Otaru, with its nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of the foggy city of London, is famous as a tourist destination and is also known as a city loved by the renowned actor Yujiro Ishihara.

Many tourists visit this area every year, regardless of the season.
This time, we'll introduce 12 shops in Otaru that sell souvenirs that are perfect as gifts for family, loved ones, or even as a reward for yourself.

It's a great place to enjoy delicious seafood, but it's also a fun town to shop for souvenirs like music boxes and cakes!
Let's get started!

<Table of Contents>
1. Recommended hotel sweets for takeout | Authent Hotel Otaru
2. LeTAO, a famous shop known for its Double Fromage cheesecake
3. It's not just Marron Colon! | Amatou Main Store
4. Enjoy lunch too! Le Quatrième's "Chocolate Cake"
5. For blueberry cake, this is the place! | Marie Laurencin Cafe
6. Enjoy with tea! | Arare Midoriya
7. Overwhelming support from non-locals too! | Nishikawa's Panju
8. Popular Kamaboko Shop's Bread Roll | Kamaei
9. Loved by Yo Oizumi too! | Kitakaro's Kaitaku Okaki
10. This is the delicacy of Otaru! | Ika Taro
11. The melodies that are played will enchant your heart... | Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building
12. Why not be soothed by beautiful candles? | Otaru Candle Workshop
Afterword

~Western-style sweets edition~

At "Ondine," a café located within the "Authent Hotel Otaru," you can enjoy a gateau chocolat that is completely different from the conventional kind.

The texture is moist yet fluffy...you can enjoy a gateau chocolat with a texture so soft you might forget you're chewing.

The cream on top of the cake has a fluffy texture and is very sweet; it's completely different from the dry, crumbly gateau chocolat I've had before.

In addition to the gateau chocolat, you can enjoy a total of four types of cakes, including shortcake, lemon tart, and soufflé cheesecake with red bean paste.

This cake is recommended to enjoy with tea in the hotel lounge, or to pick up as a souvenir after a day of sightseeing in Otaru.

They also provide ice packs for takeout orders, tailored to the length of time you'll be carrying them, so you can rest assured even on hot summer days!

Authentic Hotel Otaru Ondine
Address: 2-15-1 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL: 0134-27-8130
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 19: 00
No regular holiday

As you walk along Otaru's Sakaimachi Street, you'll see a stylish Western-style building. That's the LeTAO flagship store, famous for its "Double Fromage" cheesecake. Actually, in addition to cakes and other sweets, LeTAO also has specialty stores selling Western-style confectionery such as chocolates.

And this is "Chocolat Double," a fusion of cheesecake and chocolate.
The slightly bitter, mellow flavor of the cocoa and the pleasantly tangy cheese complement each other perfectly.

It truly is a harmonious blend of cheese and chocolate in this dessert!
This is another cake that makes a great souvenir to buy on your way back from sightseeing in Otaru.

LeTAO Main Store, Otaru Western Confectionery Shop
Address: 7-16 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0120-46-8825
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 18: 00
No regular holiday

At "Amatou Honten," located inside the arcade on Miyako Street, the slightly thicker shortbread cookies called "Marron Colon," which have been a staple since the shop's founding, are immensely popular.

However, they don't just sell that; they also carry Western-style sweets such as shortcakes with sweet strawberries and slightly tart kiwis sandwiched between layers of fresh cream sponge cake, as well as individually sold chocolates.

And the item I'm introducing today is an apple pie with a crispy pastry crust and sweet baked apples in between.
In addition to taking cakes to go, there's a cafe on the second floor where you can eat in and enjoy sweets like parfaits and zenzai (sweet red bean soup).

Buying these as souvenirs on your way back from sightseeing will surely be appreciated.

Amato Main Store
Address: 2-16-18 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-22-3942
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 19:00 PM (Shop)
10:30 AM - 19:00 PM (Cafe)
Closed holiday: irregular holiday

Located along the canal, "Le Quatrième" offers cakes that pair perfectly with tea.

The first floor of the shop sells sweets such as cakes and Western-style confectionery, while the second floor is a cafe space where you can enjoy lunch while overlooking the canal.

This is a chocolate cake. The bittersweet taste of cocoa and the sweet taste of chocolate fill your mouth.
The display case is filled with about 10 different kinds of cakes, so you might have trouble deciding which one to buy.

Even if it's difficult to buy all the varieties at once, this is a shop you'll want to visit again and again to complete your collection!

Besides chocolate cake, I also recommend the shortcake with a big strawberry in the middle!
This is another cake that makes a great souvenir to bring back after sightseeing in Otaru.

Le Quatrième Canal Street Store
Address: 2-3-1 Iroinai, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-27-7124
Business hours: 11: 00 ~ 19: 00
Closed: Wednesday

This is Marie Laurencin, a coffee shop that always has about eight kinds of cakes on offer, and they mainly sell cakes that use plenty of fruit.
Among them, the blueberry tart is particularly popular. It features a thin, moist tart crust, generously filled with fresh cream and custard, and topped with a moderately sweet and tart blueberry jam.

Enjoy it with coffee or tea, which pair perfectly with the cake!

Takeout is also available, of course!
If possible, I recommend stopping by and buying it on your way back from sightseeing.

