1
Blue Canal

Illumination event that turns the canals blue in winter

A long-running illumination event held every year from November to January. The Otaru Canal is decorated with approximately 10,000 blue LED bulbs, which are turned on at sunset. The illumination reflects off the surface of the canal and the snow, creating a romantic scene where the entire area turns blue. During the "Otaru Canal Night Cruise," which is popular among tourists, the cruise ship is illuminated with blue lights as it cruises around the canal.

Blue Canal

• Minato-cho, Otaru City, Hokkaido (Otaru Canal Asakusa Bridge - Chuo Bridge) MAP
• Saturday, November 1, 2025 - Saturday, January 31, 2026 (Mon)
  Sunset - 22:30
• Free of charge
• 0134-33-2510（Otaru Tourist Association)
• No parking (use the city's paid parking lot)

2
Otaru Snow Light Path

A wintertime tradition in Otaru decorated with snow candles

This popular winter event is held every February. Numerous snow candles are lit throughout the city, warmly decorating Otaru in the bitter cold.
At the main event site, "Otaru Canal", "floating ball candles" lit by candles inside glass spheres are floated on the surface of the water and snow candles are lined up along the walking path. The lights of the floating candles sway, and the stone warehouses along the canal are enveloped in candlelight, creating a scene so beautiful that one forgets the cold. Combined with the gaslights, it creates a nostalgic atmosphere.

Warm scenery created by people's bond

The Otaru Snow Light Path is supported by volunteer Staff/staff members, including citizens, students, and foreigners. In addition to setting up and running the main venue, the city's shopping streets, neighborhood associations, local businesses, and private residences also come up with their own ideas to create snow candles and snow sculptures.
As the sun sets, candles are lit one by one, and the circle of light spreads throughout the city, reminding us of the bonds of people who continue to cherish and protect the event. If you take a look at the street corners and back alleys that are not listed in the guidebooks, you may find unexpected warm sceneries.

Otaru Snow Light Path

• Various locations in Otaru, Hokkaido MAP
• February 7 (Sat) - 14 (Mon), 2026
• Free of charge
• 0134-32-4111 ext. 7267 (Otaru Snow Light Path Executive Committee Office / Otaru City Industry and Port Department Tourism Promotion Office)
• No parking (use the city's paid parking lot)

3
Snow Cruise Ones

Enjoy the snow on the slopes with a spectacular ocean view

This urban ski resort is about 30 minutes from Otaru City by car and 45 minutes from Sapporo City in Direction. The panoramic view of Ishikari Bay from the top of the mountain is so exhilarating that it is almost like diving into the sea, allowing you to enjoy skiing and snowboarding to the fullest.
There are eight courses that can be enjoyed by everyone from beginners to advanced skiers. All courses are compact and all arrive at the same lift station, so there is little worry about being separated from your companions. In addition, the free "Beginners Area EZ6" has gentle slopes and is recommended for beginner skiers and snowboarders to practice and for children to play sledding.

You can also enjoy night skiing with a beautiful night view

Another attraction of "Snow Cruise Ones" is its long opening hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The ocean view of the slopes is transformed at night into a night view with the lights of the city of Sapporo fluttering in the distance. You will never get tired of seeing the view that changes with the time of day. The Center House near the slopes has a rest area and a kid's space, and the Restaurant offers a wide variety of menu items, making it possible for visitors with children to enjoy themselves all day long.
There is also a full rental service, and the "empty-handed package" that includes equipment, clothing, a lift ticket, and a meal ticket is also available, making it possible for children to debut on the slopes while sightseeing in Otaru.

