Otaru

The canal town from the film Love Letter, with stone warehouses, glasswork and a sushi street, plus Yoichi whisky and the Shakotan Blue of Cape Kamui to the west.

Otaru lies about 35 km northwest of Sapporo, facing Ishikari Bay. From the Meiji era to the early Showa era it prospered thanks to herring fishing and its role as a logistics port for the development of Hokkaido, and its many banks earned it the nickname "the Wall Street of the North." Today its canal, stone warehouses, old bank buildings and glasswork make it Hokkaido's most nostalgic small town, and it was a filming location for the movie Love Letter. The main sightseeing area is compact: Otaru Station–Sankaku Market–Sushiya-dori–the canal–the Iro-nai financial district–Sakaimachi-dori–Fairy Tale Crossing, all of which can be walked in a day. To the north, Shukutsu has an aquarium and the Herring Mansion; to the south, Mt. Tengu offers night views; and to the southeast, Asarigawa Onsen has lodging. About an hour's drive west, Yoichi has the Nikka Whisky Distillery, and farther west the Shakotan Peninsula is known for Cape Kamui, its "Shakotan Blue" sea and summer sea urchin bowls, making it a good self-drive day trip. Best seasons: the Snow Light Path and snowy scenery in February are the most romantic; June–August is cool and is also sea urchin season in Shakotan; October brings autumn foliage. Getting there: the JR Rapid from Sapporo takes about 35–40 minutes, and the direct rapid from New Chitose Airport takes about 75 minutes. We suggest 1–2 days, or 2–3 days including Shakotan and Yoichi. Note: in winter the roads are icy, so wear non-slip shoes, and some roads and trails toward Shakotan are closed in winter.

Top sights

• Otaru Canal – A harbor canal completed in 1923. The stone warehouses along its banks have become restaurants and glass workshops, and its night scene und…
• Sakaimachi Street – An old street running about 900 m south of the canal, where Meiji and Taisho-era stone merchant houses now hold glassware, music box, sweet…
• Otaru Music Box Museum – Japan's largest music box specialty shop. Tens of thousands of music boxes are displayed in a red-brick building dating to 1912, and the st…
• Kitaichi Glass No.3 – A flagship glassware brand representing Otaru’s glass craft. Its No. 3 Hall, a converted Meiji-era stone warehouse, displays glass wares an…
• Marchen Crossing & LeTAO Main Store – A five-way intersection at the south end of Sakaimachi Street, surrounded by Western-style buildings, a steam clock and the tower of the Le…
• Mount Tengu – A 532-metre mountain behind Otaru’s city center. A cable car takes 4 minutes to the summit, where the harbor night view is one of Hokkaido’…
• Cape Kamui – A dramatic sea cape at the western tip of the Shakotan Peninsula, reaching into the Sea of Japan. Walk the 770-metre Charenka Trail to the…
• Shimamui Coast – After passing through a small tunnel built in the Meiji era, you suddenly reach a bay of Shakotan Blue water and rock formations, one of Ja…
• Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery – A distillery founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, the “father of Japanese whisky.” Its stone buildings still use coal-fired direct heat f…
• Otaru Sankaku Market – A small seafood market right next to JR Otaru Station, with narrow lanes of fresh fish shops and eateries where you can choose king crab to…
• Otaru Sushi Street – A sushi street between Otaru Station and the canal, with about twenty sushi restaurants serving Edomae-style sushi made with seafood caught…
• Nitori Otaru Art Base – A group of four historic buildings turned into museums. The stained glass museum displays English church windows, and the former bank house…
• Bank of Japan Otaru Museum – A Renaissance-style bank building from 1912 designed partly by Kingo Tatsuno, a reminder of Otaru’s heyday as the “Wall Street of the North…
• Former Temiya Line – The site of Hokkaido’s earliest railway line. A roughly 1.6-kilometre walking path follows the preserved tracks through the city, and it is…
• Otaru City General Museum – A railway museum on the site of the former Temiya Station, preserving Hokkaido’s oldest steam locomotive, Shizu-go, and an important cultur…
• Otaru Aquarium – A long-established aquarium on Shukutsu Cape with a “marine mammal park” enclosed in a natural bay, where sea lion and seal shows feel wild…
• Otaru Herring Mansion – The residence and worker dormitory of the Tanaka family, herring net owners, at the height of Meiji-era herring fishing. Standing on Shukut…
• Former Aoyama Villa – A lavish mansion built over six years by the Aoyama family, who grew rich from herring fishing. Considered the finest of Otaru’s herring ma…
• Asarigawa Onsen – A hot spring village in a mountain valley southeast of central Otaru, about 20 minutes by car. It is known for autumn foliage and winter sk…
• Kenashiyama Observatory – A free viewpoint beside National Route 393 in the mountains, at about 470 metres elevation. It offers panoramic views over Otaru’s city, ha…
• Otaru Beer Otaru Warehouse No.1 – A German-style beer restaurant in a converted Meiji-era stone warehouse by the canal, brewing on site according to the German beer purity l…
• Funami-zaka Slope – A steep slope on the west side of Otaru Station, where the top offers a view of a straight street leading down to Otaru Port and the sea. I…
• Kiroro Resort – A mountain ski resort south of Otaru, with heavy snowfall and dry powder snow, along with resort hotels. It is one of the popular Hokkaido…

Where to eat

• Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten – The famous birthplace of Otaru's half-fried chicken, this large 270-seat restaurant also serves sushi and seafood bowls…
• Isezushi – Founded in 1967, this famous Otaru sushi restaurant has been featured in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido and requires advan…
• Yabuhan – A historic soba restaurant founded in 1954, featuring a building that incorporates historic stone warehouses, with opti…
• Ajidokoro Takeda – A seafood diner run directly by a fresh fish shop inside the Sankaku Market, opening at 7:00, right next to Otaru Stati…
• Chuka Shokudo Keien – Founded in 1964 in the Miyako-dori Shopping Arcade, this Chinese diner is a historic representative of Otaru's Ankake Y…

Itineraries

• Heading North by Shinkansen: Tokyo, Aomori, Hakodate & Sapporo – Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo through the Seikan Tunnel, exploring Oirase, Hakodate, Toya, Noboribetsu, Sapporo, and O…
• Grand Hokkaido Self-Drive Loop – A complete loop from New Chitose, covering Central Hokkaido's flower fields, Shiretoko, the easternmost point of Nemuro…
• Toya, Niseko & Shakotan Coast Short Route – A loop from New Chitose covering the volcanic lakes of Shikotsu-Toya, the foothills of Mount Yotei, Shakotan Blue, Yoic…
• Hokkaido Ski Safari: Niseko, Furano & Tomamu – Ski multiple resorts in one trip, from Niseko, Rusutsu, and Kiroro to Furano and Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.