I’ve never been to Hokkaido in the summer, but since it’s the only main island of Japan where I haven’t gone swimming yet, I figured I’d explore one of the port towns over the weekend. The advantage to coming to this island in the summer is there is a lot of flower farms in bloom, the weather is near perfect, and there’s tons of fresh ice cream everywhere! Well, actually there’s ice cream here year-round since Hokkaido is known for its dairy, but this is the optimum weather for it.
I took a discount flight through Jetstar by booking it a few months in advance from Tokyo to New Chitose Airport, then took the express train from there to reach Otaru. Otaru is a historic port town with amazing seafood and ice cream. Almost all of the major attractions are within walking distance from the main station, and it has a very bubbly shopping street. There are a number of landmarks and famous buildings, as well as the relaxing stroll down canal street!
I started my trip with a stop at Popura Farm Otaru to try their famous melon bowl ice cream. It did not disappoint. With newfound energy I wandered to the canal street for some photography. It truly looks like something out of a Venetian movie! They offer boat rides here, but since I was trying to steer away from crowds, I opted not to go. Being in this pleasant weather was sure relaxing though.
Next I traveled to the shopping street right down the road and saw some interesting shops! You could buy almost anything here: crab buns, green tea, music boxes, sushi, Sniw Miku goods, art, and more. They also had Peanuts and Hello Kitty themed restaurants. What a happening place. My favorite shop here was LeTAO, because they were giving amazing free samples of cheese cake and cookies here. Shops on this street close around 7pm, so be sure to come early so you can see everything.
At the end of this street was a very unique music box museum! They had adorable sushi cake music boxes for sale, as well as the Orpheus music box you could see (not for sale), which is one of the oldest and most famous in Japan. Although the first floor was a bit of a tourist trap with nothing but souvenirs on the tables, the upper floors had a lot of rare music boxes and were exciting to see. This museum is very small but has a homey feel.
Afterwards I decided it was time to go to the beach! The weather was perfect and I was in an elevated mood that comes with traveling to a new place. I grabbed my swimsuit and took a local bus to to Higashi Otaru Beach, which was one of the closest swimming beaches to Otaru Station. From the photos and reviews on Google Maps, it looked like quite the promising place for a swim. However, I was quite disappointed its overall condition and how small the swimming area was.
This beach is right next to the railroad tracks, so you need to walk a long distance down the side of a highway to get to an area where it’s safe to cross. When I finally got there I noticed the sand was very rough, and there was litter on the beach. I tried to go swimming but I couldn’t get far–there were a lot of rocks and it just didn’t live up to my previous expectations for it. Instead, I decided to make up for it by drinking two mini bottles of wine that I had stored in my backpack and relaxed for a while. This was the first time that I’ve been disappointed by a beach in Japan, but I wasn’t about to let it ruin my trip. I found a rock to sit on and gazed at the beautiful horizon while I rested. From this point of view, it looked like a stunning beach:
Not wanting to accept disappointment, I decided to make my way back to the central city and find a hotspring. Except I was slightly buzzed and couldn’t find the bus stop. I decided to walk on the side of the highway until I found a taxi. But I was on the wrong side of the road. How to cross… That’s when the free shuttle to Otaru Kourakuen miraculously arrived and stopped for me. I decided that’s where I was going next! Adorable otters greeted me at the door, and a dip in the hot springs was exactly what I needed to regain my spirit. I was back again! Back from disappointment.
Afterwards, it was getting to be dusk so I decided to make my way back to the center of the city and grab dinner. I decided on a seafood place near the melon ice cream restaurant and ordered some delicious crab leg avocado sushi. If you’re going to try seafood, Hokkaido is the place to do it!
Feeling extremely satisfied I decided to make my way back to Sapporo where I was staying, just because it has cheaper guesthouse options. I had a very good time here in Otaru though! After living in Tokyo for over three years, I am always glad to spend my time in the scenic countryside.