[Hokkaido ]Women Traveling Alone - 8 Sightseeing Spots in Otaru
2024-09-20
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triangular market
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.
Seafood bowls available at Triangle Market
The Triangle Market is about 200 meters long and 2 meters wide, with about 16 stores lining the slope. Six of these restaurants offer meals from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Enjoy a wide variety of seafood dishes, including rice bowls made with fresh seafood, daily set menus, and original rice bowls made by having items purchased at the market cooked on the spot.
<施設情報>
Name: Triangle Market
Address: 3-10-16 Inaho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido 047-0032
Phone number: 0134-23-2466
Business hours: 06:00-17:00
Closed: Open every day
URL:http://otaru-sankaku.com/
Otaru Construction Port
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.
▲Otaru Tsukiharbor
Wing Bay Otaru, a commercial facility popular among locals, is adjacent to the station directly connected to the station, and a connecting walkway allows visitors to enjoy shopping. Inside Wing Bay Otaru, you will find "Grand Park Otaru ", one of the best seaside resort hotels in Otaru. Some rooms offer views of Otaru's ocean or railroad tracks. You can also walk to the Otaru Canal area and enjoy a walk for exercise after finishing breakfast.
Otaru Music Box Hall
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.
Entrance to the Music Box Museum
The Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building is located on Sakai-cho Street, a 15-minute walk from Otaru Station. It was originally the headquarters building of Kyosei Corporation, one of the leading rice merchants in Hokkaido, and was built as a warehouse. After that, it was no longer used and became vacant. "Otaru Music Box Museum "was used as the Otaru Music Box Museum from 1912 to the present. The main building is from the first to the third floor and displays various types of music boxes.
So how did Otaru and music boxes come together? In fact, the history of Otaru and music boxes is short, and it began when Otaru started selling music boxes because they seemed to fit the retro atmosphere of the city.
Music boxes are now synonymous with Otaru. Please visit us!
"Facility Information "
Name: Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building
Address: 4-1 Sumiyoshi-cho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido 047-0015
Phone number: 0134-22-1108
Business hours: 9:00-18:00
Closed: No holidays
Parking: None
URL https://www.otaru-orgel.co.jp/
Old Hundred and Thirteen Bank Otaru Branch
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
Canal Park
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?
▲ Directions to the site
There is also a directional display board showing the direction and voyage distance to the ports of the world with which Otaru traded, giving a sense of the history of the time.
"Facility Information "
Name: Canal Park
Address: Along Kita Canal, 3-6 Shikinai, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Access: 20 min. walk from Otaru Station on JR Hakodate Honsen Line
Parking: None
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Restroom building, playground equipment building, rest building)
Remnants of the old Temiya Line
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.
Railroad-related machinery of the time installed in the promenade
Today, the former railroad site has been developed by Otaru City and transformed into a 1.6 km walking path, retaining the tracks, level crossing, and circuit breakers that were used at the time. "In 2018, it was selected as a Hokkaido Heritage Site Otaru's Railway Heritage ". It is also a popular event site for annual festivals. The walking path continues to the Otaru City Museum, the birthplace of the Hokkaido Railway, so why not take a walk while contemplating the history of the railroad?
Commemorative objects on the promenade
Stained Glass Museum
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 Cruise
▲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.
summary
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?
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