Buying fish cakes at Kamaei Kamaboko Plaza and strolling along Otaru Sakaimachi Shopping Street

After visiting the Shiroi Koibito Park to tour the chocolate cookie factory and watch the Karakuri Carnival Clock Tower, our family drove to Otaru. We stayed at Hotel Nord Otaru that night. Since we had reserved an Otaru Canal cruise for the evening, we first drove to the hotel to drop off our luggage and check in, then headed to Sakaimachi Shopping Street nearby to stroll around and buy fish cakes at Kamaei Kamaboko Plaza.

We had visited the Otaru Taisho Glass Palace before, so this time we just took a brief look around before walking along Sakaimachi Shopping Street.

Suddenly, we noticed a long line of people at Kamaei Kamaboko Plaza, all queuing up to buy fish cakes. They looked really delicious, so our family bought several kinds of fish paste products and sat down to enjoy them on the spot.

We started with some snacks, including tasty cheese-filled chikuwa and various kinds of deep-fried fish cakes, such as the original flavor and ones stuffed with potatoes. They were so good that after checking out of our hotel the next day, we actually drove back again to buy more fish cakes.

Since it wasn’t time for the Otaru Canal cruise yet, we continued strolling along Sakaimachi Shopping Street. We spotted the green-colored tea shop “茶和々 (SA WA WA).” As it was about to close, we quickly went in to buy some matcha ice cream and warabi mochi. It was rich and delicious.

There are many historic buildings along this street. Of course, we also went to see the Steam Clock in front of the Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building. Nearby, there are confectionery shops and restaurants converted from historic buildings, such as Rokkatei, Kitakaro, and Umineko-ya.

↑Take a look at the Otaru Steam Clock — one of the world’s largest steam clocks. There are only two in the world, and it blows its whistle every 15 minutes.

When it was almost time for our canal cruise, we headed toward the Otaru Canal area. There are many historic buildings and shops here, and you could easily spend an entire afternoon exploring. If time allows, it’s well worth staying overnight in Otaru to enjoy the town at a leisurely pace.