OTARU — A canal town

Where the lamplight still catches the water

A port town of stone warehouses and a gas-lit canal. Glass blown in the streets behind it, and the bay laid out from the hill above the harbour.

03 — OTARU — WHAT TO SEE

What to see

What OTARU is known for

THE CANAL

The canal, and its gas lamps

小樽運河

Built to unload ships into the stone warehouses that still line it. The warehouses now hold restaurants and breweries, and the gas lamps along the towpath are lit at dusk — which is when the canal is worth walking, not at midday.

GLASS & MUSIC BOXES

Glass, and music boxes

堺町通りの硝子

Otaru made glass floats for the herring fleet; when the fishing collapsed, the workshops turned to lamps and tableware. Sakaimachi Street is a run of studios and music-box makers, and several of them will let you blow or engrave a piece yourself.

SUSHI

Sushi, straight off the boats

小樽の寿司

A working port with a street of sushi counters a few minutes from the water. Portions are honest and the counters are small, so lunch is usually easier than dinner unless we book ahead for you.

THE BAY

The bay from Tenguyama

天狗山

A short ropeway from the edge of town puts the whole bay in one frame — the port, the canal, and the Shakotan coast beyond it. In winter the same hill is a small ski area, ten minutes from the station.

PRIVATE TRANSPORT

Your own vehicle, and a driver who knows the roads

移動そのものを楽にする

Hokkaido is large and the trains do not go where the good places are. Every tour we run is private to your group, in our own vehicle, with a nationally-certified driver. You are picked up at your hotel and dropped back at it, and the route can change on the day if the weather does.

03 — OTARU — A DAY HERE

A day here

How a day here fits together

A sample route from the private day tour we actually run here. Nothing on this list is fixed — tell us what you want to see and we rearrange it before you travel, or on the day if the weather turns.

Sample route from From Sapporo | Otaru & Yoichi Private Day Tour by Car with Guide— 10 hours, private to your group, hotel pick-up and drop-off included

Pick-up at your hotel in central Sapporo
Otaru Canal and the stone warehouse district
Sakaimachi Street — glass studios, music boxes, sake tasting
Lunch at the harbour: seafood donburi or fresh sushi (own expense)
Mt. Tengu viewpoint, or the Nikka Whisky distillery in Yoichi
Drop-off at your hotel in Sapporo

See this tour — ¥100,000〜 →

03 — OTARU — PRACTICALITIES

Practicalities

Before you go to OTARU

Best season: All year. The canal is at its best at dusk; the Snow Light Path runs in February.
Getting there: About 40 minutes by road from Sapporo along the coast, so it works as a half or full day out.
Time needed: Half a day covers the canal and Sakaimachi Street. A full day adds Tenguyama, or the Nikka distillery in Yoichi further along the coast.
Getting around: The canal and Sakaimachi are walkable from the station. A vehicle helps for Tenguyama and Yoichi.
Good to know: The sushi counters are small; lunch is usually easier to get than dinner. Sakaimachi is busiest in the middle of the day.