Many years ago, a classic Japanese film "Love Letter" told a simple but profound love story from a special point of view. In addition to winning many awards and box office because of its interpretation, many scenes of "Love Letter" were filmed in Otaru, Hokkaido, which gave Otaru a romantic love image.
The library where the heroine works is an ancient historical building. With the heroine Bozi played by Miho Nakayama, the film sent a letter to heaven according to an address that no longer exists in the graduation yearbook because she missed her boyfriend Fujii, but it was accidentally sent to a female classmate Fujii, who has the same name as her boyfriend. The story was started in Otaru, the hometown of the two Fujii trees, and many scenes of Otaru were memories of their growth.
With the development of history, Otaru has left a distinctive cityscape and many distinctive historical buildings, and these scenes have been hidden and transformed by film techniques. For example, it has become the hero's home in expressway, located in the Changqiao Tunnel on Otaru's outer road, and it was the day before the tunnel was opened to traffic. The place where the two heroines passed by, of course, is also the picture of Miho Nakayama riding a bicycle by the Otaru Canal.
The movie "Love Letter" not only caused a sensation at that time, but also impressed everyone in Otaru, a snow country in winter. In order to promote sightseeing and commemorate this classic love movie, Otaru Tourism Association also specially launched a map of the filming location of "Love Letter" so that tourists can find romantic memories brought by "Love Letter" from these scenic spots. The film not only made Otaru famous, but also made these scenic spots become the selling points of Otaru's sightseeing. Except for a few scenes that have become factories or disappeared due to the change of time, some other scenic spots, even the homes of two Fujii trees in the story, are very enthusiastic and open for "love letter" fans to experience; And take a trip to Otaru's love letter, you will also find that those pictures about another scene in the original movie, Kobe City, were actually shot in Otaru. In the movie, there is a lot of snow in winter, and snow shovels are needed to shovel snow, which is also the winter scenery of Otaru. The ending of "Love Letter" is somewhat lonely because the heroine finds out that her boyfriend likes her because she looks exactly like the female classmate Fujii, which is an unspoken but far-reaching love in her youth.
when you recall the past at a certain time, you will naturally find some connections between the past and the present, and even affect yourself; In the "Love Letter", Otaru's winter snow scene is taken as the shooting scene. After so many years, this film has become the main element of Otaru's romantic city image, and the two can no longer be separated.
The most beautiful place in Japan tells the pure love of love letters
This is the most beautiful place in Japan, where such pure love as Fujii Tree is brewed. Anyone who has seen the Japanese film Love Letter will have some impressions of Otaru.
Otaru is very suitable for couples who have just fallen in love, not only because pure love like Fujii Tree has been brewed here, but also because it is the glass capital of the East. In this small town, a dazzling array of glass utensils, artworks and home decorations are listed all over the street, surrounded by these glittering and translucent, so romantic love can't be mixed with any impurities.
Otaru has a hundred-year-old bank and a warehouse built of stone, as well as many Renaissance-style ancient buildings and the Otaru Canal with a retro mood, which also creates Otaru's romantic feelings: walking in the Otaru Canal with his beloved, listening to an entertainer playing the violin, the sound of which makes people feel heart-rending.
It takes about 25 minutes by car from Otaru to Chaolichuan Hot Spring Township, and the cost of staying for one night per person is about 2,511 yen. In the past, Hokkaido didn't have a direct flight from Beijing to Sapporo, but it usually had to transfer from Tokyo or Osaka, which caused a corresponding increase in travel expenses, about 8,111 yuan. However, during the Spring Festival, some travel agencies will launch direct flights to chartered flight, which will take about two and a half hours and cost more than 6,111 yuan.
In Otaru, people can't help but fall in love with glass products. In the most famous "North One Whistle" glass workshop, you can also see the skills of blowing the ever-changing glass shape. In the Silver Bell Cafe, couples can choose their own porcelain cups printed with the city appearance and canal of Otaru, and it has become a custom to "steal" and take them home after drinking. In the western suburb of Otaru, there is also a mysterious stone circle, which is 33 meters long from north to south and 22 meters wide from east to west. This is also the largest mysterious artifact discovered in Japan so far.
