Introduction

Gift Otaru

Good fortune from
the port city of Otaru…
May your path open together
with the unbroken
flow preserved through time.

During the Meiji era,
Otaru flourished as the gateway to
Hokkaido’s development.
The Kitamae-bune, with its white sails
on the open sea,
brought countless goods and
culture here through
exchanges with Honshu.

UNGAPLUS sees the Kitamae-bune,
which brought wealth and
happiness to people,
as a treasure ship carrying
the Seven Lucky Gods,
and delivers the charm of this land
through craftsmanship.

From here, the story of Otaru
that walked alongside the Kitamae-bune.

Kitamae-bune drying its sails – Late Meiji to Taisho periodKitamae-bune drying its sails – Late Meiji to Taisho period

Otaru City Designated
Historic Building

[Year Built]
Meiji 23 (1890)
~
Meiji 27 (1894)

[Structure]
Warehouse: One-story timber-and-stone Office: Two-story timber-and-brick

[Original Use]
Warehouse

[Designation Date]
Showa 60 (1985),
July 23

Old Otaru Warehouse
and
UNGAPLUS

From the mid-Edo period to the 1890s, the Kitamae-bune used the westward route connecting Hokkaido and western Japan. In Meiji 2 (1869), with the establishment of the Hokkaido Development Commission, Otaru Port was developed as a supply base. Along with the population surge from immigrants, it grew as a trading port and stopover for daily goods. In the Taisho era, canals were built for unloading cargo, further advancing maritime distribution. Large stone warehouses constructed by Kitamae-bune shipowners lined the port, alongside merchant houses and stone buildings.

The “Old Otaru Warehouse” was a timber-and-stone warehouse built by Kitamae-bune owners Shohachi Nishitani and Magosaburo Nishide of Kaga Hashidate on the newly reclaimed Minamihama area of Otaru Port. Construction began in Meiji 23 (1890). Later, management passed to Kyuuemon Yamamoto, a Kitamae-bune owner from Matsumae who saw Otaru’s potential. In Meiji 26 (1893), it became Hokkaido’s first commercial warehouse with a modern logistics system, under the Otaru Warehouse Co., Ltd.

The Old Otaru Warehouse (Main Building) has long since finished its role as a warehouse, but it is now used as a confectionery shop, the Otaru City General Museum Canal Annex, and as the store of UNGAPLUS. With the spirit of our predecessors in mind, we hope to continue weaving the story of Otaru together with our customers from this place.