When visiting Hokkaido’s bustling capital city Sapporo, it's easy to create an itinerary dominated entirely by activities within the city. But that would be a mistake. Hokkaido is revered by the Japanese for its wealth of natural beauty, a deep appreciation rooted in the teachings of Shintoism and Buddhism. So any Hokkaido itinerary should include at least a little interaction with nature. One easy option is a visit to the picturesque coast of Otaru, with its unimaginably azure waters, awe-inspiringly large coastal rock formations, and one of Hokkaido’s most famous natural treasures, the Blue Cave. Here’s everything you need to know to plan a successful visit.

Where is Otaru?

The port city of Otaru is situated on the northern coast of Hokkaido. Throughout its history, Otaru has been very important to Japanese trade and commerce due to its proximity to the Sea of Japan.

Is Otaru worth visiting?

Yes! Otaru has always been a popular destination for Japanese locals, but has recently gained popularity with international visitors as well. The village was a rich trading post, and you can still see remnants of its old-time wealth in the varied architecture. In 1912, at the height of its prosperity, the 4000-foot canal lined with 63 gas street lamps was built. Today, the old warehouses have evolved into cafes, restaurants, and shops. Due to its picturesque canal, Otaru is often referred to as the Venice of Japan.

How far is Otaru from Sapporo?

The distance from Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital city, to Otaru is approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers). This makes it ideal for a day trip.

How do I get to Otaru from Sapporo?

Reaching Otaru from Sapporo is fairly simple and there are a number of options.

By train: The JR Hakodate Line will take you from Sapporo (JR) Station to Otaru Station. A bonus for taking this route are lovely scenic views. The journey runs around 35-45 minutes. Approximate cost of a one-way ticket is 750 JPY.

By bus: Several bus companies operate the route from various departure points. The journey runs slightly longer at about 50 minutes. Approximate cost of a one-way ticket via JR Hokkaido Bus is slightly cheaper at around 680 JPY.

By car: The Sasson Expressway allows for a short 40 minute drive. With a rental car, you’ll have additional expenses–the rental cost, petrol, and tolls–but you’ll also have much more flexibility with the timing of your trip and the ability to make additional stops along the way. If you’re unfamiliar with driving in Japan, another option would be to hire a private tour company with transportation included, which would offer the added bonus of an English-speaking guide.

What is The Blue Cave?

The Blue Cave is located in a section of the rocky structures jutting out along the coast near the Japanese city of Otaru. It's compact, measuring only approximately 6.5 feet (2m) wide and 3.3 feet tall. It was formed and continues to form through seawater erosion. The name “Blue Cave” refers to the brilliant turquoise blue color of the water inside the darkened cave, which is the result of sunlight entering the narrow aperture, reflecting off the seabed, and dispersing in the relatively calm interior waters. The cave is a popular tourist attraction and can be reached at low tide through small boat, snorkeling and kayaking tours.

How do I get to The Blue Cave?

Though there are options to snorkel or kayak to The Blue Cave, the simplest way to reach this attraction is by hiring a boat tour. Many boat tour companies are stationed in and around the Otaru Port Marina. Boat rides, depending on the type of tour and the departure location, can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour to reach The Blue Cave. Prices can vary anywhere from 5,500-7,500 JPY per person.

We used Waku Waku Otaru Blue Boating Adventure, which operates out of the northern part of the canal, right by Unga Park. They are on the more affordable side, but they do require payment in cash. They also offer pickup service from the JR Otaru station, if this is your first stop.

When can I visit The Blue Cave?

Visiting the Blue Cave is only possible from late spring to early autumn with guided tours available from April through October, weather permitting. Most tour operators will provide the most up-to-date information and plan around any potential weather events, delaying or canceling trips as necessary.

What is the best time to visit The Blue Cave?

We recommend doing your Blue Cave boat excursion in the morning before the afternoon sun gets too punishing. Keep in mind that it generally feels cool on the water, so it’s easy for the amount of sun exposure to catch you unawares. Planning an early excursion also leaves plenty of time to accommodate possible weather delays. Some operators leave as early as 8:30 am, but you can see our recommended itinerary below.

