Page 90 - Jun-Jul 2024

TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

products are among the best in the world, especially its soft brands – Nikka. It was Taketsuru Masataka, known as the
serve ice-creams. father of Japanese whisky who set up Nikka after he
I made the one-hour trip from Sapporo to another established Yamazaki Distillery near Kyoto.
charming coastal town – Otaru. A charming canal adorned Hokkaido is almost a microcosm of the best Japanese
with Victorian lamps is one of Otaru’s most striking food and lifestyle experiences. Aside from a wide range of
architectural landmarks but it’s the town’s market that I sushi bars in cities like Sapporo and Otaru, there’s the
enjoyed visiting. I made a stop at Rokkatei, an iconic local Izakaya experience. I headed straight to a popular Izakaya
establishment for their famous soft-serve ice-creams; almost soon I landed at Sapporo. These Izakayas – a typical
probably the best I’ve sampled anywhere in Asia. after-hours Japanese bar and restaurant, come alive at
Otaru is also a transit point for whisky connoisseurs. It’s night, where co-workers bond over fine cuisine, sake and
close to Yoichi, the home of one of Japan’s finest whisky office gossip that is clearly taboo at the workplace.

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