Otaru Canal: Night Lights, the Canal Cruise and Where to Park

By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published
Otaru Canal: Night Lights, the Canal Cruise and Where to Park

Quick answers

  • Free to walk at any time; the gas lamps are lit from sunset to midnight and the warehouses until 22:30
  • Canal cruise: 1,800 yen by day, 2,000 yen at night, about 40 minutes
  • From Sapporo: 30 to 45 minutes by JR train plus a 10-minute walk, or just under an hour by car
  • Parking: the Kamaei car park on Sakaimachi Street is free for an hour with a purchase

Otaru Canal is the picture most people have of Otaru: a gently curving waterway lined with old stone warehouses and gas lamps, an hour from Sapporo. It is free to walk at any hour, and the best time to come is late afternoon, so you see it by day and then watch the gas lamps come on.

What is Otaru Canal?

Otaru was the gateway port for the settlement of Hokkaido, and the canal was dug to carry cargo between ships in the harbor and the warehouses along the shore. The stone warehouses still stand along the water, now as restaurants and shops, and the walking path beside them, with its gas lamps and the slight curve of the canal, is the view on every Otaru postcard.

Otaru Canal on a sunny day, with stone warehouses reflected in the water and the walking path along the bank

The canal is open to walk at any time and free. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to stroll the main stretch and take photos, longer if you take the cruise.

Otaru Canal at night

The gas lamps along the canal path are lit from sunset until midnight, and the stone warehouses are lit up from sunset until 22:30. Sunset ranges from about 16:15 in December to about 19:30 in midsummer, so in winter the lamps are on by late afternoon, while in July you have time for dinner in town before they come on. During the Otaru Snow Light Path festival in February, the gas lamps are lit from 15:00.

The Otaru Canal cruise

Small boats take you along the canal and out toward the harbor, so you see the warehouses from the water. The day cruise costs 1,800 yen for adults and the night cruise 2,000 yen, and a trip takes about 40 minutes. The number of sailings changes through the year, so check the timetable and book on the official Otaru Canal Cruise site.

How to get to Otaru Canal

By train: the JR train from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station takes 30 to 45 minutes and costs 800 yen one way. The canal is about a 10-minute walk downhill from Otaru Station.

By car: from central Sapporo it is just under an hour on the Sasson Expressway. Exit at Otaru IC and follow Hokkaido Prefectural Road 17 straight down into town. Partway along, the expressway splits toward Otaru and Yoichi, so stay in the Otaru lanes. The only rest stop before Otaru IC is Kanayama PA, with a convenience store and toilets. From New Chitose Airport it is about an hour and a half.

Where to park near Otaru Canal

There are several paid car parks around the canal. The one I recommend is the Kamaei car park on Sakaimachi Street: free for one hour if you buy something at Kamaei, the fish cake maker. It is about a 10-minute walk from the canal and right on the shopping street.

There are also three Mitsui Repark car parks by the canal warehouses, small pay-by-the-hour lots that are handy when you want to park right at the canal.

What to see near Otaru Canal

Sakaimachi Street, the old merchant street a 10-minute walk away, is lined with sweet shops, glass shops and the music box museum, so you can walk from one to the other. For a view over the whole town, ride the ropeway up Mt. Tengu, for one of the best night views in Hokkaido.

My guide to an Otaru day trip by car puts the canal together with Sakaimachi Street, Yoichi, a seafood lunch at the harbor and Mt. Tengu.

Otaru Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's Route and Where to ParkDriving to Otaru from Sapporo? A local's one-day route through Yoichi, Shukutsu, the canal and Mt. Tengu, with drive times, tolls and where to park near Otaru Canal.

FAQ about Otaru Canal

Q1. What time are the lights on at Otaru Canal?

The gas lamps on the canal path are lit from sunset until midnight, and the warehouses are lit up from sunset until 22:30, all year.

Q2. How much is the Otaru Canal cruise?

1,800 yen for adults for the day cruise and 2,000 yen for the night cruise. A trip takes about 40 minutes.

Q3. How do you get from Sapporo to Otaru Canal?

By JR train to Otaru Station (30 to 45 minutes, 800 yen), then a 10-minute walk. By car, just under an hour on the Sasson Expressway to Otaru IC.

Q4. Where can I park near Otaru Canal?

The Kamaei car park on Sakaimachi Street is free for an hour with a purchase at Kamaei, and there are small pay-by-the-hour car parks by the canal warehouses.

Q5. Is Otaru Canal worth visiting?

Yes, especially around sunset, when you can see it by day and then watch the lamps come on. Combine it with Sakaimachi Street for a half day.