otaru Look Back a Bit

The Bank of Japan building Otaru branch office
The Bank of Japan building
Otaru branch office
 The former Mitsui Bank Otaru branch office
The former Mitsui Bank
Otaru branch office
 The former Nippon Yusen Otaruz Branch Office
The former Nippon Yusen
Otaru Branch Office

Ironai-cho, Where Exotic Buildings Tell of Past Glory

In the second year of the Meiji period (1869), The Hokkaido Development Office was established in Sapporo. This city formerly called Otarunai (meaning "River of Sands" in Ainu) was renamed to Otaru (meanining "small barrel" in Japanese). From the late Meiji to the early Showa period (late 1920s), the city boomed as a commercial center, and banks such as the Bank of Japan and trading houses such as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda built their Western-style branch offices around this area. These buildings were designed by first-class architects of the period, reflecting the splendor of this city about this time. The most representative is the renaissance-style Bank of Japan building (left photo) designed by the famous architect Tatsuno Kingo, who also designed Tokyo Station. Most of these buildings have changed ownership--for example, the former Mitsui Bank Otaru branch office (center photo) and the former Nippon Yusen Otaru Branch Office (right photo). The latter has been designated an important national cultural asset.

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