Bank of Japan Otaru Museum

By the 1920s Otaru had more banks than Hokkaido's capital Sapporo, reflecting its position as the main trading port for northern Japan. The Bank of Japan's Otaru Branch was designed by Tatsuno Kingo, also responsible for Tokyo Station, and built between 1909 and 1912 in Renaissance Revival style. A steel-frame structure allowed for the large open banking hall without interior pillars; a mezzanine gallery let managers observe activity below. The stylized yen motif Tatsuno incorporated throughout still appears on Japanese banknotes today. The branch operated until 2002 and reopened as a free museum in 2003, with exhibits including a scale model of Otaru's financial district and the original vault.