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Spend long summer days moving along the south side of Hokkaido, savoring fresh seafood, sipping on whisky and taking in Japanese railway history.
Foreign Journey takes us from hokkaido’s largest city Sapporo on the hakodate line to otaru on the coast before hitting Inland through pastures and mountains to oshamambe More than a century ago Hokkaido was a leading producer of coal which was carried along this route to industrial areas fueling Japan’s economic development Foreign the year-round cool climbs are ideal for producing whiskey Traditional distilling methods brought over from Scotland have earned this brand worldwide Fame Okay While famous for winter sports New Circle has much to offer in summer as well one station building on the route doubles as a hotel it is one of a handful of such accommodations in Japan Foreign let’s train Crews through southern Hokkaido and relish the cooling summer breezes along one of Japan’s earliest real lines The gateway to Hokkaido was established around 150 years ago and has grown to become Japan’s fifth largest city Things evoke the atmosphere of old and the train line we ride today was laid during that era of development Thank you Around 130 000 people and more than 600 trains use Jr Sapporo station daily making it the Island’s largest station Train originated at nochitose airport and is Bound for otaru which Drew about 2.66 million tourists in 2021 less than half pre-pandemic figures the train is popular for both business and travel and we have our seats in the reserve car Foreign Foreign then Cruise along the coast as we approach our first stop 30 kilometers away Foreign The scenery shifts Thank you Section of the 174 kilometer route to oshamande that boasts a view of the ocean You can almost taste the fresh sea breeze Thank you [Applause] foreign S Adorn the windows on the platform who was once living fishing town which also produced glass buoys went on to become famous for its Glassworks and these lanterns were made by a local Workshop in 1987. Grand Old Stone warehouses dot the townscape particularly near the Waterfront and along the canal here fresh produce was shipped to Mainland Japan while the building materials necessary for hokkaido’s economic development arrived Thank you Otaru evolved as hokkaido’s financial and economic center with many banks opening branches earning the city the moniker the Wall Street of the North Foreign ‘s prosperity its first tracks were laid here in the 1880s where the otaro museum stands today all 50 engines and carriages on display once worked throughout Hokkaido The line which stretched from here to Sapporo opened in 1880 only eight years after the first trains began running in Japan engine imported from America was one of the first to run along the line Sleek elegant body inspired its operators to Christen it shizuka after a female historical figure Coal which was invaluable to Japan’s Industrial Revolution was discovered in Hokkaido and its transport was the railway’s Prime mission This pier used for loading coal onto ships towered over the water as high as a five-story building ships would birth along the pier and the coal would drop through the shoots which are folded up in this photo at its peak almost five thousand tons of coal was shipped from otaru every day The museum also preserves a special part of Japanese Railway history is the armored car was in operation until 2003. at the time it would carry what would be around 9 billion US dollars per trip at today’s exchange rate Bank of Japan employees and police officers rode in the middle section
Throughout the journey guarding the cash is so this is This engine called Iron Horse was built in the U.S in 1909 it makes a short 20-minute return trip on the museum grounds and is a hit with adults and children alike um foreign Thank you foreign Now just one more place to visit before we leave otaru Sunco Market is a two-minute walk from otaru station 16 shops sell seafood along both sides of the 200 meter long arcade The fresh seafood comes from around Hokkaido Sea urchin is hauled in at otaru and other fishing towns during the summer months June through August it is the taste of an ultaru summer Thank you One Restaurant here offers dishes using fresh sea urchin this dish is popular among Japanese they also serve other rice bowls topped with an assortment of fresh seafood Even those who don’t like sea urchin due to its tasting too much of the sea often change their minds after trying it in Hokkaido thank you next we head for the town of yoichi from otaru the railroad is a single non-electrified track some 80 percent of hokkaido’s lines are
Non-electrified and operate with diesel engines debut along these routes the h-100 series has diesel engines driving generators which in turn Power electric traction Motors Operating throughout Hokkaido they are nicknamed dickmu which stands for diesel electric car with motors thank you The oichi district has an average temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius in July and August and is locally referred to as the Scotland of Japan rustles up a gentle breeze as it dashes along at its top speed of 100 kilometers per hour Thank you [Applause] a two to three minute walk brings us to a whiskey Distillery built in 1934 the founder traveled to Scotland the home of whiskey to study distilling methods after he returned he visited various regions before deciding yuichi was ideal for its cool climate right amount of humidity and abundance of
