We toured the Herring Mansion of the wealthy Aoyama family on Oct 5, 2009.
We were planning to just walk around Otaru on our own but we ran into a cab driver who said he would take us to the mansion for $50 and wait for us to walk through it. There was a tour from the ship but somehow we didn't make it on the bus.
I noticed in my notes that the ship tour cost $150 each so we got a bargain.
We got there at the same time as the tour group and followed them around listening to the guide.
The Herring Mansions were built by the families who got very wealthy by fishing for herring which are in the same family as sardines. Most of the herring was not eaten but ground up for fertilizer. I think I read that the building and contents were devoted to the workers who caught and processed the fish.
When Bill saw this recreation of an old ship he said, "Attsa My Ship!" because he is half Italian.
There were very low ceilings in parts of the Herring Mansion. I am 5'10" and I had to be careful. Bill is 6'1" and he had to duck.
The families fished for herring until the 1950's when the industry collapsed from over fishing, which ought to be a lesson to all of us. The picture below shows the tatami mats that workers lived and slept on.
We heard an interesting story about tatami mats while we were here. If a ruler or shogun slept on tatami, he could hear the noise if someone tried to sneak up on him. The mats were made of straw and rice paper and were more than an inch thick. They made a crinkling or rustling sound when people stepped on them. It could be true or not but it's a story we heard here.
Bill wanted something to remember this trip so he bought this green vase in a gift shop. The vase is heavy and beautiful. I think one of our descendants will treasure it.
This is the view from the Herring House.
