Part IV - Otaru Day 2 {Travelogue}

[Link to Part IV - Sapporo]

If you know seafood, you'll know that Otaru is the seafood hotspot in Hokkaido. Otaru is a cute little seaside town that is easily accessible by train. Everything there is within walking distance, and if you don't feel like walking, there are always cabs with friendly drivers, or the bus. Oh, and pedicabs are still a thing. We went with walking, even though it was snowing. I think the snow really added to the magic of the experience though, so I was happy to be in the snow.

Upon exiting the train station, just to the left and up about 10 stairs, you'll reach this:

It's the senkaku market. Not large by any standards, but it has within its walls rows upon rows of fresh seafood and a few restaurants to choose from to have your own seafood don. It's pretty hard to choose poorly. You can also buy your seafood and take it to a restaurant to have them prepare it for you. We just went into one of the restaurants and ordered off the wall. It helps if you speak Japanese, but pointing at pictures never hurts!

So much to choose from. Overstimulated and overwhelmed. If there were a heaven, this is what mine would look like.

They have some sea squirts here. Super ugly. I guess I should try one some day.

The menu. Walls of options, and if that isn't enough for you, you can create your own bowl.

Complimentary appetizers - squid and scallop.

My little bowl of AMAZING. I came here specifically for this. Seriously, breakfast of champs. I could eat this every day. Creamy, buttery uni goodness. It was the perfect amount. I love that there weren't bits of the spines in it, like a lot of places that I have been to in the states. 

For those who don't have a one track mind like me, there are plenty of other options that are just as delicious. This bowl has a healthy portion of uni, crab, scallops (still moving), and hamachi.

I also ordered a bowl of crab miso. Kegani and snow crab. Healthy portions of both, and the broth was such a crabby miso. I tried another crab miso at another location and it just tasted like miso. This broth, you can tell the crab was cooked in it so it was full and delicious.

Indoor shopping area in case you want to avoid the elements.

One of the original train tracks.

The Otaru Canal. Lots of shops along the road. Nice and peaceful until you get to the area where all of the tourists stop to take pictures. 

With the snow, comes the ice roads. Some were still fresh powder so it wasn't slippery. For the parts of the roads that were icy, Otaru used scallop shells instead so that it's natural and keeps the roads white and pretty.

(Told you pedicabs are still a thing)

I found a little monk in the tree.

I like the decorations. The rooftops had what looked like salmon on it.

MOAR ICE CREAM. This one is a "santa beard" on a slice of melon. Never was a fan of melon until I had it in Hokkaido. Yet another item that is famous here. 

This was a music box store. Filled with dainty music boxes. I ended up getting a small one that had the Totoro theme song.

I really loved the look of the buildings.

As we were walking by stand after stand of seafood, I decided I needed some grilled seafood in my life. Everyone agreed that sharing a scallop would be enough (we did just finish our breakfast of unidon and what not). Mistake. Get your own scallop. They're big, but grilled and with butter. You don't really want to share, do you?

I still think about this scallop.

So. Much. Seafood.

In the midst of all the seafood was this cool coffee shop.

Very green matcha shop. Behind it, a wall with slats to catch falling snow so it doesn't just avalanche down on the shops below.

More seafood stands. All are fresh. Saying no is difficult.

Pick the item and watch them grill!

We stopped in 北一ホール to warm up and enjoy how cozy it is with no electrical lights - just gas lamps. We were just in time for some live piano. 

Mood.

We first passed by Kitakaro because we were on a mission to get some cheesecake from Le Tao. If you do the same, don't forget to swing by afterwards and try their cheese cakes, puffed rice snacks, and other baked goods. They are all some of the best I've had. Also note, if you really have no time, you can pick some up at the airport. That said, get to the airport early because there is actually a ton you can still do there.

I was told the mailboxes here are unique. My friend went inside to mail a letter. I hung out outside in the cold because it still felt good to me (thank you, sunshine).

Just across the street, Le Tao. Cheesecake mecca.

There are two cafes. This one is closed in the winter. Don't worry, it's just across the street from the other main location.

Their best selling cheesecake.

Their seasonal cheesecake was kabocha. Don't forget the free samples!

My friends ordered this cheesecake with strawberries and ice cream.

I had to try the classic - a slice of the double fromage. Light and fluffy goodness. It went pretty fantastic with the seasonal tea. The tea was a fruit tea that smelled a bit like fruit stripe gum. We bought a tin of it to bring home to enjoy.

Le Tao at night.

Otaru Canal at night, lit by the gas lamps.

Dog statue. Apparently the story was that there was a fire and they rescued the dog who was waiting for his master who was already engulfed in flames. He ended up living with the firemen and had a nice happy life.

Wine glass display. The colors change if you decide to stand there and stare a while.

I read that this was one of the oldest soba places in Japan, and that everything is done as traditionally as possible. I personally love soba, so I was pleased that my friends were ok with giving it a try with me.

My greedy ass went with the five dishes. For your reference, no one needs all five. It's too much food, especially if you want to try some of the smaller side dishes. And the original plan was to eat this and go get some of Otaru's famous fried chicken (unfortunately, it was closed, so I went all out here).

In case you need some instruction. Not everyone has had soba before, so this is nice.

In the states, it's hard to imagine being able to eat lightly seared duck or chicken sashimi. We all of course, decided that we should get it to try.

Shark skin wasabi grater!

Toriwasa - lightly seared chicken sashimi. Tasted so light and clean. It's not how I would have pictured raw chicken tasting.

Aigamo-tataki - lightly seared duck sashimi with leek, chili pepper, and soy.

1:5 - king crab. According to the menu, the soba tsuyu was made with soy, dried bonito, dried mackerel, sugar, and sweet sake. Definitely the best I've ever had. As for the soba itself, they have two types - jimono-ko and nami-ko. When ordering, you have to pick which one you want. The Jimono-ko costs a bit more, but the buckwheat flower is grown in Etanbetsu, Rankoshi, and Hokuryu in Hokkaido while the nami-ko flour is a blend of Hokkaido flour and flour from North America. 

Sake in some OG cups.

2:5 - teeny tiny nameko mushrooms and grated daikon. This was probably my favorite of the five.

3:5 - finely sliced omelette. This one was really simple and good.

4:5 - fish roe - this was not my favorite. It didn't help that I was already feeling pretty full from everything else at this point.

5:5 - uni on grated Japanese yam. Really good, but I was so stuffed at this point I just ate the uni, yam, and some of the noodles.

When you're finished, it's customary to drink the soba-yu. I didn't know this, so it was cool to learn about it. And drinking it was pretty nice to. It was a great way to finish the meal.

Stay tuned for Part V - Sapporo Day 3!