The History of the Otaru Canal The History of the Otaru Canal: In December 2023, the Otaru Canal will celebrate its 100th anniversary since its completion. During the Meiji period, Otaru Port served as a logistics hub for transporting various goods as the gateway to the development of Hokkaido. At that time, it was common practice to transfer cargo from large ships anchored offshore to barges, and then store the cargo in warehouses from the barges. The Otaru Canal was created by reclaiming land to improve the efficiency of this barge cargo handling. Construction began in 1914 and was completed in 1923, nine years later. At the time of completion, it was approximately 1300 meters long and 40 meters wide. The following year, nearly 600 barges were active, indicating its bustling activity. After that, as modern wharves were built in the Showa era, the canal's vitality gradually stagnated. With the advent of the automobile age, plans to fill in the canal and widen the roads progressed, and the "Otaru Canal Preservation Society" was founded with the concern that "Otaru's original landscape will disappear if things continue as they are." Over the next decade or so, the "Otaru Canal Preservation Movement," which can be said to be the origin of Otaru's civic movements, unfolded. The southern half was filled in to a width of 20 meters, but the scenery of the canal and the stone warehouse complex was preserved, and now it has become an important tourist resource, leading Otaru tourism. OTARU WORKER WEAR
NAKASHI - Waiter/Waitress - During the heyday of Otaru Port, the area around the canal was bustling with many stevedores handling cargo. Stevedores were port workers. Those who loaded and unloaded cargo between ships anchored offshore and barges were called "Okinakoshi," those who transported cargo from barges to warehouses were called "Rikunakoshi," and those who stacked cargo in warehouses were called "Kuranakoshi." Once the cargo arrived at the port, it was transferred from the large ships anchored offshore to barges, which were then towed by tugboats through the canal into the ship-receiving area, and from there the cargo was transported from the barges to the warehouses. Back then, there must have been many stevedores working in the old Otaru warehouse, which was right in front of the ship entrance. UNGAPLUS was inspired by the work clothes worn by the stevedores who traveled between barges and warehouses. In collaboration with fashion designer Mr. Sato, who lives in Otaru, we created original apparel originating from Otaru. [Hanten Jacket] Inspired by the "hanten" (traditional Japanese padded jacket). This coat has short sleeves, is filled with cotton for warmth, and is easy to move around in. We used finely woven cotton and a simple design to pursue a sophisticated casual style for adults. [apron best] The design was inspired by the apron worn by workers. It's filled with cotton batting for warmth and features a large pocket on the front. We used finely woven cotton and a simple design to pursue a sophisticated casual style for adults. NAKASHI - Waiter/Waitress -
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