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Otaru, home to the Otaru Canal, is one of Hokkaido's most popular tourist destinations. Otaru served as the economic center of Hokkaido even before Sapporo flourished, and is home to many well-established, famous shops.

In addition to sushi, which has become synonymous with Otaru, there are plenty of other delicious local specialties, including kamaboko, sweets, fried chicken, and seafood bowls. Here we will introduce eight delicious Otaru specialties and some of the most popular recommended restaurants.

Otaru Specialties

Give Otaru as a gift.

From the "Old Otaru Warehouse" overlooking the canal,
From UNGAPLUS, which brings you the "Story of Otaru" that walked alongside the Kitamae ships,
We will introduce you to "Places to visit in Otaru."

Please enjoy Otaru.

8 Recommended Otaru Specialties

↓ Panju - Kuwataya
↓ Thick fried noodles - Keien
↓ Seafood bowl - Ajidokoro Takeda
↓ Sushi - Otaru Masazushi
↓ Kamaboko - Otaru Kamaei
↓ Deep fried half chicken - Naruto
↓ Double Fromage - LeTAO
↓ Otaru Tile-baked Baumkuchen - UNGAPLUS

Learn more about Otaru's gourmet food

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Tourism ①

"Panju" Kuwataya

A long-time favorite snack among Otaru residents.

"Panju" has long been a popular snack for the common people, mainly in Otaru, and as the name suggests, it is generally believed to be a coined word that combines the words "bread" and "manju." It is a baked confectionery derived from imagawayaki, and is popular as a specialty confection in Otaru as well as in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.

The crispy, thinly baked skin is filled with plenty of bean paste, and when you bite into it, you can enjoy a chewy texture. It is a hemispherical or bell-shaped baked confectionery that is slightly larger than takoyaki. It is smaller and easier to eat than imagawayaki or taiyaki, and its affordable price is another reason for its popularity. The combination of the crispy exterior, chewy interior skin, and hot, sweet bean paste will become addictive once you try it.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Kuwataya
Address : Otaru Canal Terminal 1F, Ironai 1-chome, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-34-3840
Opening hours : 9:00-18:00
Closed : Tuesdays
Credit cards : accepted
Home page : Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ②

"Ankake Yakisoba" Keien

It is, without a doubt, the soul food of Otaru residents.

Otaru, a port city and one of Hokkaido's leading tourist destinations, is famous for its sushi and seafood bowls, but the locals' soul food is undoubtedly Otaru Ankake Yakisoba. It became popular around the 1950s and is now a standard menu item at a variety of places, including Chinese restaurants, izakayas, karaoke booths, ski resorts, and golf courses.

Among them is Chinese Restaurant Keien, located in the arcade of Miyakodori Shopping Arcade, about a five-minute walk from JR Otaru Station. Established in 1969, Keien is a Chinese restaurant that has been loved by the people of Otaru for over 50 years. Its most popular dish is its ankake yakisoba, and it is a pioneering restaurant that has popularized Otaru ankake yakisoba as a standard menu item since it first opened. The thick sauce, full of vegetables with a soft sesame oil aroma, and the crispy grilled noodles have a chewy texture, making it an excellent combination. The restaurant has many loyal fans both inside and outside the city.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Chinese restaurant Katsuraen
Address : 2-16-14 Inaho, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-23-8155
Opening hours : 11:00-18:30
Closed : Thursdays
Credit cards : not accepted

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ③

"Seafood Bowl" Ajidokoro Takeda

Seafood bowls can now be said to be one of Otaru's specialties.

Now considered one of Otaru's specialties, the "kaisendon" (seafood bowl) is a luxurious Japanese rice bowl topped with a generous amount of fresh seafood. Its history is surprisingly short, having been created after the war when freezing technology was developed.

