# Otaru

- Kind: port
- Data version: 2026-10-14
- Reference month: 2026-10
- Checked: 2026-07-22
- Page: https://cruise-pitta.com/en/port/otaru

For reference only. Bookings, prices and schedules are not guaranteed. Check current details with the official provider.

## Overview

Photo: Soica2001 · [Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otaru_from_Tenguyama.JPG) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otaru_from_Tenguyama.JPG)

Checked: none (unverified)

- Region: [View Japan & Asia on the map](https://cruise-pitta.com/explore?r=japan-asia)
- Description: A romantic port town of Hokkaido canals, known for retro streetscapes, glass crafts, and fresh seafood.
- Port name: Otaru
- English name: Otaru
- Country: Japan
- Latitude / longitude: 43.20, 141.01

A port town in Hokkaido with a retro atmosphere created by stone warehouses and gas lamps along its canal. It retains traces of its former maritime prosperity and is known for glass crafts, music boxes, and sushi. The canal illuminated by winter snow is especially enchanting, while fresh seafood is another major highlight.

Checked: 2026-07-22

## Port highlights

- Population: About 110,000
- Climate: Humid subarctic climate. Summers are cool and comfortable; winters are cold with heavy snowfall. Cruises mainly call in summer, when conditions are comfortable.
- Language: Japanese
- Currency: Japanese yen (JPY)
- Best time to visit: June to September (summer is the season for port calls and is comfortable). The snowy canal scenery in winter is also popular, but the cold is severe

### Local food

Sushi and seafood rice bowls, fresh seafood (sea urchin, salmon roe, crab), LeTAO sweets, Hokkaido dairy products

### Sights

- Otaru Canal
- Sakaimachi Street (glass and music box shops)
- Otaru Sushi Street
- Former Nippon Yusen building (historic architecture)

Checked: 2026-07-22

## Monthly average high / low temperatures

| Month | Average high (°C / °F) | Average low (°C / °F) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 0 °C / 31 °F | -6 °C / 22 °F |
| Feb | 0 °C / 32 °F | -6 °C / 22 °F |
| Mar | 4 °C / 39 °F | -2 °C / 28 °F |
| Apr | 11 °C / 52 °F | 3 °C / 37 °F |
| May | 17 °C / 62 °F | 8 °C / 46 °F |
| Jun | 20 °C / 69 °F | 13 °C / 55 °F |
| Jul | 24 °C / 76 °F | 17 °C / 63 °F |
| Aug | 26 °C / 78 °F | 18 °C / 65 °F |
| Sep | 22 °C / 72 °F | 14 °C / 58 °F |
| Oct | 16 °C / 61 °F | 8 °C / 46 °F |
| Nov | 8 °C / 47 °F | 2 °C / 35 °F |
| Dec | 2 °C / 35 °F | -4 °C / 25 °F |

Adapted from Japan Meteorological Agency climate normals · Period: 1991–2020 · Station: Otaru · about 1.9 km from port · Last checked: 2026-10-03

Checked: 2026-10-03

## Local prices for travelers

- Compared with Tokyo, Japan (median of items): 100 (Tokyo = 100) (Estimated)
- Category: Similar to Tokyo

Compared with Tokyo, everything costs about the same.

| Item | Amount | Currency | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Water 370 ml | ¥108 | JPY | Checked: none (unverified) |
| Coffee | ¥485 | JPY | Checked: none (unverified) |
| Inexpensive meal | ¥950 | JPY | Checked: none (unverified) |
| Local beer | ¥650 | JPY | Checked: none (unverified) |
| Big Mac | ¥500 | JPY | Checked: none (unverified) |

- Survey month: 2026-10

Prices from nearby Sapporo (about 32 km away) · Amounts in the recorded local currency. No currency conversion applied. · Last checked: Oct 2026 · Sources: Shop and menu prices · [The Economist, Big Mac Index](https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data) ([CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))

Checked: none (unverified)

## Getting there from Japan

- Nearest airport: CTS
- Description: Unknown
- Airport to port (approx.): Unknown
- Ease of access: A — Direct flight (Estimated)

About 73 km from airport to port (straight-line distance) (Estimated)

Calculated from OurAirports coordinates

Access from Japan: A = direct flight / B = one connection / C = two or more connections (indicative)

Checked: 2026-07-22

English text in preparation.

## Itineraries calling here

### [21-Night Japan & Asia Cruise from Yokohama to Vancouver](https://cruise-pitta.com/route/viking-venus-21n-tokyo-incl-yokohama-to-vancouver)

- Region: Japan & Asia
- Itinerary: May 2027
- Departure months: 2027-05
- Ship: Viking Venus
- Cruise line: Viking Ocean Cruises
- Duration: 21 nights
- Departure / arrival: Yokohama → Vancouver
- Port: Yokohama › Otaru › Kodiak › +5 › Vancouver
- Cruise type: One way / 9
- Amount: From $12,599.00 · Price on the US site (USD, tax inclusion unknown; JPY is an estimate)
- Fare level: Highest

Checked: 2026-10-09

## Links

### External sites and sources

- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaru)
- [The Economist, Big Mac Index](https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data)

### Related Cruise Pitta pages

- [View Japan & Asia on the map](https://cruise-pitta.com/explore?r=japan-asia)
- [21-Night Japan & Asia Cruise from Yokohama to Vancouver](https://cruise-pitta.com/route/viking-venus-21n-tokyo-incl-yokohama-to-vancouver)

## Checked

Checked: 2026-07-22

## Sources

- encyclopedia: en.wikipedia.org — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaru

Source: Wikipedia “[Otaru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaru)” ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))