Spiritual Place in Otaru.
15 Special Spots.
When it comes to famous spiritual places, many people think of Ise Jingu Shrine and Mt Fuji, but Hokkaido, a vast land blessed with abundant nature, is a blessed land with many spiritual places to visit.
Here in Otaru, too, there are many wonderful places where you can get power just by going, such as mysterious and spectacular views, ancient and sacred places, and shrines that are widely loved by the locals. Why not visit these places when you want to feel refreshed and energised?
Spiritual Place in Otaru.
15 Special Spots.
Spiritual Place in Otaru.
15 Special Spots.
1.Spiritual Place in Otaru.Sumiyoshi Shrine
Sumiyoshi Shrine, located an 8-minute walk from Minami-Otaru Station, was founded in 1868. The shrine was originally built in 1865 when Shigeken Kikuchi, a Shinto priest of Hakodate Hachimangu Shrine, invited Sumiyoshi-no-mikoto to the shrine as the general guardian of "Wotarunai" and "Takashima. In 1881, the shrine was rebuilt at the present location, and has been in existence for 150 years. ...More
Famous place
Sumiyoshi Shrine
Adress
〒047-0014 2-5 Suminoe, Otaru City5
Phone
0134-23-0785
Opening Hours
24hours
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
2.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Dragon Shinto shrine
From Otaru Station, walk for about 5 minutes toward Yoichi, pass through the torii gate, and climb the hill to reach Dragon Shinto shrine. Dragon Shinto shrine was built by Enomoto Takeaki, a Hokkaido Development Commissioner.He served the Tokugawa Shogunate and fought alongside Hijikata Toshizo in the Hakodate War at the end of the Edo period. After the defeat, he was imprisoned for a time as the ringleader of the Hakodate War, but the Meiji government bought his talent and appointed him to the Hokkaido Development Office. ...More
Famous place
Dragon Shinto shrine
Adress
〒047-0032 3-22-11 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-22-4268
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
3.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Ryutoku Temple
Ryutoku Temple was founded in 1857 in Ryutoku-cho (present-day Nobukacho) by the first Daimitsu Kaiun Dai Osho, and moved to its present location of Masakae in 1874. The main hall is the oldest temple main hall in Otaru City, and although the foundation was repaired only once in 1992, the building itself remains as it was when it was founded. ...More
Famous place
Ryutoku Temple
Adress
〒047-0003 1-3-8, Masakae, Otaru City
Phone
0134-22-0523
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
4.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Oshoro Circular Stone
The stone circle, a 33m long x 22m wide oval shaped stone circle of various sizes, is located on a small river terrace in the western part of Otaru City. The stones were placed on a flat surface after the gentle slope at an elevation of 20 m was cut down and filled with gravel. It is a valuable site where visitors can see the remains of the ancient people's large-scale civil engineering work. ...More
Famous place
Oshoro Circular Stone
Adress
〒048-2561 2 Oshoro, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
Otaru Museum 0134-33-2523
Opening Hours
free to observe
Regular closing day
free to observe
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
5.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Otaru Tengu Mountain
Otaru Tengu Mountain has long been a symbol of Otaru and is well known by the citizens of Otaru.It is 532 meters above sea level and can be seen from all parts of central Otaru.The summit can be reached by ropeway, which runs every 6 to 12 minutes, or by car (closed during the winter season). ...More
Famous place
Otaru Tengu Mountain
Adress
〒047-0023 2-16-15 Mogami, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-33-7381
Opening Hours
Subject to change depending on the season
Regular closing day
Subject to change depending on the season
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
6.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Former Otaru Branch of NYK Line Ltd.
The former Otaru branch of the NYK Line, with its opulent appearance, evokes the prosperity of Otaru in the Meiji era.It was built in October 1906 by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), which is still the core company of the Mitsubishi Group.As one of Japan's three major shipping companies, it is well known overseas and is still called the representative of Japanese shipping. ...More
Famous place
Former Otaru Branch of NYK Line Ltd.
Adress
〒047-0031 3-7-8, Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-22-3316
Opening Hours
Closed until March 2024 for conservation and repair work.
Regular closing day
Closed until March 2024 for conservation and repair work.
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
7.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Suitengu Shrine
Shrines named Suitengu can be found throughout Japan. The Suitengu Shrine in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is the main shrine and enshrines Emperor Antoku and others, but the Suitengu Shrine here in Otaru does not actually belong to that group.Otaru's Suitengu Shrine is registered with the Shiribeshi Branch of the Hokkaido Shrine Office. It is a 10-minute walk from Otaru Station or Minami Otaru Station, and is located at the top of a hill called "Gaijinzaka" in Shinonome-cho. ...More
Famous place
Suitengu Shrine
Adress
〒047-0028 3-1 Aioi-cho, Otaru City
Phone
0134-22-3495
Hours of Prayer
24hours
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
8.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Catholic Otaru Church Tomiokaseido
It is about a 10-minute walk from JR Otaru Station. A little further back from the commonly known "Jigokuzaka" (Hell Hill) toward Otaru University of Commerce is a beautiful picture book-like church called "Tomioka Church" by the locals. Its current official name is "Catholic Otaru Church Tomioka Cathedral," and until 2015 it was called Catholic Tomioka Church. ...More
Famous place
Catholic Otaru Church Tomiokaseido
Adress
1-21-25 Tomioka, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido 047-0033, Japan
Phone
0134-22-6278
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
9.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Ebisu Shrine
Ebisu Shrine, located in Shukutsu, Otaru, was built in 1856 and is known to have been revered by the three major amimoto of Shukutsu. The main shrine, now housed in a covered hall, is designated as a historical building (No. 58) by Otaru City.Located on a hill on the Shukutsu Coast, the temple grounds offer a beautiful view of the Otaru Sea, and the two boat ema dedicated in the shrine are recognized as cultural assets constituting the "Kitamae Ship" Japanese Heritage Site.There are also two sacred trees, a mulberry and a yew, designated as preserved trees by Otaru City. ...More
Famous place
Ebisu Shrine
Adress
〒047-0047 161, Shukutsu 3-chome, Otaru City
Phone
0134-22-2591
Hours of Prayer
Till the sun goes down.
