Annie's Excursions

Since I’m making a Sapporo version (which is much larger than Otaru), and since I’ve been to Otaru a couple times, have a few coworkers/friends from there, and it’s the next biggest city closest to me, I figured I can make a version of that post but for Otaru. It’ll be a bit smaller, since I haven’t been to Otaru as much and the city itself is smaller, but hey, for any potential Otaru visitors, hopefully this can help you! While you’re at it, you should also go to Sapporo (if you’re not already coming from there) and/or Yoichi, since it’s right in the middle of the two. If you’re coming in the warmer months, Niki has some great fruit selection. The following list is mostly comprised of places I’ve been, want to go, and heard things about. Will be updated as I explore more!

Places to hang out:

• Sakaimachi Street: The main touristy place (other than the Canal I think) and the main bustling shopping street, filled with seafood restaurants, small street food booths, cafes, and souvenir shops of all kinds. The street on one end begins with the canal, has many glass shops along the way (like this Kitaichi one), and ends with many of the music box stores. Whenever I go I like to just come and walk along the street, because there’s always something small to eat that I haven’t tried yet.
  • Snoopy Chaya: Snoopy is pretty popular here. If you’re a Snoopy fan, this is a Snoopy cafe where you can eat themed food and buy merch!
  • Miffy Oyatsudou: A newly opened Miffy themed merchandise shop. For Miffy fans, a cute place in Otaru to do some shopping!
• Wing Bay: Wing Bay is Otaru’s shopping mall/outlet. It’s a little bit away from the main station, though there is a stop near the mall. It has a movie theater, and a good amount of shopping and food options. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Sakaimachi street, or you can train there from Otaru station. Next to the mall are a few restaurants, including a branch of Hamasushi, which is a cheap but pretty good quality sushi chain. You can also find a giant Book-Off/Hard-off across the street. I recommend the Mizono Ice Cream there!
• Otaru Station: Otaru station isn’t huge and doesn’t expand underground like Sapporo’s does, but it has a decent selection of places to eat and souvenir shops if you’re just there to get on or off a train/bus. It’s also really accessible to a bunch of places around the town, with many establishments and Sakaimachi within reasonable walking distance. There is a building in front of the station with a Nagasakiya label on it that’s like a mini shopping mall, with some small shops and restaurants, and a Donkiqote. It’s right next to Sankaku Market.
• Sunmall Ichibangai: A small local shopping street with small businesses, to get the more local vibes. Often times events will be held here.

Things and Places to eat:

