Sights in Otaru

1. Otaru-shi Sōgō Hakubutsukan

   • Otaru, Japan
   • Sights › Other

   This small but engaging museum is housed in a restored warehouse dating from 1893, and has displays on Hokkaidō's natural history, some Ainu relics, and various special exhibitions on herring, ceramics and literature.

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2. Otaru Canal

   • Otaru, Japan
   • Sights › Canal

   Walk beneath the old Victorian-style gas lamps lining this historic canal, and admire the charismatic warehouses dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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3. Nippon-ginkō Kyū Otaru-shiten

   • Otaru, Japan
   • Sights › Other

   Don't miss the old Bank of Japan (日本銀行), a classic brick building that was designed by the same architect responsible for Tokyo Station. The exterior is marked by owl keystones, which pay homage to the Ainu guardian deity, while an impressive 100m-high ceiling highlights the interior.

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4. Nichigin-dōri

   • Otaru, Japan
   • Sights › Street

   Once known as the 'Wall Street of the North', Nichigin-dōri is lined with elegant buildings that speak to Otaru's past life as a prominent financial centre.

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5. Kyū-Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha Otaru-shiten

   • Otaru, Japan
   • Sights › Other

   Lying behind the park at the northern end of the canal is the old Nippon Yūsen Company Building. Before the collapse of the herring industry, much of Hokkaidō's shipping orders were processed here. The interior of the building has been restored to its former grandeur, and provides a revealing look at the opulence of the era.

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