i left sapporo and spent the day in otaru, a tiny coast town in hokkaido. i visited the aquarium where i made friends with a walrus bull. can’t explain it but we had an undeniably strong connection. he was coming to watch me through the glass just like i watched him. he had a wife and baby who were also eyeing me from behind the thick glass. he was telling me something in walrus. i don’t speak walrus but i know it was something good.
also, i had dinner on sushi alley. apparently, hokkaido and especially otaru are famous for the exquisite sushi. i had a tasting menu and the tail of something (please identify, if possible. thank you!). i then went back to sapporo and then changed 5 trains to get to kanazawa. i spent my first night on a japanese sleeping car.
photo credits: little aesthete
