RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

Day 8 (4/4).

After a brief rest at the hotel, it was time for us to find a place for dinner.  We wanted to go for somewhere causal and take a break from seafood meals.  We picked Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店), a famous fried chicken restaurant popular with both tourists and locals alike.  Started in 1957 as an okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) shop, Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店) has evolved into a causal restaurant specialized in Hanshinage fried chicken.  The golden fried chicken is what most visitors would opt for, but the restaurant also offers local snacks and sashimi.  After a tasty meal, we took a stroll around the city before returning to the hotel.

There was a queue in the vestibule when we arrived at  Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店).  We were lucky to get a table less than an hour before it closed.

We ordered fresh clam sashimi as appetizer.

And of course the delicious half fried chicken.  The thin and crispy fried skin of the chicken was fried to perfection.

Outside of Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店), we were surprised to see a series of street stalls ranging from eateries to carnival games.

Despite the rain, many locals came out to have fun on the street.

The booths were all catered for the local community.

For adults, snacks are always popular.

We walked through the street of booths.

A booth of masks ranged from animation characters to traditional theatre figures caught our eyes.

We exited the pop up market street and made our way to our hotel.

The streets were decorated with traditional lanterns but somewhat quiet.

We walked past a few historical buildings dated from the heyday of Otaru.

The small city has a good mix of Western and local styled buildings.

Upon reaching our hotel, we decided to stroll along the canal for a bit.

All shops had been closed. The heritage buildings along the canal serve only as a pretty backdrop for tourists.

At last, we reached our hotel, a building with a dominant touch of Western architecture at the turn of century.

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Introduction
HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP, Hokkaido (北海道)

Day 1 – from Tokyo to Shiretoko Peninsula
Day 1.1 TSUKIJI OUTER MARKET (築地場外市場)
Day 1.2 ARRIVAL IN SHIRETOKO, Utoro (ウトロ)

Day 2 – Utoro
Day 2.1 SHIRETOKO FIVE LAKES (知床五湖)
Day 2.2 UTORO FISHERMAN’S WIVES CO-OPERATIVE DINER (ウトロ漁協婦人部食堂)
Day 2.3 FUREPE FALLS (フレペの滝)

Day 3 – Rausu
Day 3.1 RUSA FIELD HOUSE (ルサフィールドハウス)
Day 3.2 JUN NO BANYA (純の番屋)

Day 4 – Rausu
Day 4.1 MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳)
Day 4.2 FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡)

Day 5 – Lake Mashu & Lake Akan
Day 5.1 SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖)
Day 5.2 MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈)
Day 5.3 SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖)

Day 6 – On the road from Lake Akan to Furano
Day 6.1 FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖)
Day 6.2 TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝)
Day 6.3 ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野)

Day 7 Furano & Biei
Day 7.1 LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.2 FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.3 BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.4 PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.5 NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス)

Day 8 – from Furano to Otaru
Day 8.1 CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾート トマム)
Day 8.2 HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園)
Day 8.3 SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽)
Day 8.4 RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽)

Day 9 – Yochi & Sapporo
Day 9.1 NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市)
Day 9.2 SOUP CURRY NIGHT

Day 10 – Sapporo
10.1 OKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 )
10.2 MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店)
10.3 KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館)
10.4 SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE
10.5 GOTSUBO OYSTER BAR(五坪)
10.6 MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠)

Day 11 – Sapporo
11.1 FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎)
11.2 RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社)