Otaru City

This city is famous for its canal street close to the waterfront, which is frequented by many tourists. It also boasts another touristy street with many shops selling a variety of articles made of glass. It used to be a very commercial city dealing with coal from the surrounding coal mines and with the herring fishery. Sapporo has since replaced Otaru as the commercial centre of Hokkaido. It has been said that the locals could see when it was time to go fishing because the ocean water would change colour due the immense schools of herring. The photographs show a number of "kura" or Japanese store houses near the waterfront. As our Hokkaido trip came to a conclusion later in August we would be back here to take an overnight ferry to Niigata back on the island of Honshu.

Click on Otaru Canal City to see photographs on Picasa.