| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | - |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 19:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0133-78-2300 |
| Notes | Rest stop, Museum, Food available, Souvenir store, Observation deck, Parking available |
| Location / Getting There | Found on the Ishikari coastal road, route 231. It's a 1 hour drive from Sapporo. 12-4 Atsutaku Atsuta, Ishikari-shi, Hokkaidō 061-3601 |
Observation deck
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Energy for the drive from Ishikari Fumiichi
The small museum has information on the surrounding flora and fauna. With miniatures, small exhibits, and photographs, its an interesting place to have a wander around. For those wanting to grab a bite to eat, there are a couple of food stalls on the middle floor. The ‘Ishikari Fumiichi’ store has a few fish meals, Chinese dumplings, and beers to buy. ‘Home’ is a bakery & pizza restaurant that has delicious pastries, pizzas, and fresh juices available. And the popular ‘Gelato Lico Lico’ sells (you guessed it) gelatos. Simply order your meal from the vending machines and go to the counter. There are plenty of tables to rest, eat, and drink.
| Dates | Last weekend of May |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 14:00 |
| Contact | 0164-53-3332 (Mashike Town Office Commerce and Industry Tourism Division) |
| Location / Getting There | 1 minute walk from Mashike bus station. 2 hour 15 minute drive from Sapporo. Mashike station Ekimae Street Surroundings (Masuke Machi Bentencho 1) |
Get your shrimp!
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Inside the fishing museum
Many of the public arrive early and get shrimp in take away packs so get in quick. The festival finishes surprisingly early at 14:00. There are lots of stalls selling different kinds of food, especially seafood. You can buy shrimp, octopus and shell fish for a cheap price. Goes well with the beer! The festival also focuses on local sake and the breweries in the area. They have a sake tasting area as well as sake competition which can be seen on a large stage. There are local performers and attraction throughout the streets, so make sure to bring a camera.
Mashike town
There are three ways to get to Mashike. The most convenient and probably the cheapest would be to get a hire car from Sapporo. If you don’t have a lot of time, it is an easy drive up in the morning and head back in the evening. It’s a great drive and you can stop off along the way and see Shiragane Waterfall, and the Yuhinooka Rest Stop. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Sapporo Station to Rumoi (2 hrs & 50 min) and then take a taxi (20 km) to Mashike. This will put you back about ¥10,000 return. Via train from Sapporo, take the ‘Lilac Limited Express’ or the ‘Kamui Limited Express’ to Fukugawa (1 hour 5 min). Trains run every 4 hours to Owada (50min) and then a taxi to Mashike (25km). Total cost via this route is about ¥12,000 there and back.
| Admission | - |
| Opening Hours | Open 24 hours |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | Sightseeing spot , Parking available, Rest rooms available |
| Location / Getting There | Located along coastal road, route 231. West cost on Ishikari Bay. 1 hour 30 minute drive from Sapporo Hamamasuku Ofuyu, Ishikari, Hokkaido 077-0351 |
White Silver Waterfall
On the west coast of Hokkaido, from Ishikari bay all the way up, to Rumoi and up further to the north of Hokkaido, there is a beautiful coastal drive that you can take. The coastal road on route 231, winds its way along, hugging the cliffs with the ocean lapping at its side. Along the way, there are plenty of places to stop and take a break. The Shiragane Falls, translated to the ‘White Silver Waterfall’ is one of these spots, where you can take a break, stretch the legs and take a look at the waterfall as it spills its way into the ocean below.
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Relaxing spot
The falls are found at Cape Ofuyu and measure at thirty meters. In November 1977, Route 231 was opened, and to celebrate this achievement a monument was built. The monument can be found here at the Shiragane Waterfall. There is free parking available here, and the entrance can be found just after coming out of the Yutosu Tunnel (if coming from the Sapporo direction). The name meaning ‘White Silver’ is said to come from the silver splash that is reflected in the sunlight. It is a nice little spot, as the waterfall flows on one side, and the ocean can be found on the other.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 18:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-666-1481 https://www.shiroikoibitopark.jp/ |
| Notes | Chocolate factory, Chocolate shops, Wheelchair access, Restaurant inside, Free parking available for 130 cars |
| Location / Getting There | By subway 7 minutes on foot : Get off subway at Tozai Line Miyanosawa Station ・ (about 20 minutes from Odori Station) on foot (7 minutes) By bus 5 minutes on foot : From JR Sapporo Ekimae Bus Terminal (for Otaru) ・ Get off at "Nishimachi Kita 20-chome" By car 25 minute drive from central Sapporo 2-chōme-11-36 Miyanosawa 2 Jō, Nishi-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaidō 063-0052 |
Famous staircase inside
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All aboard
Outside, on the hour every hour, is the “Chocolate Carnival”. This automated carnival sees a procession of characters parade around the clock tower with music and bubbles filling the courtyard. It’s a real fun part of the factory courtyard, which is popular in winter as well as winter. The public can also find the mini railway here. The replica mini steam engine takes up to thirty people and runs every 20 minutes. ¥300 for adults, and ¥200 for the kids will buy you a boarding pass for a 10 minute ride around the courtyard.
