Otaru with Kids: A Perfect Day Trip from Sapporo in Hokkaido
Last Updated on December 18, 2024 by Kay
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Otaru is probably one of my favorite places in Japan, so of course I needed to take my daughter there when we went to Hokkaido on a family trip.
When I visited Otaru in the past, it had always been a day trip but this time, I wanted to stay overnight. However, the universe had other plans and we had to leave Hokkaido a day early, meaning we only had one day in Otaru.
But you know what? It turned out to be the perfect day and the highlight of our trip! It was the best way to end our travels in Hokkaido, and I can’t wait to go back.
In this article, I’ll share what my family did on a day trip to Otaru so hopefully, it will help you plan your visit as well!
Table of Contents
How to Get to Otaru from Sapporo
Otaru is located less than an hour away from Sapporo.
It takes about 40 minutes to reach Otaru by both car (depending on traffic) and train from Sapporo.
To reach Otaru by train from Sapporo, take the Rapid Airport Line from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station.
Do you need a car to get around Otaru? No, not necessarily. You can take buses or trains around the city and I saw people waiting at bus stops. We rented a car during our trip to Hokkaido, though, so we used that.
When Is the Best Time to Visit Otaru
I think Otaru is great to visit during any season, but I personally recommend going during summer.
In winter, Otaru is covered with snow and looks absolutely magical. They also have an event called Otaru Snow Light Path where they line the streets and canals with candles. However, it’s a major tourist destination in winter and can be very crowded.
In spring, you can see cherry blossoms in parks while in fall, you can see autumn foliage. The weather is also very pleasant during these seasons.
However, I think summer is my favorite because although it can be hot (although still considerably cooler than cities on Japan’s main island like Tokyo and Osaka), there aren’t as many tourists as winter and it’s the best time to enjoy a boat ride. I’ll talk more about that later.
What is Otaru Famous For?
This small, coastal city along the Sea of Japan is famous for its canal, which is lined with old warehouses, glass, music boxes, sea views, and seafood.
I know what you might be thinking — Will my kid like any of those things? Well, if they’re anything like my daughter, they will love Otaru.
What to Do in Otaru with Kids: A One-Day Itinerary
☀️ Morning
I suggest arriving in Otaru at around 8:30 AM. This way, you can make the most of your time. Keep in mind that there are not many cafes open at this time other than Mister Donut, Komeda Coffee, and Cake and Cafe Marie Laurencin. Therefore, eat breakfast before you go!
(We had a quick breakfast at a Family Mart in Otaru.)
I’m going to share what we did during our day trip to Otaru but I suggest changing up your plans a bit to suit your schedule.
Explore Otaru Canal and Sakaimachi Hondori Street
Since we had booked a boat ride to the Blue Cave for 10:30 AM, we decided to head straight for Otaru’s most famous landmark, the Otaru Canal, to take photos. We specifically went to the Asakusa Bridge and it was perfect because no one was there! This is especially beautiful at night when it’s dark but cozily lit up by lights.
(For those of you who want to do the Blue Cave boat ride, which I’ll talk about later, I recommend booking the earliest slot for the boat ride so you can have more time to explore Otaru Canal and Sakaimachi Hondori Street afterward. We felt rushed but 10:30 AM was the only slot we could get. An afternoon slot would work as well.)
If you go later in the day, you can check out the Otaru Denuki Koji, which has various local foods you can try. You can also rent a rikshaw if you like! Note that the restaurants and stalls don’t open until 10 or 11 AM.
Another way to enjoy Otaru Canal is to ride a boat along it! We didn’t have time for this but it seemed like fun.
After we took photos of Otaru Canal, we walked along Sakaimachi Hondori Street (堺町本通り) with the aim of going to the Otaru Music Box Museum (Otaru Orgel Doh Main Hall), which opens at 9 AM. You’ll encounter the Sakaimachi branch along the way, which is much smaller but worth a peek, especially since you can make your own music box (from 10 AM). I really wanted to do this but we just didn’t have the time, so it’ll have to wait until our next trip.
There are lots of historical buildings and shops along Sakaimachi. One of my favorites is Kitachi Glass Otaru, which has glass handicrafts made locally. However, if you have small kids who like to run around or touch things, you might want to avoid this.
