Beautiful Canal….
This is “Otaru Canal”, do you know ?
Yes !! Otaru is famous sightseeing spot !!
Yes !! As you know, Otaru is sightseeing spot, but in Meiji ～Early Syowa, this city is called “Japanese Wall Street”.
Wall Street !? Was Otaru banking city ? Why? Please introduce this city history !!
People is known as old city in Hokkaido, people lived there over 3,500 years ago. Otaru has good port, sea resource, and forest.
In Edo era, Otaru developed as herring fishing port. In this time, many herring came to Otaru’s coast. Hearing were used as manure.
In late Edo period, Otaru has developed as a trading city as the population grows. Otaru exported herring and imported rice, cloth, and daily necessities. The trading ship was called Kitamae bune. It departed from Osaka and stop at coast cities on the sea of Japan side.
What kind of business model was the Kitamae Bune ?
It is not transport ship. The business is near trading company. Buying clothe in Osaka, selling it in Toyama and buy rice, and selling the rice in Otaru and buying fish and seaweed, and selling it ……. People earned huge profit !!!!
In Meiji era, Japanese government focused on developing Hokkaido. The center was Sapporo, and Otaru played the role as entrance. In 1880, the railroad was laid Otaru (Temiya)～Sapporo. And as developing Hokkaido, the railroad was expanding. Importing food and materials from Honshu, exporting herring and coal from Hokkaido.
For carrying materials ships～port by small ships, canal was dug. For storing materials, stone warehouse were building. The Otaru was developing as one of the biggest trading city.
Based on infrastructures since Edo era, the city developed !
In Meiji～Taisho, canal and Stone warehouse were building. As you know, they are famous sightseeing spots now^^
For trading, people asked a lot of cash. Many banks were building. People, materials, banks…. Some people called Otaru, “North Wall Street”.
As time goes by, hearing disappeared, Japanese coal less competitiveness. Now Otaru uses historical place as sightseeing spot.
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