Seven Reasons to Add Otaru to Your Hokkaido Bucket List! – A Charming City near Ishikari Bay

If you plan on going sightseeing in Otaru, one of the first places that you should visit its the scenic Otaru Canal. Once, this stunning waterway was used as the base of trading in Hokkaido. It has long since deviated from its trading days and presently it is hailed as a popular tourist destination where its former glory as an important trading hub is preserved in the stone warehouses beside the canal. If you're staying at an Otaru hotel near Jr Station the likes of Grand Park Otaru, walk down the Chuo Street towards Otaru Port, after which you will come across one of the three bridges that go across the canal, which is called Chuo Bashi. If you walk towards the east for few minutes from Chuo Bashi to Asakusa Bashi, you will walk over to the star attraction of the canal – a cobblestone walkway that is adorned with retro gas lamps and historic warehouses.

Located just two minutes away from Chuo Bashi, or the Central Bridge, of Otaru Canal is the Canal Plaza Tourist Information Centre. Built inside an old warehouse beside the canal, it is popularly known as Canal Plaza, which houses a shop that offers local specialties and a resting area. Tourists can expect to find out sightseeing information from the staff at this centre who are quite friendly and conveniently speaks English, Korean, and Chinses. You can also request for maps of Otaru and its nearby towns from this place. It's the perfect place to find out the best places to visit and related information before you head out on your Otaru adventure.

If you head over to southeast from Canal Plaza on the Rinkosen Street, you will arrive at the Stained Glass Museum at the section before the first stoplight. Formerly known as Takahashi Warehouse, this historical building has been transformed into the Stained Glass Museum, which showcases many stained glasses that were primarily used in British churches in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Nitori Museum of Art was renovated from the former Otaru Branch of Hokkaido Takushoku Bank. Featuring Japanese paintings by famous artists such as Daikan Yokoyama, and Western art created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Ryusei Kishida. The Otaru Branch of the Mitsui Bank was preserved in its original interior.

A 900-metre long one-way street, Sakaimachi Street houses an eclectic mix of shops that are built inside ancient merchant houses and contemporary western-style buildings. One can look forward to exploring glass craft workshops, sweet shops, and even shops that are wholly dedicated to sushi. Sakaimachi Street is a famous shopping destination that also offers visitors access to food that can only be bought in this charming city.

The most popular glass craft workshop in Otaru, Kitaichi Glass Sangokan can be found in a refurbished stone warehouse. This place has three floors, which have products based on separate themes – Japanese, Western, and country. If you want to add a rustic element to your house, it is recommended that you check out the modernized oil lamps and various other styles in the country floor.