Fellow Stripes Japan writer Takahiro Takiguchi recommended I visit Otaru while I was around Sapporo. I took his advice because there is a famous seafood market there that I wanted to check out.

By train, it took my fiancée and me about 40 minutes to get to Otaru Station from Sapporo Station, and soon I discovered there was much more to this coastal city in Japan than a fish market.

Travel tips

I have been using the Skyscanner app to find the best deals on plane tickets, hotels and car rentals. Another good app is Booking.com. I usually check both to find the best deal.

When trying to find somewhere to eat, you can use Google Translator on a GPS app and see what is available. More options show up when using the local language.

Sankaku Market

Our first stop was the Sankaku Fish Market. The entrance was weathered, almost as though it had seen some things, but that didn’t discourage me from entering.

Squeezing through crowds I found stalls selling live fish, crabs, sea urchin and more. If you want to eat some seafood at the market expect to wait because of the crowds. If you’d like to ship some seafood home, the market has a service set up to make that happen. Although I didn’t buy anything, I managed to have a good time checking out all the sea creatures for sale.

• Address: 3-10-16 Inaho, Otaru city, Hokkaido 047-0032

• Hours: Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday

• Website (English version)

Sea urchin ice cream

As we explored Otaru, I found something I would never expect— sea urchin-infused ice cream. Hachi is an ice cream shop run by Marumasa Ogawa Food, an uni urchin processing company. The shop specializes in uni soft serve.

When we saw Hachi, my fiancée immediately dragged me inside to give it a try. Initially, I refused because I prefer simple ice cream, unless it’s shaped like Mt. Fuji.

But, of course, I had no say. Luckily, she ordered only one cup (880 yen) because I’m certain my stomach couldn’t handle this for breakfast. She took the first bite, enjoyed it, then forced me to try it.

I took one bite, and I can tell you it tastes just like you’re eating sea urchin with a soft serve texture. I wasn’t a fan. But, if you love sea urchin, you might want to give it a try.

• Address: 1-2-16 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido, 047-0031

• They accept credit cards and yen and you can buy sea urchin at retail.

• Website

Everything LeTao

I first heard about LeTao while I was visiting the Stellar Place Mall in Sapporo Station. I thought it was a nice little cake shop on the B1 floor. However, I learned in Otaru, that it’s a popular patisserie chain. In fact, there are 5 LeTao specialty stores on one street in Otaru!

I thought it was both insane and cool! Each store has a variety of different snacks, desserts and store specialties. It may feel like you’re in a loop as you’re walking down Sakaimachi Street because of all the glass accessory stores and LeTao stores.

Walking down the street, the first Letao was sweets gift specialty store that sold fluffy souffle omelets and a limited-edition item called the Lefe Fromage. The lines were long, so we just browsed for a few and left.

The next LeTao was a chocolate specialty store featuring everything chocolate, including the Sylvie LeTao, a “creamy chocolate cake” with a dash of brandy whipped into Hokkaido fresh cream and chocolate mousse. I purchased this cake because it said “Hokkaido fresh cream” and had it shipped back to my house in Tokyo.

It was a delicious small chocolate cake. My fiancée still calls me a thief because she only had one bite and saved it later. She’s learning that she can’t do that with me around.

Right across the street they had LeTao’s largest store, it was filled with lots of ice cream sundaes, cakes and even a small restaurant.

A short walk down is the LeTao Fromage Danish, its specialty being cheese Danish, of course! The lines were short, so we had lunch. I ordered the Otaru Nama Fromage (fresh cheese) Danish and the Sausage Fromage (sausage and cheese) pie with a small coffee. I was not disappointed, and I spent less than 1,200 yen, a deal in my book.

The last LeTao on the street was called Otaru and specialized in Western confectionery.

A first timer in Hokkaido should definitely try LeTao. The items are a bit pricey, but the cakes are worth the expense.

LeTao

• Address: 1-2-16 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido, 047-0031

• They accept credit cards and yen and you can buy sea urchin at retail.

• Website

Last-minute shopping

On the way back to the train station, we stopped at one of the many souvenir glass accessory shops to buy something to remember our visit.

A fun fact about Otaru is that it is known for its historical canal district, seafood market, and glass works. We didn’t have time to visit the canal district, nor did we order any seafood to ship home. But we did bring some glass art back with us!

There are many little glass shops in the area that sell jewelry, decorations and tableware. The glass is a bit pricey but the memory of Otaru is worth it. I bought a glass art piece featuring a turtle and dog on a tatami mat. Because of Otaru, I started a small collection of glass decorations a reminder of my travel across Japan.

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