What this area is like
A former trading port west of Sapporo. Walk the stone warehouses along the Otaru Canal, browse the glass and music-box shops of Sakaimachi Street, and have sushi near the harbour.
An easy half-day or day trip from Sapporo by JR. Evenings by the canal are quieter once day visitors leave.
Choose your next step
Places to see in this area
Otaru Canal
A 1,140 m canal lined with stone warehouses from Otaru’s days as a trading port, lit by 63 gas lamps at dusk.
- Access
- About 10 minutes on foot from JR Otaru Station.
- Hours
- Outdoors, open at all times. Canal cruises run day and night (about 40 minutes).
- Fee
- Free to walk. Canal cruises charge separately.
- Address
- Minato-machi, Otaru, Hokkaido
Come back after dark: the gas lamps and warehouse lights make the canal very different from the daytime view.
Otaru Music Box Museum
A shop and museum in a 1912 stone building filled with thousands of music boxes, at the end of the Sakaimachi shopping street.
- Access
- About 7 minutes on foot from JR Minami-Otaru Station.
- Hours
- 9:00–18:00.
- Fee
- Free to enter.
- Address
- 4-1 Sumiyoshi-cho, Otaru, Hokkaido
Walk Sakaimachi street from the canal to here: glass workshops, sweet shops and seafood stalls line the way.
How to plan your time here
- Arrive at Otaru Station, walk to the canal, then follow Sakaimachi street to the Music Box Museum and Minami-Otaru Station.
- Have sushi or a seafood bowl for lunch. If you can, stay until dusk to see the canal lit up before returning to Sapporo.
Information checked 26 October 2026. Plans are JapaLens editorial suggestions, not on-site reviews. Hours and fees can change; check the official page before you go.