Date:  Dec 18, 2015

Finally, our mini-bus arrived at Otaru.  And we all are hungry.

Tomoko-san highly recommended Tatsumi restaurant.  I have been to Otaru almost 5 times, and I have never noticed or gone in to this restaurant.  And it is just sitting on the same main street in Otaru.

Let’s let the hungry people try how fresh is this seafood restaurant.

The door open, and the chef is just standing there preparing our sashimi and food.

The chef in action rolling our Tuna roll.

Jay will be eating the Ikura & Uni don.

Fresh nice Ikura and Uni.

Kay Kay will try the tempura set.

I eat the Chef Sashimi platter.

Look at the green green roes.  It is from the shrimp.

The sashimi is really good!

This is one of the main reason I don’t want to drive in winter time.  You need to equip the wheels with this to fight ice and snow.  Why so stress driving while you can get the tour bus to drive you around.

It is shopping time.  We end up at the famous Otaru shopping street.

While the mommies are shopping, the kids are playing with the snow.

Mommies still missing in action.  So, let’s order the famous 7 layers ice cream.

Yeah, we order a lot.

It is really nice!

Next stop is Sake wine tasting.

The sake is always nice when it is taste fresh.

Of course, the No. 1 is nice.

Next we learn how to make Sake.

All mechanical and machine to do the job.

Learn how each machine work together.

So, when you see the Sake bottled labeled 50% something, this is not mean it has 50% alcohol.  It meant it is make from the rice after taking 50% of the surface of the rice off.  So, you can imagine the pureness of the rice.

The whole process of making Sake.

It is finally the time to check into hotel.  Around 5pm.  The sky already turn very dark.

We are going to spent two nights here.  One of the good rated Japanese Onsen Ryokan.

Entrance of our room.  Need to claim stairs.  Kids love it.

The living room.

The room is full of these kind of expensive staffs.  Make sure you tell the kids do not touch, do not get near.  hahaha Looks expensive.

 

And it is inside the kids Futon bedroom.  HaHaHa…

Western style room.

In room Onsen.

Take a look at the toiletry they provide.

Complex and advance toilet seat.

No wonder the kids so happy.

It is time for the Kaiseki dinner.

14 course dinner.

In English.

Jay loves his shrimp.

This is nice.

Inside looks like this.  hahahaha You know what is it.

They love the onsen, they love the room, and they love the hotel, and they love the dinner.

My wife loves the chopsticks and she is collecting the chopsticks after dinner.

The kids will know how to entertain themselves.

Of course adult also know how to entertain ourselves.  We sent the kids back to the room and they play games and uno, etc and watch TV.

And we hang out at the bar area.  And everything you order here, be it wine, sake, coffee, whisky, vodka, tea, hot chocolate … are all FOC.  (paid in the room fees already).  Cool!

The decor in the hotel is just nice.

Even the charcoal looks nice.

It makes you feel good staying here.

Nice lighting too.

We have a nice night.

===== How I book this tour? =====

This is the mini bus we are taking every day to tour Lake Toya, and Otaru.

We booked this from Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel Inc.  From Ms. Kawata-san.

She arranged a nice and friendly English speaking certified tour guide, Ms. Tomoko-san to take care of us through out the whole trip.  Tomato-san is from Otaru, so, she is familiar with her home town.

And this is our itinerary in Otaru.  There are a few places we have never gone before.