Spring water and coal foreign the company has strictly upheld the same Traditions using coal fires in the distilling process [Applause] With checks every 15 minutes maintaining the right heat is time and labor intensive but necessary to produce the distinct complex flavors thank you ‘s climate is suited to slowly aging the whiskey over time the new make spirit matures in barrels pulling in the woods natural Aroma and flavors oh Whiskey distillers in Japan initially aimed to match Scottish quality but Japanese whiskey is now known in its own right throughout the world Visitors to The Distillery are invited to sample the whiskeys which have won awards at International competitions Foreign Thank you foreign [Applause] we continue our journey rolling through the farms and Orchards of one of hokkaido’s leading agricultural areas The railroad was once an invaluable mode of Transport for the local residents but ridership has fallen sharply with the increase in ship and decline in population along the Route Times are changing for this train line that once played a major role in hokkaido’s development Foreign S for the train the steep slope of the kuchan pass climbs for about 10 kilometers in fact it is so steep that back in the day of steam locomotives it took two engines to climb the mountain this segment opened in 1904 when the gateway to Hokkaido was hakodate then the Island’s largest city
This Railway connected it to the second largest city at the time otaru even the new decmo engines only run at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour along this stretch of winding track foreign [Applause] With a height of 1898 meters it Bears a striking resemblance to Japan’s tallest peak Mount Fuji hence its affectionately known as ESO Fuji ESO being the old name for Hokkaido okay [Applause] at first glance hirafu station is an ordinary rural station but it draws Railway fans from across Japan
It is one of just a handful of places in Japan where the station building itself doubles as guest accommodation the station became unmanned in 1982 and six years later J.R Hokkaido leased the building as a guest house A God is the room boasts the perfect view of the platform where the trains roll through Foreign card is dinner by the platform itself Not many trains pass through but rail fans Savor the novelty of enjoying a lamb barbecue with chilled Refreshments while watching trains roll in Yoshitoshi originally from Kyoto is the guest House’s second owner Today That scene was etched in his memory and years later he moved to Hokkaido he eventually took over the guest house himself in 1996. thank you this is Foreign Foreign Station the train parallels a river Has the honor of being selected several times as Japan’s most pristine River The next stop foreign Is famous the world over for its powder snow so the station was designed to resemble an Alpine Lodge some foreign residents have made me Seco their home year round but few people abroad know that the area is also ideal for Mountain hiking and cycling Condominiums and hotels dot the area
One popular summer activity is rafting on the shiribatsu river and you hold the t-grip remember like this like this okay yeah I think everyone’s got it what happens if we say move to the right yeah move to the right go go go go go go
Go go go move to the right sit down sit down watch your paddle good watch the battle Callum McWilliam originally from Scotland moved to niseko in 2020 and acquired a rafting guide license with like small kids taller people strong people you know like everyone everyone enjoys rafting so it’s uh it’s
A lot of fun yeah the river’s water level during the summer is quite low while the air and water temperatures soar Ing Cool River breezes offer a respite from the summer heat the thrilling course takes about an hour can you see any Rocks coming up here we go here we go I you know really really liked niseko because you know really nice people like Japanese people and international people um you know really nice food that you don’t get in Scotland so yeah like and then this as well nature in the summer is is amazing yeah niseko offers many Hot Springs to soothe
Aching muscles after a full-on to have activities locals discovered this hot spring when digging up a rice field the carbonated waters improved blood circulation and assist in recovery from fatigue and exhaustion Over there This hot spring has a high sulfur content and is popular with women the water is cloudy due to the mineral-rich mud at the bottom of the bath which is believed to moisturize the skin and keep it beautiful Thank you But sorry gents this bath is only for the ladies Foreign Around 80 kilometers and a one and a quarter hour ride from nisekle The non-electrified section between otaru and OSHA mambe is said to cost 1287 Yen around 10 US dollars to operate but this generates a mere 100 yen or 75 cents in operating Revenue hence Jr has made the tough decision to discontinue this section when the Hokkaido shinkansen extends its
Operations to Sapporo in early 2031. Thank you Foreign Crabs dotting the platform where passengers wait for trains oshonambe is a Crossroads for Rail and vehicle traffic and as you can imagine many shops specialize in crab this shop’s Bento has been a popular item since it was first introduced in 1950 grilled crab seasoned with salt and
Pepper is flaked and spread over a bed of steamed rice Thank you before the 1950s crabs boiled in salted water were sold whole wrapped in newspaper but once crabbing season was restricted this ikibin or station Bento was concocted to allow visitors to enjoy the local delicacy year round and you don’t have to ride a train to enjoy your icky bin
Shop remodeled the adjacent room into a passenger compartment in 2017 using authentic train seats Even customers who arrive by car can Savor the joy of train travel as they eat Finish yes Our trip from Sapporo has covered 174 kilometers Once the shinkansen is running the current four-hour journey to Sapporo will only take about 40 minutes dropping the curtain on 120 years of Railway history between here and otaru Breezes of change blowing through