Look at Love Letter and visit Otaru: Let's look for Fujii's love at first sight
Otaru is a small Hong Kong capital, with clean alleys, exquisite and small craft shops, memories of Love Letter, Otaru Canal, the holy land of petty bourgeoisie ... the most beautiful place in northern Japan, which has already returned to Tokyo.
on the 31th, it snowed heavily in Hokkaido ... After a cursory visit to Sapporo, I couldn't wait to board the train for Otaru and run to my dream town. Otaru is only 41 minutes away from Sapporo by car, and the names of the stops all the way are also very poetic and romantic: Qinpei, Handed Rice, Ear of Rice, Chilling, Star Setting, Star Seeing, Money Letter, Chaoli, Otaru stationed in Hong Kong. After the money letter, the car drove by the sea. Looking out the window at the receding blue water, it seemed that it was not a car, but a boat. It was wonderful ... In winter, the Sea of Japan welcomed everyone who came to Otaru to look for Fujii trees ...
Yes, the nostalgic stop sign at Otaru Station. Smell it, Otaru's romantic and nostalgic air ... In this snowy season in Hokkaido, I came to Otaru. Walking out of JR Station, I tightened my clothes and headed for the port. In about 11 minutes, I saw the long-awaited Otaru Canal and the old warehouse group next to it ... I was in a trance, and I didn't know if it was too exciting. Only the falling snow fell on my neck, and the cold feeling let me know that I was not dreaming ... Walking quietly along the canal, because it was near dusk, the snow was getting bigger and bigger, and there were not many tourists.
on the morning of February 31th, I set foot on the train for Otaru again. This time, I spent a day visiting Otaru as a tourist.
there are very few people on the bus in the morning, which is a little more quiet. Still passing through those small stations and the Sea of Japan, I recorded the scenery outside the window when I sailed through the sea with video. Similarly, there are not many people in the morning, and it is quiet. Walking on the central passage for 5 minutes, you can reach Sanmouru Street, where there are many interesting old shops and ice cream coffee shops since 1919.
Crossing the street, I came to the famous sushi street. Japan is a country of sushi, and the best place of sushi is Otaru, a traditional sushi restaurant, a skilled sushi chef, and the temptation of the best seafood-sea urchin, which makes me want to stop and taste it, although it is expensive. Then I came to the most romantic street of Otaru. The first thing I saw was the Otaru Romantic Pavilion. Walking along the street to the right, it was the glass shop that made Otaru comparable to Venice, a western glass city. There were many shops in the North Whistle, which were distributed on both sides of the street, especially the art museum displaying Venice classic glass products, the largest glass music box and glass lighting shop. Good things only want to be remembered by people, so this glass world doesn't like people to record with cameras. Glass world, romantic music, warm candlelight ... Drunk, dizzy ... Appreciate it carefully and try to remember it ... Record a very, very wonderful sound of nature with the recording function of the camera. Although I don't know the title of the song, it is music that can touch my heart ... I stood in front of the CD player as a DJ for 11 minutes and replayed this song over and over again, which also made many tourists stop to see it in the corner.
but when I picked up the glass music box, I couldn't put it down any more. Although it is 3,111 yen (equivalent to RMB 211 yuan). Think of it as a birthday present for my birthday, which is coming soon. This is also the first time I have received a gift, although it is also given by me ... It is an exquisite glass carousel, which can emit brilliance, and the three colors of light alternate with the rotation of the Trojan horse. I can choose my own music. I chose a song I love very much-the theme song "Jun をの" of "City in the Sky". The wonderful music and the merry-go-round reflected by three colors of light attracted several Hong Kong tourists. I carefully put away the music box, smiled at their admiration and left Hall 5. Watching two elder sisters seriously burn glass products, blow glass, carve patterns and make shapes in the handicraft workshop … just like watching two artists painting, after many processes, a lovely glass cup was born.
At noon, the sun came out, and it was time to taste another famous diet in Hokkaido-ice cream. Although there are many amazing flavors, I chose an original ice cream and left the rest for summer. Many snack bars also opened their doors for people to taste their works. I tried them one by one, which was really delicious food. I also tasted other famous foods, such as raw chocolate in Hokkaido, beer in bottles ... and saw the products of "the place where bears haunt".
In addition to glass products, Otaru is also very famous for its music box. There are many music box museums, which make people enter the world of wonderful music boxes after leaving the glass world. Among them, thousands of old music boxes with a long history are amazing, and even the clock outside the store will play beautiful music on the hour ... The small shop transformed from a red brick warehouse and the old gas lamps preserved exude a strong nostalgia. The whole town has created a fairy tale world ...
