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10 Recommended Souvenirs from Otaru [Miscellaneous Goods & Gift Sets] - Carefully Selected by Local Shops

2026年 1月 5日

10 Recommended Souvenirs from Otaru [Miscellaneous Goods & Gift Sets] - Carefully Selected by Local Shops

10 Recommended Souvenirs from Otaru [Miscellaneous Goods & Gift Sets] - Carefully Selected by Local Shops

Recommended Goods and Gift Sets

Click here for recommended sweets & processed seafood

This page is a selection guide for those looking for Otaru souvenirs in the miscellaneous goods and gift set category. All 20 items featured are available at UNGAPLUS, with pricing, set contents, and recommended occasions included. For the sweets and processed seafood edition, please see [here].

 

About Otaru Souvenirs (FAQ)

Q. What are the absolute must-buy souvenirs from Otaru?

Particularly popular Otaru souvenirs include Western-style sweets such as LeTAO's "Double Fromage," kamaboko products like Kamaei's "Pan Roll," and Otaru glass tableware and small items. The appeal of Otaru souvenirs is the wide range of items available, from food to crafts, making it easy to choose something suitable for the recipient.

Q. Where can I buy Otaru souvenirs?

Three areas are recommended for souvenir shopping. Sakaimachi Street is home to famous shops such as LeTAO, Kamaei, and Kitaichi Glass, where you can buy items while enjoying a stroll. There are also souvenir shops within JR Otaru Station, which is convenient for purchasing items before your train journey home. Furthermore, UNGAPLUS, located in the former Otaru Warehouse, offers original products based on Otaru's history and culture that can only be found there.

Q. Are Otaru souvenirs easy to carry home?

Many Western-style sweets and seafood products require refrigeration or freezing, so it's a good idea to check if you can get a cooler bag or ice pack when purchasing. Many shops also offer shipping services to airports or homes, so it's safer to use shipping for bulky items or fragile glass products. If you find something you like early in your trip, we recommend arranging for shipping on the spot.

 

1. Shiraho Glass

In the early Meiji period, Otaru prospered as the gateway to Hokkaido's development. "Kitamaebune" cargo ships, with their pure white sails billowing across the vast ocean, brought great wealth to this land through trade with Honshu.

"Shiraho Glass" are glasses inspired by the sails of the Kitamaebune ships crossing the sea. They are crafted in a seaside workshop in Otaru, the city of glass. You can enjoy the changing atmosphere depending on the color of the drink poured inside.

Price: ¥4,700 (tax included)

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2. Otaru no Akari (Lights of Otaru)

Three types of candles expressing the scenery of Otaru: the blue of the sea, the nostalgic townscape, and the cobblestone streets.

Enjoy the changing colors and atmosphere as the candle burns. We offer small sizes perfect for everyday use or as gifts, as well as large sizes that create a dynamic change when lit and have a strong presence as interior decorations. This is a collaboration with Jun's Light Candles, a candle brand specializing in wax art and candle design and production.

Price: From ¥970 (tax included)

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3. Ichiba TOTE

Otaru currently has six markets: Chuo Market, Chuo Wholesale Market, Sankaku Market, Rinyu Market, Minamitaru Market, and Shin-Minamitaru Market. In recent years, Irifune Market, Temiya Market, and Myoken Market have successively disappeared.

With the hope that Otaru's market culture will remain forever, the sewing technology cultivated over many years by Sasaki Co., Ltd., a tent factory founded in 1945, and UNGAPLUS's passion for markets came together to create the "ICHIBA TOTE." Grab an "ICHIBA TOTE," made from durable tarpaulin fabric used for outdoor installations like tents, and head to the market!

Price: ¥12,650 (tax included)

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4. Shipping Necklace

The former NYK Otaru Branch, designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1969, is a magnificent stone building in the style of modern European Renaissance, renowned as one of the representative architectural works of the late Meiji period. We have expressed the interior decorations of the former NYK Otaru Branch, symbolizing Otaru's heyday, as accessories using brass, which develops a beautiful patina over time.

This is a collaboration with COAS, an accessory brand that creates pieces with designs reminiscent of Otaru's classical buildings, valuing an antique and vintage aesthetic.

