Otaru, Japan
August 11, 2019
It took a couple of days to get here. Actually it was one sea day to Korsakov, Russia and then overnight to Otaru on the northernmost Japanese island, Hokkaido.
The night before we arrived in Korsakov the Captain warned us that it was a tender port (the harbor is much too shallow for the Maasdam), we had to anchor 1-1/2 miles offshore so a long tender ride and the residual effects of the typhoon might make it too rough for the tenders. We hadn’t planned to go ashore anyway. The shore descriptions had key words like Lenin Square, folkloric performance, traditional Russian tales plus we were told that tourists were rare here so don’t expect much. Well, doesn’t that just make you want to ante up a couple hundred bucks for a couple of hours?
This being Russia, there were officials and procedures. We had handed over our passports earlier so they could be inspected and visas issued. It took hours to clear the ship so all the tours were delayed, some by as much as two hours. My knitting friend, Lynnette,the officer’s wife, had been drafted to be a bus guide. This means she was given a script to read as the bus visited various sites. It was also her job to get everyone back on the bus. Included in her packet was a “Guide Evaluation.” The knitters filled it out for her before she left. Command of English: Very Good. Knowledge of local history: sketchy. Demeanor: Pleasant and cheerful.
Yesterday was a sea day, but for Jim and me, staying on board today, this was like another sea day. We kicked back and did as little as possible. Later that evening we had dinner with our Australian friend Phil. He and his wife had gone ashore but he said it was a marathon to get there. Genevieve’s passport was misfiled by the ship so that involved a lot of scrambling to find it and then the gauntlet of immigration and the long tender ride. However, when they did get ashore, at every stop there were people wearing special yellow shirts to assist the visitors. So much for they weren’t ready for tourists. Phil said Genevieve was “stuffed” so wasn’t joining us for dinner. I saw her the next morning and she said she needed a little quiet time. Understand.
The best thing to happen? To get back to Japanese time the ship’s clocks will be set back TWO hours tonight. The serving crew is pumped. Party time downstairs tonight.
And now, Otaru. Jim chose our destination, the Nikka Whisky Distillery, tour and tasting. However, because our last port was Russian, we were re-entering Japan and despite being finger printed, photographed and issued 90 day Visas before, we had to go through the entire dance again. Last time, all passengers going on an excursion or private tour were processed first so there wouldn’t be delays. This time we found ourselves in line for a good hour with people whose only plans were to go ashore later and just poke around.
Despite the delays, our tour got off close to the appropriate time. Our guide is Mr. Homma-San, a congenial guy with a snappy hat and ready smile. We thought the distillery was in Sapporo, but instead was an hour drive up country to Yoichi. This place gets a lot of snow every winter, from six meters at sea level up to ten meters in the mountains. There seem to be more houses than apartment buildings, mainly duplexes, triplexes or four-plexes. Outside every one of them is a big rectangular container on stilts with a coiled tube running into the ground. Too small for water, wrong shape and material for propane so we had to ask Mr. Homma-San. Kerosene tank. Electricity and natural gas are very expensive so they use kerosene for heat. The tube runs underground and then up to a heater in the main living room. He also told us that when he was a child they burned wood for heat. He would go with his mother to a lumber yard and gather the scraps and bark, put them in a wagon and take them home. Eventually they converted to coal and now kerosene. Energy source is a constant concern here. Japan imports 98% of their petroleum products.
For an area with so much snow, the roof profiles were interesting. The peaked roofs all had either long wooden sticks or pipes on the shingles, parallel with the eaves to prevent snow “avalanches.” But there were also a vast number of buildings with flat roofs. Mr. Homma-San explained that they had a dip in the center. The warmth of the building melts the snow. The resulting water flows into the dip and then down a pipe into the sewer system. Well, whaddaya know.
The distillery complex is a very popular tourist destination, especially during the school holidays in August. The distillery was founded in 1934 by a Japanese man who had visited Scotland and noted the similarities in climate and resources in Yoichi. He brought a Scottish bride back and the two of them established a successful business and lifestyle.
We wandered around looking in the various buildings and museums before we got to the main attraction, the tasting room. A big place and so Japanese-efficient. You hand the receptionist your tasting ticket and she hands you a small tray. You then walk past the samples, taking one glass of each and then go sit at one of the many tables to taste and enjoy. We tried a single malt, blended whiskey and an apple wine (they grow lots of apples around here). It was about 1:30 pm, nothing to eat since breakfast at 8. Even small samples, about two sips each, make one’s cheeks rosey. I bought some whiskey chocolate and smoked nuts for the ride back in the big and bustling gift shop while Jim found me a giant ice ball making gizmo. I can hardly wait to try it at home!
And back down to the harbor area. Along the way Mr. Homma-San solved another mystery that’s been on my mind since we first set foot in Japan. Every sidewalk has a 12” wide strip of slightly raised ovals that run along the entire length of the walkway. At every corner is another strip with raised dots. Did this divide the sidewalk between pedestrians and bicycle riders? Are you supposed to walk on the left side? Is it just pretty? Nope. It is for blind people with canes. They can follow the ovals along the sidewalk with both cane and through the bottom of their feet. The dots at the corners give them a warning of a street and possible traffic. Well, I never thought of that. In two weeks the only blind person with cane that I have seen is a passenger on this ship.
A canal runs through Otaru. It’s only 20 meters wide, so is just for small pleasure craft and tour boats, but it is the landmark for the shopping area. Our bus stopped in the bus parking lot and then we followed Mr. Homma-San through the Venetian Glass Gallery building and onto Sakamachi Street. It’s a very narrow street jammed with restaurants, shops and food stalls AND people. This is an informal holiday week in Japan and I think they are all either at the Distillery or on Sakamachi Street. Jim and I spent an hour in and out of many of them without finding anything we wanted to take back to ship or States. The restaurants and food stalls all have pictures of their wares but sometimes even that doesn’t help. I really just wanted a salty snack (it was now after 3) so we plunged into a souvenir/grocery store that had samples of what was in the bags. I settled on what I can only describe as a Japanese Cheeto but pale with green flecks rather than the orange dust. Who knows what was in them, but they tasted great. My search also continued for the fabled Japanese Kit Kat bars filled with many flavors. No such luck.
On board it’s the last Gala Night of the cruise. This time there were several ladies in kimonos. Now we learned the other day that kimonos are notoriously tricky to put on, especially the Obi (sash). It takes months to learn to do it correctly. All of those on the ship looked perfect so I’m guessing that the sashes must have been pre-tied with hooks sort of like a pre-tied bow tie. They all looked splendid and many were having photos taken by the onboard photographers. I’m imagining a lot of photo Christmas cards...Jim and I donned our spiffy duds and had a great dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. Would that we had that restaurant down the street from us in Kennesaw instead of Del Taco.
Just as we left Otaru and the Taiko drum show on the pier with Bon Voyage banner and waving crowds the Captain made an announcement that another typhoon was bearing down on Southern Japan with landfall expected on August 14th. This one has some very high winds and very tall swells so he is changing tomorrow’s schedule in Hakodate, our last port. Instead of leaving at 10 pm, we will leave at 3:30 and go full bore to Yokohama, arriving at midnight on the 14th instead of 7 am on the 15th. We might have some seas and wind but will be safe in the harbor before the big stuff hits. Most everyone has a flight home on the 15th, so we are quite happy to get to Yokohama early.
Today’s Phrase That Pays spotted on some nondescript office building in Otaru: “Restore all your functions.” I haven’t a clue.
No comments:
Post a Comment