Architectural Highlights

Highlights of the Otaru Museum include its architecture as well as its exhibits. Here we present some of the architectural features of the museum building.

Visitors are welcome to take photographs of these features.

The Lobby Area

Image: History Zone as seen from the Lobby Area
Image: fossils hidden in the marble of the banking hall counter

Marble from Akasaka in Gifu Prefecture is utilized in the area around the museum lobby, including the banking hall counter used by tellers in its Otaru Branch days. Try finding the fossils hidden in the marble.

The pillar-free banking hall

Image: ceiling of the banking hall

The ceiling of the banking hall is about 10.5 meters high. The roof is supported by steel frames resting on brick walls. This method of construction makes it possible to create a large space free of pillars.

Owl reliefs on the interior and exterior walls

Image: relief on the interior walls of the museum featuring a recurrent motif said to be the Blakiston's fish owlImage: relief on the exterior walls of the museum featuring a recurrent motif said to be the Blakiston's fish owl

On the walls are reliefs featuring a recurrent motif said to be the Blakiston's fish owl: 12 on the interior and 18 on the exterior. This distinctive owl is one of the guardian deities of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido.

Recommended photo points

There are recommended photo points throughout the museum, at locations indicated in the list of photo points (249KB, PDF file opens in new window) (available only in Japanese).