"Just a little bit, not very smart."
As soon as the words were spoken, the chill receded like the tide.
【What's wrong with the weather in Hokkaido? 】
Normally, a boat trip on the Otaru Canal takes only 30 to 40 minutes, but Hayama Kazuto and Kato Megumi spent a full two hours. Most of the time, they just floated quietly on the water, enjoying the quiet time.
After handing over the boat at the dock, the two walked into the Music Box Museum.
The Music Box Museum is divided into seven buildings, and the main building was completed in the Meiji era.
"Well, there are still three minutes." Kato Megumi stood outside the main building, unwilling to enter.
"What do you mean three minutes left?" Yushan Kazuto asked curiously.
"Well, the steam clock won't ring in three minutes."
Kato Megumi pointed to something that looked like a steam engine. It was the famous steam clock in the Music Box Museum, which rang every fifteen minutes.
"It is said that anyone who hears the sound of the steam bell will be happy for the rest of his life!"
"Then let's wait a little longer." Yushan and others paced and looked at the steam clock. There was an introduction sign of the steam clock on the side, and Yushan and others pursed their lips when they saw it.
[It rings every fifteen minutes. This happiness comes too cheap. 】
Two minutes later, the steam clock rang on time and started moving like a locomotive. Steam rose from the chimney, and the sound of the steam engine and the bell merged together, like a symphony.
Hayama Kazuto looked at Kato Megumi, and Kato Megumi also looked at Hayama Kazuto. One of them smiled, and the other also smiled.
"Mom, the steam clock just rang! Does this mean that love will be happy forever?" The voice of the young crane is very recognizable, like a lark, and her tender chirping can be heard from afar.
"Love, didn't mom tell you? You have to fight for your own happiness."
"Humph, Mom is so boring!"
Hinazuru Ai ran to the steam clock and saw Yushan Kazuto at a glance: "Hey, it's big brother, what a coincidence, big brother, we meet again!"
"Yeah, what a coincidence." Yushan Heren was a little overwhelmed to deal with this energetic child.
"Mom, come here quickly, it's the big brother from before!" Hinazuru Ai called Hinazuru Aki
Naira came over.
Hinazuru Akina placed her hands on her belly and bowed humbly, saying, "Thank you, sir, for retrieving my hat that fell into the water on the canal."
Although Hinazuru Akina was a little unhappy with the way Yushan Kazuto returned the hat, years of training allowed her to perfectly control her expression and emotions.
"It's nothing, just a small favor." Yushan Heren waved his hands. It seemed that the other party didn't know that he had failed in his first hat-trick.
"I heard there's a music box with a shogi board here, Mom, let's go check it out."
Hinazuru Ai tugged at Hinazuru Akina's hand.
"Love, don't be rude when you're out and about!"
Hinazuru Akina smiled apologetically at Hayama Kazuto: "Excuse me, Ai is impatient, so we will go in first."
"Brother, do you want to check it out too? It's a music box with a shogi board! I heard you can play chess with it!"
Yushan shook his head and politely refused, feeling a little weird in his heart.
[Both of them are named Xiao Ai, and both of them like shogi. Isn't that a coincidence? ]
"Elementary school student, why are you in a daze? Are you still thinking about your classmates?" Kato Megumi walked closer.
"What classmates?" Yushan Heren turned his head. He was distracted before and didn't hear it clearly.
"Nothing, let's go in too."
Chapter 77: Live in the Present
When we came out of the Music Box Museum, the sun had already climbed to the sky.
The sunshine in Hokkaido is not hot, but a little bit hot, and the ultraviolet rays are quite strong. Fortunately, I applied sunscreen before going out.
Lunch is also prepared in the package for the two-person tour.
You can choose to experience Otaru's most distinctive Otaru Canal Shokudo and taste Hokkaido cuisine in nine branch restaurants.
You can also dine at several designated riverside cafes, savoring soft waffles while watching the passing cruise ships and slow-moving canals.
The two chose the Otaru Canal Cafeteria, which was converted from an old warehouse and has a very historical feel.
Walking into it, it is more like a food court than a canteen. I didn't see many people when I was visiting, but the Otaru Canal Canteen was bustling with people, as if tourists from the entire city had gathered here.