You can also rent a kimono if you like from Kimono Tsujichu, and it looks like they have some for kids as well!
You’ll find that some shops won’t open until 10 or 11 AM so you may want to come back or visit later in the day.
Otaru Music Box Museum
The Otaru Music Box Museum is one of my favorite places in Otaru. It’s absolutely magical and my daughter thought so as well.
Seeing your child’s reaction when they get transported somewhere that looks like it belongs in a fairyland is everything. Her eyes just lit up and she quickly wanted to try out all the music boxes. My daughter is five years old and extremely careful in stores so I had no problem letting her explore.
The Otaru Music Box Museum, as implied in the name, is filled with two floors of music boxes (the largest collection in Japan) and a third floor of Studio Ghibli and other character goods.
Note that the second floor of music boxes contains retro and collectable music boxes, which you’re not allowed to touch.
Make sure not to forget to get a bus stop photo with Totoro just like in the movie!
They have a mix of domestically-made music boxes, including many made in Otaru, that play various songs, from classics by Mozart to Studio Ghibli. They also come in numerous styles, from elegant music boxes made of metal to adorable Hello Kitty ones made of wood.
I ended up choosing two music boxes that play Studio Ghibli songs, one from Howl’s Moving Castle (Merry-Go-Round of Life・人生のメリーゴーランド) and the other from Spirited Away (Always with Me・いつも何度でも), which are pictured below.
From what I saw in the store, they had music boxes playing songs from Totoro as well. The names of the songs are written on the bottom of the music boxes in Japanese, but it’s completely fine to wind up the music box and listen to the songs to find your favorite.
Here are the available songs in Japanese and their English translation to help you choose:
君をのせて・Carrying You (Laputa)
いのちの名前・The Name of Life (Spirited Away)
いつも何度でも・Always with Me (Spirited Away)
ひこうき雲・Vapor Trail (The Wind Rises)
となりのトトロ・My Neighbor Totoro
さんぽ・ Hey Let’s Go! (Totoro)
風のとおり道・The Wind Forest (Totoro)
人生のメリーゴーランド・Merry-Go-Round of Life (Howl’s Moving Castle)
風になる・Become the Wind (The Cat Returns)
崖の上のポニョ・Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea
海の見える街・A Town with an Ocean View (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
I also bought a wooden Hello Kitty music box for my daughter. It’s very money-oriented, which was surprising to me and I asked her to consider another one, but I guess if that’s what makes her happy…?
Keep in mind that these music boxes are very fragile, so if you purchase one and take it home by plane, please put it in your carry-on luggage.
My daughter absolutely loves the music boxes I bought, and it’s so cute seeing her peering into the kaleidoscope music box that I got.
If you’re from Europe, maybe you have lots of lovely shops with music boxes so you might not be interested in visiting Otaru Music Box Museum. But as I mentioned before, many of their music boxes are made in Japan and some have cute Japanese designs, such as animals in onsen, so it’s bound to be a unique souvenir for yourself or your loved ones.
There is also a Hello Kitty Cafe next to the museum. I didn’t have time to visit but I am absolutely going the next time I’m in Otaru. Make sure not to forget to also take a picture of the famous Otaru Steam Clock, which is just like one in Vancouver!
If you want to shop for kids’ clothes or need supplies like diapers, there’s a Nishimatsuya a 6-minute walk from the Music Box Museum. They carry a ton of things for kids but my favorite thing to buy from there are clothes because they’re very affordable and cute! To find out more about Nishimatsuya and other places to shop for kids in Japan, read this article.
Give yourself at least one hour at the Otaru Music Box Museum, and maybe another hour if you want to go to the cafe. We had less than an hour because of our boat ride and it wasn’t enough time.
Otaru Glass Boat Ride to the Blue Cave
As I’ve mentioned before, this was the highlight of not only our trip to Otaru but also Hokkaido! It was such a great experience for our family and made a great memory. Whenever anyone asks my daughter what she liked the most in Hokkaido, it wasn’t the ice cream or all the animals she saw, it was the boat ride.
There are lots of companies that offer boat rides to the famous Blue Cave in Otaru.
We went with Otaru Glass Boat because of its close proximity to the Otaru Aquarium. Note that the guide only speaks Japanese but they have informational resources in other languages so you won’t be in the dark during the excursion.