Marie Laurencin Coffee Shop
Address: 3-9-1 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-32-4222
Business hours: 8: 00 ~ 20: 00
No regular holiday

~Japanese sweets edition~

Arare Midoriya, a long-established shop in Otaru that started operations in 1947, is filled with a wide variety of sweets, including traditional, nostalgic handmade rice crackers and konpeito (sugar candy).

The style of telling the shopkeeper what you want and then selecting and buying it is also full of Showa-era charm.
When you open the bag, the distinctive, savory aroma of rice crackers tickles your nose.

There's something quite delightful about eating it while listening to the crisp, crunchy sounds it makes.

As you can see, they are sold in boxes, so you just tell the staff how many you want.
There are so many different kinds of rice crackers for sale, it's hard to decide which one to buy!

Arare Midoriya
Address: 2-16-3 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-25-4577
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 19: 00
Closed on: the third Sunday of the month

Named "Panju," a combination of "pan" (bread) and "manju" (steamed bun), this Japanese confection is similar to Imagawayaki, with plenty of sweet red bean paste wrapped in a thin, crispy crust.

It looks like an Imagawayaki (a type of Japanese sweet), but I think you'll get a completely different impression when you eat it.
It's very hot when it's freshly made, so be careful not to burn yourself!

There are also tables in the back of the shop, so I recommend enjoying a meal while leisurely sipping tea.
It's best to eat it while it's still hot and fresh, but it's also delicious when it cools down, so you can take it home and eat it there.

This Japanese confection is very popular as a souvenir.

Nishikawa's Panju
Address: 2-12-16 Inaho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-22-4297
Business hours: 10: 00 ~ 18: 00
Closed: Thursday

~Suitable for snacks~

This is a bread roll made by "Kamaei," a specialty shop for kamaboko (fish cake).
The fish paste is wrapped in bread and deep-fried until crispy, so you can eat it on the spot, or of course, take it home as a souvenir!

Other popular options include "Mayo Rolls," which contain mayonnaise, and "Wiener Rolls," which contain sausages.

This factory outlet also sells "Kuromame Age," a type of fish cake containing black beans.
You can enjoy the fluffy texture of the kamaboko (fish cake).

Kamaei Factory Direct Store
Address: 3-7 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-25-5802
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 19: 00
Closed days: Open all year round (except New Year's Day)

Kitakaro, known for its popular Baumkuchen, is actually also popular for its rice crackers.

With a total of eight flavors available, including squid, scallops, shrimp, octopus, and cod roe, it's hard to decide which one to eat!
That's where free samples come in handy!

At Kitakaro, you can sample the products before you buy them.
Such thoughtful consideration for customers is something we, as buyers, appreciate.

By the way, if you order by mail, the items are shipped directly from the factory, so all you have to do is fill in the number of items you want on the order form, and you don't need to pay at the register.
All of these rice crackers have a very rich flavor, making them addictively delicious... They're perfect as a snack with drinks!

Kitakaro Otaru Main Building
Address: 7-22 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-31-3464
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 18: 30
9:00~18:00 (winter)
Closed days: Open all year round (except New Year's Day)

"Ika Taro," a fragrant and fluffy, hand-grilled delicacy, is made from fresh squid caught in the waters off Hokkaido, marinated in a special sauce, partially dried, and then grilled on a griddle.

The freshly grilled meat is shredded into small pieces using a machine and then immediately packed into bags, so the fragrant aroma of our special sauce fills your mouth with every bite.

"Ika Taro," which makes a great souvenir for family members, is also perfect as a snack to accompany alcoholic beverages.
This is a great snack for children at 3 pm, and also recommended for those on a diet.

Ika Taro Honpo
Address: 6-4 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-22-7100
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 18: 00
Closed days: Open all year round (except New Year's Day)

~Recommended souvenirs that make great gifts~

At the Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building, a popular tourist spot in Otaru that attracts many visitors from overseas, approximately 3400 different types of music boxes are displayed throughout the store.

Upon entering the building, visitors are greeted by a spacious, open atrium.

This is a heart-shaped music box.
We have a variety of colors available, including white and blue, so we recommend buying them in different colors.
Buying them together as a couple might be a good idea!

Otaru Music Box Museum Main Building
Address: 4-1 Sumiyoshi-cho, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-22-1108
Business hours: 9: 00 ~ 18: 00
Closed days: Open all year round (except New Year's Day)

There is a stone warehouse very close to the canal.
Located within that area is the "Otaru Candle Workshop."

In addition to original candles made in their workshop, this shop also carries highly designed candles from countries other than Japan, as well as candle holders.

These candles, which make wonderful gifts, are so enchanting and beautiful that they are said to soothe the soul for many people just by looking at them.

In addition to the candles sold in the store, you can also experience making your own "handmade candles"

Why not create your own unique, one-of-a-kind candle?

Otaru Candle Factory
Address: 1-27 Sakaimachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
TEL：0134-24-5880
Business hours: 10: 00 ~ 18: 30
Closed days: Open all year round (except New Year's Day)

Afterword

How was it?
Otaru is a city whose streetscape itself is nostalgic and artistic.

It's a city where digital and analog elements are intertwined, with a sophisticated urban feel at times, and a warm, humane atmosphere at others.

It might be fun to enjoy sightseeing in Otaru while also choosing souvenirs!

Author: Hozuki Amane

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