Japan Photo Guide

Otaru is about a 30 minute train ride from Sapporo and for this simple reason, a lot of people make the trip to Otaru; however, I am not going to lie to you, there are very few reasons to go to Otaru. Seriously, unless one of the reasons I am about to give you applies to you, do not go to Otaru. You would be much better off doing almost anything (Asahiyama Zoo, Furano or Biei to give a few examples). That being said, there might be a reason to check out Otaru. You should go to Otaru only if:

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  • You like canals–Otaru has a famous canal (which can actually make for some interesting photos…maybe)
  • If the Snow Lantern Festival is going on, it might be worth checking out Otaru at night.  This festival goes on around the 2nd week of november, but don’t plan to stay more than a few hours.
  • You like music boxes–there are a few music box museums here
  • You are into glass–there are some interesting glass products and art available here
  • Seafood is your favorite food and you are not content with the seafood in the city where you are
  • You have a very short time slot open and you are bored of your current location
  • Otaru is the only place in Hokkaido you have not been to.

Seriously, Otaru is really close to Sapporo but almost every other place in Hokkaido as a lot more to offer not only for photographers but for an average tourist as well. If you have been and disagree with my, please leave a comment, it is possible I was just in a bad mood and the weather was really bad when I was there…possible, but unlikely!  Let me just say this, it isn’t so much that Otaru is a horrible place, it is more of the rest of Hokkaido being that much better!

For more information about Otaru, see the Japan-Guide.