Ajidokoro Takeda is one of the original restaurants in Otaru that introduced kaisendon (seafood bowls), and is a restaurant directly managed by a fishmonger in the Sankaku Market where you can enjoy seasonal Hokkaido seafood all year round. The fresh seafood purchased by the owner at auctions every day is exquisite. In addition to rice bowls, there is also a wide variety of set meals and a la carte dishes available. The restaurant's recommendation is the ANA bowl, created in collaboration with ANA. This proud dish is topped with a luxurious amount of sea urchin, crab, salmon roe, and salmon, allowing you to enjoy the freshest seafood.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Ajidokoro Takeda
Address : Sankaku Market, 3-10-16 Inaho, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-22-9652
Opening hours : 7:00-16:00
Closed : New Year's Day
Credit cards : accepted
Home page : Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ④

"Sushi" Otaru Masazushi

At its peak, there were nearly 200 sushi restaurants in Otaru.

Otaru has a large port and is known as a treasure trove of seafood, a bounty from Ishikari Bay, and is also famous as a city of sushi. The freshness and quality of the seafood gained a reputation, and young people who had trained all over the country from the Taisho to Meiji periods flocked to Otaru to open sushi restaurants. At its peak, there were nearly 200 sushi restaurants, but now there are only about 120.

Otaru Masazushi is one of Otaru's oldest restaurants, supporting tourism in the city and popularizing Otaru sushi. It is a renowned restaurant that goes without saying. Since its founding, the restaurant has been committed to the traditions and carefully selected ingredients it has inherited, providing its customers with a relaxing dining experience.

To ensure a stable supply of tuna throughout the year, we only purchase carefully selected tuna weighing over 300 kg from the Atlantic Canadian coast, which is highly regarded as the best in the world, in November, when it is in season. Once you try it, you will never forget its sweetness, tenderness, and melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Otaru Masazushi
Address : 1-1-1 Hanazono, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-23-0011
Business hours : Lunch: 11:00-15:00/Dinner: 17:00-21:00
Closed : Wednesdays
Budget : Lunch: up to 5,000 yen Dinner: up to 8,000 yen
Credit cards : accepted
Home page : Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ⑤

"Kamaboko" Otaru Kamaei

Otaru kamaboko has been loved by the people of Hokkaido.

Kamaei, a popular kamaboko shop in Otaru that has been loved by many Hokkaido residents as well as Otaru residents for many years, was founded in 1905 (Meiji 38). Now boasting a history of over 100 years, the shop operates a total of 12 stores, including four in the city, six in Sapporo, and one at the airport.

In addition to the red and white kamaboko boards that are essential for celebrations, there are also non-fried kamaboko boards such as "uni board" and "yaki board", and there are many Hokkaido local fans who say that "Kamaei's kamaboko is the only choice for celebrations."

At the main factory in Sakaimachi, Otaru, you can observe the skilled craftsmen making kamaboko for free through the glass, and the kamaboko fried on the spot is very popular. The most recommended item is the "Bread Roll," which is only available at this store and was developed by the previous president in 1962 (Showa 37). The bread roll is made by wrapping minced pollack, minced pork, and onion in an extremely thin piece of bread and deep-frying it, making it a superb kamaboko dish with a crispy texture and the perfect balance of the moderate saltiness and sweetness of the minced fish.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Otaru Kamaei
Address : 3-7 Sakaimachi, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-25-5802
Opening hours : 09:00-19:00
Closed days : Open everyday
Credit cards : accepted
Home page　Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ⑥

"Deep-fried half of a young chicken" Naruto Honten

It has been the soul food of Otaru residents since the Showa era.

One of Otaru's specialties, "Deep-fried Young Chicken Half," has a crispy skin and a juicy interior. The excess fat has been removed, making it less greasy than it looks and surprisingly refreshing. The slightly salty seasoning goes perfectly with rice and beer.

One of the most popular tourist spots in Otaru is Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten, which can be said to be the originator of fried chicken halves in Hokkaido. Nicknamed "Naruto," it has been beloved as a soul food of Otaru residents since its founding in 1965 (Showa 40). The main store in Inaho, Otaru City, offers a wide variety of menu items, including sushi and rice bowls made with Otaru seafood, various set meals, curry, tempura, ramen, and more, in addition to fried chicken halves. All prices are paid in advance, and additional orders are billed each time.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Young Chicken Jidai Naruto Main Store
Address : 3-16-13 Inaho, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0134-32-3280
Opening hours : 11:00-20:30
Closed days : Open everyday
Credit cards : accepted
Home page　Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing ⑦

"Double Fromage" by LeTAO

It became a nationwide hit in 2005.

