Otaru is a beautiful fishing port on the island of Hokkaido, around a half hour drive from Sapporo, making it the perfect day trip. In this video, we’re going to show you the best things to do in Otaru, including the top attractions, where to eat, and some hidden gems.
Once upon a time, Otaru made its money in the herring trade. The town is also famous for its glassware and beautiful historic stone buildings. Today, Otaru is one of the top tourist attractions in Hokkaido, and after watching this one day guide, you’ll soon discover why!
Read my travel blog: https://www.solosophie.com/
Social media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophieannenadeau/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solosophie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/solosophieblog/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sophieannenadeau?
Subscribe to my mailing list: https://www.solosophie.com/subscribe/
Buy my travel guides: https://www.solosophie.com/shop/
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/sophieannenadeau
[Music]
welcome to ataru we’re in Ishikari Bay
facing the Sea of Japan and today we’re
going to show you the best things to do
in town we’re around a half hour drive
away from seoro which is the capital of
pido and this specific town is really a
beautiful Charming fishing port which in
the past was famed for its Herring
production and also its glass production
today the glass production isn’t so much
for essential Goods but is more
artisanal things there are also a few
quirky museums in town so let’s go and
[Music]
explore welcome to Kachi hul everything
here is lit completely with gas oil
lamps and so it gives a really beautiful
unique look we’re having a coffee and a
cake but it does smell a bit funky
[Music]
as well as shopping for local souvenirs
like glassware there’s a lot of
character chops here including Miffy and
Snoopy we’re on psycho matchi Street
which is one of the main thars through
town and is home to most of the souvenir
shops as well as more of the historic
[Music]
museums due to ataru’s association with
glass it should come as no surprise that
there’s also a Venetian Museum here with
lots of glass
exhibits one of the best parts about
visiting this town is all of the
historic ston houses which we haven’t
seen anywhere else in
[Music]
Japan each town in Japan has its own
drain cover design and those of raro are
pretty
beautiful ataru is pretty famous for its
local seafood and so anine sampled some
sushi in a tiny hole in the wall
eery the tamama railway was a local
freightway in operation between 1880 and
1985 it has since been closed down and
the track has been transformed into a
green Oasis in the heart of
town as I mentioned there’s lots of
unique museums in town so now we’re
going to go and check out the Stained
Glass Museum which is home to lots of
British stained
[Music]
glass this is a taru canal it was
completed in 1923 and served as a
maritime Transportation here in ataru
today it’s a lovely place to stroll
along
[Music]
if you have a bit of extra time then you
can opt to take a Canal cruise to take
you along the
[Music]
water as you can see we’re just outside
of ataru danu Koji this is a collection
of around 20 small shops shoved into
small alleyways
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
the first ever seam clock comes from
Vancouver and this one is actually a
gift from the city of Vancouver to
ataru we’re now going to head down the
coastline to reach hio riyama lighthouse
[Music]
[Music]
the history of the lighthouse dates all
the way back to 1883 making it the
second oldest lighthouse here in
Hokkaido the original structure was
actually wooden and was replaced with a
stone building in the 20th century and
it’s really worth walking to the top
because the views are just beautiful
[Music]
I actually read that on a clear day here
you can see wild sea
lions this is the start of the ataru
nature trail which BS for 3 km along the
coastline
[Music]
you can reach ataro via public
transportation from saporo but we parly
rented a car as this allowed us greater
flexibility to explore the surrounding
[Music]
[Applause]
region thank you for watching and we’ll
see you next time