Japan Otaru

Otaru is situated in the western part of Hokkaido, facing Ishikari-wan Bay. It has developed and prospered as "the sea entrance of Hokkaido" over the last 100 years and it has gained the nickname "Wall Street of the north." The glassworks shops, coffee shops, restaurants and shopping malls along the canal have been converted from stone-built or brick-built warehouses, which were used for storage when the canal was crowded with jostling barges in former flourishing days of commerce. When night falls, oil lamps on the cobbled streets are lit. The town gently evokes a nostalgic mood.