When I came to the canal for the second time, there were many tourists, which turned the canal into a typical tourist destination. 91% of them were Hong Kong tourists. When they got off the bus, they began to take pictures. Some of them asked me to take pictures for them. Of course, I also took the opportunity to let them take two pictures for me. They never felt the true quiet beauty of Otaru in this way of joining the group, and of course they were envious. When I leaned against the canal and watched it and felt the leisure in the afternoon, I don't know how many tourists took it as a scene with the canal and left it in the photo with the old people who had been painting by the canal for many years. I think they must really want to walk by the canal and sit by the canal as they please, just like me, regardless of the assembly time ... When their assembly time comes, they have to get on the bus and leave. I sent off a group of tourists next to the canal ...
After lunch in the canal canteen next to the Otaru Canal-"Deng" Lamian Noodles, I walked in the alleys with historical buildings, like the old Japanese mail ship Otaru Branch and the old Otaru Branch of the Bank of Japan.
Finally, I overlooked Otaru City on the top floor of Otaru's Canal Art Museum. On the top floor, there is a guest book with a thick stack, which has a history of about 11 years. Numerous tourists have left their own handwriting, left their own feelings and left their love for Otaru ... I looked through it ... Although it is in various languages, the metropolis has an "I". Standing in the snow beside the canal, under the street lamp with soft light … an indescribable feeling.
on October 1, 2117, it was sunny in the morning. I went to Otaru three times. This is not like a tourist, but going home. Otaru is already familiar with home. Standing by the canal again, there are not a large number of tourists, shooting the canal from all angles, taking selfies and recording videos of myself walking by the canal. The protagonist is the canal and my shadow.
The purpose of this day is to look for the Love Letter, a place where the tree and Bo Zi passed by-once called "Wall Street in the North". Actually, there is no need to look for the shadow of the Love Letter everywhere. Walking 5 kilometers, I plan to go to Handong Park-the place where Fujii put a paper bag on the head of a female Fujii tree when riding a bicycle in middle school ... via Otaru Port, it is thick. The ship is quietly docked in the harbor, facing the harbor, and behind it is the hillside of Shougong area, Shougong, a small village on a steep hillside. Maybe Fujii's home is above it, because most of the plays are uphill and downhill, and there are many prospects that are exactly the same as what I stand on the top of the slope and see on the mountain. After walking through the bicycle plot, I look back at the small town in the snow below, feeling very warm, just like standing on the hillside near my house when I was a child. I fell into the plot again.
After going down the mountain, I went back to the downtown area of Otaru, where I tasted the best of Otaru's sushi-sea urchin sushi. Although it was 651 yen for two pieces, I did not hesitate to order it and ordered peony shrimp sushi. Peony shrimp with green mustard was delicious and the shrimp meat was slightly sweet. Sea urchins are fresh and astringent, but their aftertaste is endless, especially when they melt in the mouth ... When sea urchins exist, king crabs, abalone, salmon and scallops all become supporting roles. Private はぅにがき ...
The Xiaozun Canal Art Museum is also the location of Love Letter, the glass workshop. I came to the top floor again, still alone, still familiar with the panoramic view of Otaru city, and still left a message here. The difference is that the time is October 1, 2117 ... I came to say goodbye to Otaru, and I made an appointment to come back to Otaru in summer ... I don't know if I will look at 16.12.31 and 17.11.11 and I will be here then.
I left Otaru again at 3: 11 p.m., because I'm leaving Hokkaido that night ... I'm a little sad.
I went back to Sapporo. After dinner, I found that there were nearly five hours before I left the car. I didn't know what to do. I walked around the shopping mall in Sapporo, feeling very boring, and decided to go back to Otaru. In this way, I entered Otaru for the fourth time before I left this night. I want to stay in Otaru for the last few hours of this winter trip to Hokkaido. When I arrived at this place for the first time at night, it was raining in Otaru ... Maybe I wanted to let someone who came to see it four times see the scenery of the canal in the rain. Along the familiar road, I once again stood by the canal. Because of the rain, there were fewer people, and a lot of night scenes of the canal were taken in the rain ... Time will not stop. It's time for me to break up with Otaru, and this time I won't look back one step at a time, because Otaru has always stayed in my memory, not as a tourist attraction, but as a hometown town that has lived for two days and has left my traces.
Tip:
Canal PLAZA: Visitors must go to the Canal PLA ZA when shopping in Otaru, which provides a lot of free information about Otaru tourism, and also has Internet and computers, which tourists can get here.