How much time should I spend at The Blue Cave?

The time spent in the captivating glow of The Blue Cave is actually quite brief. Expect no more than 15-20 minutes for a small boat tour, longer if you’re snorkeling, kayaking, or have included other coastal activities. The journey to the cave actually takes longer than the visit itself, but the scenic views all along the way are well worth the experience. Just note that weather and tourist congestion may impact how long it will take to access The Blue Cave.

What should I expect on a Blue Cave Boat Tour?

Tsurukake Rock, one of the many amazing sights on a Blue Cave Boat Tour

Your speedboat will glide swiftly across the impossibly blue water, with alien-looking rock formations towering above you along the coast. You'll feel the salty breeze in your hair, watch seagulls trailing in the air behind the boat and pause to see spiky-balled sea urchins huddled in the clear waters below. It’s a surreal, serene experience that intimately connects you to the natural beauty all around you.

As a fun, surprising bonus on our return journey, our boat operator stopped at a rocky formation where a colony of seagulls appeared to be lounging about. He passed out bags of shrimp chips to each of us, and advised us to hold them up. Within seconds, the seagulls swooped in for the shrimp chips, and snatched them, hand to beak, with ease! Our boat resumed its journey back towards the port after a few minutes, but the seagulls continued to follow along, until we ran out of snacks.

Please note that not all boat operators speak English, though you can still enjoy the scenery. Some may use a handheld translator or printed materials to assist. We had an English-speaking tour guide with us to translate, which made the experience much more enjoyable.

Recommended Otaru Day Trip Itinerary

10:30 am Blue Cave Boat Tour

View of Hiyoriyama Lighthouse from Ishikari Bay

The Blue Cave was truly the highlight of our visit to Otaru, so we recommend starting there. There is a distinct advantage to starting your day with the tour: reduced traffic. Most daytrippers will start in Otaru’s busy town center. Instead, we headed straight to the port for our tour. Our excursion started at 10:30 am and we only had to wait for one boat to exit the cave before we were allowed in. During hectic travel periods like weekends and holidays, you could encounter a boat traffic jam. Our entire excursion only took approximately 70 minutes, which got us back just in time for lunch.

12:00 pm Lunch at Minshuku Aotsuka Shokudou

Grilled herring, the specialty at Aotsuka

Grilled squid and miso soup were among the delicious dishes we sampled

We’re big fans of fresh seafood, whether we’re trekking to a seafood market outside Porto or trying persetorsk in Bergen. Minshuku Aotsuka Shokudou was recommended to us by a fellow foodie, and the no-nonsense seafood restaurant was right up our alley. The family-owned eatery is located right on the bay, and you can usually find the day’s catch grilled over beds of smokey charcoal. They are famous for their grilled herring–and by all means, order that–but don’t miss out on the incredible grilled squid, scallops, and surf clams as well. An English menu is available, and we found the staff extremely gracious and helpful.

Aotsuka is located away from the main Otaru tourist area, and is popular with the locals. The best way to get there is by taxi, which takes approximately 10 minutes from the Otaru Canal. The restaurant is also cash only, so plan accordingly.

Pro Tip: The restaurant accepts reservations, so if you have access to a concierge who can help with making necessary arrangements, you could save yourself a wait.

2:00 pm Explore Otaru Canal

There are multiple spots to view and photograph the scenic Otaru Canal, but one of the most popular is right at the Asakusa Bridge Garden, where an Otaru Tourist Information Center booth is also located. Canal boat tours pass underway, and you can then take a pleasant stroll along the promenade of the historic canal, which is lined with picturesque stone-walled warehouses, old factories, restaurants and shops.

3:00 pm Sakaimachi Street

Miffy Kitchen store on Sakaimachi Street

Sakaimachi Street is Otaru’s main artery filled with quaint shops, cafes, and boutiques. The options range from LeTAO, Hokkaido’s premier confectioner known for its double fromage cheesecake, to Snoopy Village, with Snoopy-shaped treats. Regardless of what catches your eye, save some time for these stops, which offer a glimpse of Otaru's rich history and culture.

