Otaru Travel Guide

The Shukutsu Panorama Observation Deck stands on a 70-metre hill in Otaru's Shukutsu district, inside the Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru coastal national park. Looking east, Hiyoshiyama Lighthouse and the Herring Mansion crown Takashima cape with the Otaru Aquarium's marine park below, and Ishikari Bay stretches beyond; on clear days Sapporo's skyline appears, while late April to late August brings Japan Sea sunsets.

The Former Suhara Residence in Otaru, Hokkaido, is a historic house built in 1912 (the first year of Taisho), once the home of the Otaru businessman Suhara, and now a designated Otaru City historic building. It preserves the garden and interior furnishings of its day, showing the prosperity of Otaru as a port trading city and the life of its wealthy merchants. It is generally open only in certain seasons; visiting, you can feel the Taisho atmosphere in the garden and Japanese-style rooms, and it pairs well with the historic buildings around the canal.

Asahi Observatory stands on a hill in Otaru, Hokkaido, looking over the city, the harbour and Ishikari Bay. By day the canal-side streets meet the distant mountains, and after dark the city lights and harbour lights merge into one — a quiet night view in Otaru that few crowds reach. The site is high with a wide outlook, convenient by car or as a stop on a hike; coming at dusk lets you catch both the sunset and the night view in turn, a fine way to see another side of Otaru.

The Otaru Museum main hall stands on the site of the old Temiya railway, formed in 2007 by merging the transport museum with the youth science centre; its subject is Hokkaido's transport history and science. Some 50 railway vehicles are preserved, among them the American-built steam locomotive Shizuka, which worked Hokkaido's first railway, and the 1909-built Iron Horse, which still runs on the museum line. The No. 3 Locomotive Depot of the Former Temiya Railway Facility, dating from 1885 and the oldest surviving depot in Japan, is a designated National Important Cultural Property. There is also a planetarium, a hands-on science gallery and a weekend activity lab.

Otaru Aquarium (Otaru Suizokukan) sits on the Japan Sea side of Shukutsu in Otaru, themed on northern seas and rivers with some 250 species and 5,000 animals. Seals, sea lions, walruses and penguins are shown in the Marine Mammal Park, separated from the open sea only by a low wall, while the Dolphin Stadium hosts shows; inside are a panoramic roaming tank, small-clawed otters and a touch pool, with the Herring Mansion five minutes away on foot.

The Otaru Canal is a quaint, romantic nostalgic canal in Hokkaido, lined with old stone warehouses and gaslights - a romantic sight. In Otaru, a port town near Sapporo. The canal winds through the old town, lined with red-brick and stone warehouses (now restaurants, cafes, glass shops, museums). At night the gaslights glow warm, reflecting on the canal - nostalgic and romantic, especially in winter snow. Otaru is also famed for glassware, music boxes and sushi.