Snow Cruise Ones

• 357 Haruka-cho, Otaru City, Hokkaido MAP
• Free shuttle bus ride from JR Zenibako Station
• Mid-December 2025 - March 29, 2026 (Sun)
  9:00-23:00
• One-day lift ticket (night skiing available): Adults 5,000 yen, seniors/junior high and high school students 4,200 yen, elementary school students 3,300 yen
  Single lift ticket: Adults 700 yen, seniors/junior high and high school students 600 yen, children 400 yen
  Empty package (equipment/wear set, one-day lift ticket, meal ticket): Adults: 17,500 yen, seniors/junior high and high school students: 12,700 yen, elementary school students: 11,700 yen
  There are also many other types of lift tickets, including 4-hour and 6-hour lift tickets. Please check the website for details.
• 0134-62-2228
• Free of charge

4
Otaru Aquarium

Northern marine life is energetic even in the cold

Otaru Aquarium, which always exhibits more than 250 kinds of marine animals and fish, will be open in winter from the beginning of December, and unique events will be held to take advantage of the snow and cold weather. The "Penguin Walk in the Snow" is a popular winter event that allows visitors to see gentoo penguins strolling in front of their eyes. You can't take your eyes off the adorable penguins as they roam freely in the snow. The "Frozen Penguin Pool," which is set up outdoors only during the winter, features two gomafuzzled penguins! Pool," which is set up outdoors only during the winter months, two largha seals welcome visitors. On days when it is so cold that the water surface freezes over, the seals can be seen swimming through the ice as if in the wild.

Enjoy the warmth of the aquarium and have fun you won't find in other aquariums

The Otaru Aquarium also has many attractions within the facility, including Taro, a green turtle that was rescued in 2007 with its right front limb missing and successfully recovered, which is very popular among children and adults of all ages. The museum is also the only facility in Japan that keeps and exhibits the world's rarest species of porpoise, the rat dolphin, allowing visitors to see its charming appearance up close and personal. Visitors can enjoy the indoor dolphin stadium, where they can watch a show of bottlenose dolphins and sea lions, or enjoy a gourmet meal at New Sanko Otaru Aquarium, a long-established Western-style Restaurant in Otaru City.

Otaru Aquarium

• 3-303, Shukuzu, Otaru City, Hokkaido MAP
• Take a bus from JR Otaru Stn. and get off at Otaru Aquarium.
• 9:00-17:00 (10:00-16:00 in winter)
  *Closing hours may change depending on the season. Check the website for details.
• Late February to mid-March, late November to mid-December
  Kaijyu Park and the amusement park are closed in winter.
• Winter (mid-December to late February): High school students and older: 1,300 yen, elementary and junior high school students: 500 yen, infants (3 years and older): 300 yen
  Normal (mid-March to late November): 1,800 yen for high school students and older, 700 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and 350 yen for infants (3 years old and older).
• 0134-33-1400
• Admission charged (free in winter)

5
Otaru Beer Otaru Warehouse No.1

Otaru Beer Brewery Pub, where you can also tour the brewery

A cold beer served in the warmth of a room is a unique Hokkaido winter treat. If blizzards and cold weather make it difficult to walk around the city, why not visit Otaru Soko No. 1, a brewery that also has an Otaru Beer beer pub, and enjoy a delicious beer and a tour of the brewery?
You can take a peek into the brewing kettle that sits right in front of the seating area, experience the sound and aroma of yeast fermenting in the fermentation tanks, and even taste the wort before it is turned into beer. Visitors are free to tour the brewery, but Staff/staff members will provide explanations during free tours conducted every 30 minutes, which do not require reservations.

Toast with traditional German beer and delicious food

Otaru Beer" is a traditional German beer made only with water, malt, and hops, based on the "Beer Purity Law" promulgated in Germany in 1516. The beer pub offers three regular beers with live yeast, as well as seasonal beers, fruit beers, and non-alcoholic drinks such as apple cider.
In addition, there is a wide variety of dishes that go well with German beer, such as sauerkraut, homemade sausages, brezel (German bread), and Hokkaido pork schnitzel (German-style cutlet). The space in a stone warehouse along the Otaru Canal is also atmospheric and will make your beer taste even better.

Otaru Beer Otaru Warehouse No.1

• 5-4 Minato-cho, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido MAP
• 14 min. walk from JR Otaru Stn.
• 11:00-22:00 (L.O. 21:00)
• Closed on weekends and holidays
• 0134-21-2323
• None
• Brewery tours are free of charge (no reservation required), guided tours are available every 30 minutes from 11:10 until 17:10 (approx. 20 minutes).
  Free tours only depending on availability of Staff/staff members.