Limwhow: Just returned myself and saw your thread. Glad to see you managed to recover the warm clothing when you arrived in Japan on the first day. I, too, had a somewhat similar experienced with the Japanese honesty. I left my wallet at the foreign exchange counter at Narita some years ago and only realised it after reaching the hotel down in Tokyo. Upon calling the airport, they informed me that wallet (with all the money intact) is waiting for me at the airport police. It would be hard to get this type of honesty anywhere else in Asia.
HOKKAIDO [A Travelogue] - limwhow & SereneXMM
- Thread starter limwhow
- Start date
limwhow
Senior Member
A Brief (very Brief) History of Otaru Canal
The Otaru Canal was built in 1923 and it used to be a part of a very busy port where the larger vessels would dock further out, where a non-stop rush of smaller boats transport merchandise to and fro the many warehouses on both banks of the canal.
Every since then, the canal and the docks have fallen into disuse and was slated for demolishing, together with all the warehouses, until in the 80's, with efforts from the local communities, the canal and the warehouses were restored, and refurbished to their current state.
Many of the old warehouses have been converted to eateries and shops, yet maintaining the nostalgic mood.
And victorian-style gas lamps have been erected, and pavements re-lined with stones to create that special atmosphere.
We were lucky for on this cold winter night there was really not too many people, as compared with perhaps a nice autumn day or summer evening.
And we almost had the whole canal to ourselves.
Here are some more shots by SereneXMM on the Otaru Canal.. on her Nex5.
Otaru Canal by SereneXMM on her Nex5.
We walked across the other bridge and explored the inner parts of the complex with the warehouses.
What struck us was the many many icicles hanging down from the roof of the warehouses. Another shot by SereneXMM on her Nex5.
... and the girls up to no good again...
[Translation: "Aiyoh.. so dangerous! Two young little girls playing with icicles yah!"]
Indeed, the icicles were stony hard and frozen.
Pretty dangerous as a weapon.
The Otaru Canal was built in 1923 and it used to be a part of a very busy port where the larger vessels would dock further out, where a non-stop rush of smaller boats transport merchandise to and fro the many warehouses on both banks of the canal.
Every since then, the canal and the docks have fallen into disuse and was slated for demolishing, together with all the warehouses, until in the 80's, with efforts from the local communities, the canal and the warehouses were restored, and refurbished to their current state.
Many of the old warehouses have been converted to eateries and shops, yet maintaining the nostalgic mood.
And victorian-style gas lamps have been erected, and pavements re-lined with stones to create that special atmosphere.
We were lucky for on this cold winter night there was really not too many people, as compared with perhaps a nice autumn day or summer evening.
And we almost had the whole canal to ourselves.
Here are some more shots by SereneXMM on the Otaru Canal.. on her Nex5.
Otaru Canal by SereneXMM on her Nex5.
We walked across the other bridge and explored the inner parts of the complex with the warehouses.
What struck us was the many many icicles hanging down from the roof of the warehouses. Another shot by SereneXMM on her Nex5.
... and the girls up to no good again...
[Translation: "Aiyoh.. so dangerous! Two young little girls playing with icicles yah!"]
Indeed, the icicles were stony hard and frozen.
Pretty dangerous as a weapon.
Last edited:
limwhow
Senior Member
Thank you for coming by jnet6 and for your compliments!
Yes, I am sure different seasons present different views of Hokkaido.
Thank you for your affirmation, Virgo!So far your photos are nice. I don't think I'll ever vomit blood looking at your photos lah bro. So much family fun, so much 溫暖牌!
We will continue to try our best, SereneXMM and I.
Haha... thank you so much, chubbydragonlh!
I hope you have enjoyed yourself with my humble shots.
Daoyin yah, Daoyin!
Yes, very very impressed we were.
Thank you for coming by!
Virgo
Senior Member
Pretty decent shots of the 小樽運河! I can't say you get 10/10 for your shot, but at least 7-8 lah, bearing in mind you are only resting your cam over a fence!
If you can shoot this during twilight, it will be perfect.
Still, I'm camping here to see more of your other photos in the coming days of your tour. :thumbsup:
If you can shoot this during twilight, it will be perfect.
Still, I'm camping here to see more of your other photos in the coming days of your tour. :thumbsup:
limwhow
Senior Member
Pretty decent shots of the 小樽運河! I can't say you get 10/10 for your shot, but at least 7-8 lah, bearing in mind you are only resting your cam over a fence!
If you can shoot this during twilight, it will be perfect.
Still, I'm camping here to see more of your other photos in the coming days of your tour. :thumbsup:
Wah! Thank you, Virgo.
