【Otaru Accommodation Recommendation】Otaru Furukawa Hotel: A Cozy Otaru Hot Spring Ryokan Facing the Otaru Canal
Although it was Christmas, it was not yet the peak tourist season for the Otaru Snow Light Path festival in February, so hotels in Otaru were relatively easy to book. This time in Otaru, I stayed at the hot spring ryokan “運河の宿 小樽 ふる川” (Otaru Furukawa Hotel), which is situated directly opposite the Otaru Canal. I had wanted to stay at this ryokan since I saw it a few years ago on a previous visit to Otaru, and this time my wish came true. It felt even more atmospheric in winter, allowing me to enjoy the beautiful view of the Otaru Canal blanketed in snow and relax in the warm hot springs during the cold winter—truly one of life’s pleasures.
Main entrance of Otaru Furukawa Hotel
Panoramic view of Unga no Yado Otaru Furukawa from across the Otaru Canal. The entire building is eight stories high.
Otaru Accommodation Recommendation: “Canal Side Inn Otaru Furukawa Hotel” Review
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Hotel Name: 運河の宿 小樽 ふる川 (Otaru Furukawa Hotel)
Date of Stay: December 2014
Nights: 1 night
Room Type: Canal Side Twin Room (Double room facing the Otaru Canal)
Accommodation Cost: 39,100 Yen for two people, including breakfast and dinner
Hotel Website: https://hpdsp.jp/otaru-furukawa/
Booking Channels: Klook | Trip.com | Rakuten Travel
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1. Location and Transportation of Canal Side Inn Otaru Furukawa Hotel
Canal Side Inn Otaru Furukawa Hotel is the only hot spring ryokan located in the city center of Otaru. Its position is directly opposite the Otaru Canal and very close to Sakaimachi Street, Otaru’s most important tourist shopping street, giving it an extremely superior geographical location. Just based on its location, it is an excellent Otaru accommodation recommendation. Additionally, the ryokan is not far from Otaru Train Station, about a 15-minute walk in weather without snow. Of course, walking in snowy winter weather is more challenging, so we took a taxi from Otaru Station. Since the distance is short, taking a taxi from the station to Otaru Furukawa Hotel is not expensive.
The road in front of Unga no Yado Otaru Furukawa was already covered with thick snow by late December.
Although the snow was heavy, the temperature that day was only -0.9°C, not very cold.
The Otaru Canal in heavy snow. The building on the left is Unga no Yado Otaru Furukawa.
Night view of the Otaru Canal
The main road next to the Otaru Canal
Walking straight west along Chuo-dori leads to Otaru Station, a distance of only about 700 meters.
Denuki Koji is not far from the ryokan.
Walking from here leads to Sakaimachi Street, only 300-400 meters from the ryokan.
Otaru Post Office
Sakaimachi Street
We visited Otaru around Christmas in December, so the streets were covered with thick snow. Below are some summer photos from a subsequent trip to Otaru this summer for comparison.
View the location of Canal Side Inn Otaru Furukawa Hotel on a larger map
2. Environment and Facilities of Canal Side Inn Otaru Furukawa Hotel
In winter, the entrance of Otaru Canal Side Inn requires daily snow shoveling, otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to get out the door!
Main entrance of the ryokan
Entrance genkan
The lobby on the ground floor is not very large, but has a nostalgic feel.
The ground floor lobby also houses a small shop selling various souvenirs and gifts.
There are also many Otaru tourist brochures available for guests.
Another corner of the lobby is a lounge with many books for guests to read, all in Japanese of course.
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The inn has many decorations and ornaments.
Many of the inn’s decorations are old-fashioned daily life and commercial items.
Umbrellas are available for free borrowing at the inn’s entrance.
Daily weather forecast
This old-fashioned stove in the lobby is real; sitting next to it feels genuinely warm.
Hot tea is also available in the lobby.
The second floor is the restaurant for dinner and breakfast. This area can also be used as a lounge, and there are also many books to read.
Like most hot spring inns, Unga-no-Yado Otaru Furukawa does not provide free WiFi in the guest rooms, but free WiFi is available in the first-floor lobby and the second-floor restaurant, including the inn’s own free WiFi and NTT East Japan’s Flet’s Spot free WiFi.
Finally, the corridor on the guest room floor.
三、運河之宿小樽古川酒店的房間
小樽運河之宿房間的鎖匙
運河の宿 小樽 ふる川總共有八層，我們入住的是七樓，由於八樓是高級的特別室，所以一般客房中我們住的已經是最高層了。
運河の宿 小樽 ふる川的大廈一邊向小樽運河，一邊向小樽駅那邊的街道，所以房間也分為運河側和市街側，運河側的房間可以望到小樽運河，景色較好，而市街側的房間設計就較有日式風味，各有優點。
我們入住的是運河側雙人房，是西式房間，有兩張床，房間面積有26平方米，不算很大但都闊落。
我們入住的這間706號房是在靠近出拔小路那邊的角位，所以兩邊都有窗，可以看到更多街外的景色。
從房間向外望整條小樽運河盡收眼底，甚至可以望到遠處小樽港外的大海。
浴室和廁所設在房門口的玄關位置
The bathroom and toilet are relatively small and not as well-designed, which is a bit of a downside.
The glass used in the table lamp between the two beds is a specialty of Otaru and is quite valuable.
The room is 26 square meters, so there is enough space for two chairs.
Some basic amenities and supplies in the room.
Hot spring inns usually provide a small snack or sweet for each guest to enjoy in the room, and this place is no exception. It tasted very good. If you want to buy some to take home, you can purchase them at the lobby shop.
4. Dinner and Breakfast at Unga-no-Yado Otaru Furukawa
Dinner and breakfast vouchers received at check-in.
The restaurant is located on the second floor.
There are two types of seating: regular tables and counter seats facing the Otaru Canal.
Dinner menu.
Dinner begins. It tastes very good!
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Breakfast is served in the same place as dinner. Seating is arranged by staff for dinner, but for breakfast, you can choose your own seat. We sat at a table for dinner last night, so for today’s breakfast, we chose the counter seats facing the Otaru Canal.
Breakfast is a buffet, mainly featuring Japanese-style food.
5. Hot Spring
Although Unga-no-Yado Otaru Furukawa doesn’t look very large, it has multiple hot spring bath facilities. There are two large public baths in the basement that are free to use, and there are also private rental baths on the 8th floor.
To reach the large public baths in the basement, you need to go down the stairs from the second floor.
The two large baths are separated by gender (men’s bath and women’s bath), and they switch between men and women the next morning.
As there were no other guests during both of my baths, I took a few photos of the hot spring.
6. Summary of Stay at Otaru Furukawa Hotel
Asari River Onsen in Otaru is one of Hokkaido’s popular hot spring destinations. However, since Asari River Onsen is located in the suburbs, it’s not very convenient for sightseeing and shopping in Otaru. If you want the convenience of exploring Otaru while staying at a hot spring inn, Unga no Yado Otaru Furukawa is definitely the best choice. The only thing to worry about is whether you can secure a booking.
If you also want to book Unga no Yado Otaru Furukawa, you can refer to the following booking information:
Direct booking page links for Otaru Furukawa Hotel on major hotel booking sites:
More:
Other Otaru Accommodation Recommendations
Besides Otaru Furukawa Hotel, I have also stayed at Hotel Torifito Otaru Canal, Dormy Inn Premium Otaru, and Authent Hotel Otaru. These are all good accommodation choices in Otaru, especially Hotel Torifito Otaru Canal, which is another one of my Otaru accommodation recommendations.
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