Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [459]
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OTARU
0134 / pop 138,000
Resist the temptation to beeline straight for Niseko, and escape to Otaru for a weekend, a day or even an afternoon. One of Hokkaidō’s most popular tourist destinations for Japanese visitors, Otaru is a romantic port town steeped in a rich history that dates back to its glory days as a major herring centre. Otaru was the terminal station for Hokkaidō’s first railroad, and today nostalgic warehouses still line the picturesque canal district. Whether you stroll through the snow while holding your sweetheart’s hand, or pace off the perfect shot while steadying your Nikon, Otaru will be a memorable visit.
Orientation & Information
The main part of town is small enough to tackle on foot, though tourist buses loop through the city taking in most of the sights
Net Cafe La Fille (; 32-1234; Inaho 1-12-5; per 30min ¥400; 9am-6pm Wed-Mon) Internet access; find it by turning right out of the station, pass four sets of lights, then look for it on the right just after the pedestrian bridge.
Tourist information office (29-1333; 9am-6pm) Located inside the JR Otaru station.
Sights
Walk beneath the old Victorian-style gas lamps lining the Otaru Canal (), and admire the charismatic old warehouses dating from the Meiji and Taisho eras – many of them are labelled in Japanese, English and Russian.
The Otaru Museum (33-2439; admission ¥300; 9.30am-5pm) is housed in a restored warehouse dating from 1893. It’s small, but has displays on Hokkaidō’s natural history, some Ainu relics, and various special exhibitions on herring, ceramics and literature.
At the northern end of the canal, behind the park, is the Former Nippon Yūsen Company Building (;22-3316; admission ¥300; 9.30am-5pm Tue-Sun). At one time, much of Hokkaidō’s shipping orders were processed in this very building, which has been tastefully restored to its former grandeur.
More historic buildings can be seen along Nichigin-dōri (), once known as the ‘Wall Street of the North. Don’t miss the Bank of Japan (21-1111; admission free; 9.30am-5pm Tue-Sun), a classically elegant brick building that was designed by the same architect responsible for Tokyo Station. The exterior is marked by owl keystones, which pay homage to the Ainu guardian deity, while an impressive 100m-high ceiling highlights the interior.
Self-styled as the Venice of Japan, Otaru is also trying to build a name for itself as a glass-blowing town. K’s Blowing (31-5454; www.ks-blowing.net; lessons ¥1800-2500; 9am-4.30pm) is a famous gallery and studio where you can take a short lesson (in English). Prices are based on what you want to make – simple but elegant cups, bowls and vases are all within your capacity. And you can always shop around the neighbouring area of craft shops if your project turns out to be a failure.
From late April to mid-October you can take a sightseeing boat from Otaru’s Pier 3 (¥1550, 85 minutes), which cruises around the shoreline and returns to the pier. It can also drop you off at the village of Shukutsu, from where you can catch a bus back to town.
A few kilometres north of Otaru, along the coast in the village of Shukutsu, the Otaru Kihinkan (; 24-0024; www.otaru-kihinkan.jp, in Japanese; admission ¥1000; 9am-6pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar) is a herring-money mansion, built by the Aoyama family in 1918. This amazing Japanese-style building has all the trimmings: an uguisu-bari (squeaking corridor designed to reveal intruders), a lavish 100-tatami room, ornate woodwork and even opulent Arita porcelain pit toilets.
A short walk from the mansion brings you to the Nishin Goten (; 22-1038; admission ¥300; 9am-5pm mid-Apr–Nov), an enormous complex that housed herring-industry barons and their seasonal labourers during the Meiji and Taishō eras.
Bus 11 runs between the JR Otaru station and the Otaru Kihinkan and the Nishin Goten – get off at the last stop, which is the Otaru-suizokukan