Otaru is a big, but quiet town near Sapporo, in Hokkaido. The name Otaru means ‘River of Sands’ in the native language of Ainu. It grew as a harbour and port town and during the early development of Hokkaido experienced a boom as it was one of only a small number of ports on the island. This has helped to create a rich history and variety of architecture and culture. Here are some highlights from my recent trip.
The Otaru to Sapporo line was the first in Hokkaido. Above is the now defunct Temiya line.
Otaru, rather than Sapporo, used to be the most important city in Hokkaido. The town is full of buildings from this era, such as the Bank of Japan building.
There are also lots of old storehouses and shops around Otaru
Otaru Watch Tower has a very cute collected of tightly packed cafes and restaurants around it.
So I tried out Hokkaido’s famous Genghis Khan barbequed meat. Oishii!!
I then went for a walk along the canal.
The main area was actually smaller than I thought, but if you continue north, there are other less built up canals as well.
Looks like a cool place? For more info, see out Otaru budget travel guide.
Super Cheap Japan 
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