When you come to Hokkaido, you must try the fresh milk from Hokkaido. Although the cup is small, the taste is very good. The price of 250 yen per cup is fair.
The two chose crab dishes.
Although May is not a good time to eat crabs, and Hokkaido's most famous king crabs have not even started to be caught yet, the early summer king crabs do have a unique flavor.
The portion is not large, but it is exquisite. This is the case with all Japanese cuisine. Large portions that are enough to fill you up are probably only found in Sukiya and Yoshinoya.
While eating, a little head suddenly popped onto the table. Hinazuru Ai climbed onto the table with both hands and said, "Big brother, we meet again."
Yushan and Ren blinked. Could it be that the other party also won the Golden Legend Reward of letao? Why was the itinerary today so highly consistent?
"Ai, your ramen is ready!"
Hinazuru Akina, wearing a kimono, stood out in the crowd. Yushan Kazuto pointed at her and said, "Your mother is looking for you!"
"Mom, Xiao Ai is coming right over here!"
Hinazuru Ai ran away quickly, threading her way through the crowd. Her small body seemed to give her a great advantage, and she soon ran to Hinazuru Akina's side.
Kato Megumi glanced at Hinazuru Ai who was running away, and then started eating again.
……
The afternoon schedule was a little longer, so after dinner, the two of them went straight to Otaru's famous Triangle Market.
This is the oldest seafood market in Otaru, with a history of more than 80 years. When you walk into it, you can feel the style of Otaru more than 80 years ago.
The Triangle Market is rather dark, and the roof is relatively low, only about two meters and thirty-four meters high. In terms of decoration, it may not be as good as the farmers' markets in many towns and villages, but it is still the first choice for Otaru citizens to buy seafood.
Since it is backed by the Hokkaido fishing grounds and Otaru is a natural harbor, the seafood in the Triangle Market is diverse, reasonably priced and very fresh.
The two of them strolled around the Triangle Market without buying anything. They came here mainly to experience the history and culture. They couldn't bring some fresh seafood back to Tokyo.
"Ah!" Suddenly, several screams came from beside the two of them, and a young urban beauty fell to the ground, trembling.
Yushan Kazuto and Kato Megumi turned their eyes and saw an octopus stretching out its tentacles and tightly hugging the lady's ankles. The tentacles were still squirming, as if trying to climb up.
"Xiao Ke." Yushan Heren blinked and had no intention of going up to help.
"Xiao Ke, what is that?" Kato Megumi asked curiously.
"Cthulhu, also known as the little octopus."
"Hmm." Kato Megumi stared at the lady's ankle and said, "I don't think this is a small octopus. It's so big that it can't be made into octopus balls."
At the same time, the owner of the seafood store nearby also reacted. He hurriedly ran out of the store and quickly removed the octopus from the lady's feet, leaving only a circle of red suction cup marks.
Seeing the increasingly heated gazes between the lady lying on the ground and the seafood store owner, Yushan Kazuto and Kato Megumi took the initiative to walk away.
After strolling around the Triangle Market and smelling the slightly fishy scent of the sea, the two followed the river bank and lingered in the handicraft shops on the roadside.
Otaru was once glorious, but is now gradually declining. The glass industry is the afterglow of its heyday.
The hometown of lights, this beautiful title is both a compliment and represents helplessness. There used to be large brick and stone warehouses on both sides of the canal, but now they have been transformed into glass shops, restaurants and hypermarkets.
"What a beautiful lamp." Looking at a postmodern decorative lamp, Kato Megumi couldn't help but say.
The sky-blue lampshade is covered with cracked patterns, and the twisted supporting lamp frame looks like a vine struggling to climb.
"Ma'am, if you like, you can turn on the light and have a look." The clerk, who was wearing a dark blue Bavarian-style dress, picked up the switch very politely and held it in front of Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi looked at the sapphire-like switch on the clerk's palm, then looked at Yushan Kazuto who was looking around: "Yushan, please turn on the light."
Yushan Heren turned his head, somewhat puzzled. Why did he turn on the light himself?
"I want to record the video. I have to trouble Yushan."
Kato Megumi took out her cell phone and raised it gently.
Yushan Kazuto walked up to the clerk and picked up the switch.