You don’t need to provide your credit card information when making a reservation but you do need to make a reservation in advance. If you need to cancel, contact them in advance via phone (090-7621-1092).
Adults are 5500 yen and kids ages 3-5 are free! (Which meant we paid nothing for our 5-year-old, woohoo!)
To get there from Otaru Station, take the Hokkaido Chuo Bus [11] via Akaiwa that is bound for Otaru Aquarium. You can find the bus schedule on the Otaru Aquarium website (scroll to the bottom).
This is a helpful video as well!
If you’re not interested in visiting the Otaru Aquarium (which I’ll talk about later), there’s another company offering boat rides near Otaru Canal. This company requires you to book in advance using a credit card. Their boat is also not a glass boat.
The websites are both in Japanese (maybe they’ll make a translated one in English eventually).
From now on, I’m going to share our experience with Otaru Glass Boat. I am not an affiliate, this is not sponsored. My family just really loved the experience and I want to share it with everyone!
Our reservation was for 10:30 but we received an email the day before asking us to come 30 minutes beforehand. So make sure you check your email the day before and arrive early!
When we arrived, we found out why they wanted us to come early. We were departing ASAP! After signing some forms and going to the bathroom, we were fitted with lifejackets, boarded the boat, and were off by 10:15, 15 minutes before the time we had booked. The reason for this was that the weather was very good compared to the day before and lots of boats from other companies were out, so the captain of Otaru Glass Boat wanted to avoid being stuck in traffic.
There were two young couples riding the boat with us and we all had plenty of room.
The Captain of the boat was really friendly and made sure to explain all of the sights during the boat ride. There were lots of photo opportunities and the Captain also took photos of us at the stern of the boat. (The photo below is one my husband took of me and my daughter right in front of the Blue Cave.)
Riding the boat during the summer was great because it was so refreshing. It wasn’t hot or cold, the everything felt perfect.
Since it’s a glass boat, my daughter was able to see into ocean water under her feet and she loved it. There weren’t many marine animals apart from sea urchins and starfish, and as the Captain explained to us, if you want to see colorful fish, Hokkaido is not the place to be. My daughter loves starfish, though, so she was very pleased.
The Captain also gave her some rice snacks to feed the various seabirds and she was so thrilled. One important thing to note is that the Captain will offer to let you hold a snack in the air to feed the seabirds. I don’t recommend doing this, especially not your child, because my husband did and his finger got nicked by a talon.
The Blue Cave was absolutely gorgeous and my daughter was delighted by all the bats. (They’re high up so you don’t need to worry about them attacking you or anything!) We were lucky with the weather and the water was a perfect shade of cyan.
We sped back to the dock and my daughter was laughing the entire time. She loved how fast we were going, it was like a ride at Universal Studios Japan but even better! There’s a high chance you’ll get wet but we were protected by the people in front of us, who were given coats to help keep them dry. We also got another chance to feed the seabirds.
One interesting part of the ride, other than the Blue Cave, of course, was the remainder of an old resort on a cliff that burned down in 1952. The Captain showed us pictures of how it used to look and all the people relaxing on the beach, and being a history nut, I loved it.
Below is what the former resort currently looks like.
And here’s what it used to look like in its glory days.
When we got back to land, the Captain let us hold a sea urchin (and see its teeth, wow) as well as a starfish. My daughter refused to hold any but she did pet the starfish.
The boat ride was supposed to be about 60 minutes long but when including everything, it was 90 minutes. I definitely felt like it was a great value for what we got!
🌤️ Afternoon
Otaru Aquarium
After the glass boat ride, we headed to Otaru Aquarium. This is within walking distance of Otaru Glass Boat but if you have a car, you can drive there as well.
Otaru Aquarium is small and everything can be seen in about 1.5 hours. They have 500 aquatic creatures from around the world, including Hokkaido.
There are also various shows throughout the day, such as a seal show, a sea lion show, a penguin show, and a dolphin show. One of the dolphins had just given birth so they closed access to the Dolphin Stadium and cancelled all shows. I hadn’t told my daughter about the dolphin show so she wasn’t disappointed, thankfully.