Price: ¥6,050–¥6,600 (tax included)

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5. Shakotan Blue Tumbler

This tumbler expresses the beautiful color of the Shakotan sea with turquoise glaze.

Its vibrant blue adds color to everyday life. It features a smooth texture and a basic, timeless shape. Perfect for hot summer days, the cool and highly functional Shakotan Blue Tumbler is sure to become your indispensable companion.

Price: ¥3,300 (tax included)

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6. Wasanbon and Baked Sweets Deluxe Set

Delicious Otaru-made sweets, packaged with designs expressing Otaru's history and nature, are delivered to you. This is a delightful gift set featuring three popular baked sweets, Wasanbon, and candy.

Set Contents

・ Otaru Kawarayaki Baum individually wrapped / 5 pieces
・ Otaru Honey Galette individually wrapped / 4 pieces
・ Otaru Enmusubi Aitai individually wrapped / 2 pieces
・ Wasanbon Medetai / 17 pieces in 1 pack
・ Apple candy 60g / 1 piece

Price: ¥4,200 (tax included)

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7. Luxurious Seafood Full Set

The Kitamaebune ships transported marine products such as kelp, herring, and salmon from Hokkaido to Kyoto and Osaka. Many seafood delicacies were also transported from Otaru. This luxurious gift set contains five types of marine products transported by the Kitamaebune ships.

Set Contents

・ Smoked Scallop Adductor Muscle 35g / 1 pc
・ Smoked One-bite Herring 50g / 1 pc
・ Hokkaido Scallop Confit 100g / 2 pcs
・ Tororo Rolled Kelp 100g / 1 pc
・ Hand-shaved Oboro Kelp / 1 pc

Price: ¥5,600 (tax included)

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8. Tanaka Sake Brewery "Hokkai" + HOKKAI CAN + Hokkaido Confit Set

This gift set combines "Junmai Daiginjo Hokkai" from Tanaka Sake Brewery in Otaru, Hokkaido-produced herring and scallop confit prepared without any additives, and "Hokkai Umai-sen HOKKAI CAN," a collaboration with Hokkai Seikan Co., Ltd., a symbol of Otaru's North Canal, filled with delicious seafood.

Set Contents

・ Junmai Daiginjo Hokkai 720ml / 1 bottle
・ HOKKAI CAN Red Pacific Saury with Chili Soy Sauce 95g / 1 can
・ HOKKAI CAN Sardines in Soy Sauce with Sansho Pepper 95g / 1 can
・ HOKKAI CAN Pacific Cod Roe in Soy Sauce 85g / 1 can
・ HOKKAI CAN Soft Cooked Knotted Kelp 95g / 1 can
・ Hokkaido Scallop Confit 100g / 2 pieces

Price: ¥6,673 (tax included)

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9. HOKKAI CAN 4 Cans + Hokkaido Confit Set

This is an original gift set of canned goods and confit, a collaboration between "UNGAPLUS" and "Hokkai Seikan," the symbol of Otaru Canal. It includes four types of "Hokkai Bimi-sen HOKKAI CAN" canned goods and Hokkaido scallop confit, all presented in a gift box. The fish used in the canned goods are caught in Nemuro and processed into cans while fresh. The confit is prepared using only olive oil, rapeseed oil, and salt, without any additives.

Set Contents

・HOKKAI CAN Pacific Cod Roe in Soy Sauce 85g / 1 can
・HOKKAI CAN Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon 95g / 1 can
・HOKKAI CAN Black Pacific Saury with Black Pepper Soy Sauce 95g / 1 can
・HOKKAI CAN Red Pacific Saury with Chili Soy Sauce 95g / 1 can
・Hokkaido Scallop Confit 100g / 2 pieces

Price: ¥3,924 (tax included)

Click here to purchase online

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10. 5-Type Snack Set

The Kitamaebune ships, which sailed the Sea of Japan, transported goods and culture. Many seafood delicacies were also shipped from Otaru. We have created a gift set with all five flavors of our special snack series, which condenses the deliciousness of these seafood items. Each item is individually vacuum-packed and comes in easy-to-eat bite-sizes. They pair perfectly with beer or sake. We will deliver them in an original UNGAPLUS gift box.

