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Otaru

Introduction

Otaru in Winter

Otaru is a city in the southwest of the Japanese island Hokkaido with around 140,000 inhabitants. Otaru is a coastal city, close to its big neighbour and the biggest city in Hokkaido, Sapporo. Otaru is easily reached from Sapporo, only 40 kilometres away. The city experiences the four seasons during the course of the year. Winter brings snow for more than 3 months of the year. The city, though small on scale, is on a more human scale then Sapporo.

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Neighbourhoods

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Sights and Activities

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

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Getting There

By Plane

The closest airports to Otaru are Sapporo City Airport and New Chitose Airport which is close to Sapporo.

By Train

Otaru is easily reached by train from Hakodate and Sapporo. The train from Sapporo central station costs from 620 Yen.

By Car

By Bus

The bus from Sapporo to Otaru Bus Station takes an hour and costs 590 Yen.

By Boat

Ferries from Niigata and Maizaru pull in to Otaru Ferry Terminal, which is 5 kilometres from Otaru city centre. The ferry terminal is reachable by bus or taxi.

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Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

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Work

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Learn

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Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

The Japanese postal service is excellent! Domestic and international mail service is very quick and reliable. The prices for sending letters, postcards and parcels vary depending on where you send if from and to which country you send it too, and of course depends on weight as well, so check this calculation page of Japan Post for more details. Post offices generally are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays, closing at weekends and also on national holidays, though a few open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Central post offices are sometimes open until 7:00pm, open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Another thing to remember is that the post office is one of the few places in Japan that is guaranteed to have ATMs that take international cards.

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