Otaru

Approximately 30 km to the west of Sapporo, Otaru is a port city by the Sea of Japan with a canal and well-preserved architectures of early modern Japan in the Meiji era. Most of the attractions are found in the city center surrounding the Otaru port.

Otaru's original name in the local Ainu language was "Otarunai" or "Ota-or-nai", meaning "river flowing through sand". The area's recorded history goes back to the 16th century, when an explorer from the Honshu island reported settlement. Otaru's early modern history as a port city started in 1871, when Japan's Meiji government opened a colonization office in Sapporo. Rapid development followed, especially after the first railway in Hokkaido was built in 1880 between Otaru and Sapporo. Still a busy port town, today's Otaru has a thriving tourism industry.

Winter in Otaru is less severe than in most other cities in Hokkaido; the yearly average temperature is 8.6 °C.

• 🌍 Otaru Canal (小樽運河), 色内１丁目, ☏ +81 134 32-4111. The canal was completed in 1923. The canal has been developed as a walkway. It is lit at night by gas lamps and walkway lights. Located 10 minutes walk from Otaru Station. Free. 
• 🌍 Otaru Music Box Museum (小樽オルゴール堂), 1-2-3 Irifune, ☏ +81 134 22-1108, fax: +81 134 21-2531, info@otaru-orgel.co.jp. 09:00-19:00. A museum that contains exhibits about the development of music boxes, a collection of several notable music boxes, as well as an extensive store that carries many different types. For a fee, customers can build their own music boxes. The museum is also part of a larger complex of buildings in the surrounding area, which include a stuffed animal collection as well as an antiques museum. Free. 
• 🌍 Steam Clock (蒸気時計 jōgi tokei) (at the "meruhen" intersection (メルヘン交差点, meruhen kōsaten)). Outside of the music box museum, the steam clock was a gift from Vancouver to Otaru. Powered entirely by steam, the clock plays a chime every 15 minutes, and features the main steam whistle on the hour. 
• 🌍 Mount Tengu (天狗山). Named after the elusive tengu god, Mount Tengu is a popular viewpoint where you can see all of the city and the Sea of Japan. The view is said to be one of Hokkaido's top three night views. There is also a free Tengu Museum with information and artifacts about tengu, a Ski Museum, hiking trails, and restaurants. Mount Tengu can be accessed by the Tenguyama Ropeway (¥840 one way, ¥1400 roundtrip). (updated Feb 2021)

• Create your own music box at the Music Box museum.
• 🌍 Otaru Snow Light Festival (小樽雪あかりの路 Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi). held annually in February. Called "Yuki Akari no Michi", this Winter festival features paths illuminated with lanterns made of ice. The most scenic view is from the Otaru canal. You can also view many ice lanterns clustered along the abandoned railway a few blocks away from the canal. The festival runs in the first-second week of February. 

Music boxes. You'll find these in Hakodate and Sapporo as well, but shops dedicated to music boxes are especially prevalent here. The two museums selling music boxes are well worth a look, particularly for the hand-cranked variety which emit tunes using a piece of cardboard with holes punched in it.

Antiques. If you walk from central station straight towards the canal district, you'll see a karaoke centre called Thriller Karaoke with a bat gargoyle above the sign. Turn right until you see an eatery called Kongetsudo on the left hand side. Across the road are two antique dealers, one male and one female, on the second storey of a small building that sell mainly kimono. This place is worth a visit as you can pick authentic kimono quite cheap here. Just remember that you may have to haggle up to 50% off the price of a kimono with the male dealer if you are a foreigner.

Glassware. Otaru is famous among Japanese for its glassware. You can buy all types of articles made of glass, from useful cups, bottles and plates, to tiny decorative fishes.

• 🌍 Kitaichi Glass (北一硝子 Kitaichi Garasu), 堺町７−２６, ☏ +81 134 33-1993. 09:00-18:00. Otaru hand-made crystal is one of the most famous in Japan. 

Otaru is the best town in Hokkaido for sushi, and it ranks high on the national scale too. Sushi restaurants near Kitaichi are expensive, but if you walk to the canal you can find cheaper but good sushi.

• 🌍 Kitaichi Hall (Next to the Kitaichi glass shop). Located in an old warehouse, this restaurant resembles a grand hall fully decorated in wood and offers local meals (but no sushi) at a reasonable price. 
• 🌍 Waraku Kaiten Sushi (回転寿し 和楽), 3-1 Sakaimachi, ☏ +81-134-24-0011. 11:00-22:00. This kaiten sushi place is very popular but worth the long queues. (updated Sep 2023)
• 🌍 Toppii Sushi (とっぴー). Large kaiten sushi with good quality and reasonable prices. (updated Nov 2020)
• 🌍 LeTAO (ルタオ), 7-16 Sakaimachi. One of Japan's most famous purveyors of cheesecakes. Their signature is the Double Fromage. (updated Jul 2022)
• 🌍 Andiamo (アンディアモ), 2 Chome-16-11 Inaho, ☏ +81-134-33-3733. 11:30-14:30, 17:30-20:30, Mondays closed. Pretty authentic, tasty Italian pizzas, for when you've had seen enough sushi, ramen and tempura. Owners are very friendly and staff speaks English well. ¥2000-3000. (updated Sep 2023)

Like most of Hokkaido, the footpaths of Otaru tend to accumulate a lot of ice in the winter. Try to wear shoes with corrugated soles that will grip the ice. Alternatively you can buy metal-studded wraparound bands to put on your shoes from roadside shops for about ¥1700.

• Otaru Beer (小樽ビール), 港町５−４ (By the Otaru Canal), ☏ +81 134 21-2323. Decorated with medieval props, this beer hall sells their own beer. 

• 🌍 Otarunai Backpackers' Hostel MorinoKi (おたるないバックパッカーズホステル 杜の樹), Aioi 4-15 (10 min on foot from JR Minami-Otaru Station), ☏ +81 134 23-2175. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. Top notch hostel, with a laid-back owner and interesting decoration — but you're gonna have to be OK with dogs to stay here. ¥2800. 
• 🌍 Hotel Dormy Inn Premium Otaru (ホテルドーミーインPREMIUM小樽), 3-9-1 Inaho (Right across the road from Otaru Station.), ☏ +81 134 21-5489, in-otaru@dormy-hotels.com. Check-out: 11:00. You get a free bowl of ramen at night in the downstairs buffet room from the guy with the glasses, who is an all-round customer service legend. There is a LAN cable sort of hidden next to the phone in the rooms that you can use to get free internet. Lovely, clean and extremely well-serviced rooms. ¥6000 for a twin. 
• Otaru Emina Backpackers, 緑２丁目１５−１７ (bus stop in front of Otaru Station, platform 3, bus #9, get off at Shinsenbashi (about 10 minutes) or a 20 minute walk from the station), ☏ +81 134-61-1279. Check-in: 14:00-20:00, check-out: 11:00. A cozy hostel that opened April 2011, run by a great couple who can speak English. Very friendly, laid-back atmosphere. Separate male and female room, but it's not strict. ¥18,900 for a week. ¥3000/day. 
• Grand Park Otaru, 11-3 Chikko, Otaru, Hokkaido, 047 0008, Otaru, ☏ +81-134-21-3111, info.gpot@parkhotelgroup.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. 296 rooms. Starting from USD 47. 

• Yoichi
• Shakotan
• Niseko
• Sapporo
• Chitose
• Akaigawa
• Kutchan
• Kyowa