【Hokkaido Trip – Day 5】Final Day in Otaru | Shotengai Seafood, Hokkaido’s Best Soft Serve, Glass Shopping & a Canal Sunset

Our last full day in Otaru. After two days of eating our way through the city, you’d think we’d want a break — but that’s not how Otaru works. One final morning, one final push. Here’s how Day 5 went.

Lunch: Ajidokoro Takeda — An All-Out Seafood Blitz

For our last lunch in Otaru, we headed to the Sankaku Market right next to Otaru Station. The market has a wonderfully retro atmosphere, and tucked inside is Ajidokoro Takeda — a local seafood restaurant that earned an instant place on my favorites list.

We ordered everything. Scallop sashimi, surf clam (hokkigai) sashimi, scallop with butter, and — yes, again — uni-don (sea urchin rice bowl).

I’d eaten uni-don every single day in Otaru, but I have to say: this one was the best. The sweetness of the sea urchin hit differently here, somehow more concentrated, more intense. I’m not sure if it was the freshness, the portion size, or just pure luck — but this bowl won.

The scallop with butter was also outstanding. Plump, perfectly seared, glazed with rich butter — the kind of dish that makes you want to order it again immediately.

Area	Shotengai (covered arcade) adjacent to Otaru Station
Must-order	Uni-don, scallop sashimi, hokkigai sashimi, scallop with butter
Note	Please confirm opening hours and regular closing days before visiting

Dessert: Yamanaka Farm Soft Serve — The Best in Hokkaido

After lunch, we tracked down a shop selling soft serve from Yamanaka Farm (山中牧場). This was, without question, the best soft serve ice cream I had during the entire Hokkaido trip.

The milk flavor was rich and deep — not sweet in a sugary way, but in a clean, creamy way that only comes from genuinely high-quality dairy. It’s the kind of soft serve that reminds you why Hokkaido milk has a reputation of its own.

(No photos, unfortunately — I was too busy eating it.)

Note	Sold at a shop in central Otaru — confirm the current location before visiting
Tip	Get it while it’s cold; the queue can move quickly on busy days

Shopping: Otaru Glass Crafts

Otaru has been famous for its glassware since the Meiji era, when glass fishing floats were manufactured here en masse. Today the craft tradition lives on, and the city’s streets are lined with glass studios and shops.

I picked up a few plates and glasses — and couldn’t resist a glass wind chime (furin) either. In Japan, wind chimes are the sound of summer, and a handblown glass furin from Otaru feels like the perfect souvenir to bring that feeling home with you. Every time the wind catches it, I’ll be back in Otaru.

If you’re looking for something more meaningful than a standard souvenir, Otaru’s glassware makes a genuinely special gift.

Evening: Sunset Walk Along the Otaru Canal

As the afternoon light softened, I took a slow walk along the Otaru Canal.

The canal at sunset is something else entirely. The old stone warehouses glow warm in the golden hour light, and the water catches the colors of the sky. It’s one of those scenes that makes you put your phone down for a moment and just look.

There’s a reason this canal appears on every Hokkaido travel poster. Standing there in the fading light, I completely understood why.

Dinner: A Western-Style Surprise — Crab Gratin, Cream Fish & Uni Pasta

By evening, I’d finally hit my seafood limit — or so I thought.

After days of raw seafood and sushi, I wanted something different, and we ducked into a Western-style restaurant (yoshokuya) we spotted on a side street. Best spontaneous decision of the trip.

We ordered the crab gratin, a fish dish in cream sauce, and uni pasta. Every single thing was exceptional. The crab gratin was bubbling hot, rich and savory; the cream sauce on the fish was silky and perfectly seasoned; and the uni pasta — well, it turns out sea urchin in pasta form hits just as hard as sea urchin in a rice bowl.

Turns out I wasn’t tired of seafood at all. I was just tired of one way of eating it.

Style	Western-style Japanese restaurant (yoshokuya)
Must-order	Crab gratin, cream fish, uni pasta
Note	Please confirm name, location and hours before visiting

Day 5 Sample Itinerary

Time	Activity
Morning	Stroll to the Sankaku Market next to Otaru Station
Lunch	Seafood feast at Ajidokoro Takeda
Early Afternoon	Yamanaka Farm soft serve ice cream
Afternoon	Browse Otaru glass shops & souvenir shopping
Evening	Sunset walk along the Otaru Canal
Dinner	Western-style dinner (crab gratin, cream fish, uni pasta)
Next Day	Check out → Transfer to Midori no Kaze Hotel (near Lake Toya)

Wrapping Up: Otaru, You’ve Outdone Yourself

And just like that, our Otaru stay was over. Two days of eating more seafood than I thought humanly possible — and I’d do it all over again without a second’s hesitation.

Otaru is one of those rare places that delivers on every front: the food is extraordinary, the streets are beautiful, the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else in Japan. If you’re planning a Hokkaido trip, please — don’t just pass through. Stay at least one night, and let the city show you what it’s really made of.

The next morning, we packed up and headed toward Lake Toya, with a stay at the Midori no Kaze Hotel waiting for us. More on that in the next post!