Traveling the World #341 - Otaru Canal Bus Terminal @ Sapporo, Japan

Hi Everyone,

After visiting Otaru Canal, we started to make our way down to the main strip of Otaru. There were few tourists compared to the last time while we were there so we didn’t feel overwhelmed or rushed. We slowly walked around and saw the Otaru Canal Bus Terminal building. Not far from the canal and JR station, this old building has been converted into a multi-tenant store selling local goods, cakes, wine and offers clean toilets for visitors. The building used to be a bank but I think converting this to attract visitors was a fantastic choice.

The moment we stepped into the building, we could smell the fresh cakes from the store so we had to try them. It was nice and toasty warm inside so it was another incentive to sit down and have some sweets. The building had very high ceilings, though it did echo a little bit when people started talking. We weren’t wine drinkers so we skipped the wine section and went straight to the cake store. There were a number of people lining up for cake so we took the time to pick what we wanted. The store had a small card with simple English advising customers the cakes are called Panju explaining how they could be eaten. They were just over 100 yen each so it was well worth the price. We bought two to try as we knew there will be more food down the road but we can’t miss this shop.

Apart from the cake store, there was also a traditional Japanese snack store but it was closed unfortunately due to not many visitors. When we visited, Japan started to open up to the world so things have not yet caught up but I am sure in a few months, more visitors will visit. In the far back corner, there was a small photo section showing visitors what the building used to look like internally and externally. It was interesting to see the changes in the place over the years and how it all transformed.

The building outside itself doesn’t look like a traditional Japanese structure, more European like the rest of the city. With the large pillars, we feel like we are in a different part of the world. If you have time when visiting Otaru, make a quick stop here and try the cakes, it is well worth the visit.

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