＜１．

Overview of the Otaru Canal＞（参考した URL＝https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/kankou/miru_asobu_tomaru/kankosisetu/otaruunga.html）

The Otaru port has always served as the gateway to progress development of Hokkaido.

Otaru Canal – 1140 meters long
Northern CanalIn the old days, large ships were anchored off the coast and unloaded using “Hashike”(barge). Gradually, more cargo came to be handled as compared to before, and therefore
it was necessary to make the transportation more efficient. The Otaru Canal wasdeveloped then by reclaiming land from the sea to extend the dock space at the harbor.
The canal was completed in 1923 not by dredging the inland but by reclaiming the coastal
area and has a mildly curving feature which makes the waterway unique compared toothers. The canal finished its operation when the pier was developed.
In 1986, the canal was partially reclaimed for land after controversy over more than adecade. The half of the width was reworked into a road, along with a promenade andThe Canal and its vicinity (back in 1960s)

roadside garden, which are still enjoyed by many today.
The canal is 1140 meters long and 20 meters wide where it runs side by side with the Hokkaido Route 17 also known as Rinkosen and 40 meters widein the northern part called the Northern Canal.
Refer to a separate sheet attached. The left photo shows the canal (up to Okobachigawa River)Otaru Canal in the past

What is there todayIn the promenade, 63 gas lamps are set up. Warehouses made of stone along the waterway remain as they were in the old days. They now serve as restaurants
and for other purposes. In the evening, the gas lamps and stone-built warehouses are lit up, bringing the atmosphere completely different from that in the daytime.
The canal today

The canal in old days
(from the same viewpoint)

The fences designed after Japanese white birch, the City Tree

（レリーフ等の写真）

Relief showing Otaru’s historic moments at 4 locations
Promenade of square-shaped granite forming a ginkgo leaf pattern

Asakusabashi-Gaien park famous as a photo spot and with a tourist information
centerFrom early November to early February, the canal is illuminated in blue during theevent, “Otaru Yoichi Yuki Monogatari” (Otaru Yoichi Snow Story). In early February,during the “Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi” (Otaru Snow Light Path), candle lights float
over the surface of the canal, setting off a peaceful atmosphere.

＜２．Utilizing the Otaru Canal＞
The Otaru Canal is located an eight-minute-walk from the Otaru Station and is a touring attraction which shows charms of Otaru, along with many buildings
from the Meiji, Taisho, and the early Showa eras as well as old tracks of the very first railway in Hokkaido. The visitors can enjoy walking alongside the basin.
Also, 40-minute cruises down the Otaru Canal to the sea is available throughout the year. There are sceneries to behold from the surface of the water including
an aquarium and the Niseko-Shakotan-Otarukaigan Quasi-national Park.
Take a Walk to Historical Buildingsa.

Former Nippon Yusen Kaisha Otaru Branch

13.

Former Otaru Warehouse

9.

Former Mitsui Sumitomo Bank Otaru Branchf.

Former Otaru Branch of the Bank of Japan

17.

Former Kyosei Company

50.

Suitengu

77.

Former Naniwa Warehouse（※市のホームページの写真は、ダウンロードシステム利用を検討します。また各パネルに「小樽市提供」と明示します）