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The Best of Otaru from Sapporo
This tour offers some of the must-see spots in Otaru in a day. We will use a public transportation.
Otaru is a romantic old port city, about 40-minute away from Sapporo. We will walk around Otaru Canal area, Sakaimachi Street, main street of the city.
We take a train from Sapporo station to Otaru station.
Meeting Point
At your hotel
Sankaku Fish Market
Sankaku Fish Market is a local seafood market. They have a wide variety of seafood, salmon, Atka mackerels, sea urchins, crabs, prawns, shellfish, etc. They are all fresh. Sometimes we can buy alive crabs and ask them to cook.
Otaru Canal
Otaru Canal was made in 1923, when Otaru was economical center in Hokkaido due to trading. To transport a lot of products from port to warehouses, barges were used in Canal. After economic downturn, the local government wanted to close the Canal. But the local citizens were against that proposal. People got together there and have events, concerts and other things. As a result, we can still enjoy romantic Otaru Canal.
Lunch
Otaru is famous for sushi. We might find a nice sushi or seafood restaurants.
Sakaimachi Street
This is the main street of Otaru city. Many little things are gathered here. It's lively area with a with a lot of people. Music Box Museum, Glass shops, sweets venders, many other things.
Tanaka Sake Factory
Tanaka Sake is a local sake brewery, established in 1927. We can see sake making process. They have free tasting. If you like, you can buy sake for souvenirs. Tanaka sake is not sold in other cities, we can obtain only here in Otaru.
At your hotel or the place of your convenience.
We take a train from Minami Otaru station to Sapporo station.
Ending Point
At your hotel or the place of your convenience.
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Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee
transportation fee (you and the guide), lunch, drinks, entrance fee, making glass products, souvenirs
Tour Important Information
We walk a lot, so please wear comfortable shoes.
On Sakaimachi street, there are many glassware shops, Kitaichi glass, Taisho glass. They started making glass products in early 20th century. They used to make buoys and oil lamps at that time. They became a thing of past. Currently they are making tableware, accessories and so on. Those products are relatively expensive, because all products are hand-made. Some are artistic, some are practical products. You will experience fascinating glass art techniques there.
Important message from the guide
Please inform me 2 weeks before starting the tour.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Otaru Tour Reviews
“Great Tour ”
We had a great day exploring Sapporo. Miyuki was lovely to spend the day with. Unfortunately it was a dreary day, which has no bearing on Miyuki as a guide. She did great pivoting and making the best out of a cold and rainy day. It had been warmer but there was a cold snap. We went into some buildings most people choose to just look at from the outside and snap pictures. It was a chance to warm up for the next leg of the trip. I think you are doing yourself a disservice choosing to not go in at the clock tower. If you are from the USA, yes it is modeled after buildings in Boston. But it you enjoy history, Miyuki knows a lot and while it looks like a Boston building it is in Sapporo, Japan. We were also thankful for her knowledge of all the underground walkways and subways. That was a welcome reprieve from the wind. Where we stopped for lunch was delicious. She was also prepared with a map and told us a few things while we waited for our food. It was a great day. Highly recommend. Especially if you only have a short time. I definitely want to go back,
Miyuki I.
(12 reviews)Dear Karen san Thank you for the great review. And thank you for reading all the explanation carefully in Clock Tower and Former Hokkaido Government Building. There are more places you can enjoy in each season. I hope you have another opportunity to come back to Hokkaido. Regards, Miyuki
“Otaru, a beguiling city”
Miyuki showed us the charms and beauty of the city. We had a pleasant day with her.
Miyuki I.
(12 reviews)Dear Mary san Thank you for having me as a guide. And Thank you for visiting Sapporo 2 times. Unfortunately all snow and ice festival in Sapporo and Otaru just finished. But it was beautiful day in Otaru. I am glad to know your son is interested in Anime and Japanese culture. I hope you have another chance to visit Hokkaido again. Thank you so so much, Miyuki
“A Beautiful City”
This was our second tour with Miyuki and we enjoyed it just as much as the first. Otaru is quite beautiful and even more so as it was snowing. We never felt rushed with Miyuki and she was happy to let us look in any of the shops that we passed and even encouraged us to do so. My adult daughter was particularly impressed as other guides have rushed us past shops. We were booked to make glass beads however the shop was not open at the time Miyuki had booked. This did not deter her as she adjusted the itinerary to have lunch and tried to find another venue. We ended up at the original shop at a later time and it was a lot of fun. Our final stop was the sake brewery and after showing us through Miyuki went back to collect our bead creations so we didn’t have to backtrack. We all thoroughly enjoyed our day thanks to Miyuki.
Miyuki I.
(12 reviews)Thank YOU again. I really appreciate your warm comments for our trip. I can’t thank you enough. I hope you have another chance to come and see beautiful nature in Hokkaido with your family. Millions thanks, Miyuki
