It was said that a virgin visit to Otaru, the nostalgic port city of Hokkaido, is never complete unless you have covered the two key attractions; Otaru canal (also known as the big drain for many) and the music box museum!
Today, we shall step into the music box museum and although i didn't manage to cover everything, the following pictures would give you a rough idea on what to expect; note, the museum component is not huge in scale.
Before entering the built-in-1912 building, you would have noticed this 5.5-meter clock tower outside the entrance. Known as the steam clock, this chimed hourly and played a melody every 15 minutes!
Inside the building - covering two floors, you would find tons of music boxes! Most were for sale and they came in all shapes and sizes. I bet you can find something you like; only issue was the pricing.
With the technological jump for musical devices in the past few decades, it should have accelerated the demise for music boxes. However, even though sales might not be as spectacular as before, i believe the crisp melody from a music box still appeals to many people.
Old European design; they wouldn't look out of place at Buckingham palace or any of the ancient palaces in Europe.
Not sure if the items placed within the cabinet are music boxes. In front of the cabinet was a small panel that mentioned 九谷焼 which is a Japanese style porcelain known as Kutani.
Music box from my era when i was a kid; i remember my mum had the same one with a dancer that rotated on the tiny dance floor when the box was opened.
Like a gigantic cake, you are looking at hundreds of musical boxes stacked on top of each other which reminded me; be careful when you have hyperactive kids! Rein them in! If need be, leave them outside!
Dolphin-themed with dolphins of various colors.
There's a second and third floor (as can be seen from the above picture); shall share the map of the building at the end of the post.
Beautiful glass angels - honestly, i shouldn't term them as music boxes as it's technically not boxed up the usual way. Nevertheless, there was a box and it's hidden underneath the angelic dress.
Various colours just like the dolphins; personally, some appeared really weird in other colours and even though it offers a wider variety, it gave a layman consumer like i the impression that there's a lack of creativity.
Amusement park theme!
Going up to the second floor; compared to the noisy crowd on the first level, it got much quieter as i climbed up the stairs. Maybe because there was so much to see; many people simply didn't have sufficient time to check out the upper floors!
A pity though as there were way more unique stuff on the second level; like the above wall mounted cats and owls. They had a string in the middle; pull it and the melody will start.
Same concept as the hanging music toy we get for infants! They don't come cheap; the copperplate one above was priced at 5,940 yen (about S$73)!
This was cheaper at 4,536 yen; still above S$50 though.
Other as cute hanging musical boxes - there were so many to choose from; i was literally bedazzled despite thinking of buying a few as decorations for my sparse flat.
Humongous bear - couldn't find any knob to turn it on.
View of the ground floor; guess it's human nature. We got so overwhelmed by what we see in front of us; we forgot that there might be more waiting to be explored. Oh well, i am not complaining since i don't have to jostle for space.
Some items were made in China; hence, do check carefully as you could likely get the made-in-china at a huge discount on shopping sites like taobao.com.
Made in Hokkaido - Otaru is also well known for its glassware and it made perfect sense to have music boxes using Otaru glass to ornament them.
Not everything sold at the music box museum belongs to the music box theme; like these light weighted displays of mainly felines.
Glass paper weights!
Cute charcoal display that helps to remove odors in your cupboard; don't bother placing them in your living room as the size is too small. If you need one for a room, get a big bag of charcoal; it works better.
Big music box! I forgot to take a photo of the information plaque in front of it; hence, i am unsure if it is indeed a musical box as there were organ pipes in the middle, right behind the wooden mannequin.
Officially the museum section where there was a showcase of antique musical devices that came after music boxes; for example, the gramophones, the radios and the CRT televisions!
Equally interesting was the area on the development of mechanical musical instruments from 1600s to the early years of the 20th century. For goodness sake, I was borne in the 20th century!
Aside from helpful translations (in English, Chinese and Korean), a visual 3D mock-up of the respective eras was also appealing to those who prefer to see than to read.
Traditionally plain music box with an eye-popping price; 91,800 yen (over S$1,100 each)! Almost got a heart attack.
I am a cheapo (nothing more than S$20) when it comes to gifts unless i am sure the receiver will like it or it's a present that warrants an important occasion. This one above cost 3,780 yen (S$46).
LED lighted musical box - priced at 3,240 yen (S$40), there's hardly any workmanship to justify the price! I would be better off getting a similar look-a-like alarm clock at less than S$15.
Some of the range allowed you to choose the melody for the music box; it could be the classic auld lang syne or even the popular Let It Go.
Beckoning Japanese geisha music box.
Clown doll musical box - with the movie "IT" being a big hit on the screen recently, i am wondering if there will be a corresponding drop in the sales of clown-related merchandise.
Kaleidoscopes fascinates me when i was younger as there could be countless beautiful patterns down that tiny little scope! I would have gotten if i was ten years younger. Now that i am older, i know this would be dumped at one corner.
Didn't help as well when i noticed the price; 6,048 yen (close to S$75)! I can definitely spend that kind of money on a few more piggy banks.
Hm..... i don't think i need to be taught on how to use the music box.
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Location
4-1 Sumiyoshicho,
Otaru 047-0015,
Hokkaido, Japan
(entrance / exit of Sakaimachi Street)
Operation Hours
9am to 6pm
Website
Store Map
As above.
