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As a major port since the late 1800s and chosen as Hokkaidō’s first?railway?line terminal, Otaru’s beautifully preserved?canal area?and intriguing?herring mansions are a delight to explore!

Stepping from the train’s warmth and Otaru’s JR station, an icy morning wind blows in from Siberia. Thankfully, my four layers of clothes and a hooded puffer jacket keep me cosy.

For a small city (by Japanese standards) of over 130,000, walking down Chuodori, one of Otaru’s main streets is super quiet.

Lying northwest of Sapporo on Ishikari Bay, Otaru is known for sake distilleries, music boxes, and glassworks.

Although Japanese settlers have graced Otaru’s area since 1596, Hokkaidō (?北海道) has only been a part of Japan for 150 years, with Otaru as a city since the 19th century.

From the 1600s to the 1800s, Otaru’s waters bustled with herring fishing, at a time when pressed boiled and dried herring was in high demand as fertiliser. Otaru’s ports saw numerous docked merchant ships, transforming the town into a thriving commercial hub. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).