#climbing on like those grocery store quarter machine rides | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tokyototokyo · 5 years

Text

Day 23, Chitose, 18th April

Last day of sightseeing today. This was the view from our hotel room. Mountains in the background. Japanese cities aren’t particularly attractive and some are very gray looking.

As I sit at the back of the bus each day this was my view on most days. I love it as I can move from side to side depending on the glare of the window. The back of the bus was the place to sit. You get visitors from time to time.

We drove across the island to the west coast to visit an old port.

Our destination was Otau which was renowned for its canals and glassblowing.

During the first half of the 20 th Century, the Otaru Canal was a vital part of the city’s busy harbour. The canal allowed large vessels to be unloaded onto smaller ones, then transported to local warehouses.

The canal is obsolete now as modern port facilities replaced its function. However, it’s been beautifully restored and the former warehouses have been transformed into carafes, museums and shops.

A quaint drinking fountain. Japan is such a clean country we have been able to drink tap water and the water from fountains. No one has got sick on this trip in regard to food or water. Today, however, we had two falls. It must be time to go home. John fell off the canal wall which he climbed to take a photo. He was like the young Instragramers who go to all lengths to get that perfect photo. Sue also had a fall on uneven ground later in the day. Neither were seriously hurt, just shaken up a bit. The bus driver was good at fixing them up.

Close up of the little owl.

The main area. There were no other westerners beside us but still a lot of Asian tourists around which are more their target market.

Music boxes seemed to be a popular product in this area.

Old buildings.

In one museum there were some old musical machines.

An area for performances.

Old buildings

Old warehouses.

Wooden houses.

I love the way these trees are pruned back each year making such a statement.

Colourful buses lined up in the bus parking area.

For lunch we went to a very nice hotel and had a choice of Japanese or western food. I chose western.

Ice cream is pretty popular in Japan. Kathy and Jenny took advantage of the choice of sweets.

Driving back up towards Sapporo after lunch.

The white dome is a huge baseball stadium. Baseball is popular with the Japanese.

This was our last visit of the tour and it proved to be a great place that everyone loved. It was to the Historical Village of Hokkaido which covers an area of some 54 hectares and was located in the Noppoto Forest Park. It’s been open since 1983 to preserve olden day structures and to show what pioneer life was like in Hokkaido. This building was the entry to the park and was once the old Sapporo Railway station which was used between 1908 until 1952.

A map of the village.

This replica building was the Kaitakushi Sapporo Headquarters of Colonisation which was burnt down in 1879.

The residence of the stationmaster. It was quite an impressive building. He must have been considered a very important person.

Around the park there were people of a certain age who were volunteers. They decribed the workings of different machines in some of the buildings where appropriate. They had a little bit of English. This was inside the Otaru Shimbun (newspaper) building

The characters used to print the newspapers.

You could take a ride on a horse and carriage around the complex. In winter you can be transported by sleigh. We opted to walk. The brick building was the newspaper building. The stately exterior showed the pride that journalists had working in the Meiji era in 1909.

Wooden wagons.

Balty and Al on guard at the Police box from 1911.

This barber shop was located in western Sapporo and closed in 1986.

Barber at work

The grocery store from 1898 sold a multitude of products.

Goods for sale.

Sweet shop. The owner Mr Taito Oisin was skilled in sweet making and his shop and factory continued for two generations until 1907.

Sweet making area at the back of the shop.

Sleeping mats. We decided the Japanese are so polite and respectful as in their houses every noise would be heard, good or bad.

Cooking and stove to keep warm. The inside walls were made of paper so I imagine the buildings could get very cold without the burners.

A farrier operated on Route 12 until 1945. In those days a farrier was indispensable since horses were the chief means of transport and for farming.

Each house on the site was so well set up either with characters showing the activities in each house or information and actual photographs of the time.

Making a wooden sleigh.

Urakawa Church. This was built by a settler’s company that was founded by Puritan Christians in Kobe in 1894.

The gong at the Ryuunji Temple which came from Sapporo and was built in 1893.

Old water hydrate.

This house was one of the oldest on the site being 150 years old. It was owned by the Aoyama Family who employed fishermen to fish for herring.

Private owners quarters.

Each house always had a small shrine for their ancestors. The owners lived in comfort if you think this minimalist style is comfortable.

Portraits of the owner.

Kitchen area. The female servants slept up above and pulled their ladder up at night I suppose for protection against any of the men.

Sitting spot around the fire pit for the fishermen. It was all very communal.

Cooking fish over the fire.

Where the fishermen slept and lounged.

Items were hung over the fire to dry.

Hokkaido Middle School was a private’s junior high from about 1909. Its features have a western style about them.

Uniforms worn at the time.

Examples of writing.

Corridor.

Classrooms.

This Iwama Family home was also about 150 years old and belonged to the Shikoku settlers who were Samurai descendants. They built their farmhouse in the style of their homeland.