Otaru Music Box Museum Revisited 2022

During my tenth week in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) under the JET Programme, I had the pleasure of visiting the enchanting Otaru Music Box Museum (小樽オルゴール堂 本館) on January 5, 2022. Nestled in the winter wonderland of Hokkaido, this museum became one of the standout experiences during my winter travels. Exploring the museum's vast collection of intricately crafted music boxes was truly a delight, and sharing this adventure with my fellow Filipino ALTs made it even more special.

Otaru Music Box Museum Revisited 2022

Fast forward to August 19, 2022, the second day of our captivating "From Osaka with Love" Road Trip, I had the opportunity to return to the Otaru Music Box Museum, this time accompanied by my family. It marked my 42nd weekend in Japan, and the road trip itself had already been filled with remarkable moments. However, having the chance to revisit the museum alongside our Japanese family added a whole new layer of joy to our journey.

Otaru Music Box Museum Details

(SUMMER)

小樽オルゴール堂 本館
Otaru Music Box Museum - Otaru City, Hokkaido Prefecture

For those who missed my article about Otaru Music Box Museum, here’s a bit of its history; located at 4-1 Sumiyoshicho in Otaru City, this museum was originally an office for a local rice merchant and was constructed sometime in 1912. It was sold and changed ownership a few times until it was bought by the Otaru Music Box Museum in 1989.

Otaru Music Box Museum facade




Otaru Music Box Museum Steam Clock





Inside Otaru Music Box Museum*














* I posted only a handful of photos of the exhibits and I purposely didn't label them so that you would only get a glimpse of what the Otaru Music Box Museum has to offer. Please visit it and enjoy it with your own eyes.

Today, it houses more than 25,000 pieces of different music boxes. Aside from that, it also serves as one of the main tourist destinations of Otaru City. For Filipinos like me, this museum is made popular by the 2017 Filipino romantic comedy film Kita Kita which had scenes shot inside the museum.

Team Nicerio visits Otaru Museum Box Museum





Overall, I was happy to finally be able to revisit the Otaru Music Box Museum with my family especially my daughter who really appreciated the place as much as I did. I highly recommend that you include this place in your itinerary whenever you are in the city.

Otaru Music Box Museum Entrance Fee

It's FREE to enter and explore the Otaru Music Box Museum but make sure to bring cash just in case you fall in love with one of the music boxes on sale. 

Otaru Music Box Museum Operating Hours

Monday - Thursday: 9AM - 5PM
Friday - Sunday: 9AM - 6PM

Why visit Otaru Music Box Museum?

If you are looking for the best souvenir when in Otaru City, then this place is for you. You have a plethora of music boxes to choose from. You can even customize your own music box in the third-floor area.

Getting to Otaru Music Box Museum

 

From Sapporo Station, board the Rapid Airport 105 Rapid Otaru train to Minami-Otaru Station. From there, the Otaru Music Box Museum is about 500 meters away on foot. 

Travel time: 34 minutes
Fare: 1280 yen

Ratings

Crowd

Cleanliness

Overall rating





Location: 4-1 Sumiyoshichō, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0015, Japan

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 1, 2024 at 7:39 AM

    Diyan nagpunta si Empoy at Alessandra sa Kita Kita. Ang ganda pala diyan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neil Alvin NicerioMarch 1, 2024 at 12:39 PM

      That's right. Yun ang motivation ko nung una kong punta sa Otaru. Yung mabisita ko ung filming locations ng Kita Kita.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 1, 2024 at 10:58 AM

    That's a beautiful museum. I collect music boxes from around the world, this is definitely going to be in my bucketlist.

    ReplyDelete

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