That, to us, is a very very good score!
Thank you for giving us your endorsement.
Hi limwhow,
Excellent documentary of your trip! I was there around the same time as you were and it seems the places ppl tend to visit are scarily similar!
I tot i was also a crazy fellow shooting in the heavy snow and would have loved to sit my cam in the snow as well but my lens aint weather-sealed thou.
Keep up the excellent thread!
Excellent documentary of your trip! I was there around the same time as you were and it seems the places ppl tend to visit are scarily similar!
I tot i was also a crazy fellow shooting in the heavy snow and would have loved to sit my cam in the snow as well but my lens aint weather-sealed thou.
Keep up the excellent thread!
limwhow
Senior Member
Thank you for your generous compliments, tecrec.
Yes you are scarily correct. Most tourists would end up in roughly the similar places.
The main difference that I can think of is the level of comfort and luxury in the process. Haha...
Thanks so much for coming by my thread!
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 3: Dinner at 政 Sushi (政寿司） in Otaru
The Guide books all said that there was a famous sushi restaurant just across the Otaru canal.
Searched high and low we did... and found it we finally.
Since it had been such a long and tiring day for the whole family, I thought it fit to give every one a treat no less than the Crab Extravaganza last evening.
The set up was beautiful and classy like in many Japanese restaurant.
And the atmosphere was really cosy.
And again we were served by an elegant old lady with wrinkled face.
Here was all of us going through the same routine of ordering Japanese meals...
[Translation: "It's so difficult when it comes to meal time in Japan. Don't know how to order and don't know what to eat..." said the big brother.]
Wah... whole lot of sake, syochu.. and what had we...
[Nex5 by SereneXMM]
... and whole lot of live squid sashimi... like what Wurdelak said.
[Nex5 by SereneXMM]
Full to the brim... after a nice dinner...
[Another ISO 10,000 shot. Despite that, the shutter speed was only 1/40sec. But of course I was at f/4.5 to increase the DOF a little more...
But strange, Otaru must have been rather dark for me to have to be on high ISO so much... haha...
But it was just me lah.. refuse to use the flash...]
[Translation: "Blur blur ordered... Blur blur ate..."]
The Guide books all said that there was a famous sushi restaurant just across the Otaru canal.
Searched high and low we did... and found it we finally.
Since it had been such a long and tiring day for the whole family, I thought it fit to give every one a treat no less than the Crab Extravaganza last evening.
The set up was beautiful and classy like in many Japanese restaurant.
And the atmosphere was really cosy.
And again we were served by an elegant old lady with wrinkled face.
Here was all of us going through the same routine of ordering Japanese meals...
[Translation: "It's so difficult when it comes to meal time in Japan. Don't know how to order and don't know what to eat..." said the big brother.]
Wah... whole lot of sake, syochu.. and what had we...
[Nex5 by SereneXMM]
... and whole lot of live squid sashimi... like what Wurdelak said.
[Nex5 by SereneXMM]
Full to the brim... after a nice dinner...
[Another ISO 10,000 shot. Despite that, the shutter speed was only 1/40sec. But of course I was at f/4.5 to increase the DOF a little more...
But strange, Otaru must have been rather dark for me to have to be on high ISO so much... haha...
But it was just me lah.. refuse to use the flash...]
[Translation: "Blur blur ordered... Blur blur ate..."]
Last edited:
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 3: Finally... back to the Hotel, and sleep...
Actually it wasn't late at all by the time we walked back to the hotel.
But for some strange reasons, this group of customers seemed to be very difficult to please.
Complained walked too much lah, complained food not up to their standard lah, complained the timing not right for the canal photoshoot lah, complained not enough light for correct exposure lah...
Wah lau eh...
... even not cold enough also must complain...
But heck, lah... it was sleeping time already.
and indeed every one fell right into bed sound asleep very very soon.
Whatever it was... I hoped that that evening would be a restful one...
Restful one...?
Haha... well, Mr Tour guide... you'd better rest early now first because you are going to be woken up at 3:30am.
What? 3:30am? For what?
Just wait and see.
Actually it wasn't late at all by the time we walked back to the hotel.
But for some strange reasons, this group of customers seemed to be very difficult to please.
Complained walked too much lah, complained food not up to their standard lah, complained the timing not right for the canal photoshoot lah, complained not enough light for correct exposure lah...
Wah lau eh...
... even not cold enough also must complain...
But heck, lah... it was sleeping time already.
and indeed every one fell right into bed sound asleep very very soon.
Whatever it was... I hoped that that evening would be a restful one...
