Otaru
Otaru, in the Shiribeshi General Subprefectural Bureau of Hokkaido, is a port city of about 110,000 residents. It flourished as Hokkaido's logistics hub during the Meiji and Taisho eras, lined with banks and trading houses to the point of being called «the Wall Street of the North.» The 1,140 m Otaru Canal (completed 1923) was built to link sea transport and warehousing, but since 1986 has been redeveloped as a promenade where stone warehouses and 63 gas lamps create a nostalgic night view. About 30 minutes by rapid train from Sapporo, it offers glasswork (Kitaichi Glass), the Music Box Museum, sushi and seafood, the Nishin Goten herring mansion, and the night view from the Mt. Tengu ropeway — all within a half- to full-day photographic itinerary.
Highlights
- Otaru Canal — 1,140 m completed in 1923, with 63 gas lamps and stone warehouses, a sacred ground for blue-hour and nightscapes
- Marchen Crossing — the steam clock, Kitaichi Glass, and the Music Box Museum cluster at the tourism center; in winter snow, otherworldly
- Mt. Tengu Ropeway — 532 m elevation, with the night view of Otaru and Ishikari Bay rivaling Japan's New Three Great Night Views
- Sakaimachi Street — former banks of the «Wall Street of the North,» plus sushi, seafood, and glasswork; magical to walk in falling snow
- Shukutsu Peninsula — the Nishin Goten herring mansion, the Blue Cave tour, lighthouses, and dramatic coastlines
