Making Otaru’s Tenguyama and Shukutsu the “second Niseko”
2025/09/06 | 2891 views
Good evening, everyone. It’s starting to get cooler in Sapporo. Autumn is here. So, where are you all heading for your Hokkaido vacation? Hakodate, Asahikawa, Furano, Biei, Otaru, Niseko, Chitose, Noboribetsu. Hokkaido has so many fascinating areas!
There was some interesting news today, so I’d like to share it with you.Have you ever been to Otaru?It’s closer than Sapporo, and you can get there and back in a day!
Otaru City is seeking to attract resort development at the foot of Mt. Tengu (532 meters), where a ski resort is located, and in the Shukutsu area, home to the Otaru Aquarium. While Nitori Akio, chairman of Nitori Holdings (Sapporo), had expressed interest in utilizing the former Otamoi Amusement Park, the city prioritized redevelopment of Mt. Tengu and other areas due to concerns about the dangers of being located on a cliff. The city plans to encourage private hotel construction in response to the increasing number of visitors to Japan, but with core facilities in both areas aging, it’s unclear whether the intended investment will be realized.
The underlying factor behind this is the booming tourism in Otaru since the COVID-19 pandemic. The city expects tourist numbers to reach 8.06 million in fiscal year 2024, marking the first time it has exceeded 8 million in seven years. Otaru’s proximity to Sapporo, allowing day trips, has long posed a challenge, with low overnight visitors. However, the city saw a record high of 980,000 overnight visitors in fiscal year 2024, of which 280,000 were foreign visitors. The city expects demand for accommodation to grow further, and construction workers in Sapporo have also raised the possibility of foreign capital entering the city, expressing hope that “Otaru has the potential to become a second Niseko.” Most of the city’s accommodation facilities are located in the city center and Asarigawa Onsen, with the foothills of Mt. Tengu emerging as a potential new destination. Mayor Sako emphasized that “hotel construction is the most important point.”
The biggest obstacle is the aging of core facilities. The Tenguyama ropeway, owned by a subsidiary of Chuo Bus, opened in 1979, and the Otaru Aquarium, run by the city’s third-sector organization, opened in 1974, and neither has undergone major renovations. The city’s finances are tight, with a 1.46 billion yen shortfall in this year’s budget, and with no plans to renew facilities, it’s unclear whether the private sector will be interested in either area.
Let’s hope it transforms into the next Niseko!Changing the subject, did you know that there is one soapland in Otaru? We don’t know if foreigners are allowed in, so please check. Incidentally, our Tokyo Hentai Club Sapporo can dispatch escort girls to Otaru on an outcall basis, so if you’re interested, please contact us.
https://www.cityheaven.net/hokkaido/A0104/A010401/21st/?op=newc
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