Restful one...?
Haha... well, Mr Tour guide... you'd better rest early now first because you are going to be woken up at 3:30am.
What? 3:30am? For what?
Just wait and see.
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 4: Otaru - Early hours of the morning...
We were all sleeping soundly when suddenly a gush of wind shook the old glass windows... and the freezing wind seeped into the warmed room.
(The night before, SereneXMM complained that the room was a little too warm, so yours truly here opened the windows a small slit so that the air could circulate.).
It was 3:30am.
We both took a look out the window and saw the sky beginning to show speckles of beautiful white fluffy snow.
Not to let the chance slipped by, SereneXMM grabbed her Nex5 and did what a record photographer was best in doing...
... We were truly crazy.
Such a cold night, people would have been cuddling up under the warm blanket to sleep.
But here we were, window wide opened, and shooting.
We must have been quite a sight, should there be any sane soul out there staring up at us from the roads below.
but still, I could only say this:
So up we woke and had one of the best times of our lives shooting snow.
and shooting the Victorian-style street lamp with snow flakes swirling around it...
We were all sleeping soundly when suddenly a gush of wind shook the old glass windows... and the freezing wind seeped into the warmed room.
(The night before, SereneXMM complained that the room was a little too warm, so yours truly here opened the windows a small slit so that the air could circulate.).
It was 3:30am.
We both took a look out the window and saw the sky beginning to show speckles of beautiful white fluffy snow.
Not to let the chance slipped by, SereneXMM grabbed her Nex5 and did what a record photographer was best in doing...
... We were truly crazy.
Such a cold night, people would have been cuddling up under the warm blanket to sleep.
But here we were, window wide opened, and shooting.
We must have been quite a sight, should there be any sane soul out there staring up at us from the roads below.
but still, I could only say this:
- How often could you wake up at 3:30am to behold snow falling outside the window,
- to hear the cold wind howling and pushing against the window pane,
- to find that the only people awake and enjoying the magical scene were yourselves,
- to have the rare opportunity to crack your brain trying to hasten the shutter speed of the camera to capture the snow scene?
and shooting the Victorian-style street lamp with snow flakes swirling around it...
SK1968
Senior Member
EXTREME COLD TEST FOR DSLR
Hehe... I have always wanted to do this.
Always.
Just waiting for the right opportunity to do so only.
The temperature was about -3 degree celcius that afternoon.
Snowing it was.
And lots of old and new snow on the ground.
I gave SereneXMM a wicked grin, and then gently lowered my Canon 1DMkIV + 16-35mm onto the ground right in front of me.
Left it there for a good few minutes and all of us just squat down and observe it...
It sat there, and we squatted there, eyes non-blinking for quite a long while.
But at the end, the camera won.
It could withstand the cold and wetness much much better than any one of us.
HAHAHAHA....
Of course can lah. Even my Sony can tahan -20 deg C for like over 1 hr (not in the snow though), your surely no problem. Next time try boiling water
;pJadeIceGreen
New Member
It is such a privilege to experience another one of your travelogues. I am building a house here to follow your journey. For me to join in your family's warmth, and to enjoy your rich narration, inspires my photography. :thumbsup:
For me to join in your family's warmth, and to enjoy your rich narration, inspires my photography. :thumbsup:
ayatokamina
Member
and shooting the Victorian-style street lamp with snow flakes swirling around it...
:thumbsup:
limwhow
Senior Member
Of course can lah. Even my Sony can tahan -20 deg C for like over 1 hr (not in the snow though), your surely no problem. Next time try boiling water
Haha... Sk1968 yah... this crazy and funny suggestion can only come from you! Hahaha...
Boiling water yah... wah lau eh... I am game for it.
But let's wait for Canon to put it officially into their instruction manual that the working environment includes 100 degree celcius and 100% complete water proof - I will be the first to test it!
JadeIceGreen, thank you for encouraging us. And thank you for coming on board.
It is our honour to have you here, sincerely!
Chempaka! Great to have you here.
And a big thank you for your encouragement!
I am glad it helped you remember your trip.
Thank you so much for your thumbsup, ayatokamina!
Glad to have you here on our thread.
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 4: Away from Otaru to... Hakodate 涵馆市
By 6am, the snow was heavier already.
And the roads, buildings and trees were decorated all white.
Struggling to wake up, the children prepared for a long long train journey ahead- four and a half hours by JR train to Hakodate.
This hotel that we were staying in used to be an old Bank Building.
That is why its rooms were huge by Japanese standards and the views were spectacular.
The old Victorian building certainly lent its flavour to a romantic stay here.
