Solo travel to Otaru, Japan

A “late” post would be an understatement. It has been six months since my solo travel to Otaru and I have been in denial that I’m back to my reality. I’m half kidding.

The first time I heard of Otaru was in a famous Filipino romantic comedy movie called Kita Kita that came out in 2017. I was mesmerized by not only the plot of the movie, but also the places they explored – Otaru was one of them.

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How to get to Otaru:

Regardless of where you begin, I’m sure you are bound to start your journey to Otaru from Sapporo Station. I stayed in an apartment near Asabu station, which is at the end of the Namboku line of the Sapporo Municipal Subway. This means I had a 15-minute subway/train ride to Sapporo Station.

ASABU STATION TO SAPPORO STATION
Length: approx. 15 minutes
Cost: ¥250 ($2-$3)

I purchased my own Sapica card from a ticket machine at the subway station on my first day and have been using this card everywhere. The Sapica card is valid only in Sapporo (subway, bus, and streetcars). My month-long stay in Hokkaido was meant to be spent mainly in Sapporo so I had purchased a Sapica card. If you are exploring places outside of Sapporo often (like to Otaru) I would not recommend getting a Sapica card. The card initially cost ¥2000 (¥500 deposit + ¥1500 initial balance you can use) or $18-$20.

Sapporo Station is enormous – it is not only a train station, but also a place to shop, explore, and dine. It is surrounded by massive shopping centers. You will get lost if you’re new to the area (like I was!), but just follow signs that say “JR Station” as there are multiple ways to get there.

Getting to Otaru from Sapporo Station is easy!

Because you can’t use your Sapica card for the JR line trains, you will need to get to a ticket machine. I purchased a ticket for ¥640 per the price on the board above. Another way is to use the IC cards (rechargeable cards) that are valid for JR lines. I found it easier to just purchase tickets from the machine so I chose not to get any other additional IC card. If you’re not sure, you can press a help button on the machine and someone will come by to help you.

Get on a train to Otaru and enjoy the hour-long view of the city and the ocean.

SAPPORO STATION —-> OTARU STATION
Length: approx. 1 hour and 4 minutes
Cost: ¥640 one way ($5-$7) with no seat reservation

I can’t remember exactly how much the fare was – but I know reserved seats will cost more. I was lucky enough to get seats without any reservation. Get in line at least 10 minutes prior to the departure of a train to increase your chances of having a seat. ** Other blogs will say that the fare is ¥750 ($6-8) & I assume this is with seat reservation.

Where to go and sites to see:

OTARU CANAL

Getting to Otaru Canal from Otaru Station is a 10-minute walk down the main road. Places you’ll see on the way are:

• old railroad track (lots of people were taking pictures here)
• souvenir shops
• food shops/restaurants

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Along the canal are warehouses turned into a spacious souvenir shop and somewhat of the high-end restaurants. These restaurants have seats right out by the canal so you can enjoy the view. There is also a boat-ride that goes along the canal while you learn about the history of Otaru (I didn’t do this because the line was always long so plan accordingly). Along the canal are vendors that sell different artworks – I bought a handmade postcard.

TIP! The right side of the canal are filled with people. If you go to the left of the canal, it’s pretty much empty. There are seats along the wall that you can sit and relax after a day of walking so much. OR you can also take photos (like I did)

SAKAIMACHI STREET

Sakaimachi street is a 10-minute walk from Otaru Station or a 15-minute walk from the Canal. The street is filled with shops where you will find souvenir, restaurants, cafes, and museums. Otaru is known for their glass products. You can spend half a day exploring (and eating in) this place.

My MUST GO TO are:

• Music Box Museum (I bought an angel music box)
• Japanese Maccha Sweets – literally everything they sell is matcha green tea.
• Seafood restaurants – I can’t remember which restaurant I went in, but I had ordered sushi and an eel bowl.

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TOMIOKA CATHOLIC CHURCH

This church did not have any English mass while I was there. I had come to pray inside. It’s a small church, but beautiful nevertheless. It was a 20-minute walk from Otaru Station and also away from Sakaimachi Street. I caught a glimpse of the residential homes there and many had flower gardens so the walk was worth it.

THERE’S MORE!

There are so many more sites to see, but because I only had a day and half in Otaru coming from Sapporo, I decided to take my time and explore Sakaimachi street and around Otaru Canal. I also had some time to write in my journal and absorb the experience around me.

Other places you can explore are Otaru Aquarium and the Tenguyama Ropeway. They are another bus ride away.

SURPRISE TWIST…

On a day I did not know where to go, I decided to go back to Otaru. So in total, I spent an entire day + half a day. I woke up after 10 AM and spent the rest of the morning doing my laundry and tidying up the apartment I was staying in. I ate lunch at Sapporo station before embarking on my hour-long train ride for Otaru.

When I arrived at Otaru, it was much more crowded than the first time I visited. As I got closer to the canal I realized that they were having a festival!

OTARU TIDE FESTIVAL

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The tide festival is held at the end of July 2019. It was very festive… (pun intended). The streets were filled with food stands, there were group dance performances, and taiko-drums performance all throughout the day. I did not stay until the evening because the commute back to my apartment would take a little under 2-hours and I did not want to be in the sea of people heading back to Sapporo when the night was over.

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Otaru is a great day trip from Sapporo. It is filled with beauty, culture, history, and definitely lots of food.

Thank you for reading about my adventure! 🙂