as delivery medium from the larger ships to the warehouses.

Without the bustle on the left side, where modern buildings stood and hoards of people strolled along a parallel path, it was indeed a picturesque scene worthy for use on postcards!

I heard that the view was extremely romantic during winter when the entire island of Hokkaido would be blanketed by a thick layer of snow. Since i am terribly scared of the extreme cold, i don't think i would ever have a chance to see it for real in my life.

It was crowded even though i can still squeeze in for some nicely composed pictures. By the way, the lamps were gas-powered; just like they were in a century ago! 

This particular spot i was at would be the most crowded as it gave a nice view of the canal. There's an information counter which was already closed at that time. You can actually take a boat along the canal (at a charge) but we didn't have sufficient time. 

A fountain that dispensed drinking water! Frankly, even though i wasn't that impressed with Otaru, i did consider dropping by on a day trip as there's so much i didn't manage to do; visit the aquarium, take a boat trip, shop to my content at the shops along the beautiful Sakaimachi Street.

Another thing you can do; engage a rickshaw driver to check out the nearby attractions in a traditional rickshaw! It's hard work as evidence by the muscular thighs they all had. Darn, they made me so conscious of my chopstick legs!

Would i be back? Definitely to Otaru the city if i visit Hokkaido again and given the proximity of the canal to the key attractions, why not right?

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Location

Minatomachi, Otaru 047-0007, 

Hokkaido, Japan

Location Map 

Check out my google map here. (Look out for the iconic building as above which is diagonally across from the canal).

You may check out my summarized 8-day, 7-night itinerary to Hokkaido in summer (including a few days of self-drive); click here!

Furano Delice Honten - #1 of 158 Restaurants in Furano: Rush for the Double Fromage Cheesecake! @ Hokkaido [Japan] #FuranoDelice

In the past, free and easy travellers relied heavily on hardcover guidebooks to find recommended eats in a foreign country; nowadays, the reliance is spread across blogs, guidebooks and TripAdvisor! 

It's because of the ranking on TripAdvisor that i specially planned a visit to Furano Delice Honten; come on, it's ranked top out of 158 restaurants and not especially out of the way from the airbnb we stayed at the night before. 

My only worry; it might be crowded and it will be a pain to queue when time might be better spent somewhere else! However, it was a picture of peacefulness when we arrived at the place; if not for the signage outside, i would have assumed it's a residential property! 

I knew what i would be having that morning but if you are undecided, you may refer to the laminated poster at the entrance for recommendations. Coffee was supposed to be good although i didn't try since i am a sucker for local Singaporean coffee. 

The walk in might appear somewhat un-Japanese with no manicured walkway and two trees blocking your way. In actual fact, it's still Japanese as they respect nature and it's better to keep the trees than cutting them. 

Mistletoe in summer? 

I bet this place would be even prettier come winter time! 

Plenty of outdoor seating with one that's like an unsheltered tree house for those who enjoy the nature. For pampered Singaporeans who can't stand the heat, the nice, air-conditioned indoors shall be our preferred choice. 

The simple, unassuming indoor seating. 

Self-service plain water; in Japan, it's common to serve plain water without you paying a single cent. Now i can understand why some people were so pissed when some restaurants in Singapore started charging for plain water a few years ago!

Technically, Furano Delice Honten is not restaurant; rather, it's more a dessert store or bakery with a mouthwatering range of cakes to choose from. 

For a man coming to almost 40 years ago, i honestly can't stomach as much as i would like to and could manage only the key recommended products; no prize for guessing what i had.

Hot Chocolate - Alex would usually get hot chocolate whenever he sees it on the menu; this one from Furano Delice was too thick and chocolatey! Luckily for me, i am happy with just the free cup of plain water. 

Egg Madeleines - housed in a paper egg carton, this would be the kind of food souvenirs that receivers would remember for a long period of time.

A carton had six pieces of egg madeleines that were kept fresh in a plastic packaging. Definitely a plus point if i am going to buy a few cartons home. 

Sadly, they failed to impress; instead of being soft and fluffy, the texture was a bit dense and it was overly sweet. Furthermore, my benchmarks when it comes to Madeleines are the warm, freshly made ones from DB Bistro! 

The two stars of Furano Delice Honten; double fromage cheesecake and milk pudding!

They looked so perfect together but i had to order them separately; initially thought i could get a cheaper deal if they were a set. :(

Furano Milk Pudding - shake the glass bottle well and indulge! It's like swallowing liquefied egg tart that had been blended so perfectly; the richness of the egg and the sweetness of the caramel fused into a few mouthfuls of yummy goodness! 

Double Fromage Cheesecake - everyone told me i should try the double fromage cheesecake in Hokkaido and i was utterly blown away by the above; it's a two-layer cheesecake with the bottom being solid cheesecake whereas the top was like a soft bean-curd like cheese topping. The taste was so amazing; it wins every other cheesecake i had in my whole life! 

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Location

2156-1 Shimogoryo, 

Furano 076-0017, Hokkaido

Operating Hours 

10am to 6pm; usually closed on Tuesdays.

Check out the website (in Japanese) for more information

Website (in Japanese)

http://www.le-nord.com/cafe/

Instagram Hashtag

#FuranoDelice 

Drink Menu

As above.

Pricing

Hot Chocolate - 400 yen

Egg Madeleines (6s) - 800 yen

Furano Milk Pudding - 300 yen

Double Fromage Cheesecake - 380 yen

(Subject to 8% Tax)

Additional Information

As expected, clean washroom with a bouquet of lavender flowers that acted as a natural neutralising scent for your ungodly purges.

There were many food souvenirs for you to bring back home and you can even order online! As instruction was mainly in Japanese, i presume it served more the local Japanese market rather than overseas.

Not sure if the postbox was a working one even though my objective was to show you the umbrellas. They were not free by the way but if you notice a rain cloud, maybe it's best to get one just in case; only 200 yen each.  

You may check out my summarized 8-day, 7-night itinerary to Hokkaido in summer (including a few days of self-drive); click here for the information!

Having Fun on the New Downtown Line - For Jovyn @ Downtown Line 3 Open House [Singapore]

Jovyn was all ready for the Downtown Line 3 Open House; dressed in a rainbow

dress that was purchased in Malacca, she appeared as an obedient, sweet little thing who would quickly hide quietly behind the parents in front of strangers. 

That's merely a front for who she really is; without her parents who would look disapprovingly at her rubber-faced expression, she was as carefree as a bird and proceeded to strike a Saturday night fever dance pose in the middle of the train! 

And flexed her tiny muscles! 

Honestly, i think she has the looks of a person who can really fight! Maybe i should persuade my sister to enrol her in mixed martial arts or something; for all you know, she could be the next Angela Lee! 

Obviously, she is still a young gal at heart and her constant cheerfulness is a sharp contrast to the brother somewhat more serious demeanor. 

Full of mischief - she has the knack to make someone laugh and even though she is shy (a trait that i possess too); she managed to bring a smile to many commuters in the same train carriage as us! 

Hiding behind the folded fan, we were supposed to play a classic game called 喜怒哀樂, where you are supposed to express happiness, anger, sorrow and joy! 

Cuteness max yet failed miserably! 

Who wants to rent her for halloween?! She looked just like a mini, female version of Hei Bai Wu Chang (黑白無常) with each hand holding to a fan! Funny yet morbid! 

After all the abuse, it's no wonder that my fan was damaged! Thankfully, it wasn't an expensive one and i easily replaced it with non-folding fan from Daiso!