Japan - 5

Hi, This post will cover our visit to the port of Otaru and to a scotch (yes Scotch in Japan) distillery in Yoichi.

It seems like every city of any size in Japan has a Ferris Wheel.  This is the view from our balcony aboard the Diamond Princess.

Human powered rickshaws are still in use.  The body of water behind the rickshaw is part of a canal.

Nikka Distillery was established in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru.  He became enamored with scotch whiskey when he traveled to Scotland in 1918.  There he took university courses in chemistry and apprenticed at distilleries.

The path through the distillery is lined with plants and trees that are very carefully tended to.

The plant was shut down for maintenance when we were there.  Here two workers are examining the furnace under a still.

After the plant tour we passed through a small museum.  Among other things there was a still and a stained glass portrait of a master blender (above in background and below).

Obviously the master blender pictured is not Japanese.

Next up we passed a display of some of their products

before entering the tasting room.  Since I am not a scotch drinker I can not evaluate their products.

In the afternoon we visited a herring merchant's house.  These people bought fish from fishermen and sold the fish to retail sellers.  Above is the path up to the house.

The house had a Torii which has significance in the Shinto Religion.

There was a large mural with this section of it showing the fishing boast being unloaded.

The fish was carried in these buckets with larger ones used by adult males, the midsize ones by adult females and the smallest ones by children.

Here are some furnishings in the house (above and below).

This building was to be a luxury hotel on a point of land overlooking the ocean.  However, the land under it is unstable and is slipping toward the sea so it can not be occupied.

There was some time for us to walk around when we returned to Otaru.  The bus let us off right next to a small area where these children were drumming (above and below).

After we tired of listening to the drumming and photographing the children Ruthe and I did a little walk about.  I walked along the canal where there were a number of former fish warehouses (above and two below).

This warehouse has been re purposed as a restaurant.

The walk along the canal was nicely decorated.

Ruthe was intrigued by this music hall,

shop and house, and

this statue.  Thanks for looking.