Located about half an hour from Sapporo by train, Otaru is a small harbor city known for its glassware and canal which was used to transport goods to various warehouses during the first half of the 20th century. The city was lined with many warehouses and old buildings, giving it a very nostalgic feeling for many visitors who have been to port cities and towns. Small and large shops selling fresh seafood had their doors wide open for potential customers and you could certainly smell everything that was cooking.
Otaru is also known for it's Snow Light Path Festival which occurs from early to mid February. During this time, the small city lights up with small snow sculptures and lights. The main areas are along the canals which are lined with snow lanterns, but many shops also display their own snow lanterns. At night, it can be quite a sight to see :)
This house reminds me of an open book with all the snow on it :)
Prepping for the festival.
We found this beautiful cafe that was absolutely ethereal. Enjoying a cup of hot coffee while gazing at the hundreds of lights is hard to beat on a cold day!
You could control the brightness of the lamps as well depending on the mood that you wanted to set ^^
Sorry for the blurry picture, but it was a little difficult to get a decent shot at that time. Standing in a puddle of muddy, cold water with people pushing and jostling around to get their picture wasn't what I had in mind, but oh well! Can't help it.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
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