Old photograph from the Ida family collection: Provided by Fukui Prefectural Wakasa History Museum
UNGAPLUS develops original products with a focus on "Otaru uniqueness," collaborating with local businesses, creators, and artists, from product development to package design. From long-established companies dating back to Hokkaido's pioneering era to cutting-edge creators, please enjoy the wide variety of products made with perspectives and skills nurtured in this region.
Under the theme "Gift Otaru," our physical store is located in the "Old Otaru Warehouse" built by a Kitamae-bune shipowner, delivering "Otaru stories" along with regional craftsmanship that developed alongside the Kitamae-bune. We hope you can feel Otaru's past and present through the things and experiences of UNGAPLUS activities.
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About the Store
The 1st and 2nd floors are divided into four spaces, offering two stories: "Otaru" and "Kitamae-bune." On the 1st floor, "Warehouse One" features original products including sweets and processed seafood popular as Otaru souvenirs or gifts, and crafts made with local artisans. In "Warehouse Two," we introduce works mainly by Hokkaido-based creators. On the 2nd floor, "Warehouse Three" showcases original apparel that conveys the image of dockworkers traveling between the Otaru Canal and the Old Otaru Warehouse, and "Warehouse Four" offers high-quality items brought from Kitamae-bune port towns.
Wholesale
From the late Edo period through the Meiji and Taisho periods, the "Kitamae-bune" sailed freely across the Sea of Japan from western Japan to Hokkaido, transporting all kinds of goods, acting as a truly mobile general trading company. Kitamae-bune shipowners expanded into Otaru, the gateway to Hokkaido development in the Meiji era, where numerous commercial warehouses were built and people and goods gathered, flourishing as a major logistics hub. From Otaru, UNGAPLUS brings the story of the Kitamae-bune into the present day… Carefully selecting excellent products from Hokkaido regions, we deliver them nationwide from the historic "Old Otaru Warehouse," Hokkaido's first commercial warehouse.
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Otaru flourished as the gateway to Hokkaido development from the Meiji to Taisho eras. The "Kitamae-bune," connecting Osaka and Hokkaido, transported goods and culture, driving development. Inspired by this history, we deliver high-quality products from Hokkaido and the port towns along the western Kitamae-bune route. Please explore the craftsmanship of each region.
Sailing Kitamae-bune Late Meiji to Taisho Period
About Kitamae-bune
This refers to merchant ships that connected Kamigata (present-day Osaka) and Hokkaido from the mid-Edo period to the Meiji era. They operated along the Setouchi or Sea of Japan route (Westward Route), buying and selling goods along the way. From Kamigata, they carried all sorts of daily necessities such as rice, salt, sugar, sake, iron, textiles, and cotton. From Hokkaido, they brought back kombu, herring, herring meal, and salmon. In an era before land transport was developed, these ships served as a major logistics artery, transporting vast quantities of goods.
