August 17.My birthday.
It is holiday season and Hitomi and I have arrived in Otaru. I have come to feel this place as my second home because it is where Dad was born and where he now lives. From the picture above was taken from Saka-no-machi and it looks like any coastal town and it looks enclosed. But the streets are wide and green and it has a canal network. The air is fresh and clean. Sapporo is only half hour away and we plan to go there over the week-end as Hitomi has never been. Tonight we will have a quiet dinner with Father and the girls.
Hitomi thinks it's nice here too. It is very quiet after Tokyo. Sapporo is just as busy as Tokyo and she will be surprised. On Sunday we will walk up Jigokuzaka, which translates to hell hill and maybe picnic. We can buy her a pair of good walking shoes in town. Monday we plan to go to the beach at Zenibako. It's good to be here again.
It took half a day to arrive here by train but we will fly back home next Friday,
お誕生日おめでとうございます。
I hope you had a great day celebrating your special day.
I never been Sapporo.
I am sad today because now my village is celebrating Obon.
I want to be there but this year I couldn't.
Please enjoy with your father and the 'girls'. I wish I could be with you.
When you go to Sapporo please drink some beer for me...and in your heart think of me.
It will be a wonderful moment for you and Hitomi San.
Have a great time together and I send you a big warm hug for your birthday。
お体お大事に
Sashi
April 11, 2008 9:26 PMNe, jazz chan.
I plan to jorney to otaru. And a thing that i definitely want to see is jigokuzaka. Could you please show me where the jigokuzaka is on this map? http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=43.195603&lon=140.9980631&z=16&l=5&m=m&v=2.
You could give me the latitude and longtitude or a street name.
And one silly question: where is the military station that was to be seen in saikano - where chise and shuji kissed for the first time?
Thanks. Bye, maybe we see eachother in september.
Anonymous
July 29, 2008 5:11 AMHello Stanger
I hope you enjoy Otaru, it is a beautiful town and very much European style influence in architecture. If you come out of train terminal (JR Otaru), turn right and make your way towards the "Temiya Bus terminal", you will find yourself on jigokuzaka!
Aki Maeda starred in the movie "Saishū Heiki Kanojo" (My Girlfriend is the ultimate weapon), here she star as Chise. Although some scenes of that movie are familar like the train station and Asahi Observation Hill, there is no military base there really.
I don't live in Otaru, it is my Father's home.
Jazz
July 29, 2008 7:51 AM