Travel Guide: Otaru š¦¢
A perfect weekend in Hokkaido's magical snow-covered port city.
I always dreamed of visiting Hokkaido after seeing many crazy pictures of the snow there. After moving to Seoul, my years-long dream finally felt feasible. I knew I wanted to ski (a bit) but other than that, didnāt know where to start. Some of the ryokans I had on my wishlist for years were so expensive ā like, $1.5K a night. That wasnāt happening. Luckily, my boyfriend, whoās obsessed with snowboarding, went to Hokkaido a year before me with friends and came back insisting that he needs to take me to Otaru. That I would love it. After years of traveling together, Iām happy to confirm he was extremely correct.
You can read more about Otaru and its interesting history on the Wikipedia page but to sum up why its special: it really feels like one of the only places in Asia (because most Asian cities are so hyper-developed and modern) that feels like a real step back in time. It is magical in this way, and when you add on the many feet of snow that covers Otaru all winter, you really canāt help but fall in love. The buildings are so old, especially along the canal. The inside of the buildings are just as old yet meticulously preserved (of course). The hotels and homes are old and cozy. The shop owners are old and so are the products theyāre selling ā all in the best, most wonderful way.
I went to Otaru for the first time last year ā we did 3 days skiing in Niskeo, then 3 days in Otaru. I wasnāt planning on going this year ā Iām trying to save money (if you can believe it, lol). But I simply could not resist joining Trung, who booked his trip after seeing there would be a major blizzard in the weather forecast. (I was a little disappointed last year because there wasnāt that much snow the week we were there.) It was my dream to see Otaru wrapped in lots and lots of snow, so I booked my flight with my last remaining KAL miles a week before takeoff. Of course I had to add on a few days in Tokyo, where Iām writing this post from.
Hereās my Travel Guide to a perfect weekend (or few days) in Otaru.
Sueaās Travel Guide to Otaru š¦¢āā.ą³ąæ*ā
Categories are: (1) Shopping/sight-seeing; (2) Food; (3) Sweets; (4) Lodging; (5) Notes & Suggestions.
Shopping/Sight-Seeing
In terms of shopping, Otaru has a really unique mix. From the tourist traps worth/not worth visiting to (literally) 100 year old toy stores, quirky thrift shops, and a fun local mall, there was really almost something for me (and you!) in every shop. Thereās a lot to explore and you will come across most of these stores naturally while walking around, but here are my favorites.
Otaru Music Box Museum - Itās called a museum but itās mostly a store with some vintage āorgelā music boxes on display on the second floor. It is a huge store. I had so much fun here the first time I came. Itās probably the most famous store in Otaru so please beware that the crowds get insane (at least in the winter). Go right when they open to avoid the mayhem. You will want plenty of time to explore all the music boxes. Thereās a lot (!) of variety and if you head to the top floor there is a Studio Ghibli (and Disney, but who cares about that) soundtrack music box section. It was the first time I experienced music boxes in such a vast/varied way. I totally fell in love!
Otaru Cafe x Hello Kitty Cafe + Shop - Next door to the music box store. The first floor has a shop and if youāre lucky you will find exclusive Hokkaido Sanrio merch (often sold out). Second floor is a cafe with a whole waiting system. Did it last year but not worth it in my opinion. The food is (obviously) mid but the way these Sanrio cafes decorate the food is so ā¦ meh. Iāve been to a few in Korea/Japan. Letās just say I can make better/cuter Hello Kitty food at home (maybe thatās just me š). But seriously, just buy some stickers at the store and move on, unless you have a lot of time to kill.
Main Street - Not going to link this to Google Maps because itās just the main strip where all the action is. You canāt miss it. The Music Box store is at the end of the Main street so you can map to there and begin your journey. Just walk down this path and you will basically find everything Otaru is famous for ā LeTao bakeries, tons of gift shops, food stands (get the potato!), Miffy store, Snoopy/Peanut store and cafe, etc. Iām convinced that most of the tourists that come to Otaru for a quick day trip only visit this street but let me tell you ā¦ thatās a big mistake :)