But the breakfast was a little bit of a let down.
The Complain King at it again...
Luckily the sister has some good suggestion...
By 6am, the snow was heavier already.
And the roads, buildings and trees were decorated all white.
Struggling to wake up, the children prepared for a long long train journey ahead- four and a half hours by JR train to Hakodate.
This hotel that we were staying in used to be an old Bank Building.
That is why its rooms were huge by Japanese standards and the views were spectacular.
The old Victorian building certainly lent its flavour to a romantic stay here.
But the breakfast was a little bit of a let down.
The Complain King at it again...
Luckily the sister has some good suggestion...
Last edited:
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 4: Onwards to Hakodate...
We must be really Sua Koo.
But don't laugh at us if we say this was the first time we saw so much snow.
So naturally the excitement mounted as we walked out of the hotel, lugging our bags to start walking towards the JR train Station a kilometre away...
The children just didn't want to lose the chance for a last touch of the snow at Otaru before we leave.
... and SereneXMM, she and her Nex5 was forever at work... hehehe...
So I believe she has proven that the Nex5 works without any problem in the snow, right?
We must be really Sua Koo.
But don't laugh at us if we say this was the first time we saw so much snow.
So naturally the excitement mounted as we walked out of the hotel, lugging our bags to start walking towards the JR train Station a kilometre away...
The children just didn't want to lose the chance for a last touch of the snow at Otaru before we leave.
... and SereneXMM, she and her Nex5 was forever at work... hehehe...
So I believe she has proven that the Nex5 works without any problem in the snow, right?
limwhow
Senior Member
... and this morning, the walk with the luggage was tougher than the day before as the snow thickened.
Poor fellows, my tour mates... They didn't have the luxury of tour coaches right at the door steps to ferry them to and fro their destinations.
Instead, they had to trudge through the snow with their heavy bags... Haha...
It's a poor man's way to travel.
But the landscape and the bare trees in the landscape with the Neo Victorian buildings really made it all worth it...
And here, we all gathered half-way through our walk to re-organise...
... and to catch a breath.
Before we finally got to the train...
For those of us who have never taken a JR Train in Japan, this is in my personal opinion, one of the best and easiest way to travel.
I am sure every body who have ever been to Japan would swear by the JR (Japan Railway) system.
It is easy. Just easy.
And often times, despite their deficiency in the English language, the Japanese JR staffs more than made up for it with their willingness to help us poor travellers.
For a big family, it is important to check up the exact timing of departure of the various train from one station to another station.
If possible, try to make reservation before-hand, at least half an hour to one hour before the train departs.
This will allow us to have designated seats instead of having to move up and down the train searching for seats.
But still, the Japanese are such orderly people that even searching for seats was never a big problem.
The seats are super-comfortable. And there are more than sufficient space for storage of our big 65 litres back packs and big tua-leng-kong luggages.
Poor fellows, my tour mates... They didn't have the luxury of tour coaches right at the door steps to ferry them to and fro their destinations.
Instead, they had to trudge through the snow with their heavy bags... Haha...
It's a poor man's way to travel.
But the landscape and the bare trees in the landscape with the Neo Victorian buildings really made it all worth it...
And here, we all gathered half-way through our walk to re-organise...
... and to catch a breath.
Before we finally got to the train...
For those of us who have never taken a JR Train in Japan, this is in my personal opinion, one of the best and easiest way to travel.
I am sure every body who have ever been to Japan would swear by the JR (Japan Railway) system.
It is easy. Just easy.
And often times, despite their deficiency in the English language, the Japanese JR staffs more than made up for it with their willingness to help us poor travellers.
For a big family, it is important to check up the exact timing of departure of the various train from one station to another station.
If possible, try to make reservation before-hand, at least half an hour to one hour before the train departs.
This will allow us to have designated seats instead of having to move up and down the train searching for seats.
But still, the Japanese are such orderly people that even searching for seats was never a big problem.
The seats are super-comfortable. And there are more than sufficient space for storage of our big 65 litres back packs and big tua-leng-kong luggages.
Last edited:
limwhow
Senior Member
Day 4: JR Train journey from Otaru to Hakodate
It was a really long journey from Otaru to Hakodate, passing through many cities.
No wonder it took four and a half hour...
In fact, the journey was so long that both my feet were frozen cold during the trip.
Could not tahan... haha,...
It was a really long journey from Otaru to Hakodate, passing through many cities.
No wonder it took four and a half hour...
In fact, the journey was so long that both my feet were frozen cold during the trip.
Could not tahan... haha,...
Last edited:
