Nishin Goten Herring Mansion Otaru Kihinkan (Old Aoyama Villa)

Historical Monument

4.0

The villa was a holiday house for the Aoyama Family in the heyday of herring fishing. The family spared no expense in the materials and construction of the two-story wooden villa set in a site of almost 5000 square meters. The mansion conveys to the present the glory of days gone by and has also been designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of the country. There are many works of art, such as writings by Yamaoka Tesshu on display. It is about a five-minute walk from the nearest bus stop “Shukutsu 3-chome”.

Spot details

Nishin Goten Herring Mansion Otaru Kihinkan (Old Aoyama Villa)

Address: Hokkaido Otarushi Shukutsu 3-63
Area: Otaru Area
Phone: 0134240024
Hours: [Former Aoyama Bettei] 9:00-17:00 (Last entry 16:30) [Nov.--Mar.] 9:00-16:00 (Last entry 15:30) [12/29-12/31] 9:00-15:00 (Last entry 14:30) [Restaurant] 11:00-17:00 [Nov.--Mar.] 11:00-16:00 * LO meal 14:30, coffee shop 1 Hours before the end
Closed: [Old Aoyama Bettei] 1/1-7 [Restaurant] 12/26-1/7
Fees: [Admission fee] Adults (Junior high school students and older) 1,100yen, Children (Elementary school students) 550yen
Parking Lot: Available
Credit Card: Available (VISA, MasterCard, JCB, AMEX, UnionPay, DISCOVER, Diners Club)
Smoking: Not available
Wi-Fi: Not available
Vegetarian Menu: Available
English Menu: Available
Can be enjoyed even on a rainy day: Yes
Average budget: [Day] 1,001-3,000yen [Night] 5,001-10,000yen
Estimated stay time: 60-120 minutes
Wheelchair accessible: Yes (No villa)
Infant friendly: Available

Information Sources: NAVITIME JAPAN

Review

Great stop on the tour.

Reviewed：2020.03.07

A fascinating tour of the Herring Mansion. Our tour group was also served a Kaiseki dinner at this site, which included multiple small dishes of beautifully presented seafood and vegetables.
Easy bus ride from JR station

Reviewed：2020.02.23

Short bus ride and short walk from the stop. Worth spending a couple of hours here enjoying the house, garden (not in winter) and the cafe.
Fascinating insight in the way of life

Reviewed：2019.11.23

We visited this site as part of our tour of Hokkaido. It was an entrepreneurial fisherman’s house called Aoyama Villa, built in the early 20th century, 1917, by a family who made their fortune from...