Kitaichi Glass and Kitaichi Hall

The Kimura Warehouse was built in 1891 and functioned as a transit warehouse for herring products. But in 1983 it was converted to a glassware shop, and is now Kitaichi Glass Building No. 3, part of the Kitaichi Glass complex. Glass making in Otaru dates back to the late 19th century, when the fishing industry was booming and glass products were in high demand. The historic wood-framed stone building is filled with glass products that reflect over a century of artisanal skill and ingenuity, but it's also home to a very special café called Kitaichi Hall.

Kitaichi Hall boasts more than 160 intricate glass oil lamps proving a unique atmosphere for a drink or snack. There are free 30-minute piano performances Thursday to Friday at 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. If you’d like to partake, arrive a little early to account for the wait. By all accounts, the line moves fairly quickly due to the self-service nature of the café. When we visited, we simply made a quick stop to gawk . However, the YouTube video above offers a great interior view of the space when it’s empty (shortcut to a 42-second clip), allowing you to fully appreciate it.

Pro tip: If you decide to spend the night in Otaru, check out the lighting of the lamps which occurs at 8:45 am, when each of the 160-plus lamps are lit by hand.

Otaru Rainbow Soft Ice Cream

Hokkaido is renowned for dairy products, which hail from various farms dotting its countryside. A summer favorite of both locals and tourists is locally produced soft serve ice cream, sometimes just referred to as soft cream. In Otaru, you’ll find a head-spinning number of options, including fancy parfaits and concoctions. But we suggest Otaru Rainbow Soft Cream, where Hokkaido's stellar dairy is the star of the show.

Located just around the corner from Kitaichi Glass, this popular establishment offers myriad flavors, such as milk, chocolate or strawberry, but also incredible seasonal flavors such as melon and lavender. Can’t decide? Take on the Rainbow Tower, a colorful, seven-flavored (!) delicacy that challenges you with layers of milk, matcha, grape, lavender, melon, strawberry and chocolate.

Though it might be difficult to focus on anything other than eating the soft serve ice cream in hand, don’t miss the unique lamps in the store. They are repurposed glass fishing floats, once used by fishermen to keep their fishing nets buoyant.

Otaru Steam Clock

The Otaru Steam Clock feels like it belongs more in a Harry Potter movie than on a sidewalk in Otaru, which is part of its charm. The 18-foot tall, 1.5-ton Victorian-style bronze steam clock is the largest in the world, and one of only seven remaining. The Otaru Steam Clock is powered by electricity, but the steam engine is used to power its whistles and chimes. The gorgeous clock was a gift from Otaru's sister city of Vancouver, which features its very own steam clock in its Victorian Gastown. The Otaru Steam Clock whistles every 15 minutes, chiming the Westminster Quarters, just like Big Ben in London.

Music Box Museum

The Music Box Museum is mainly a retail outlet, offering every music box option imaginable. The production of music boxes in Otaru developed as a natural expansion of its intricate glasswork industry. The two-story brown brick building with a wooden frame dates back to 1915, and used to serve as the former Hokkaido headquarters of Kyosei Co., a rice-milling and rice-trading company.

You can find the perfect gift or keepsake from among tens of thousands of intricately crafted foreign-made and Japanese-made music boxes, many customizable with bronze placards and set to play classical or modern tunes. In addition, the upper levels and attached second building offer hands-on, build-your-own music box workshops and antique music box exhibits.

Conclusion

Japan’s major cities are full of wonder, but its smaller cities hold infinite charm. Much like our day trip from Tokyo to Nikko, our day trip from Sapporo to Otaru was a perfectly short, relaxing diversion. From the stunning natural beauty of Otaru’s coast, to boutique shopping along Sakaimachi Street, there really is a little something for everyone. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience a unique slice of Japanese culture outside of the modern comforts of Hokkaido’s capital city.

Sapporo to Otaru: A Perfect Day Trip Adventure to the Enchanting Blue Cave