Otaru Private Tour with Licensed Guide

Sapporo Trip Overview

This is not only sightseeing but also a great chance to talk with a local for a better understanding of Hokkaido, Otaru and locals. This 8-hour tour features friendly English speaking licensed guides who have knowledge of history and culture, and also are pleased to answer your questions about the local’s life and topics. No rush, comfortable and flexible with your requests.  

On this tour, you will visit the landmarks and a local sake brewery with the background stories.

For sake lovers, a special sake tour is also available. A licensed brewer who is making sake at Tanaka Sake Brewery will let you go in the brewery room and explain how to make. He also gives you an opportunity of tasting several kinds of Sake chosen by the brewer.

If you are a whiskey lover, Nikka Whisky Yoichi distillery is a must to visit. It will be included instead of Sankaku Market and Tanaka Sake Brewery.

Lunch and entrance fees are not included. You can pay just for what you have, where you visit.

Additional Info

Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Sapporo, Japan
Trip Category: Private & Custom Tours >> Private Sightseeing Tours

What to Expect When Visiting Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

This is not only sightseeing but also a great chance to talk with a local for a better understanding of Hokkaido, Otaru and locals. This 8-hour tour features friendly English speaking licensed guides who have knowledge of history and culture, and also are pleased to answer your questions about the local’s life and topics. No rush, comfortable and flexible with your requests.  

On this tour, you will visit the landmarks and a local sake brewery with the background stories.

For sake lovers, a special sake tour is also available. A licensed brewer who is making sake at Tanaka Sake Brewery will let you go in the brewery room and explain how to make. He also gives you an opportunity of tasting several kinds of Sake chosen by the brewer.

If you are a whiskey lover, Nikka Whisky Yoichi distillery is a must to visit. It will be included instead of Sankaku Market and Tanaka Sake Brewery.

Lunch and entrance fees are not included. You can pay just for what you have, where you visit.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: LeTAO, 7-16 Sakaimachi, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0027, Japan

*This may be replaced with another branch:

LeTAO is a cake shop known very well for the tasty cheesecake. To win the hearts of locals, they have continued to make their cakes by hand daily, just as when they first opened. Savor a piece of cake along with specially-selected teas in the upstairs café, or buy a cake as a gift for someone special. There are a variety of baked sweets and chocolates.

Duration: 15 minutes

Pass By: JR Otaru Station, 2-22 Inaho, Otaru 047-0032 Hokkaido

30-50 min from Sapporo. The train runs the seaside so the scenery from the window is nice.

Stop At: Otaru Canal, Minatomachi, Otaru 047-0007 Hokkaido

Otaru Canal was built in the 1920s as a channel connecting warehouses and the Port of Otaru, which thrived as the gateway to Hokkaido during the period of land reclamation. Stone-built warehouses and gas lamps stand along the 1140-meter-long canal, recalling the area’s heyday.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Sankaku Market, 3-10-16 Inaho, Otaru 047-0032 Hokkaido

“Sankaku”, it’s mean the triangle. The origin of the name is that the land and the roof is in the form of a triangle. Just 1 min from the JR Otaru station, then you can enjoy very fresh seafood like the salmon, salmon roe and sea urchin.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Otaru Orgel Museum Main Building, 4-1 Sumiyoshicho, Otaru 047-0015 Hokkaido

Experience the past up close, with pipe organs, automaton dolls only found a few places in the world and more. They’ve assembled an unmatched collection of carefully-selected music boxes, including Japanese- and Swiss-made music boxes with the musical ability to be considered instruments, and music boxes you can enjoy up close.

Duration: 20 minutes

Pass By: Otaru Orgel Museum 2nd Building Antique, 6-13 Sakaimachi, Otaru 047-0027 Hokkaido

You’ll enjoy the aeolian pipe organ, a number of historically valuable antique music boxes.

Stop At: Kitaichi Glass 3gokan, 7-26 Sakaimachi, Otaru 047-0027 Hokkaido

The Kitaichi Glass Sangokan is a historical stone on wood frame building dating back to 1891, originally constructed as a fishery warehouse. In 1983, we converted the building to contain a Kitaichi Glass sales outlet and café. They are best known for their grand hall lit with one-of-a-kind oil lamps and their wide selection of charming Kitaichi Glass products.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Otaru Kihinkan, 3-63 Shukutsu, Otaru 047-0047 Hokkaido

***Option for “Guide and Vehicle”***

The villa is a symbol of herring fishing history in Otaru which took 6 years to be completed. The traditional alcoves and the gorgeously sculptured fanlights are built in rosewood (shitan) or Japanese cedar and or so. The paintings and calligraphy on the sliding doors in various rooms are genuine treasures. They were created by Gyokudo Kawai, a great master of Japanese painting working with his disciples.

Duration: 45 minutes

Pass By: Taishougarasu Museum, 1-1-6 Ironai, Otaru 047-0031 Hokkaido

Glass craft flourished during the period of Taisho in Otaru. This museum shop shows you the Japanese style glass continuring the tradition from the time.

Stop At: Otaru Sakaimachi Street, Sakaimachi, Otaru 047-0027 Hokkaido

Historical street with shops and restaurants. You can enjoy the biggest Musical box shop in Japan, Kitaichi glass shop where you can purchase the variety of beautiful glass and even you can have tea time with famous Otaru sweets like LeTAO, Rokkatei, and Kitakarou! You might see the colorful ice cream which you never ever seen before!

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery, 7-6 Kurokawacho, Yoichi-cho, Yoichi-gun 046-0003 Hokkaido

**This can be included instead of Tanaka Sake Brewery and Sankaku Market**

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Tanaka Sake Brewing Kikkogura, 2-2 Nobukacho, Otaru 047-0016 Hokkaido

The stone buildings that were built for the Tanaka Sake Brewery Kikkogura in 1905 have been designated as historic buildings by the city of Otaru. Enjoy free samples of Shiboritate Nama Genshu (fresh Japanese Sake) and 10 other kinds of sake made right on the premises.

Duration: 30 minutes

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