It was quite hot outside and we arrived around lunchtime, so my daughter wasn’t interested in watching the penguin or seal shows (which are held outside). We had lunch in their 2F restaurant in the Main Building and the food was fine. I had miso corn butter ramen, which wasn’t as good as the one I had in Sapporo but decent enough. I liked that we could look at the Sea of Japan from our counter seats near the window. There were phone chargers as well, which I desperately needed.
After my daughter fuelled up, we checked out all the tanks and sea creatures.
I loved the super-fast Harbour Porpoises and local Hokkaido fish while the highlight for my daughter was the otter. There are small tunnels located both on the floor and near the ceiling that it can swim through, and it pooped in the ceiling tunnel! My daughter thought it was so funny and later, when her grandmother asked her about Hokkaido, she made sure to mention that.
There are touch pools as well with sea urchins and starfish, and you can also buy food to feed the sea lions.
Despite that there was a school group visiting, the aquarium didn’t feel very crowded so we could take our time and look at everything. I don’t like crowded places so this aquarium felt perfect. It’s a little old but the animals are well cared for.
Shukutsu Marine Land
Located right next to Otaru Aquarium is a very small amusement park called Shukutsu Marine Land. It looks like it hasn’t been renovated since the 90s, so I would consider it a retro amusement park.
Many of the rides are meant for younger kids but I saw some teenagers and adults going on rides like the Viking boat, so it might be worth checking out, especially since there’s no entrance fee. You simply buy tickets and use them on the rides you want to go on.
My daughter went on a few rides and she loved it, and it only cost us 200 yen for each ride!
Otaru Shukutsu Panorama Observatory
Also within walking distance is the Otaru Shukutsu Panorama Observatory.
From here you can see lovely views of the Sea of Japan as well as Otaru Aquarium and the surrounding area.
We spent a few minutes here before getting in the car and heading to New Chitose Airport to catch our evening flight home.
If you’re staying until the evening, I suggest heading back to Sakaimachi Hondori Street and the surrounding area for dinner. You can also find some restaurants serving fresh locally caught seafood at Sankaku Market.
Other Things to See in Otaru with Kids
We didn’t make it to these spots but I thought I would share in case you have extra time or want to change up your itinerary.
Otaru Museum
If you or your child likes historical trains, then Otaru Museum is a must-visit spot.
Temiya Ryokuka Botanical Gardens
Temiya Ryokuka Botanical Gardens is located within a huge park and has lots of seasonal foliage such as cherry blossoms in spring, autumn leaves in fall, and hydrangea in June.
Wing Bay Otaru
Wing Bay Otaru is a shopping mall in Otaru with some indoor play areas for kids. So if the weather isn’t great or you need somewhere for your kids to let off some energy, consider going here.
Otaru Museum of History and Nature
This museum contains historical items and relics related to Otaru and interactive displays. There is also a section on the wildlife in Otaru as well as displays about the Jomon period (c. 14,000 to 300 BC).
Where to Stay in Otaru
If you want to stay overnight in Otaru, here are some hotels that I would personally stay at.
Grand Park Otaru
We had booked Grand Park Otaru before we had to cancel due to having to head home early. I was absolutely crushed because I was looking forward to our room, which had a view of the sea.
This is located right next to the Wing Bay Otaru shopping mall, but it’s a little far from Otaru Canal, so you would need to take the Rapid Airport Line from Otaruchikko Station to Otaru Station, which is a 6-minute ride.
Kids ages 5 and under stay for free.
Otaru Furukawa
Otaru Furukawa is a beautiful hotel with ryokan vibes. It’s in an excellent location, located right along Otaru Canal, so it’s incredibly convenient.
It has hot spring baths and some of the rooms have their own onsen baths.
Depending on the plan you get, breakfast and dinner are included.
Hotel Nord Otaru
Hotel Nord Otaru is another hotel in a great location right along the canal. The rooms are quite spacious compared to other hotels in the area.
Depending on the plan, breakfast is included.
Kids ages 5 and under stay for free and families with kids gave it a 9.0 rating on Booking.com.
The roof also has a bar with beautiful views of the ocean and mountains.
Wrap-up: Otaru with Kids
I hope this look at what to do in Otaru with kids and our day trip was helpful for you. It is truly one of my favorite places in Japan, both before I had a child and even after. Make sure not to forget to visit Otaru during your trip!