• Zangi (aka karaage or fried chicken, in Hokkaido)
  • Naruto (with branches in Sapporo and Yoichi too): A now-chain (that really has every kind of Japanese food) known for their fried chicken, zangi and half chicken.
  • Takeda’s Zangi: A small street booth that always has a line. Zangi comes out fresh, pretty big sizes, and hot. You can also ask for different flavor options! They also have long fries.
• Seafood, Sushi and Chiraishi Don: Otaru is a port city, and is known for their fish, sushi, and kaisen dons.
  • Sankaku Market: Also listed in Places to Visit, but obviously a seafood market is the best place to go for fresh seafood. Takeda’s and Kawashima are recommended. Kawashima takes card!
  • Donburi Chaya: a famous seafood don shop, and has a location in New Chitose Airport. Portions are a little small, but you’re paying for fresh seafood.
  • Poseidon: Another famous seafood don shop.
  • Hamasushi: There’s a ton of sushi in Otaru, but if you’re looking for revolving sushi, cheap and pretty decent quality, you can go here. It’s like the Daiso of conveyor belt sushi.
  • Waraku Kaiten Sushi: A local conveyor belt sushi restaurant on Otaru’s sushi street.
  • Toppi Sushi: Another local conveyor belt sushi restaurant, across from Waraku.
• Sweets
  • Panju: a local treat. It’s a dome-shaped baked good that comes with various fillings inside.
    • Kuwataya (also has a branch in Sapporo!)
    • Nishikawa Panju: Run by an old man. You can only buy in sets of 10 though and he’s pretty slow to make them.
  • Ice Cream: When it comes to Hokkaido, you’ve got to get dairy products, and that includes ice cream. The soft serve in Japan, and especially in Hokkaido, is to die for.
    • Cotaru: Apparently what used to be a bike rental shop created a cafe branch, and now sells soft serve! Their ice cream is really good!
    • Misono Ice Cream: A local, retro-style cafe and small business that dates back decades and has floats and parfaits. They have a gelato booth in their location at Wing Bay that’s really good.
    • Otaru Milk Plant: An amazing ice cream place, with many different flavors and sizes of soft serve, including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, kyoho grape, yogurt, Hokkaido Milk, and Yubari melon. They also have floats, and ice cream scoops in other interesting flavors!
    • Popura Farm Melon Ice: Hokkaido is famous for cantelope and ice cream, so put that together for some ice cream in a bowl of melon!
    • Sugi Bee Garden: Actually a manuka honey specialty shop, they also sell honey on ice cream!
    • Seven Layer Ice Cream: This place is famous for selling many flavors of ice crfeam, and you can buy them all at one time on one cone!
    • Yamanaka: A small booth that sells soft serve and is pretty famed among locals.
  • Japanese Treats
    • Niikuraya (has a couple branches in Sapporo, not sure if they’re related though): Makes an array of traditional Japanese sweets including dango skewers and other treats, but their dango have a variety of toppings!
    • Cafe Ironai Shokudo: A small cafe run by an elderly couple with great prices for dango! Can have long waits.
    • Dorayaki Cobasa: As the name implies, a mainly dorayaki specialty places selling a variety of fillings. They also sell giant dango and other small snacks.
    • Potapota Ichigo: A stawberry specialty store originally from Sapporo, there’s a branch in Otaru. Get their daifukus, or any of their products really.
    • Fruit Daifuku: A small shop on Sakaimachi that specializes in all kinds of fruit daifuku.
    • Sawawa: A matcha chain, there’s a branch in Otaru that’s the go-to for anything matcha! One time I walked by, I got a free sample of their hot matcha latte.
  • Pastries
    • LeTao: an Otaru-founded sweets brand that sells cookies and luxury chocolates. A must-see in the city, and has a collection of a few branches with different specialties. Pathos has a main store with their products on the first floor, but also has a cafe on the second floor. Chocola, as the name implies, focuses more on their chocolate products, and I recommend the ice cream and tea chocolate drink in the winter. I’ve walked by a few times and gotten a few free samples! The main store has everything, and a cafe area to sample some of their cakes with drinks. Fromage Danish is a little more specialty than the others, still selling some of their cookies, but they sell freshly baked cheese danishes and apple pies, along with a selection of drinks.
    • Kitakaro & Rokkatei: After living in Hokkaido for a while, I’ve informally dubbed these the big Hokkaido souvenir sweets brands. These are obviously the Otaru branches, but hey, if you haven’t already elsewhere, stop by Kitakaro and Rokkatei for more sweets and ice cream.
• Small and Savory
  • Kamaei Fishcake Factory: Otaru is also known for fishcake, and here they not only sell packaged ones and other souvenirs, but also a selection of hot and freshly fried ones to eat on the go.
  • Ungaya: Sells nikuman, and other than standard meat buns, they sell crab buns and genghiskhan buns!
  • Arare Midoriya: This local shop sells senbei in all sizes and flavors!
  • Ika Taro Honpo: Dried squid and related snacks.
• Ramen
  • Nishiya: Right next to Otaru station, and great garlic-y miso ramen.
  • Shodai: a famous ramen shop near Wing Bay.
  • Mikan: Recommended to me by a friend!
  • Tokaiya: Apparently the chef trained in French techniques and applied that to ramen, and this store became famous for great ramen.
• Ankake Yakisoba: This is a Japanese-Chinese dish that has a starchy, thick sauce with seafood and vegetables over ramen noodles. For whatever reason, it’s a famous dish in Otaru. You can find many Chinese places offering this in Otaru, and the greater Hokkaido area, or Chinese restaurants in general in Japan.

Places to visit:

• Otaru Canal: The view is really nice during the daytime, but if you go at night, particularly around holiday season, it’s super pretty and aesthetic.
• Otaru Aquarium: I heard the aquarium isn’t huge, but it has a good variety of animals and shows there.
• Denukikoji: Denukikoji itself is a small alleyway with small restaurants, but be sure to climb up the small tower to get a view of Otaru from above!
• Otaru Music Box Museum: Great place for Otaru souvenirs or gifts. Even if you’re not planning on buying any music boxes, just browsing and looking at the historical items is pretty cool.
• Glass Stores: Otaru is known for producing glasswork. There’s many along Sakaimachi and in the city, but Kitaichi is a good place to start.
• Tenguyama/Mt. Tengu: Ride to the top of the observation deck and have a real good view of the city.
• Sankaku Market: A great place to check out a local market and get fresh seafood in bowl for,
• Old Temiya Line: There used to be an old train line running through here, and you can walk along the tracks.