Toya lake & Otaru

Tonight we will be sleeping  by the Toya Lake. The lake is close by the sea and has some interesting spots such as , onsens , volcano , ropeway .. We are stopping there for one night.

After a good 2h of driving we finally reached our destination , where we enjoyed a break in a local Izakaya.

Sapporo beer and edamame snacks.

When you travel you change your sleeping place very often. Sometimes it gets draining to always have to unpack your stuff. But there is also some magic in that process. The most magical one being to wake up in a completely foreign area. I love this sense of surprise first thing in the morning.

Welcome to Toya lake. Thoses mornings always put a smile on my face .. 🙂

Wifi literally everywhere in Japan. It is definitely possible to travel without an international connection here.

Sweet sceneries over that massive lake.

Instagram life.

Yesterday we had a nice time unwinding  in the Onsen. Following the eruption of Mt. Shitoyama in 1910, Lake Toya Hot Spring (Toyako Onsen) opened in 1917. Thanks to this event we can now enjoy the goodness of mother earth in theses man-made Onsens. Theses make a lot of sense in the coldest area of Japan. How good it is to soak your cold body after a long day in theses onsens. We always feels rejuvenated afterward. Just like a healing ritual.

Trying the local food scene , Hokkaido milk ! Very rich and wholesome in taste.

Another interesting thing to do here is to go up the Mt Shitoyama by using the Ropeway. This is a good way to appreciate the geography around and to understand better the volcanic phenomenon in Japan.

But first , I need to pee !

“We aim to please , you aim too , please”
What a cool play of word ! These Toya people rock.

Be aware of it ..

Time to get some view from the mountain now. A few minutes later and we reached the destination.

 

The views were interesting and gave us new perspectives to appreciate the land. It’s always a good experience to get higher. It’s a way that puts things into perspective. Where is my place in that ?

Time to move on , the wind is freezing up there.
We drove 2 hours up north to reach the city of Otaru.

Back to civilisation. And so many tourists here ! Otaru is just located one hour away from Sapporo , Hokkaido’s biggest city.

From the early days of Hokkaido’s colonization in the late 1800s, Otaru served as a major trade and fishing port. It was hence chosen as the terminal station of Hokkaido’s first railway line that connected the port with nearby Sapporo. Many old warehouses and former office buildings by shipping and trade companies give Otaru’s city center a special character reminiscent of past decades.
Otaru retains an interesting vibe I can say. The architecture around feels Western. Nowadays this town is heavily orientated on tourism and the local people have been smart here. Otaru is a food heaven and especially on the sweet side ! Hokkaido beings famous for his high quality milk , hence you can find delicious Cheesecakes !

Vegetarian lunch with some “vegetarian fresh tuna”. The fish was amazingly fresh and melted in the mouth. Corn is also a local specialty in Hokkaido.

Hokkaido really is the Kitchen of Japan as it provides a huge amount of food like fishes , milk , wheat , beans ..  This island being almost empty , they is many spaces for agriculture.

Time to go on a Sugar High now !

Matcha sweet shop.

Hokkaido melon , 7800 yen each. So around 65 euro for one melon !

The infamous LeTao Cheesecake ..

LeTao café.

The cheesecake on the left , on the right mascarpone crème brulé.
The Cheesecake was insanely good , probably the best I had in this life. It had 4 different subtle flavors , creamy and had a good cheese taste.  The crème brulé was also very good.

Matcha Dorayaki , rich in green tea powder.

We also has so many free degustation food around, needless to say that it is difficult to leave Otaru without getting high on sugar.

Another point of interest is the atmospheric walk along the canal and the old warehouses.

The remaining Warehouse have been transformed in bars , restaurants and shops .

So this is it , our adventure in Beautifull Hokkaido is slowly coming to an end. We are giving back the car tonight in Sapporo. Tomorrow will be the last day of the year , and we will experience it in Hokkaido’s largest city , and the snow.

See you for the next one friends x