[Hokkaido ]Women Traveling Alone - 8 Sightseeing Spots in Otaru

Exterior view of the Triangle Market

Triangle Market is located just a 2-minute walk from "Otaru Station ", the gateway to Otaru. You can enjoy seasonal seafood unique to Otaru in Hokkaido!
It is said to be named "Triangle Market "because of the triangular shape of the land and the roof.
Inside the market, narrow paths lead between stores, and the lively atmosphere of the market can be enjoyed through the calls of the shopkeepers on either side of you.

The sea of Hokkaido as seen from the window of the ▲Kaisoku Airport

Otaru Chikko Station "is a station on the JR Hokkaido Hakodate Main Line located in Chikko, Otaru City, Hokkaido ". It is said to have been opened to serve as a port construction base for Otaru Port, including breakwaters, and was once a large station with a yard (freight yard) and engine room. Today, it is a major station where the rapid Airport and Niseko Liner trains stop, and is also used as a gateway to Otaru sightseeing.

Steam Clock

One of the largest music box specialty stores in Japan, "Otaru Music Box Store "is marked by the above clock at the fairy tale intersection. The main building alone has about 5,000 types of music boxes and over 80,000 products.
What made the music box famous in Otaru in the first place was that the Dutch, who were the only people who had business with the Edo Shogunate, which was closed to the rest of the country, opened it to the public as a spectacle in Fukagawa, Edo (present-day Tokyo). It is said that the word "orgel" was changed from "orgel" to "orgel" and then to Japanese, and became very popular as a showpiece in the Edo area.

Now a historical building is used as a store focusing on glass accessories. "Former 113th Bank Otaru City Store ". There are many accessories on sale that you will lose track of time. There is also a Christmas corner in the store where you can enjoy the Christmas spirit all year round!
This building is said to have been reorganized and improved into the Hyakujusan Bank in 1897, and later built as a relocation site in 1908 to expand operations. It is characterized by its hipped roof and tiled roof, with the entrance on a corner lot and Greek-style ornamentation on the upper portion.
In front of the store were stone statues of the characters "Anpanman "and "Baikinman ", which are very popular with children!

"Facility Information "
Name: Old Hyakushuzo Bank Otaru City Branch (Otaru Romance Center)
Address: 1-25 Sakai-cho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido
Phone number: 0134-31-6566
Access: 15 min. walk from Otaru Station on JR Hakodate Honsen Line
Hours of operation: All year round
Business hours: 9:30-18:00
Closed: Open every day
Price: accessories from 1,080 yen / glass miniatures from 194 yen / glass Christmas tree from 2,052 yen

Former Otaru Branch of NYK Line, Ltd.

Located between the Otaru Branch of the former NYK Line, a National Important Cultural Property, and the Otaru Canal (at the northern end), the park includes a restoration of a stone warehouse from the Meiji and Taisho periods, a recreation building, and in the center, a fountain pond in the shape of "Funairikan "from those days. At the time of my visit (around September 2021), the park was under restoration work, but the seats were also designed not to ruin the scenery!
The park is approximately 7,800 square meters in size, with a playground facility building and a rest area building that are reused from stone warehouses built in the Meiji and Taisho periods. There are also statues of people associated with Otaru, such as busts of Isamu Hiroi and Choemon Ito, who were engaged in building the port of Otaru, and a father and son statue of "the red shoes "well known in a children's song. There is also a statue of the red shoes in Yamashita Park in Yokohama, but the red shoes in Otaru are different in that they are of a father and son and actually play a melody. Why don't you enjoy sightseeing while paying attention to these differences?

Former site of the old Temiya Line

It continues from Sushi-ya-dori to the Otaru City Museum "The former site of the Temiya Line ". The abandoned tracks of the Temiya Line have been developed into a promenade. The former Japan National Railways Temiya Line was part of the "government-run Horonai Railway "that opened in 1880 for the first time in Hokkaido. The railroad was built to transport coal from the coal mines in Horonai (Mikasa City) to Otaru City, where the port is located, and the line was abandoned in 1985.

Stained glass on display at the ▲ Museum of Fine Arts "The Last Supper "

One of the museums of "Otaru Art Village "opened in 2016 "Stained Glass Museum ". It was opened by "Nitori ", a Hokkaido-based company famous for its furniture and other products. The museum collects excellent arts and crafts from Japan and around the world and displays them in a historical building constructed in the early 20th century, when Otaru was in its heyday.

In addition to the Stained Glass Museum, Otaru Art Village also includes the Museum of Western Art, the Nitori Art Museum, and the former Otaru branch of the Mitsui Bank, and there was also a four-person ticket that allowed visitors to tour multiple facilities!
Inside the museum, stained glass windows line the walls of dimly lit exhibition rooms, creating a majestic and very beautifully lit space. Flash and video are prohibited, but you are free to take pictures.
This is also a great place for those who want to learn about Christianity while experiencing its history. After viewing the exhibits, there is a store selling souvenirs related to the exhibits.
Please come and encounter the stunning and wonderful world of stained glass. Your mind will be purified!

"Facility Information "
Name: Stained Glass Museum (former Arata Shokai, former Takahashi Warehouse)
Address: Otaru Art Village, 1-2-16 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido
Phone number: 0134-31-1033
Hours: 9:30-17:00 (May-Oct.)
　　　　　10:00~16:00 (November~April)
Closed: 4th Wednesday of each month (May-October)
　　　　Wednesdays (November-April) *If the Wednesday is a national holiday, the following day is a national holiday.
　　　　lit. end of the year and beginning of the year
Access: 10 min. walk from JR Hakodate Main Line "Otaru Station "
Parking: affiliated parking lots available

▲Otaru Canal

Otaru Canal Cruise is the new standard for sightseeing in Otaru. It is a 40-minute cruise on the canal and Otaru Port. The cruise starts and ends at "Chuobashi ", which is the center of Otaru sightseeing, so you can easily join the cruise even for a day trip from Sapporo!
During the cruise, the boatman will teach you many trivia about the Otaru Canal that you will want to share with others, making your Otaru trip even more enjoyable after you disembark.

Two types of cruises are operated: a day cruise with departure time before sunset and a night cruise after sunset, both of which are recommended as they offer completely different atmospheres.
In the cruise, you will dive out into Otaru Port. Otaru Port is known as a good port with relatively calm waves, but the waves are higher than on a canal cruise, so you can enjoy a slightly thrilling experience! You can see blue line patrol boats, police ships, and sometimes even luxury cruise ships up close.

Otaru is a beautiful bay city in Hokkaido. "Otaru has developed since the Meiji Era (1868-1912) as the commercial capital of the north ", and many retro and romantic historical buildings still exist in Otaru. Otaru is a small town in the good sense of the word, so you can enjoy Otaru in a variety of ways, whether as a part of your Hokkaido trip or as a full-fledged Otaru experience. It is also a great place for first-time solo travelers as it is very easy to get to popular tourist spots. In fact, I myself enjoy every trip to Otaru by myself! Why don't you take a look at this article and choose Otaru as your next travel destination?