Highly recommended for those who are visiting Otaru for the first time, on this tour you’ll enjoy Otaru’s nostalgic charm and gourmet bests!
Otaru is a popular city for visitors to Hokkaido, and this 3 hour and 30-minute guided walking tour will show you the best of it.
Otaru, an old, prosperous town in Hokkaido founded on trade, is now a popular tourist destination for many tourists both from Japan and abroad, and pairs well with a visit to nearby Sapporo. This tour starts at Otaru Station, and covers the main attractions of the city center as you stroll along with a local guide. Even better, the guide will recommend spots that only a local would know!
The tour follows the landscape of Ishikari Bay, upon which Otaru port faces outward, and also introduces you to the nostalgic atmosphere of Otaru Canal, Sakaimachi Street and the “triangular market,” with its freshly caught fresh seafood, fruits, and delicious sweets on display.
Next, we visit Suitengu (loosely translated as “water shrine”) .
This is a recommended scenic spot by local people, in a calm and quiet hillside part of the city, commanding a panoramic view over the Port of Otaru. Since the road up to Suitengu from Sakaimachi Street (known as “Foreigner Slope” due to its history) has 123 steps, visitors that are confident stair climbers should by all means take the challenge!
At the end of tour, we go to Tanakasyuzou, only sake brewery in Otaru. It proudly makes the Japanese sake brand, Takaragawa, Otaru Bijin liqueur, and Maho-no-Itteki hon-mirin, a sweet rice wine for cooking. Its stone masonry warehouse, built around 1905 is designated as one of Otaru's historic building. At the store, you can enjoy free sake-tastings of sake shipped direct from the brewery, Shiboritate fresh bottled sake without pasteurization, and approximately 10 other varieties of seasonal sakes. In the Brewery tours, you can observe the production process and know what's the secret to making it so delicious!
・Tour of the triangular market where freshly caught fresh seafood is on display
・A commemorative photo on Hokkaido's oldest railway, the "former Japan National Railways Temiya Line"
・Views of majestic Ishikari Bay and the landscape beyond from Otaru Port
・A nostalgic walk along Otaru canal, with the architecture and feel of yesteryear
・Shopping along Sakaimachi Street (Taisho glass museum, Otaru Music Box Hall, etc.)
・Sweets shop tour along Sakaimachi Street
・Suitengu challenge up the 123 steps of “Foreigner Slope” leading to the shrine
・Otaru Port and the views of Ishikari Bay from Suitengu shrine
・Seafood dishes made with fresh seafood caught in Ishikari Bay
・Sake tasting and observation at Tanakasyuzou
・Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
・Please dress warmly during the cold winter.
・During winter. Foreigner Slope may be impassable due to snow cover. In that case, we will visit the Suitengu shrine using another route.
・During the peak travel seasons of March, April, October, and Year-end and New Year holidays (from December 30 to January 3), please be aware that there will be an additional charge of 2,000 yen per person for the tour.
| Price | From ¥11,000 / person ¥11,000 per person for 3 persons or more |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3.5 hours (approx.) |
| Hours of availability | 11:00am-2:30pm |
| Inclusions | ・English guide |
| Exclusions | ・Food & drinks |
| Participants | 1-6 people |
JR Otaru station, ticket gate
spion189（Germany）★★★★★
Sehr gemütliche Kleinstadt
Otaru ist einen Abstecher von Sapporo wert. Wir hatten mit Maki eine sehr nette Reiseführerin und viel gesehen. Das historische Stadtzentrum ist vom Bahnhof leicht selbst zu erkunden, aber mit Maki haben wir sicher mehr gesehen als allein.
robertkobzi（Japan）★★★★★
Walking Tour
Otaru was our favorite destination on our cruise. We our walking tour with Chieko was the highlight. We had been on cruise ship shore excursions and always felt rushed. Chieko adapted her tour to our needs. We saw the sights and had plenty of time to shop where we wanted. I also wanted to experience a local Japanese bath. Chieko made some calls found out where one was located nearby and arranged for a taxi to take us to the onsen. Otaru was just gorgeous. We definitely enjoyed our tour immensely.
Hachi（ARGENTINA）★★★★
Vamos de Paseo~*
Bueno, Otaru sin duda tiene su encanto. La verdad vale la pena visitar si estas quedandote en Sapporo. Nuestra guía Chieko, normalmente ofrece tours en Sapporo pero de vez en cuando va a Otaru cuando solicitan su servicio. Este tour es ideal para aquellos que no hablan nada de japonés y no tienen ganas de explorar lo que vale la pena ver y que no. Chieko sabe exactamente que tiendas sobresalen y se adapta a los gustos de cada grupo. Es muy amable.
Sé que no es importante para todo el mundo, pero lo que sí es que me hubiera gustado un poco más de datos históricos sobre el lugar.
Si tienen la oportunidad de pasear por acá, se los recomiendo. Va a ser un día tranquilo con muchas cosas para curiosear y varios sitios para sacar fotos. Les recomiendo la cidra de cereza del local "Otaru Beer" sobre el canal turístico. Si van antes que oscurezca pueden sentarse afuera y disfrutar una linda brisa.
Robin（Australia）★★★★★
Otaru discovery tour
Excellent. Very informative guide who answered all of our questions and opened up a lot of information to us. He was very considerate and spoke very good English.
A great day discovering Otaru.
Amie Duan（New Zealand）★★★★★
Amazing and personal tour with Yuko.
Amazing and personal tour with Yuko. Sharing her knowedge on Otaru and showing the beautiful spots of it all. Superlucky, and highly recommend this tour.
Erika Padua（Philipinnes）★★★★★
you will be able to maximize your day in Otaru!
It is always worthwhile to get a tour that is operated by a local guide. Walking tour is really nice and worth the time as you will be able to maximize your day in Otaru!
Chloe Chiem（Australia）★★★★★
cannot recommend it enough
My friend and I had the most amazing experience in Otaru with Yuko-San who took us on a fantastic tour. We visited Otarus local fish market, the shopping street with beautiful architecture and unique glassware, the picturesque canal lined with warehouses from the old days, had a huge seafood sashimi donburi lunch with Yuko then finished the tour with a sake tasting at the UNESCO Otaru distillery. We learned about Otarus long history through Yuko-San who was the most passionate, considerate and knowledgeable tour guide. She also made for great company and is an all round lovely person, we are incredibly grateful to have met her! If you are planning a trip to Otaru and want to check out all the main sites, culture and cuisine, do this byFood tour and definitely request for Yuko-San! We cannot recommend it enough.
