OTARU CANAL – the symbol of Otaru city. The canal boomed in the Meiji Period when Otaru was the only significant port on Hokkaido’s Sea of Japan, with barges transporting cargo from the ships in the sea to the brick and stone warehouses lining both sides of the canal. Today, a section of the canal has been turned into a tourist area, with “gas-lights”, a stone-paved promenade, and conversion of the warehouses alongside the canal into shops and restaurants.