From Sapporo to Otaru and Yoichi with a Visit to Nikka Whisky Museum

The Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery locates in the city of Yoichi in Hokkaido. This distillery was founded in 1934 by Taketsuru Masataka, the founder of Nikka Whisky. Visitors can tour the distillery and learn about whisky production. There is also a whisky tasting area. There is also a museum at the distillery. At the museum, visitors can learn about the history of Japanese whisky making. Also at the distillery, one of the rooms used by Taketsuru and his wife is open to the public to see.

Otaru is a small harbor city, about half an hour northwest of Sapporo by train. From the early days of Hokkaido's colonization in the late 1800s, Otaru served as a major trade and fishing port. It was hence chosen as the terminal station of Hokkaido's first railway line that connected the port with nearby Sapporo. Many old warehouses and former office buildings by shipping and trade companies give Otaru's city center a special character reminiscent of past decades.

The Otaru Canal is a sightseeing spot emblematic of Otaru. About 1.1 km long, old warehouses stand side by side along one edge; along the other runs a promenade ideal for a pleasant stroll. In its heyday, Otaru was a flourishing port town that functioned as one of Hokkaido's economic centers. At that time, Otaru Canal was built to improve the efficiency of unloading boats arriving from the sea carrying goods for wholesale. An area from the beach out into the sea was reclaimed as land in 1923. Peculiar to this canal is its gentle curve, a design uncommon among the world's canals. The Otaru Canal fell into disuse as goods distribution shifted from water to land. In 1986, part of the canal beside the harbor road was partially filled in, and it shrank in width from 40 m to 20 m. The filled-in area was developed into a promenade, and the canal subsequently returned to the limelight as a tourist attraction. The North Canal, however, has retained its original width. Stone-walled warehouses and old factories stand side by side along the canal, and some of the buildings have been renovated into restaurants and shops. Lining the promenade are 63 gaslights, bestowing a nostalgic atmosphere on the surroundings with soft lighting as the sunsets.

Although it is often said that traditional Japanese shopping streets fell into decline with the arrival of modern shopping malls in the suburbs, Otaru shopping street lives on and thrives. That being said, it is actually hard to tell where does the street start and where does it end. Because it is not a shopping arcade; instead, various historical buildings line up along the so called "Wall Street of the North". In fact, the street starts at Sakai ichome near Otaru branch of the Bank of Japan, built in 1913. It stretches for approximately 750 m till Irifunehairi crossroads where you can see Otaru Orgel Emporium. Along the street you can see old merchant shops, stone bank buildings, warehouses, restaurants and hand-made glass stores. Business hours and holidays vary depending on the shop.

Sapporo ("important river flowing through a plain" in Ainu language) is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan's fifth largest city. Sapporo is also one of the nation's youngest major cities. In 1857, the city's population stood at just seven people. In the beginning of the Meiji Period, when the development of Hokkaido was started on a large scale, Sapporo was chosen as the island's administrative center and enlarged according to the advice of foreign specialists. Consequently, Sapporo was built based on a North American style rectangular street system. Sapporo became world famous in 1972 when the Olympic Winter Games were held there. Today, the city is well known for its ramen, beer, and the annual snow festival held in February.

Yoichi is located in the northwest-ward of Sapporo. Yoichi was flourished as a port city for fishing herring, especially from the Edo period to Taisho era, 1910s. Not only fishing also agriculture as fruits products is famous. Apple, cherry, grape, strawberry and so on. This is the place where the first Japanese whiskey was born. It is now world famous Nikka whiskey which Masataka Taketsuru founded in 1934. The story of Masataka and his wife, Lita has been broadcasted in the morning NHK TV program. Yoichi is also famous for wine brewery. There are some wine breweries here as using local grapes. More, the first Japanese astronaut, Mamoru Mouri was born and grown up here. 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympic Game Ski Jump Gold medalist, Yukio Kasaya and Nagano Winter Olympic Game 1998 Ski Jump Gold Medalist, Kazuki Funaki are also from here. They had trained at Taketsuru Jump stadium when they were young. Nikka founder, Masataka Taketsuru used to support young athletes and he built the jump stadium.