Charming Nostalgic Streetscapes! 15 Must-Visit Otaru Tourist Spots

Otaru’s scenery changes dramatically with each season.
With its abundant nature, Otaru is especially recommended in autumn, when you can enjoy fall foliage in many spots.
The beautiful autumn scenery unique to Otaru—colored ivy climbing the walls of the stone warehouses along the canal—is a must-see.
In fall, you can also enjoy seasonal gourmet food and new sake.
Try savoring Japanese sake while eating salmon roe and abalone.

Since Hokkaido has New Chitose Airport, it takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to travel from Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagoya, which also have airports.
From New Chitose Airport, take a rapid train and you’ll arrive at JR Otaru Station in around 1 hour.
New Chitose Airport also has a strong lineup of international flights, making Otaru easy to access from overseas as well.
It also takes around 1 hour to get there from Sapporo.

Otaru Port developed as a gateway for Hokkaido’s settlement.
As the volume of cargo handled increased year by year, the Otaru Canal was completed in 1923 (Taisho 12) to streamline transport work.
Because it was built by reclaiming offshore coastline, it features a gentle curve rather than a straight line.

The “Otaru City Tourist and Products Plaza (Unga Plaza),” which was near the Otaru Canal in Ironai, Otaru, relocated and reopened with a new name as the “Otaru International Information Center” on March 25, 2024.
The building has an open, all-glass design, and the information center spreads out on the left after you enter the front entrance. With brochures placed by the windows for easy viewing and digital signage, it shares tourist information about Otaru.

The Otaru Canal was completed in 1923 (Taisho 12) by reclaiming offshore coastline.
This area, still lined with wooden-frame stone warehouses and popular as one of Otaru’s signature sightseeing spots, offers a popular tour that cruises around by boat in Approx. 40 minutes.

Sakaimachi Street, located one street off the main road facing the Otaru Canal, is Otaru’s main street that saw major development from the Meiji era through the early Showa era.
Along this Approx. 1,300 m shopping street stretching from the Marchen Intersection to Nisshin-dori, many stone Western-style buildings and warehouses from that era still remain, letting you enjoy strolling and shopping in a nostalgic atmosphere.

A small market located between JR Otaru Station and National Route 5.
It started with only a few outdoor stalls around 1945, later became a morning market, and has now been around for over 60 years. In a prime location just a 1-minute walk from Otaru Station, most shops are open almost every day except New Year’s Day. With reasonable prices that customers love, the market is always packed with locals and tourists from Japan and abroad. The triangular shape of the land and roof is also where the market gets its name.

A specialty music box shop with locations mainly in Otaru, as well as in Hakodate, Furano, Yokohama, Kamakura, Kyoto, and more.
Its main shop, the Main Building, was built in 1915 (Taisho 4) and is recognized as a historically designated building by Otaru City, strongly preserving the charm of bygone days.
Inside, the venue consists of two buildings—one red brick and one stone—and is divided into five floors, each displaying and selling music boxes with different concepts.

Otaru Tenguyama is a symbolic mountain of Otaru with an elevation of 532.4 m.
At the summit is a mountaintop observatory featured as a one-star spot in the Michelin Green Guide Japan, and from the top you can look out over the city and the Sea of Japan.
At night, you can enjoy a sweeping view of Otaru’s beautiful night scenery, known as one of Hokkaido’s three great night views alongside Mt. Moiwa and Mt. Hakodate.

Approx. 20 minutes from JR Otaru Station by bus or sightseeing boat, this aquarium is located within the nature-rich Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park. It showcases around 250 species and 5,000 specimens, mainly from Hokkaido and other cold-region habitats.
Its full lineup of performances and hands-on experiences is popular, including an impressive dolphin show, a powerful sea lion show, and touch areas where you can interact with creatures from Hokkaido’s seas. Don’t miss the penguin show, where the penguins do as they please and ignore the trainers’ signals.

A museum that uses a historic building completed in 1912 (Meiji 45) as the Bank of Japan Otaru Branch. The building was designed by Kingo Tatsuno and his students, famous for the red-brick Tokyo Station.
The elegant Renaissance-style architecture that conveys the atmosphere of the era is now designated as a cultural property by Otaru City.

Part of Hokkaido’s first railway, the government-run Horonai Railway, laid to transport coal mined in Horonai (in present-day Mikasa City) to the port city of Otaru.
It served from its opening in 1880 until the line was discontinued in 1985.
Today, Otaru City has developed the former railway land and transformed it into a walking path.

A sake brewery founded in 1899 (Meiji 32) at its current location. While “kanzukuri” (winter brewing) is the mainstream approach that starts brewing in colder seasons, this brewery follows the rare “shiki jozo” style—brewing year-round.
By taking advantage of Otaru’s cool climate to brew throughout the year, you can enjoy freshly pressed “nama genshu” even during the hot summer season.

