Nantaru Market
Otaru Travel Guide 2023
The BEST Things to Do in Otaru, Japan｜Otaru Day Trip
Located in Shintomi-cho, a short distance from the tourist center, Nantaru Market is one of the six markets in the city and is always bustling with local customers as the citizens' kitchen. Of the total of 27 stores, 9 are fresh fish stores, selling fresh and inexpensive fish unique to the port town of Otaru. Local seasonal seafood, such as hakkaku (a rare fish found outside of Hokkaido), kasube (stingray), and shako (mantis shrimp), also delight visitors. In addition to fresh fish stores, the market also offers a variety of other stores closely related to daily life, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, prepared foods, daily necessities, and flowers, making it a market that Otaru residents use on a very regular basis.
The predecessor of Nantaru Market was Takasago Market, which was built in 1938. Takasago Market was built for street vendors. It was a very modern market for its time and was very successful when it opened, but the Greater East Asia War broke out in 1941. Due to the shortage of goods and the rationing system caused by the war, the market was closed down.
After the war ended, in 1949, the tenement-style Nantaru Market was established with 50 stores in a two-story wooden structure. Eventually, as the wooden market deteriorated and purchasing power declined, it became necessary to reconstruct the market, and the current building was completed in 1968. The market is located 100 meters back from the national highway and is surrounded by no shopping district, so compared to other markets in Otaru, the number of customers was not so good in the beginning. However, through the strategy of holding special sales twice a week and twice a month, and distributing more than 40,000 advertisements in Otaru City, Nantaru has come to be known as "the king of the market" and "the one and only winner" since the 2000's.
When Children's Day comes around, nearly 300 carp streamers and big fishing flags are flown over the Katsunogawa River that runs beside the market, and it has become a town tradition.
Facility name
Nantaru Market
Adress
〒047-0004 12-1 Shintomi-cho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-23-0722
Opening hours
9：00〜18：00
Regular closing day
Sunday
Website
＞Click here to visit our website.
Tai monaka chocolate with 23 lucky spots in Otaru decorated on the packaging. Chocolate and rice puffs are added to the 100% glutinous rice monaka dough, which is baked using traditional techniques.
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Original products that convey the attractions of Otaru are developed and sold in a storefront converted from the former Otaru warehouse headquarters, which is said to be the oldest business warehouse in Hokkaido, located in the Otaru North Canal area. The shop tells the story of Otaru's prosperity in the pioneering days of Hokkaido and the history of the Kitamaebune, and displays and sells processed seafood and agricultural products from the port of call and Hokkaido, as well as original products by craftsmen and artists associated with Otaru.
Facility name
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Address
〒047-0031 2-1-20 Ironai, Otaru City
Phone
0134-65-8150
Opening hours
11:00~18:00
Regular closing day
None
Website
＞Click here to visit our website.
The BEST Things to Do in Otaru, Japan｜Otaru Day Trip
Located in Shintomi-cho, a short distance from the tourist center, Nantaru Market is one of the six markets in the city and is always bustling with local customers as the citizens' kitchen. Of the total of 27 stores, 9 are fresh fish stores, selling fresh and inexpensive fish unique to the port town of Otaru. Local seasonal seafood, such as hakkaku (a rare fish found outside of Hokkaido), kasube (stingray), and shako (mantis shrimp), also delight visitors. In addition to fresh fish stores, the market also offers a variety of other stores closely related to daily life, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, prepared foods, daily necessities, and flowers, making it a market that Otaru residents use on a very regular basis.
The predecessor of Nantaru Market was Takasago Market, which was built in 1938. Takasago Market was built for street vendors. It was a very modern market for its time and was very successful when it opened, but the Greater East Asia War broke out in 1941. Due to the shortage of goods and the rationing system caused by the war, the market was closed down.
After the war ended, in 1949, the tenement-style Nantaru Market was established with 50 stores in a two-story wooden structure. Eventually, as the wooden market deteriorated and purchasing power declined, it became necessary to reconstruct the market, and the current building was completed in 1968. The market is located 100 meters back from the national highway and is surrounded by no shopping district, so compared to other markets in Otaru, the number of customers was not so good in the beginning. However, through the strategy of holding special sales twice a week and twice a month, and distributing more than 40,000 advertisements in Otaru City, Nantaru has come to be known as "the king of the market" and "the one and only winner" since the 2000's.
When Children's Day comes around, nearly 300 carp streamers and big fishing flags are flown over the Katsunogawa River that runs beside the market, and it has become a town tradition.
Facility name
Nantaru Market
Adress
〒047-0004 12-1 Shintomi-cho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Phone
0134-23-0722
Opening hours
9：00〜18：00
Regular closing day
Sunday
Website
＞Click here to visit our website.
Chocolate in the shape of a sea bream
Tai monaka chocolate with 23 lucky spots in Otaru decorated on the packaging. Chocolate and rice puffs are added to the 100% glutinous rice monaka dough, which is baked using traditional techniques.
Otaru Travel Guide Category List
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Original products that convey the attractions of Otaru are developed and sold in a storefront converted from the former Otaru warehouse headquarters, which is said to be the oldest business warehouse in Hokkaido, located in the Otaru North Canal area. The shop tells the story of Otaru's prosperity in the pioneering days of Hokkaido and the history of the Kitamaebune, and displays and sells processed seafood and agricultural products from the port of call and Hokkaido, as well as original products by craftsmen and artists associated with Otaru.
Facility name
Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Address
〒047-0031 2-1-20 Ironai, Otaru City
Phone
0134-65-8150
Opening hours
11:00~18:00
Regular closing day
None
Website
＞Click here to visit our website.