I thought the switch was made of glass, but it turned out to be made of resin. It felt good in my hand. Yushan Kazuto squeezed it gently, and the blue light came on.
The lampshade is not very transparent, and the blue light is a bit faint.
, it feels like drowning in the deep sea, making people feel a little depressed.
There were no other customers in the store, so the clerk stepped aside and turned off the lights in the store.
In an instant, the whole room was like a blue ocean, with bands of light shining through the cracked patterns, colorful and magnificent.
"Dear guests, are you satisfied?" the clerk turned on the lights.
"Very beautiful." Yushan Kazuto said calmly.
"Well, it looks very beautiful." Kato Megumi's tone was also light.
The clerk was very sensitive and heard the hidden meaning of the two people: [Although it is very beautiful, I don’t like it. ]
"You two guests can also look at other things."
Yushan Kazuto and Kato Megumi looked at them again and again, and finally picked out a pair of swan lamps. The two swans had curved necks, one slightly larger and the other slightly smaller, leaning together to form a heart.
The design concepts of these two lamps were obviously not as good as the one they had seen before, but they both liked them more. Yushan Kazuto and Kato Megumi paid for them very readily.
"Kato, why don't you like the previous lamp?" Yushan Heren asked as they walked out of the store.
"Eh? I think the atmosphere of that lamp is very depressing. It seems a bit... lonely. What do you think, Yushan?"
"I think we should go visit the Kitaichi Glass Museum."
Walking on the road, Yushan Kazuto held his head high:
【We should still live in the present! 】
The name of that lamp is - mono no aware.
Chapter 78: How fast do cherry blossoms fall?
After visiting the Kitaichi Glass Museum and watching the glass manufacturing process up close, the two came to Rokkatei.
Rokkatei is also a famous dessert chain in Hokkaido. As a strong competitor of letao in Hokkaido, Rokkatei is not included in the travel routes designed by letao.
According to the original travel plan, we should have arrived at Tengu Mountain by now.
However, there is not much to see in Tengu Mountain in early summer. At most, you can just see the night view. But in the evening, Yushan and others had to rush back to the hotel to play a few games of chess and participate in the preliminary round of the National Online Shogi League. They definitely couldn't stay that late, so they simply canceled the trip to Tengu Mountain.
Compared to letao, Rokkatei's desserts are more traditional, mostly wagashi, daifuku and other dough-based desserts, and the taste is sweeter.
Of course, Rokkatei doesn’t only have traditional desserts. Among the top ten desserts that tourists must try in Rokkatei, there are three new desserts - cocoa biscuit milk ice cream, rum raisin cookies and strawberry-filled white chocolate balls.
Yushan Kazuto ordered a cocoa biscuit custard cake, and Kato Megumi chose a white chocolate ball with strawberry filling.
"Yushan, how does your ice cream taste?" Kato Megumi suddenly asked after eating a chocolate ball.
"Not bad, it should be from the same source as the milk I drank at noon." Yushan Heren said. The rich milk flavor, coupled with the perfect amount of cocoa biscuits, is sweet but not greasy. It is no exaggeration to say that it is just right.
"Hmm." Kato Megumi looked at her white chocolate ball and felt a little regretful.
White chocolate is always surprisingly sweet, and Rokkatei's is even sweeter. Although there is a whole strawberry in the center of each white chocolate to adjust the taste and enhance the freshness, Kato Megumi still feels a little greasy.
"What's wrong? Are the chocolate balls not delicious?" Seeing that Kato Megumi looked a little strange, Yushan Kazuto asked.
"It tastes okay, but a little greasy. Try one."
Just as Yushan Kazuto was reaching out to take it, Kato Megumi had already put a piece of white chocolate to his mouth. Yushan Kazuto opened his mouth stupidly, and the fragrant chocolate flowed into his mouth.
"It's indeed a little sweet." Yushan Kazuto chewed it carefully for a few times. The sweetness lingered in his mouth, leaving a long aftertaste.
"But it would be better if paired with ice cream." Yushan Kazuto took another bite of the ice cream, and the sweetness in his mouth indeed faded a lot.
"Really?" Kato Megumi was a little skeptical.
"Why don't you buy one and find out?"
"I want to taste it first."
……
