Things to do in Otaru

My wife and I booked this as we really wanted to see the Hill of the Buddha and Otaru but we're worried we wouldn't fit it all in if we did it ourselves. This tour fit the requirements perfectly, gave us plenty of time in each location and the transfers were spot on. Sei, our guide was excellent throughout, giving us useful information about the tour and each of the places we visited. he gave us plenty of recommendations for snacks and where to eat for lunch too. In summary, a really enjoyable side quest from Sapporo.

We had a fantastic trip visiting Shakotan Blue, the Otaru Canal, and Shiroi Koibito Park. Our tour guide, Hong, was exceptional—his communication regarding meeting points and tour expectations was always clear and well-organized. I was particularly impressed by his ability to fluently speak Korean, English, and Chinese, effortlessly catering to the diverse nationalities in our group. Highly recommended!

The schedule for this trip was very well organized, with appropriate time allocated for each attraction. The tour guide, Xiao Liao, provided prompt reminders and warm, professional service, communicating very well in Chinese, English, and Japanese. By the way, participants can choose between the Yoichi Distillery and the fruit-picking orchard based on their preferences, and the driver will pick everyone up individually.

I booked a tour to visit the Nikka Whisky Distillery. When I searched for tour options, Endate Trip was the only one offering a distillery bus tour. This was my second trip to Sapporo, and I was even more satisfied because the itinerary included Cape Kamui. Our group had six people, and we were lucky enough to have the tour to ourselves without joining another group, which made it even more enjoyable. The weather on the tour day was perfect, so we saw the stunning Shakotan Blue sea, and I was a little sad that photos couldn't capture its beauty. After lunch near Yoichi, we started the Nikka Whisky Distillery tour. The Japanese staff kindly explained each area. Our guide had already informed us about a QR code that translated the staff's explanations, so we had no difficulties, and the guide also provided additional explanations along the way, which made it very enjoyable. We also enjoyed tasting three whiskies and the recommended (pork) jerky. Guide Kim In-jae must have had a tiring long drive, but he gave interesting explanations about Sapporo's culture, weather, and tourist attractions, helped us with whisky shopping, and even covered the Otaru tourist spots, which was our last stop. It felt like our second day in Sapporo was perfect. Thank you, Guide Kim In-jae.

Our driver Wang王 was very friendly and gave good advice. we are very happy with the service and manage to visit all 7 places we stated.

Mainly booked this tour because I wanted to visit Cape Kamui, which is not easy to reach by public transport. Seeing the famous Shakotan Blue on a clear day was absolutely worth the price and the long journey. The added bonus was getting to see the Shakotan Coast, visit Otaru, and stop at Shiroi Koibito Park all in the same day. As expected, the schedule was quite tight, but this is understandable given the long distances we had to cover and the number of places included in the itinerary. Our guide, Cici, was pleasant and helpful. However, I felt the tour could have been more informative. She provided translations in Japanese and Chinese and read the English descriptions from her notes, but there wasn't much additional interesting information or storytelling about the places we visited. A little more background, local history, or interesting facts would have made the experience more engaging.

my guide, Rii, was very informative and thoughtful. She can converse in english and mandarin. We were provided a 13 seater van for 6 random people. She catered the front seats for my injured leg so that it was easier for me. She took initiative to snap photos for us. Though the travel time at each stop is fairly short, thankfully it was not crowd season, so still able to cover most of each stop. Through the trip, we were given insights of hokkaido history and details of every site. A little sad that i couldnt cover oyunuma pond since i cant climb the hill at noboribetsu. I enjoyed the Bocca yogurt at lake toya and Guarana(Hokkaido's coca cola) recommended by Rii. The baby brown bears were super cute at the bear ranch. For otaru, there was no time for buying famous sweets (letao, rokkusei, ryugetsu) due to the crowd (but all these brands can be found in sapporo station). Covered Otaru canal, kitachi glass, music box museum, miffy port town(specially designed items for otaru only)

Guide Jay conducted the tour in three languages. Extremely knowledgeable, he told us about scenic spots, local delicacies and souvenirs. All attractions were well worth visiting, and the scenery at Otaru Port was also beautiful.

Take the Ropeway gondola up Mount Tenguyama for a top view of Otaru city and the beautiful sea. You can exchange your QR code for a physical ticket at the counter and also receive a free postcard and a 10% discount at Tenguu Cafe. At the top, there's a Chipmunk Garden, Tengu Shrine, and other activities to enjoy.