Watch the candy making
Inside the ‘Shiroi Koibito’ buildings, there are tours you can go on. The general tour will put you back ¥600 per adult, and ¥300 per child. There are groups discounts for more than twenty people, and discounts for special needs. For the premium tour, the price is ¥900 more expensive. The tour gives a look at the Shiroi Koibito Chocolate (a famous Hokkaido chocolate brand) line. Other things to look at include the ‘Chocolate Room’ where you can make your own chocolate, the ‘Sweets Room’ where you can make your own cookies.
There is a lot to see
Also located in the Tudor house, on the second floor there is the ‘Kids Town’ aimed at children ages 0 to 8. It is here they can enjoy the play area. It costs ¥200 per person, every 30 minutes. There are plenty of places to grab a savory bite throughout the factory. Restaurants such as ‘Cafe Butlers Wharf’ serving up delicious quiche. Plus there is a hamburger restaurant. For curry, there is ‘Cafe Antorupo’, the ‘London Bus’ for snacks and a few ice cream shops dotted around the grounds. The shops at Shiroi Koibito park are perfect for buying sweets and gifts.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥900 - ¥1300 |
| Opening Hours | 10:20 - 20:20 drinks 11:00 - 19:30 food |
| Closed | Nov 5 - Nov 22 |
| Contact | 0134-33-7381 |
| Notes | Seating 40, English menu available Non smoking |
| Location / Getting There | Take the Chuo (#9 天狗山ロープウエイ線) bus from Otaru station terminal, or Otaru canal terminal. Get off at "Tenguyama" (last stop). Top of Mt. Tengu 2-chōme-16-16 Mogami, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0023 |
Plenty of seating to enjoy the view
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Fried Herring Set
The menu is in Japanese plus English. It is pictured so it is easy to order. Outlook Restaurant Tengu has some delicious Japanese dishes and some Western ones. They have a Hokkaido Potato Curry, a Fried Chicken Curry, and a delicious Fried Herring Rice Bowl just to name a few. For a more Western flavor, there are some pasta dishes, a Beef Stew with Naan bread, or a Sausage Set. The drink menu has tea, hot coffee, beer & wine (including a nice Otaru wine). And to finish off, Outlook Restaurant Tengu has an assortment of desserts to choose from.
| Mt Tengu Ropeway | ¥1200 Adult round trip ¥600 Child round trip *discount for groups of 20 or more ¥1500 Adults round trip ticket + ¥800 meal coupon: |
| Opening Hours | 9:30 - 21:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0134-33-7381 |
| Notes | Observatory, gift shop, restaurants, hiking path, Squirrel park, shrine, snow gallery, Wheelchair access |
| Location / Getting There | Take the Chuo (#9 天狗山ロープウエイ線) bus from Otaru station terminal, or Otaru canal terminal. Get off at "Tenguyama" (last stop). Takes about 15 minutes. 2-chōme-16-16 Mogami, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0023 |
Great views
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“Tengu” of Japanese folklore
Once alighting the cablecar, you will first enter the gift shop and restaurant, where you can sit and have lunch, dinner or coffee. If you need lockers, there are a few here for ¥500 for the day, and which are cheaper than the lockers at the bottom of the mountain. It is here too, you can see the Otaru Winter Museum, and the Tengu Hall which has fantastic Tengu masks on display. Outside, there is “Nausea’s Tengu”, a giant Tengu sculpture, which if you touch the nose, your wishes will come true. Behind this is a squirrel enclosure (open only during the summer), and a shrine, known as “Tengusan Shrine”. The shrine in the evening is lit by lanterns and is especially beautiful during this time.
One of the observation points
Circling around the top of the mountain is a small hiking path. It takes about 25 minutes to walk around. It is a pleasant walk and while walking around there are a couple of clear vantage points that offer beautiful views over the surrounding area. Finally, for kids and adults there is a downhill bobsled track that runs for 400 meters. The track costs ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children. The track is closed during bad weather. All this during the summer, and during the winter there is skiing and snowboarding as well! A great place for family and friends.
Impressive views up
To get to the mountain, you can drive or take a bus. Buses leave from Otaru station, and Otaru canal bus terminal. For night viewing, there is an ‘Otaru Nightview Shuttle Bus’ (小樽夜景シャトルバス). This shuttle bus leaves from the the Otaru Grand Park Hotel at 18:50 and 19:20. It does a run through Otaru, stopping further at Hotel Otaru Furukawa, Hotel Sonia, Hotel Nord, Otaru Canal Bus Terminal, The Bank of Japan Otaru Museum, Inaho Jujigai, and the Otaru Train Station Bus Teminal. It operates from the end April until the start of November and costs ¥210 per adult, and ¥110 per child.
