An overnight train ride and rise and shine - Good Morning Sapporo!! My first stop was Otaru - a small town known as the most romantic place in Japan. It's claim to fame - a canal that reminded people of Venice. It is said if you walk down the canal way with someone , you will end up holding hands before you know it. Sadly, I couldn't test the theory out ;)
But it was a beautiful walk nonetheless. A few boats floating around in the early morning rays of the sun, a few joggers , a few couples and a few stragglers like me - everyone taking in the misty mountain views, serene canal waters, the birds chirping , the red brick buildings beckoning to the past, and the smells of Japanese sweets baking in the air.
Went for a short boat ride at the port to a scenic viewpoint on a hilltop. Was a weekend - and the place had an aquarium and a small amusement park - so was popular with families. My first run in with the Japanese kids - was so cute watching them totally enthralled in the joys of childhood , innocence and genuine curiosity.
Headed back to Sapporo in the afternoon. Walked down odori park - which wasn't really a park but a tree lined avenue with beer gardens in the middle of the street - one after the other. Was a great mix of urban traffic and greenery and of course beer.
On to the Main Street , which was a shopping street known as ramen valley. Numerous restaurants , small takeout places, souvenir shops dotted the sidewalks. And impressive floats and decorations making quite an impression of the olden eras.
Onward to the pilgrimage of yeh Sapporo beer gardens - there were 5 terraces , all of them packed with people sipping their beers and enjoying grilled meat known as jenghis khan. There's a story there - for another day.
And then the finale of the day - Sapporo summer festival which is an event comprising of lights, music and fireworks. Of which , we got to see the fireworks bit - coz it was free. Again , folks dressed up in the traditional outfits , people of al ages out in the makomanai park enjoying the cool summer breeze while they watched the fireworks. What a pretty show!
And then of course , a plethora of people all headed to the subway at the same time the fireworks ended. The joys of a crowded ( but behaved crowd) subway ride back to the hostel.
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