Otaru Dec 2014

First stop for our Hokkaido Itinerary was Otaru city.

It takes about  30 mins from Sapporo station via JR Line and is the last station so no worries if you wanna sleep in the train lol

You could see at the map above for an idea ;)

Otaru is considered a popular destination since you can find so many historical buildings here.

In addition, there's so many souvenir stores,museums and dessert shops! oh my~~

So much snow!!!

Otaru Canal

-this used to be part of Otaru's busy port, transporting goods to warehouses along the canal.

So many tourists were racing each other in this spot trying to get a good picture of this view lol

The pathway on the side makes a pleasant stroll and perfect for photo-op moments as well =P

lovely <3

at night

Sakaimachi street

-here you can find lots of restos, cafes, souvenir shops and museums lined up.

suddenly, little snowmen on the bench

At the end of Sakaimachi street is the famous Music Box Museum.

Constructed in 1912, it is considered as one of Otaru's historic landmarks being the only building that utilized brick on wooden framing.

Trivia: the building used to be a home furnishings store before being reborn as a music box retailer :)

It's really a-MUST to visit here as it's one of the largest music box museums in Japan!

*and there's WiFi too btw =P

only a portion of the whole entire store lol

As expected, there were lots of music boxes in various types and sizes!

This one is my favorite and yea I got one for myself with the tune of Somehere Over the Rainbow~cute!!

Here's a video of one to the tune of Let it Go =P

there were a lot of melodies to choose from mostly classic lullabies and main themes from japanese anime/drama

i think these teddy bears got lost in this store haha

when I say a lot of styles to choose from, there's really a lot....

❤ ❤ ❤ 

there's even a sushi one 

Speaking of sushi,  Otaru is also known for its freshness of sushi since it faces Ishikari Bay!

Be sure not to miss out these sushi rice bowls!

Also, there are also shops that serves grilled giant scallops ~you can easily spot those on the side streets lol

Not sure but looks like cream puff?

Time to hoard Royce!

You can find these in almost every sweets stores along Sakaimachi

There's no price difference of Royce in Hokkaido and Tokyo by the way ;)

BEST THING EVER

Got this for the bf since he loves Camembert cheese and it was abso-fckin-lutely divine ❤

LeTao is one of the most popular confectioner's shop in Hokkaido and it has several stores around Otaru.

The Double Fromage cheesecake is one of its bestsellers. 

"No-baked cheesecake made from Italian mascarpone put on baked cream cheesecake"

It also comes in a chocolate variant. Yes it's truly a #deathbycheesecake moment when you devour this masterpiece LOL

My absolute favorite was this Niagara White Rare Chocolate ❤

"Niagara wine, a specialty of Otaru, is used for this white chocolate, and it’s rolled up into a ball one by one carefully by pastry chef"

No exaggeration but this chocolate instantly became my fave, the moment I smelled it!hahaha

The aroma was just alluring -like fresh grapes harvested in a vineyard haha wtf?!

And even the taste was sensational!

Really mild white chocolate with a hint of grape flavor and very creamy.

Goodbye truffles, goodbye ferrero...I have a new favorite!nyahaha

Another must try is this soft cream Rainbow tower!

~be sure to grab one at the store in Sakaimachi. I saw another store in a different road and it was more expensive but had fewer flavors =P

ice cream in winter? why not?!

my goodies!

Loved Otaru so much, I wanna go back!!!