The “Blue Cave” is a natural wonder where sunlight entering the cave reaches the sea floor, and the water surface shines a beautiful color as all light wavelengths except blue are absorbed.
It’s nature’s art created when many conditions align—water clarity, terrain, the angle of light, and more. While famous examples exist around the world, including Capri in Italy, and there are several in Japan as well, the cave within the Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park is a spot you’ll definitely want to visit when sightseeing in Otaru.

A museum where you can learn about railways and science, located on the grounds of the former Temiya Line and Temiya Station, the birthplace of railway operations in Hokkaido.
The museum is centered on the “Railway, Science, and History Museum” and also includes the “Former Temiya Railway Facilities” and the “Steam Locomotive Museum,” among others.
It preserves and exhibits valuable vehicles that shaped Hokkaido’s railway history, including the steam locomotive “Shizuka-go,” imported from the United States for the Horonai Railway—Hokkaido’s first railway—in 1880 (Meiji 13), as well as snowplows and diesel locomotives.

Otaru City Nishin Goten stands on a cape near the Otaru Aquarium, with sweeping views over Ishikari Bay.
This “banya” (a lodge where fishermen stayed and worked during the fishing season) dates to the height of herring fishing in the Meiji and Taisho eras. It originally stood in Tomari Village, Furuu District, in western Shakotan, and was relocated and restored in 1958 (Showa 33).
It retains the original form of a valuable Meiji-era structure built over seven years using 540 tons of lumber, and is also designated as a tangible cultural property of Hokkaido.

A glass shop popular as an Otaru sightseeing spot, lined with a wide variety of glass products, including original pieces.
It introduces an extensive range of glassware—from tableware and drinking glasses to oil lamps and accessories—across three themed floors: the “Japanese Floor,” “Western Floor,” and “Country Floor.”
Another highlight is the stately stone building itself, built in 1891 (Meiji 24) as a fisheries warehouse.

A local favorite diner inside Otaru Sankaku Market, Approx. a 1-minute walk from JR Otaru Station.
Run by Takeda Fish Store in the same market, it serves Otaru’s fresh seafood at reasonable prices.
Using seafood purchased at auction daily by the owner, the menu lineup is extensive—from generous rice bowls to set meals and à la carte dishes.

An Otaru pastry shop with nationwide popularity, known for its “Double Fromage” cheesecake made with fresh cream from Hokkaido milk and carefully selected mascarpone cheese. Its European-style exterior, reminiscent of a large tower, stands out—named after its meaning, “Dear Otaru Tower.”
The second floor is a café area. In a retro atmosphere, you can enjoy freshly made Double Fromage, dessert plates, and the main-store-exclusive blend of flavored tea.

A restaurant chain found only in Hokkaido, offering a lineup of grill dishes under the theme “safe,安心, and delicious.”
The “Ootawara Hamburg Steak,” made with 100% coarsely ground beef, features a springy, meaty texture and a satisfyingly hefty portion.
Using the tabletop burner brought with your meal, you can cook it to your preferred doneness, so you can enjoy it hot and fresh to the very last bite.

Approx. a 5-minute walk from Otaruchikko Station.
With Ishikari Bay spread out right in front, this seaside resort hotel is directly connected to the large commercial complex “Wing Bay Otaru,” which brings together a movie theater, shopping mall, and more.

A hot spring hotel with the nostalgic feel of a long-established ryokan, visible as you walk from JR Otaru Station toward the canal area.
Right next door is the “Otaru Art Base Stained Glass Museum,” making it an ideal location as a sightseeing hub in Otaru.

A resort hotel with hot springs in Asarigawa Onsen, Otaru’s hot spring area in Hokkaido.
It’s located in the mountains surrounded by greenery, with the “Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort” also nearby.
With its nature-rich setting and hot springs blessed by the earth, it offers a space for relaxation and healing.

Rokkatei is a confectionery maker known for many popular Hokkaido souvenirs, such as Marusei Butter Sand, Yuki-ya-Konko, and strawberry chocolate.
The Otaru Unga Store, said to use around 100,000 Tokachi bricks, has a retro exterior that matches the streetscape of Sakaimachi Hondori.
On the first-floor shop, Rokkatei sweets line the shelves, led by the Butter Sand.
Along with boxed sets perfect for souvenirs, there are also many single-item options, which makes choosing what you want even more enjoyable.

The signature flagship sweet from the popular Otaru pastry shop “Otaru LeTAO.”
Nationwide famous as an “ultimate cheesecake,” it combines LeTAO’s special fresh cream made from Hokkaido milk with Australian cream cheese and Italian mascarpone cheese.

A famous Otaru manju made with a bread-like dough.
This sweet was created around the time Otaru Port was designated as an international trading port and bread began coming in from overseas, so people could enjoy bread more affordably when it was still expensive.