Otaru Tour: Explore with a Local Guide

Discover the best of Otaru with a private half-day trip led by a government-licensed guide. Explore historical sites, enjoy local cuisine, and visit charming sweet shops. Customize your itinerary and make the most of your time in Otaru!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Otaru Canal - The Otaru Canal is a classic staple when it comes to famous sightseeing spots of Hokkaido. Once the distribution hub of Hokkaido, it boasted a population that even surpassed that of Sapporo. At that time the canal was used to offload ships via barges, and was established to lengthen the distance that goods could be distributed….
What's Included
  • Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Otaru
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 sites from ‘What to expect’ list
What's Not Included
  • Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • Private Vehicle
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
  • Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Additional Information

Embark on an enriching excursion led by a seasoned, multi-language proficient guide with official government accreditation! Discover the captivating charm of Otaru during this highly effective tour.
Renowned as a historical gem and sought-after holiday destination in Hokkaido, Otaru can be somewhat daunting for first-timers uncertain about which…

Location
Otaru Canal
Minatomachi,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(13 Ratings)
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Neil_s
May 21, 2024
Learning many details... - Learning many details about the history as well as current features of Otaru City. A charming location where we also enjoyed sushi and other snacks. One of the highlights in our 2 week vacation to Japan. Arigato Roy Aoki!
Review provided by Viator
Dream09014187408
May 17, 2024
Quality experience on Private Tour of Otaru - We thoroughly enjoyed our tour led by Mr. Roy Aoki. He shared historical details of the many attractions we visited. The Otaru Museum, Otaru canal, the Shopping Street, Sake Brewery and the Kamaboko Factory were definitely highlights. We will definitely recommend Roy Aoki to any friends and family who plan to visit Otaru.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Li_l
May 7, 2024
Experience matters - Rain started to fall and temperature dropped significantly and made walking around too chilling. It could've have been a disaster for a day trip but everything turned around when my guide turned up. Kumiko-san is not only knowledgable of the town and she quickly suggested a pivot to an indoor oriented itinerary The sake brewery was an absolute blast, and the Aoyama house is an amazing examples of fine craftsmanship in every corner, even in the toilets :). There was very few people in the house, made me felt a bit like I'm a on VIP tour. in this case the bad weather has become an advantage. The lunch place was at a local joint with no other tourist in the shop. The seafood don was delicious and very reasonably priced. To make it even more interesting, Kumiko-san told stories about her other customers, from rude tourist to VIP government officials, from entertaining to amazing. All in all I should thank Kumiko-san for a well executed tour and I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone visiting the region.
Review provided by Viator
Ozziewanderer
Apr 27, 2024
Best tour in Japan. - We were lucky enough to have Michiko guide us around Otaru today. She is very knowledgeable and her English is extremely good. She suggested we visit the herring mansion/museum which is the best example of a 19th century wealthy home that we have seen during our holiday throughout Japan. We were fortunate that we were early and there were only a few visitors at the same time. We then visited the ‘western’ glass museum which was breathtaking. The museum houses a huge collection of glass from around the world, many 19th century. There is blown glass, etched glass, enamel painted, fused glass, cast glass and stained glass. Tiffany, Lalique and many more masters. We then strolled along the canal and one street over to browse the tourist shops. Thank you to Michiko for a wonderful day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tour02881479386
Apr 26, 2024
Touring with Tracy - Great introductory Otaru tour with Tracy. Her English was great and she took us to nice attractions and we enjoyed her knowledhe of the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
559philipd
Apr 21, 2024
Great visit to Otaru in the company of a professional guide…….. - Easy booking process via the Get Your Guide website; Kumiko Nakamura met us at the Cruise Terminal and showed us round Otaru including an informative trip to a museum, a sake factory, the shopping street, Otaru canal etc. We particularly enjoyed a lunch-stop at a local Japanese restaurant and it provided time to ask questions about life in the area - it was amazing how many similarities there are in the key issues facing the UK and Japan! Throughout the trip Kumiko was great company as well as being very knowledgeable and professional and it was great to learn from someone with relevant experiences. In short, a wonderful visit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bianca
Feb 10, 2024
Winter Wonderland Tour Otaru - Our tour guide Roy Aoki was very knowledgeable about the history and infrastructures of Otaru. Highly recommend taking this walking tour as it can be tailored according to the sights you want to see. Roy did a fantastic job bringing us around. What a great time to visit Otaru on the beginning of the Snow Light Path Festival.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yiklynn
Dec 2, 2023
Wonderful and excellent experience at Otaru with a knowledgeable guide. - Kumiko-san, who was our tour guide, brought us around Otaru and explained the history behind the charming city. She was professional, knowledgeable and ensured that we were comfortable during the trip. She also managed to meet us directly at our hotel to pick us up even though it was not offered as part of the package.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard
Apr 20, 2023
Exploring with Fumiko - We had the best day exploring Otaru with a beautiful and knowledgeable local guide, Fumiko. From our first email to her about our places to see, Fumiko was very responsive. We were able to explore so much with her and have the extra benefit to be able to learn more about the Japanese culture and experience their hospitality. We started at the sake distillery, followed by the herring museum, train museum, lunch at a local charcoal grille, walking along the canal and seeing the Otaru Art Museum. Fumiko made the day special and very memorable. We would definitely recommend this tour and to have Fumiko as your guide is perfect.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_j
Apr 21, 2023
No Guide, tour cancelled - Viator never found a guide. There was no tour. Why would they ask for a review? They are certainly disorganized. They said they would refund.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
October 2024
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