A Day in Otaru – Free entry to museums and dining
[Music] Hi everyone, welcome to our channel. We are the driving couple WL. We’re hitting the road and heading to Otaru. It’s about a 45 minutes drive. If you don’t have access to a car, you can catch a train which will take 1 hour. We used the expressway which is a toll road. [Music] The first stop we made was at Saku Markets. It means triangle market because of its shape. It is conveniently located next to Otaro station. You can get fresh seafood from these stores. We did not eat at the markets but ended up getting a snack from this shop. It is near Otaro station in the Dai building. Kamayiki is a well-known local brand specializing in homemade kamabokco which are Japanese style fish cake made from white fish paste. It was so so so good that you must try it. Across the road is a shopping mall where we did a quick stop. After a little bit of shopping, we ended up at this restaurant, Taro Masa Sushi, Main Hokkaido. As we didn’t have any reservations, we had to wait for a couple of minutes. It’s a well-known sushi restaurant that dates back to 1935. We did our ordering on the tablet. They have set menus in Amakas as well as Alakan. We ordered the masa sushi. It was beautifully plated and every morsel of sushi was of good quality and very fresh. We also ordered to which just melted in our mouths. It was a pricey meal, but glad that we tried it. After all that sushi, it’s time to walk it off. The Otaro Canal is the most iconic and photographed spot. It used to be a waterway to transport goods. [Music] You can take a leisurely walk along the canal or do a cruise. If you come back at dusk, it is lit up with gas lamps. [Music] Within a few minutes walk from the canal is Otaro Beer Warehouse number one. You can get German style beer and food here. The beers are brewed on site and visible in the beer hall. You can see the large copper kettles and brewing equipment. It’s a free self-guided tour where you can view the beer hall on the second floor. Our next stop was the Bank of Japan Otaro Museum. It is free admission. You are not allowed to use flash photography or tripods. It’s a self-guided tour. The guided tours are in Japanese. On some exhibits, you can scan the QR code for more information. [Music] You can enter one of the vaults and take a picture carrying 100 million yen. Allow yourself 30 to 40 minutes to explore all the areas. Sakai Machi Street is a popular tourist spot. It’s a historical shopping street. There are souvenir shops, restaurants, and museums. Our next stop was Otaro Music Box Museum. In the building, there are three levels. [Music] Upon entering, I was overwhelmed by the array of music boxes. There are various types of music boxes made from glass, ceramic, wood, and stuff toys. You can also create your own music box where you choose the design and melody. There is no admission fee and you can explore all levels. Latau is a Japanese confectionary brand. Their signature dessert is a double from cheesecake. We were lucky to get a table as we were one of the last few customers. By going through the menu, most of the desserts were sold out. I was disappointed to not be able to try their signature dessert. We ordered what they had available. The cakes were light and fluffy and not too sweet. Hope you’ve enjoyed watching our video. Make sure you subscribe to our channel, like our video, and share with your family and friends. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram, TDCWL. After arriving back in Saporro, we picked a random restaurant. It was next to the B Saporro Hotel. The seafood was fresh, but it was lacking service. [Music] Thanks for watching and see you my next video.
We drove to Otaru and spent a day in the port town. Our first stop was the Sankaku Markets, although we didn’t eat there you can dine at one of the stalls. We grab fish cake snack from Kamaei Otaru Ekimae Daiichi Bldg. Ten which were so delicious that you must try. We did a bit of shopping at the shopping center across the road before looking for a restaurant for lunch. We managed to get a table a Otaru Masazushi Main (Hokkaido) which is a well known sushi restaurant. The food was elegantly plated and of quality. After a satisfying meal we headed to Otaru canal. A short walk from the canal is Otaru Beer Warehouse No 1 where you can view the beer hall for free.
Our next stop was The Bank of Japan Otaru Museum which is free admission and you can explore each zone at your own pace. We then drove down Sakaimachi Street, found parking and visited Otaru Music Box Museum which is also free admission. Our last stop was LeTao which is a well known confectionery brand. We had some cakes before leaving back to Sapporo where we picked a random restaurant.
AloJapan.com