Otaru

Hi everyone!! We are Happy Puppies!!

Today, we are introducing Otaru.

The first is Mt. Tengu!!

Mt.Tengu is 532.4 meters high, and it's the symbolic mountain of Otaru.

Mt. Tengu in summer:

In summer, we can ride the ropeway. We can see a beautiful panorama from the ropeway. Especially, the night view of Otaru from Mt. Tengu is wonderful!! The night view of Otaru is one of the three major night views in Hokkaido.

And we can climb in summer. There is the normal course and the Jizo course. There are a lot of Jizo along the road. There are many trees and it's a cool course, so why don't you go there?

    

Mt. Tengu in winter:

In winter, we can ski. There are 5 courses. It's a ski resort that can be enjoyed by beginners and advanced skiers! I skied with my grandfather when I was a child. I remember having a lot of fun!

[Writer: Konoha]

The second is Sakaimachi-dori!!

Where is it?

Sakaimachi-dori is located in Otaru, It’s very close to the Otaru canal and it takes fifteen minutes on foot from Otaru station. It’s the representative tourist destination of Otaru. The length of the street is about 900 meters, and there are about 90 shops!

Normally about 8 million tourists visit a year, but in 2020, it fell to 2.6 million because of the Covid-19. Because Otaru is my beloved home town so I hope more people will go there, if you are interested in this blog, please visit there!

 

The Attractiveness of Sakaimachi-dori:

 

1.     Great landscape

In Otaru, efforts are being made to preserve historic buildings. Those buildings are reused as shops at present. Since many of the buildings are from the Meiji period, the retro landscape is popular and attracts many tourists.

   

 

2.     Events

＝The festival of yukata and wind chime＝

This festival is held every summer in this street. Wind chimes made by professionals are lined up in rows, and you can hear a variety of sounds, it makes you feel so happy!

If you visit there put on a yukata, you can join the drawing lots and get a discount at the shops in the street. Also, a yukata contest is held every year and the people who win a prize can get luxury goods! The people who don’t wear a yukata also can enjoy the festival because there are many events, for example, a fast-eating competition and bingo.

   

＝Halloween＝

This was the event that held last year, and started with the hope that children who can’t go outside due to the Covid-19 would be able to have a little fun and it would brighten up their day. There were many events, for example, a costume contest, a mission games, live bands and a zombie walk. It sounds great! Also there was some special food at helloween.

 

My favorite shop:

“Music box hall”, it is my favorite one in the street. What a romantic atmosphere! It’s one of Japan’s largest music box stores, and they have more than 80,000 music boxes. They sell glass, wood, pottery music boxes, merry-go-rounds, stuffed toys, and other unique music boxes. Also you can make an original music box.

 

[Writer: Asao]

 

The third is the Otaru canal!!

Did you know that Otaru had a population that surpassed Sapporo for a while?

It developed as a commercial city and supported it by transporting coal from all over Hokkaido, trading with other countries such as Russia, and fishing for herring.

However, Japan lost Karafuto (Sakhalin) in World War Ⅱ, shifted from coal to oil in the Energy Revolution, and overcaught herring and ended the role of the canal.

After that, the debate over whether to keep the Otaru Canal or not continued for more than a dozen years. Ironically, the name “Otaru Canal” was known all over Japan at this time.

They ended up leaving it, and there are still old-fashioned stone warehouses lined up along the waterways.

The attraction is the beautiful scenery of good old, nostalgic canal buildings. The Otaru Canal in summer, with its beautiful blue sky and greenery, is a tribute to when it once prospered. The Otaru Canal in winter, where the light of the gas lamp shines white snow, is somewhat sad. You can feel the prosperity and decline of Otaru City. It’s a fascinating spot, full of historical value!

 

The total length of the Otaru Canal is 1,140 meters, and the stone warehouses along the canal have been left as they were at that time and are being reused for restaurants. I want you to take a photo that looks nice while walking slowly.

[Writer: Shota]

Thank you for reading!!