Walking around in Yoichi & Otaru, Hokkaido │ Whiskey and Old Trains

Walking around in Yoichi & Otaru, Hokkaido │ Whiskey and Old Trains

Today’s trip starts at Sapporo Station, the busiest station in Hokkaido We are waiting for a morning train bound for Otaru Honestly today is just me roaming around in Yoichi and Otaru Both are on the Hakodate Line and accessible from Sapporo by JR trains Otaru is probably more famous for its canal snow view

Yoichi has the first whiskey distillery in Japan And now we are on the local train going to Otaru via Hakodate Line The coastline is very beautiful The window is not too clear though… Asari Station. This seems to be a famous station as it appeared in TV dramas This is an unmanned station

The sky seen from the train window is also very pretty In a way I enjoy the ring Gives me vibes Also, the Hakodate Line we are on used to be the main line that connects Hakodate and Sapporo It is now usually referred to as the “Mountain Line”

As opposed to the Muroran Line in the south, which is called “Sea Line” All express trains now run on the smoother Sea Line The former main line now runs only local trains It is said that after Hokkaido Shinkansen is connected to Sapporo, the Hakodate Line from Hakodate to Otaru will be suspended

Only the Otaru-Sapporo line will keep operating That’s honestly so sad… I also noticed that many railway in Hokkaido runs along and very near to the coastline Just like the one we are on now This offers very beautiful and sometimes breath-taking scenery

But also makes railway very vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoon or tsunami In the southern part of Hokkaido, most of the Hitaka Line was distroyed by typhoon And it was ultimately suspended because recovery was deemed impossible

After learning about that story, I could never look at these coastline railways in the same way We’ve arrived at Otaru I’ll transfer here for another local train bound for Yoichi This is a rather busy station btw we haven’t see the station name plate We are taking the 9:38 train bound for Kuchan

Let’s go People are taking picture of the new H100 series train This is our train, bound for Kuchan H100 series is the latest Diesel Electric Car made by JR Hokkaido to operate on its unelectronized lines Such as the one we are about to travel on

The Hakodate Line from Sapporo to Otaru is electronized From Otaru to Kuchan, it’s not electronized That’s why we are riding this train The ride from Otaru to Yoichi was about 30 minutes Many passengers also get down here This station is actually quite big

You could tell that in the past, there must be more trains running here But now there’s just grass growing Reminding travellers about a history that the station had witnessed btw, the name of the station as well as the city, Yoichi

Could also be under stood as “a good place” (they are of the same pronounciation in Japanese) It’s also one of the slogans that the city uses No IC card could be used here Must have a ticket or pay by cash if you board in the middle of the way

Bye-bye, H100. Thank you for the ride The advertisement board there is for the whiskey produced here in Yoichi We are now outside of the station Our destination is at the end of this road The station building is also somewhat similar to a distillery Let’s get to the actual distillery

I booked a guided tour there Actually, you have to join the guided tour to be able to get into the distillery You don’t just walk in and wander around But the guided tour is for free Just need to register online before coming Many shops on the street are vacant

Traffic appears to be busy though The clouds are getting thick Hope it won’t rain… The tour at the distillery comes with free whiskey tasting though It’s just the beginning of the day… Hopefully I don’t get drunk The distillery is just there! The flowers are beautifully planted Let’s get in!

Ok we are in now, lining up for registration confirmation I remember this is the pattern of the first door pad in Japan Is it actually that old? We are officially allowed in! Unfortunately, it’s not allowed to film during the tour So let’s just jump to the whiskey!

Three types for you to try out First one, the classic Yoichi Whiskey Good, but not my type Second glass This one’s actually very good, the Super Nikka Oops, we are quickly back in Otaru Trust me I’m not drunk

I didn’t film the tasting of the last glass because I was talking to another visitor The Hokkaido Shinkansen is coming to Otaru in 2030 Let’s get out for the bus The bus terminal is just outside the station JR also operates is own bus from Otaru to Sapporo… emmm…

But anyways, we are taking the city bus to Otaru Museum The green route should work We’ve arrived oh, forgot to press the traffic light button The wind is quite strong today This is our destination — the Otaru Museum I’ve just come in This is an actually functional railway turntable

The remains of a historical railway This is the little Temiya Station in the museum A steam train operating in the park would stop here The old steam locomotive that used to run on the Hokkaido grounds Nature is reclaiming its realm The driver’s seat (sorry I know there’s reflection…)

