Watch the kerosene lamps light up at a century old cafe in Hokkaido

Otaru is a city on Japan’s northernmost main island and prefecture of Hokkaido . Although much of the island’s commercial activity has shifted to the prefecture’s capital city of Sapporo, Otaru was the center of commercial activity on the island between the 19th and early 20th centuries and was known as the “Wall Street of the North” due to its prosperous fishing industry.

It was around this time that Otaru’s now famous glassware industry began to develop. Glass was initially produced for fishing floats used to fish herring and although plastic fishing floats have now replaced glass ones, the glassware industry in this city has continued to flourish.

Among the many glassware producers in Otaru is the Kitaichi Glass Company. The company started producing glassware over a century ago inside a building with only a single kerosene lamp, but the company has since expanded and now has a cafe that is housed inside the beautiful wooden Kitaichi Hall.

Each of the 163 lamps is still lit by hand and seeing the cafe come to life at opening time as each lamp is manually lit up is a magical experience.

Oh, and don’t forget to grab a Hokkaido milk tea soft serve before you leave.

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