LeTAO was founded in 1998 (Heisei 10) in a prime location facing Marchen Crossroads under the theme of "Northern Sweets Manner - Delivering sweets rooted in the northern land to the whole country." Its official name is "Otaru Western Confectionery Shop LeTAO." It has become so famous nationwide that there is no one who doesn't know the name. It is one of the must-see attractions when you come to Otaru.

Currently, there are six stores with different concepts in Otaru City, each offering a wide selection of limited edition products and exquisite sweets.

It was the milky, smooth cheesecake "Double Fromage" that made LeTAO famous nationwide. It became a nationwide hit after being featured on a TV program in 2005. Now, when people think of Otaru sweets, they think of LeTAO.

Otaru Specialties

Store name : Otaru Western Confectionery Shop LeTAO
Address : 7-16 Sakaimachi, Otaru, Hokkaido
phone : 0120-468-825
Opening hours : 9:00-17:00
Closed days : Open everyday
Credit cards : accepted
Home page　Click here for the homepage

Delicious Otaru Specialties - Otaru Sightseeing 8

"Otaru Tile Baumkuchen" UNGAPLUS

Baumkuchen rusks modeled after the roof tiles of Otaru.

Otaru prospered as a port of call for Kitamae ships from Kamigata.

Kitamae-bune were merchant ships that traveled between Osaka and Hokkaido from the mid-Edo period until the Meiji period, buying and selling goods along the Seto Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan. They transported a variety of daily necessities, such as rice, salt, sugar, sake, iron, cloth, and cotton, from Kamigata, and a variety of goods, such as kelp, herring, herring dregs, and salmon, from Hokkaido.

The tiles used for the tiled roofs that can still be seen in the city of Otaru are one example of this. Not only were they used as a commodity, but they were also loaded onto the bottoms of Kitamae-bune ships to prevent the ships from capsizing and to balance the center of gravity. In Otaru at the time, where fires were frequent, tiles were used in competition with warehouses and wealthy shops in particular.

The appearance of these piled tiles is expressed in "Kawarayaki Baum" with overlapping layers of Baumkuchen and the crunchy texture of caramel.

Otaru Specialties

Commitment to using ingredients from Hokkaido.

Eggs, sugar, butter, wheat.

Because it's a Hokkaido confectionery, it uses plenty of local ingredients. It has a rich flavor packed with the bounty of the north.

Otaru Specialties

Although it's a baumkuchen, it has a new crispy texture.

Traditional Baumkuchen made by skilled craftsmen is cut into pieces and placed in an oven, where it is slowly baked into a rusk shape.

Otaru Specialties

UNGAPLUS

Good luck from the shipping town of Otaru...
May the flow that has been protected without interruption be your ally and open up your luck.

During the Meiji period, Otaru flourished as the gateway to the development of Hokkaido.
Kitamae ships flapped their pure white sails across the ocean, traveling to and from Honshu and bringing many goods and cultures to this area.

UNGAPLUS delivers original products that incorporate the history and culture of Otaru, as well as high-quality products from the ports of call of the Kitamae ships, from the former Otaru Main Warehouse, the first commercial warehouse in Hokkaido, built by Kitamae ship owners Nishide Magozaemon and Nishitani Shohachi.

The story of Otaru, which has walked alongside the Kitamae ships, can be heard from this place.

We are looking forward to your visit and have a wide selection of original items that are only available here and make great souvenirs.

Click here for details on "UNGAPLUS" Store name : UNGAPLUS

address : 2-1-20 Ironai, Otaru 047-0031

phone : 0134-65-8150

Opening hours : 10:00~18:00

Closed days : Open everyday

Home page　Click here for the homepage