Otaru Kihinkan (Guest House), Hokkaido

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A northern art mansion

Otaru City in Hokkaido is a popular tourist spot in Hokkaido, located close to Sapporo. Otaru has many historical buildings such as “Otaru Kihinkan” (Guest House) and “Taisho Glass Museum”. You can also enjoy cruising on the Otaru Canal and enjoy the night view of Otaru.
It is also attractive that there are many markets such as Otaru Sankaku Market where fresh seafood is available. This time, we introduce “Otaru Kihinkan” from Otaru’s recommended sightseeing spots.
The average temperature in Otaru in May was 13.4 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature was 19.4 degrees Celsius, rising to nearly 20 degrees Celsius. It is at this time that various flowers begin to bud.
At the “Paeonia suffruticosa and Paeonia lactiflora Festival” held at Otaru Kihinkan, a registered tangible cultural property of the country, you can see the splendid peony coloring the garden. Small wildflowers begin to bloom on the promenade along the Otaru coast.

The Otaru Kihinkan is composed of a building called “Aoyama Villa” on the right hand side, which is said to be a northern art mansion, a Kihinkan building in front of where you can enjoy your meals, and beautiful gardens.

The gardens are filled with peony flowers every year from mid-May to early July, and many tourists come from inside and outside Hokkaido at their best.
Former Aoyama Villa, designated as a tangible cultural property registered in the country, is a villa of the Aoyama family that has built up a huge amount of wealth through herring fishing during the Meiji and Taisho eras.
During this period, herring fishing was at its peak in Hokkaido, and the wooden building “Herring Palace” was built so that Amimoto and others who made good for fishing competed. Above all, this area is particularly luxurious, and the total construction cost is said to be 3.5 billion yen at the current price.
Herring Palace “Former Aoyama Villa” is a 630-square-meter wooden two-story building with a beautiful architecture that can be called “north art mansion”. Inside there are 18 rooms with 6 to 15 tatami mats, each with a different taste. There is also a restaurant where you can enjoy herring dishes, and the view from the Japanese-style room is superb.

Charms and Highlights of Otaru Kihinkan (Guest House)

Luxurious villa that was unthinkable at that time

Speaking of Hokkaido trip, you will enjoy the vast landscape of nature, and many people aim for gourmet excitement of abundant seafood. However, the goodness of Hokkaido is not limited to scenery and food alone. It is Hokkaido which is evaluated as a foreign country where climate is somewhere away from Japan, but it has a short but solid history.
Among them, Otaru flourished as a “commercial capital of the north”. The Otaru Canal, the most popular tourist attraction, and the historical building called “North Wall Street” are remnants of that. When visiting at dusk, a lot of lamps welcome you at Otaru station, you can feel that you came to a romantic retro retreat.
There is “former Aoyama annex” in Shukuzu area which flourished with herring fishes from Meiji era to Showa era, about 20 minutes by car from JR Otaru Station. The “former Aoyama annex” was built in 1923 by Masakichi Aoyama and his daughter, one of Shukuzu three major head fisherman. The site area is about 5000 square meters, the wooden two-story building in the lush garden, the building area more than 600 square meters, it was a luxurious villa that was unthinkable at that time. There are 18 various Japanese-style rooms of 6 to 15 mats (about 11 to 27 square meters) in the house.

Among them, “Hassennin no ma” (room of the eight hermits), where thirteen Suiboku-ga (ink painting) painted by Ryuu Shimazaki was drawn on the sliding doors, is splendid. Currently “former Aoyama annex” is a viewing facility of Hokkaido’s leading art house and can be toured for a fee. In 2010, it is also designated as a registered tangible cultural asset of the country.
At Otaru Kihinkan, the flowers of the seasons that are blooming in the courtyard such as Sakura, plum, azaleas are also one of the attractions. “Peony Festival” will be held every year from late May to early July. As you can see about 700 peony, it is recommended visiting Otaru at this time.

With the scale of many herring

Otaru-shi, Hokkaido is a town flourished fishing very much from the Meiji period through the Taisho period.
Previous fishing spots of Akita and Toyama moved up to the north to the coast of Hokkaido after 1910, the catches of nishin (herrings) have increased explosively in Otaru or Wakkanai. With the scale of many herring to crowd, the surface of the sea seemed to glisten with silver as far as the eye could see.

One of the three major fishermen’s bosses

The Aoyama built millions wealth by herring fishing from Meiji to Showa era. The mansion which Masakichi Aoyama, who is one of the three major fishermen’s bosses, and his daughter Masae built is “former Aoyama annex”.

There are 18 rooms different of each

The villa of 630 square meters in wooden 2 stories was built in the site of approximately 5,000 square meters in 1917, and it took time of more than six and a half years. There are 18 rooms of 6 to 15-jo (about 11 to 27 square meters) in the villa and is different of each.

Registered tangible cultural property

The “Hassennin no ma” (room of the eight hermits), which the eight hermits is drawn on 13 fusumas (papered sliding door), is in particular the best part. It was designated as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan on 2010.

The refined Japanese-style food is offered at the restaurant

In the same site, the Japanese restaurant is added, too. You can enjoy the luxurious ceiling picture by the Japanese painter related to Hokkaido in the first-floor hall. The refined Japanese-style food which took in fresh seafood is offered at the restaurant, Including a menu using herring.

Information(Access, Price/Charge, Tel, Address, Official site, etc.)

Name:	Otaru Kihinkan (Guest House)
Adresse:	Shukutsu 3-63 Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0047 Japan
Access:	JR Hakodate-honsen Line “Otaru-eki Station” (20 minutes by bus)
Tel:	(+81) 134-24-0024
Price/Charge:	Admission fees of "former Aoyama annex". 1,100 yen (Adult) 550 yen (Under 12 years old) Please refer the official web page.
Official site:	http://otaru-kihinkan.jp/