Otaru


Otaru is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces the Ishikari Bay, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tourist destination. Because it is a 25-minute drive from Sapporo, it has recently grown as a bedroom community.
As of 31 July 2019, the city has an estimated population of 115,333 and a population density of 474.37 persons per km2. The total area is. Although it is the largest city in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, the subprefecture's capital is the more centrally located Kutchan.

History

The city was an Ainu habitation, and the name "Otaru" is recognised as being of Ainu origin, possibly meaning "River running through the sandy beach". The very small remaining part of the Temiya Cave contains carvings from the Zoku-Jōmon period of Ainu history, around A.D. 400. Otaru was recognised as a village by the bakufu in 1865, and in 1880 the first railway line in Hokkaido was opened with daily service between Otaru and Sapporo.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Otaru as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The city flourished well as the financial and business center in Hokkaido as well as the trade port with Japanese ruled southern Sakhalin until the 1920s. Otaru was redesignated as a city on August 1, 1922.
On December 26, 1924, a freight train loaded with 600 cases of dynamite exploded in Temiya Station, damaging the warehouse, the harbour facilities and the surrounding area. Local officials stated that at least 94 were killed and 200 injured in this disaster.
During WWII, Otaru housed a prison camp for Aleuts taken there following the Japanese occupation of Attu.
Since the 1950s, as the coal industry around the city went into a decline, the status of economic hub shifted from Otaru to Sapporo.

Geography

Otaru is a port town on the coast of the Sea of Japan in northern Shiribeshi Subprefecture. The southern portion of the city is characterized by the steep slopes of various mountains, where the altitude of the land sharply drops from the mountains to the sea. The land available between the coast and mountains has been almost completely developed, and the developed part of the city on the mountain slopes is called Saka-no-machi, or "Hill town", including hills named Funamizaka and Jigokuzaka.

Neighboring cities and towns

Some of the rivers in Otaru are: Hoshioki, Kiraichi, Zenibako, Hariusu, Asari, Katsunai, Shioya, Myoken, Irifune.

List of Mayors (from 1923 to present)

NameIn office
Tota Sayanagi

16 August 1923 – 25 February 1925
Fumihiko Kitagawa

19 September 1925 – 11 November 1932
Miyakichi Itaya

11 December 1933 – 10 December 1937
Naotaka Kawahara

5 April 1938 – 10 May 1945
Kokichi Fukuoka

1 June 1945 – 12 November 1946
Eitaro Suhara

2 April 1947 – 6 April 1951
Yogoro Adachi

25 April 1951 – 29 April 1967

NameIn office
Yu Inagaki

30 April 1967 – 29 April 1975
Kazuo Shimura

30 April 1975 – 29 April 1987
Masaaki Shintani

30 April 1987 – 29 April 1999
Katsuma Yamada

30 April 1999 – 29 April 2011
Yoshiharu Nakamatsu

30 April 2011 – 29 April 2015
Hideaki Morii

30 April 2015 – 25 August 2018
Toshiya Hazama

26 August 2018 – present

Climate

In the summer the weather, like all of western Hokkaido, is very warm and balmy, with a maximum temperature of around and high humidity - not as hot as southern Japan. In the winter, however, Otaru is very snowy, receiving as much as of snow from November to March, when it snows almost constantly and sunshine levels are extremely low. The average maximum snow cover is.
Extreme temperatures have ranged from on August 1, 2000 to on January 24, 1954, in which month the highest snowfall of occurred. Monthly precipitation totals in a record dating back to 1943 have ranged from in August 1962 to in June 2007.

Transportation

Universities

National

Public

A canal adorned with Victorian-style street lamps runs through Otaru. The city attracts a large number of Japanese tourists as well as Russian visitors.
A popular attraction on the west side of the city is Nishin Goten. This large wooden building was built in 1897 and was once the house of Fukumatsu Tanaka, a magnate of the herring fishing industry. It was originally built in nearby Tomari village and moved from there in 1958. Visitors can clearly see the difference between the squalid conditions of the first floor sleeping quarters of 120 workers and the ground floor luxury of the magnate's rooms.
Another notable building is the Sakaushi residence, constructed by Yoshiya Tanoue, a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Tomioka Catholic church is also a popular spot. Many of the buildings have been designated as landmark architecture.
In the nearby village of Asarigawa Onsen and perched atop of Asari Ski Resort comes a new Boutique Resort catering for outdoor leisure activity. Currently under development by LENKEN, another Wisbey Brothers Build, scheduled for completion in 2018.
Otaru is well known for its beer, and Otaru Beer, next to the canal, is a popular restaurant with a medieval theme. Otaru is also known for the freshness of its sushi. Another food attraction unique to Otaru is the rainbow tower ice cream. The town also has substantial shopping arcades and bazaars, but fewer than nearby Sapporo.
Otaru's prominent industries are arts and crafts, such as studio glass and musical boxes. Of the latter, it maintains the Otaru Music Box Museum.

Tenguyama

Otaru is an important port for Sapporo, and part of this hilly city is on the lower slopes of Tenguyama, a good place for skiing and other winter sports and one that is accessible via Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway.

Sister cities