"What is this?" I found while walking around Otaru

It seems that locals know about Otaru...

I only found out about it the other day.

Shutters, sashes, and tin roofs aside...

I remember being shocked by the rough, rugged, unpainted wooden exterior and thinking excitedly, "Is this something out of a Wild West? This building is so cool!"

Well… well…

I'm not sure if the Western feel is right for me though...lol.

As I was looking up from below and frantically pressing the shutter, by chance, someone who works in the office next door came out and I was lucky enough to hear a story about this building.

It was built over 90 years ago as the former Otaru branch of Nippon Express, and later changed hands to the former Marumoto Suisan, and is now apparently owned by Chinese capital.

Apparently the tile wall collapsed and made national news.

In winter, snow falls and it's really scary.

He said he thought the boarded-up wall would come loose and crash through the window, and he thought he would die.

Apparently it's going to be demolished soon.

I was able to hear many stories of hardships that only neighbors can have.

Dealing with a historic building...

In other words, it was a good opportunity to reconsider the difficulty of seriously confronting history.

The first thing that made me think "This is so cool!" was the appearance of the base with the tiles peeling off...

It was truly naked lol.

Nickname: Mappa

*In memory of: In 2020, surrounded by his neighbors, he was able to safely end his great life of over 90 years.

Things to do in Otaru

If you come to Otaru, Hokkaido, we'd like to introduce you to some hidden tourist spots and good luck spots that you should visit.

[Tourist attractions]

Blue Cave Otaru Aquarium Hanazono Area

Banking district Sakaimachi Shopping Street Night view of Otaru

Otaru Canal Cruise Sushi Street

[Historic Buildings]

【market】

[Our temple]

[Historic sites]

【landscape】

【shop】

[Restaurant]

Otaru Tourism Category List

Otaru Tourism Portal Homepage