Otaru Canal is said to be the number one attraction in Otaru, a small city that's less than an hour train ride from Sapporo in Hokkaido, and we decided to pay it a visit despite reservations from friends who had been there.
Honestly, i can understand why those friends felt that way as the canal was underwhelming and aside from the contrast of old with new; the canal itself didn't appear any special from the monsoon drains in Singapore.
The converted warehouses on the ride side of the canal did make the environment more charming and it's hard to imagine that a hundred years ago, the canal was filled with smaller boats that acted as delivery medium from the larger ships to the warehouses.
Without the bustle on the left side, where modern buildings stood and hoards of people strolled along a parallel path, it was indeed a picturesque scene worthy for use on postcards!
I heard that the view was extremely romantic during winter when the entire island of Hokkaido would be blanketed by a thick layer of snow. Since i am terribly scared of the extreme cold, i don't think i would ever have a chance to see it for real in my life.
It was crowded even though i can still squeeze in for some nicely composed pictures. By the way, the lamps were gas-powered; just like they were in a century ago!
This particular spot i was at would be the most crowded as it gave a nice view of the canal. There's an information counter which was already closed at that time. You can actually take a boat along the canal (at a charge) but we didn't have sufficient time.
A fountain that dispensed drinking water! Frankly, even though i wasn't that impressed with Otaru, i did consider dropping by on a day trip as there's so much i didn't manage to do; visit the aquarium, take a boat trip, shop to my content at the shops along the beautiful Sakaimachi Street.
Another thing you can do; engage a rickshaw driver to check out the nearby attractions in a traditional rickshaw! It's hard work as evidence by the muscular thighs they all had. Darn, they made me so conscious of my chopstick legs!
Would i be back? Definitely to Otaru the city if i visit Hokkaido again and given the proximity of the canal to the key attractions, why not right?
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Location
Minatomachi, Otaru 047-0007,
Hokkaido, Japan
Location Map
Check out my google map here. (Look out for the iconic building as above which is diagonally across from the canal).
You may check out my summarized 8-day, 7-night itinerary to Hokkaido in summer (including a few days of self-drive); click here!