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Living in Otaru

Otaru is a city in Japan, and the figures below are its published values. At the end of 2020, unemployment in Otaru reached 5.98%.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Otaru?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in JapanNational rates and thresholds that apply in Otaru.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Otaru yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Net rent across major citiesOtaru highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Otaru highlighted€15.18川崎市€13.60Yokohama€12.11大阪市€11.89京都市€11.78さいたま市€10.32千葉市€10.23福岡市€10.08神戸市€10.06仙台市€10.01名古屋市€9.52広島市€8.59札幌市net rent, € / m² / month

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

1.3% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 1,305 people of 102,385 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Otaru is 6.0%. Of 2,344 cities with data, 1,088 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Japan per band1 city: 0% to under 1%10–125 cities: 1% to under 2%251–2310 cities: 2% to under 3%3102–31088 cities: 3% to under 4%10883–4688 cities: 4% to under 5%6884–5158 cities: 5% to under 6%1585–6Otaru 6.0%49 cities: 6% to under 7%496–714 cities: 7% to under 8%147–84 cities: 8% to under 9%48–97 cities: 9% to under 10%79–10

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate5.98 %country median 3.7%31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)7Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Otaru. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Hello Work — Public employment service

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Japan service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Otaru. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital Beds Per 100026.25 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20241Official
Physicians Per 10002.92 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20242Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Otaru when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Physicians Per 10002.92 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Mobility and administration

Otaru was 32 km from its nearest major airport.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km32 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official
Nearest Major Airport IataOKD3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Otaru. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Japanese Language Education Program for Foreigners Living in Japan — State Language Course

Agency for Cultural Affairs

For foreigners living in Japan.

JapaneseIn Person, Online
Open official information
Open the full Japan section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Otaru.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from −3.1°C in January to 20.2°C in July. Otaru's monthly precipitation totalled 138.1 mm in January and 93.6 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 63.5 hours in January and 163.3 hours in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Otaru average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND26°-6°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Otaru average monthly precipitation, mm040801201601381078756545694131132123152152JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Otaru average monthly sunshine, hours05511016522064781291762011701631681601408059JFMAMJJASONDhours
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average daytime high by monthJan -0.5 · Feb 0.2 · Mar 4.1 · Apr 10.9 · May 16.9 · Jun 20.4 · Jul 24.2 · Aug 25.6 · Sep 22.3 · Oct 15.9 · Nov 8.3 · Dec 1.6 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽3Official · parent municipality
Average night-time low by monthJan -5.8 · Feb -5.7 · Mar -2.4 · Apr 2.6 · May 7.9 · Jun 12.5 · Jul 17.1 · Aug 18.4 · Sep 14.3 · Oct 7.9 · Nov 1.6 · Dec -3.8 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽3Official · parent municipality
Average temperature by monthJan -3.1 · Feb -2.7 · Mar 0.8 · Apr 6.5 · May 12.1 · Jun 16 · Jul 20.2 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 18.1 · Oct 11.8 · Nov 4.9 · Dec -1.1 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽3Official · parent municipality
Average precipitation by monthJan 138.1 · Feb 106.6 · Mar 87.3 · Apr 56.4 · May 53.7 · Jun 55.6 · Jul 93.6 · Aug 131.3 · Sep 131.7 · Oct 123 · Nov 152.4 · Dec 151.9 mm31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽3Official · parent municipality
Average sunshine by monthJan 63.5 · Feb 78.2 · Mar 128.8 · Apr 175.5 · May 200.6 · Jun 170.4 · Jul 163.3 · Aug 167.7 · Sep 159.8 · Oct 139.7 · Nov 79.6 · Dec 59 hours31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽3Official · parent municipality

Cities of a similar size in Japan

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Japan cities
印西市102,609 residents大野城市102,085 residentsŌmuta102,782 residentsNagoya102,869 residents伊勢原市101,780 residents河内長野市101,692 residents

Population and city profile

The population density of Otaru stood at 456.5 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Otaru residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport98.7%Foreign residents 1.3%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area243.9 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)6Official
Foreign-resident share1.28 %3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)9Official
Foreign residents1,305 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)9Official
Population density456.5 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)8Official
Population102,385 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total5Official

Is Otaru a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 44–64%
Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–69%
Student56%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 45–67%
Family52%strong on family, weak on safety · range 41–63%
Retirement57%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 44–70%
Foreign residents1,305 people3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)
Population102,385 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total
Unemployment rate5.98 %31 Dec 2020Official source · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)
City area243.9 km²3 Aug 2026Official source · 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
Foreign-resident share1.28 %3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)
Population density456.5 people/km²31 Dec 2020Official source · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Otaru?

The unemployment rate is 5.98 %. Source: 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表).

How many people live in Otaru?

The published population is 102,385 people. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total.

How many foreign residents live in Otaru?

1,305 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民).

Is Otaru a good place to live?

Otaru may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Otaru, Japan: jobs, climate, healthcare [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/otaru/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_otaru-japan-jobs-climate-healthcare_021be62bbf2c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Otaru, Japan: jobs, climate, healthcare},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/otaru/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Otaru, Japan: jobs, climate, healthcare](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/otaru/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  2. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  3. JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 小樽 JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
  4. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  6. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  7. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  8. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  9. 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民) soumu.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.