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
10.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Takashima Inari Shinto Shrine
Takashima Inari Shrine stands on a hill in the Takashima area between Shukuzu and Temiya. The shrine is said to have been founded in 1690 and has a very long history in Hokkaido.The oldest shrine in Sapporo was founded in 1855, which means that it was established more than 160 years earlier than the oldest shrine in Sapporo. The shrine has a long history dating back to the days of Takashima Place, which prospered from herring fishing. ...More
Famous place
Takashima Inari Shinto Shrine
Adress
〒047-0048 3-14-1 Takashima, Otaru, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-22-4318
Hours of visitation
24hours
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
11.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Benten Island
Located in the northern part of Otaru, the Takashima area, which juts out like a peninsula and faces the sea on its eastern side, is still one of the most important fishing bases for Otaru, which has prospered from herring fishing since the late Edo period.The fishing port on Takashima is Takashima Fishing Port, and within the bay is the symbolic floating Benten Island. Benten Island was once home to a Benten shrine dedicated to the god Benten, and a red torii gate still stands on the island. ...More
Famous place
Benten Island
Adress
Address 〒047-0048 1-2 Takashima, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Opening Hours
Visits available all year round
Regular closing day
Visits available all year round
12.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Otaru City Noh Theater
The Otaru City Noh Theater (former Okazaki Family Noh Stage) was built in Otaru City, Hokkaido in 1926 for Noh performances. It is a building of high historical and cultural value, with the highest standards of dignity for a Noh stage established in the Edo period.Ken Okazaki, a native of Sado who was a successful grain merchant and a city councilor who contributed to Otaru City, built this shrine in his residence in 1926. ...More
Famous place
Otaru City Noh Theater(Former Okazaki Family Noh Stage)
Adress
〒047-0024 Otaru City Public Hall, 5-2-1 Hanazono, Otaru City
Phone
0134-22-2796
Opening Hours
Open to the public from June to early September
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
13.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Shioya Maruyama Area
Otaru was one of the first areas in Hokkaido to be opened to the Japanese culture, including Buddhism. Shiotani-Maruyama, as well as Mt. Akaiwa and Mt. Tengu, which are also located in Otaru, were all mountains of faith opened by many ascetic practitioners who fled to the new land of Hokkaido after being forced to leave Honshu by the "Haibutsu Kishaku (movement to abolish Buddhism)". In the Meiji era (1868-1912), mountain ascetic monks were seen practicing asceticism on the rocky terrain. ...More
Famous place
Shioya Maruyama Area
Opening Hours
24hours
Regular closing day
None
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
14.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Otaru Shukutsu Panorama Observatory
Shukutsu Panorama Observatory, famous for its beautiful sunrise and sunset views, is located on top of a hill approximately 70 meters above sea level in the northeastern part of Otaru City. Looking east from the observatory, the view is accented by Cape Takashima in the foreground, and beyond that is a spectacular view of Ishikari Bay. Beyond Ishikari Bay on a clear day, Mt. Shokanbetsu and Mt. Hiyoriyama Lighthouse and Otaru City Herring Palace sit on the cape, and the Otaru Aquarium's outdoor facility "Kaijyu Koen" in the foreground helps to create the spectacular view from the Shukutsu Panorama Observation Deck. ...More
Famous place
Otaru Shukutsu Panorama Observatory
Adress
〒047-0047 3 Shukutsu, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-32-4111
Opening Hours
24hours
Regular closing day
None
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
15.Spiritual Place in Otaru.
Mt. Akaiwa Mt. Akaiwa, located in the northwestern part of Otaru City, looks like a hill when seen from the city, but when seen from the sea on a sightseeing boat cruising along the Omotai Coast, the rugged appearance of a forest of strange reddish-brown rocks and peaks rising from zero meters above sea level is overwhelmingly powerful. It is also one of the best rock-climbing areas in Hokkaido, and many climbers are climbing on the rocks. ...More
Famous place
Mt. Akaiwa
Opening Hours
24hours
Regular closing day
None
Website.
> Click here to visit our website.
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
From Otaru, the city of shipping, comes good fortune...
The uninterrupted and protected flow is on our side.
May your luck open up too.
Otaru flourished as the gateway to the development of Hokkaido during the Meiji period.
Kitamae-bune ships flapped their pure white sails on the ocean, bringing many goods and culture to this area through traffic to and from Honshu.
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑ offers original products carrying the history and culture that still remain in Otaru, as well as good products from the port of call of the Kitamae Ship, from the former Otaru warehouse, the first business warehouse in Hokkaido built by the Kitamae Ship owners, Sonzaemon Nishide and Shohachi Nishitani.
The story of Otaru, which lived together with the Kitamae Senpaku, is told from this location.
We look forward to serving you with an assortment of original items that can only be found here and that will be appreciated as souvenirs.
▷Click here for more information on Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Facility nameOtaru Department Store UNGA↑
Adress
〒047-0027 2-1-20 Shikinai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-65-8150
Opening hours
11:00〜18:00
Regular closing day
without a holiday
Website
>Click here to visit our website.