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Otaru Rickshaw Tour: Experience Distinct Seasons and Old-Day Bustle in Northern Port City
4.9
77 Ratings
Otaru
This port city of the north has four distinct seasons, the nice sea breeze in summer, to the snow covered winter views that will give you the chills. Piers, canals and stockyards will remind everyone of the bustling old days, and you will feel the dashing spirit of Otaru.
This port city of the north has four distinct seasons, the nice sea breeze in summer, to the snow covered winter views that will give you the chills. Piers, canals and stockyards will remind everyone of the bustling old days, and you will feel the dashing spirit of Otaru.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Otaru Canal - iconic scenery of Otaru
- Kitaunga - north part of Otaru canal
- Former Nippon Yusen Kaisha Otaru Branch - visit inside the old post office
- Former Japanese National Railways, Temiya line - old rail tracks
- Otaru Denuki Koji - small alley
- Asakusa Bridge - The most popular bridge in Otaru! From here you have a…
- Otaru Canal - iconic scenery of Otaru
- Kitaunga - north part of Otaru canal
- Former Nippon Yusen Kaisha Otaru Branch - visit inside the old post office
- Former Japanese National Railways, Temiya line - old rail tracks
- Otaru Denuki Koji - small alley
- Asakusa Bridge - The most popular bridge in Otaru! From here you have a fantastic view on the Otaru canal lined with the old warehouses.
- Otaru Port Marina - A quick stroll through the Otaru Marina, a vital part of the fishing town Otaru.
What's Included
- Rickshaw ride
- Local driver/guide
- Rickshaw ride
- Local driver/guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
- Expecting mothers in their first 16 weeks of pregnancy are not permitted to ride a rickshaw
- Adult pricing applies to age 6 and over
- Child rate (age 5 years or under) applies only when children sit on an adult’s lap without occupying a seat
- A maximum of 2 adults per rickshaw. Up to 2 children (age 5 years or under) can ride with 2 adults (children…
- Expecting mothers in their first 16 weeks of pregnancy are not permitted to ride a rickshaw
- Adult pricing applies to age 6 and over
- Child rate (age 5 years or under) applies only when children sit on an adult’s lap without occupying a seat
- A maximum of 2 adults per rickshaw. Up to 2 children (age 5 years or under) can ride with 2 adults (children have to ride on an adult’s lap)
- While rickshaws are able to fit two adults, each rickshaw is 29.1 inches (74 centimeters) wide, and it is sometimes more comfortable to book individual rickshaws for each passenger. For passengers of size, we recommend booking a rickshaw for each participant to ensure a comfortable ride. Passengers who do not both fit in one rickshaw but wish to participate in a tour at the same time will be required to purchase an additional rickshaw, which may not be available on the date of the tour with an English-speaking guide if not booked in advance. Those customers who do not purchase an additional rickshaw at the time of booking cannot be guaranteed availability.
- Wheelchair and stroller friendly
- May be operated by a multi-lingual driver, subject to availability; please ask for a driver who speaks your language at Departure Point
- Selected starting time is not automatically guaranteed. The time will be confirmed by email within 24 hours of booking.
- finishing locations other than our rickshaw stand may be subject to an additional drop-off fee (payable on the day of the tour)
Location
中央橋
at the corner of the bridge, where the traffic light is
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(77 Ratings)
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Georgemfoo
May 25, 2025
We are very happy to visit Otaru. It was most enjoyable. We had a great lunch. - We went on a rickshaw tour on 7 May 2025. Our guide was Taichi. He was a very good guide. Friendly and cheerful. He was knowledgeable. He took beautiful pictures. Arigatou.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christinejohn11
May 2, 2025
A great tour - A very interesting hour spent with a knowledgeable and friendly guide who showed us the the sites of Otaru in an unusual way
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tony_r
Apr 30, 2025
An excellent way to see Otaru - We took the 90 minute rickshaw ride with Koto as our driver. Koto was a lovely and polite young man with excellent (self-taught) English. He gave us a very informative ride around Otaru, which gave us a great feel for the city for when we walked around later. It was pretty cold, but the seat warmers and blankets kept us warm.
We'd recommend this tour for anyone coming to Otaru who fancies going something different.
Review provided by Viator
Escape51056090349
Dec 8, 2024
Otaru Kanko - He taught me a lot about the history of Otaru and I was happy to take a lot of pictures! If you visit Otaru again, I want to go sightseeing on a rickshaw!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_b
May 27, 2024
Definitely recommend! - This was a great trip. 😊 We booked 2 rickshaws for 1 hour. Very interesting and informative ride around the historic sights of Otaru in the canal area. Very pleasant young men pulling the rickshaws with the option to be dropped back at the cruise terminal if we preferred. Pick up point was easy to find with the map and photo provided.
Review provided by Viator
Robim446
Jan 27, 2024
Just a quaint place - We went a few years ago in summer, while staying in Sapporo. We are now planning to go in winter. Otaru is an ideal distance for a day trip from Sapporo. Alternatively you can use Otaru as a home base and do day trips out from there. It is so pretty just strolling the streets any time of the day, sunrise, sunset, twilight. We found as you got further north less tourist. If you are planning a holiday and don’t want the queues Otaru is ideal. We are looking forward to going in winter.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
純一
Nov 26, 2023
Rickshaw driver experience tour is the best - The Otaru rickshaw tour was a wonderful experience. I learned about the history of the Otaru Canal and got a feel for the feelings of the local people. I was touched by the young rickshaw driver's love and pride for Otaru.
I'll definitely visit Otaru again.
Thank you very much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_b
Aug 5, 2023
Highlight of day trip to Otaru - I was so happy that I booked this wonderful experience. Our guide Kuma was very professional and knew so much info about Otaru. We learned so much. His English was also excellent and is self taught. I believe he also knows a bit of Korean and Chinese.
Review provided by Viator
Traveler20581243431
Aug 1, 2023
It was fun being a local! - Since it was close, I had never ridden a rickshaw before, but my daughter said she wanted to try it, so we got in and it was fun as the driver explained the deep history of Otaru. The explanation was easy for children to understand and interesting, and Mr. Inoue was a fun guy, so I recommend it! He was also really good at taking photos, so we made some great memories!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_m
May 8, 2023
Fun, Authentic & Affordable - What a fabulous way to see downtown Otaru and hear about its history while also experiencing this mode of transportation which was invented in Japan. Our guide was friendly and strong and stopped along the way to share the history of what we were seeing. I was so pleased to have a hand-pulled rickshaw, the bicycle driven ones are not the real mccoy in my view. Since it was a cold and somewhat rainy day, our driver put seat warmers down for us, bundled us up in a blanket and then affixed a brightly-colored tarp over the blanket to keep all dry and cozy. What an excellent experience!! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
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