Boat ride on Otaru Canal which was an important part of the city’s port during the first half of the 20th centuryOtaru is a port city in Hokkaido & it is about half an hour’s drive away from Sapporo. The city is by the Ishikari Bay & is a popular tourist destinationOtaru Canal was built in 1923 & was formerly useful in the transhipment of cargo from the larger vessels to the godowns for storageCentral Otaru faces Ishikari Bay on one side & is surrounded by mountains on the others. As the skies began darkening, a fog hovered near the foot of the mountainsThanks to a citizens’ movement the canal was preserved & not land filled in 1986, so that even the seagulls can get to enjoy the canalThe canal is 1140m long & 40m wide with a pedestrian walkway running alongsideIt took about 9 years to complete the construction of Otaru Canal, which was crowded in the 1920’s with barges ferrying coal & marine productsCaptured a little of the passing mist as it swept through Otaru city at around 10.30pmThe temperature lowered as the night deepenedThe canal became obsolete when modern docking facilities made loading & unloading large vessels a breezeReflections of the godowns of yester years, which are now converted to a slew of watering holes, restaurants & cafesAfter dark… when the romantic Victorian lamps are lit & couples enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Otaru canalOtaru CanalView of Otaru Canal & Ishikari Bay from Sonia Hotel at 3.45amBeautiful Sunrise Over The Land of the Rising Sun
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