Set Contents

・Hokkaido Scallop 50g / 1 piece
・Smoked Whelk 60g / 1 piece
・Sea Urchin Kamaboko with Cheese 50g / 1 piece
・Salmon Cheese Snack 65g / 1 piece
・Grilled Squid Cheese Snack 60g / 1 piece

Price: ¥3,700 (tax included)

Click here to purchase online

Click here for store access information


Click here for sweets and seafood products

 

UNGAPLUS

Good fortune from the port city of Otaru...
May your luck open up, guided by a continuous flow.

Otaru flourished as the gateway to Hokkaido's development in the Meiji era.
Kitamaebune ships, with their pure white sails unfurled across the vast ocean, transported abundant goods and culture to this land through trade with Honshu.

UNGAPLUS delivers original products embodying Otaru's enduring history and culture from the "Former Otaru Warehouse Main Building," Hokkaido's first commercial warehouse built by Kitamaebune shipowners Sonzaemon Nishide and Shohachi Nishitani, as well as fine goods from Kitamaebune's ports of call.

From this place, the story of Otaru, alongside the Kitamaebune.

We look forward to your visit, offering a selection of unique original items that make delightful souvenirs.

Click here for "UNGAPLUS" detailsUNGAPLUS

Facility Name UNGAPLUS
Address 2-1-20 Ironai, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido, 047-0027 Japan
Access Approx. 10 minutes walk from JR Otaru Station
Phone 0134-25-8150
Business Hours 10:00 - 18:00
Closed Year-end and New Year holidays
Website Details here

 


 

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Otaru Sightseeing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We answer frequently asked questions from first-time visitors to Otaru.

Q. How do I get to Otaru?

The most convenient way from Sapporo is via the JR Hakodate Line; the Rapid Airport train takes approximately 32 minutes from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station. It's also easily accessible from New Chitose Airport, taking about 75 minutes without transfers, making it convenient for tourists from outside Hokkaido.

How long does Otaru sightseeing take?

To leisurely explore the main areas like the canal and Sakaimachi Street, half a day to a full day is a good estimate. If you add glass blowing experiences, the Music Box Museum, and meals, a 1-night, 2-day trip will be more fulfilling.

When is the best time to visit Otaru Canal?

Dusk to night is especially recommended. The sight of gas lamps lighting up along the stone warehouses, reflected on the water, is a quintessential Otaru scene. In winter (January-February), the "Otaru Snow Light Path" is held, offering a magical atmosphere.

What gourmet foods should I definitely eat in Otaru?

Sushi, kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), and grilled seafood are particularly famous. Otaru has an area called "Sushi-ya Dori" (Sushi Restaurant Street), with many renowned sushi restaurants. Also, local sweets like LeTAO's cheesecakes and soft-serve ice cream are not to be missed.

Where can I buy Otaru glass and music boxes?

Experience workshops and shops are concentrated on Sakaimachi Street. You can visit many shops just by walking along the street, including specialty glass stores like Kitaichi Glass and the main building of the Music Box Museum.

Can I explore Otaru's tourist spots on foot?

The area from Otaru Station to the Canal and Sakaimachi Street is all within walking distance (about 10 minutes from the station to the canal). Major spots are compactly located, so you can easily sightsee without a rental car.

When is the best season for Otaru sightseeing?

Each season offers different charms. Summer (July-August) is mild and perfect for strolling, while autumn (September-October) offers beautiful autumn leaves and fresh seafood. Winter brings snowscapes and the "Snow Light Path," and spring is quieter with fewer tourists.

Are there hot springs in Otaru?

There are hotels and ryokans with natural hot springs scattered throughout Otaru city. Additionally, the Asarigawa Onsen area, about 30-40 minutes by car from Otaru, is popular as a quiet hot spring resort nestled in the mountains.

Are there family-friendly spots in Otaru?

Hands-on glass workshops (such as glass blowing and sandblasting) offer plans for elementary school children and older. Otaru Aquarium (in the Shukutsu area) is also popular as a family-friendly spot where you can enjoy seal and dolphin shows.

What tourist destinations can I visit for a day trip from Otaru?

Sapporo (approx. 32 minutes) is a popular day trip, as are Yoichi (Nikka Whisky Distillery, approx. 20 minutes) and the Shakotan Peninsula (Blue Cave Cruise in summer, approx. 1 hour). Otaru serves as a great base to explore a wide area of western Hokkaido.

 

 

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