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The long call · Otaru

Yoichi, and the whisky

8h+ ashore, with the tour booked in advance. Timed from the gangway and back, with the hour before all-aboard already set aside.

~7h door to door6 stops8 hours or more ashore
Open the whole route in Google MapsOr build your own day →
Photo: Suicasmo / CC BY-SA 4.0
Door to door
~7h
From the gangway and back
Best for
8 hours or more
8h+ ashore, with the tour booked in advance
What it costs
~¥1,000 pp return
Transport spend: ~¥1,000 pp return. Distillery tour free but RESERVATION-REQUIRED — book on Nikka’s site before you sail.
Booking
Nothing
Every stop here takes walk-ups
The route

How the day runs

Times are from the moment you step off, not from the scheduled arrival. Everything shifts if your ship is late; the order does not.

  1. +0:00
    Walk to Otaru Station

    ~15 minutes

  2. +0:30
    Train to Yoichi

    ~25 minutes along the coast

    What you will see here →
    Photo: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
  3. +1:05
    Nikka Yoichi distillery (booked slot)

    Founded 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru — tours are free but require advance reservation on Nikka’s site

    What you will see here →
  4. +2:45
    Tasting, and the Taketsuru residence

    He chose Yoichi because the weather reminded him of Scotland. It does

    What you will see here →
  5. +3:30
    Train back to Otaru
  6. +4:30
    Sushi, then the canal at duskWhat you will see here →Full guide: The canal →
    Photo: kantokuruza / CC BY-SA
The margin is not optional. This route ends an hour before all-aboard on purpose. If you are running late, drop the last stop, not the hour.
What the day looks like

Otaru, along this route

Real photographs of the places above and the streets between them. Every one is credited.

The former Bank of Japan Otaru branch in cut stone
The former Bank of Japan Otaru branch in cut stonePhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Inside the Otaru Music Box Museum
Inside the Otaru Music Box MuseumPhoto: Liandrei / CC BY-SA 4.0
A seafood bowl at Sankaku Market, Otaru
A seafood bowl at Sankaku Market, OtaruPhoto: bryan... / CC BY-SA 2.0
Sakaimachi
SakaimachiPhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Sankaku Market
Sankaku MarketPhoto: bryan... / CC BY-SA 2.0
Sakaimachi street
Sakaimachi streetPhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Different hours, different day

The other routes in Otaru

The canal on foot2–3 hours · ~3h2–3 hours ashore, no transport at allCanal, glass and Sakaimachi4–6 hours · ~5h4–6 hours ashoreThe rainy-day OtaruA wet day · ~4hWet weather, and Hokkaido rain is cold
Pick your own stops instead →Back to the Otaru guide →