Different trains that are on display here This is the Kishi 80 It’s a dining car You could probably tell that the cars here are not in very good shape Because of outdoor display and the serious weather in Hokkaido

In winter times, these cars will not be in display as they will be protected from the heavy snow This is an express type train The iconic box seats The ED75 series electric locomotive Classic JNR Red Manufactured by Mitsubushi A postal car There are more trains on the other side

The express train Chitose bound for Muroran Another row of iconic box seats The Kiha27 series express type train, manufactured by Tokyu in 1961 The Green Car is now totally unrecognizable… Kiha56 series express type train Thank you for your service JNR Class DD16 diesel locomotive

This is the little steam train that runs in the museum field Very well-kept Even has Coca-Cola label on it The Third Class car Unfortunately, I missed the operating hour… Let’s take a look at the legendary blue train Express Rishiri The interior of this train is repurposed This train still retains its original decorection

The express train used to run between Sapporo and Wakkanai Connecting the center of Hokkaido to the northern-most train station in Japan Limited Express Hokkai It connected Hakodate to Asahigawa via Hakodate Line JNR Class C55 steam locomotive One of the four of this type of locomotive in Japan This lane is closed for maintenance…

Let’s go around in the filed before going indoors These strange-looking cars are all snow-sweeping trains This one was built in 1950 and reformed in 1969 in Asahigawa Operating at Oiwake Station, the intersecting point of Muroran Line and Sekisho Line Old Temiya Railway Facilities Kiha 03 type railbus Snow plow train

Steam locomotive, made in Meiji 28 (1895) at Temiya It’s called Taisho (Huge Victory), in commemoration of Japan’s victory in the First Sino-Japanese War A taste of the 19th century train operation A snow plow train that looks like…. a horror movie machine …… Can’t tell which one looks more horrifying

JNR Class DD14 locomotive with snowplough unit Manufactured by Niigata Engineering Co. Ltd. Forgot to film this! The 0 mile mark of Hokkaido Raiway Marking the beginning of an exciting history Now let’s get indoors to see what’s in store Wooden first class train Made in Hokkaido The interior is quite unique

Wait, we can actually get inside! The 1895 First Class With stove — essential for a train that runs on the northern land Trying out the first class seat for free Actually not very soft XD Old uniforms… The model of “The Explorer” train

The first explorers of Hokkaido were carried around the land on the train The actual car is now preserved in the Railway Museum in Omiya, near Tokyo Highly recommend that museum for railway lovers as well This is the steam locomotive Shizuka (Slient) Not a typical way for naming trains, but somehow also very suitable

Made overseas by H. K. Porter & Co’s The museum also features a video that captures the history of railways in Otaru 1875, before railway came to Otaru 1891, railway was constructed The pink line was the first railway in Hokkaido – the Horonai Line 1902, before the current Otaru Station was opened

Another line (green), the Hokkaido Railway, was planned 1911, Temiya-Iwamizawa railway became double track Hakodate Line (green) connected to Otaru 1914, the Otaru Canal began its construction 1923, the Otaru Canal was completed 1928, Otaru-Chikkō coal yard was constructed At that time, railway played a vital role in coal transportation

1932, the Otaru Harbour Line (blue) was opened 1943, Temiya Line was suspended (due to war) 1948, Temiya Line resumed passenger transportation services 1962, Temiya Line suspended passenger transportation services 1984, the Otaru Harbour Line and Temiya Line were suspended On the 1985 map, only Hakodate Line remained in Otaru

2016, the old Temiya Line rail track was transformed into a walkway We will visit there soon Thank you railways for making Otaru what it is now As the Otaru Museum was built at the old Temiya garage, the railway turned walkway is just across the road Grass covering the tracks… The Temiya Line, 1880-1985

105 years of history lying here Silently welcoming us This walkway leads us to the Ironai Dori, and from there we can continue to walk to the Canal Some of these old equipment is also left here The walk is actually quite pleasant, especailly if the weather is not too warm

One can enjoy the company of these old tracks And maybe imagine the history that it had witnessed Our walk today ends near a river close to the Otaru Canal The wind chimes hanging above the water are playing the summer melody A melody that cools down some of the summer heat

Let’s just enjoy the summer wind See you in the next trip!

The video is just me walking around in the cities of Yoichi and Otaru, Hokkaido, back in the summer days. I took a visit to the oldest whiskey distillery in Japan, tasted a few glasses of good liquor, and then went to the Otaru Museum to visit some old trains that used to be running on the northern land.

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