Found in Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, Sapporo is a large city that is home to several historical and cultural landmarks and must-see natural attractions. Every February, it hosts the much-anticipated Sapporo Snow Festival, a week-long celebration that features beautiful ice and snow sculptures, and attracts over two million local and foreign visitors.
If you are thinking of including Sapporo to your next trip’s itinerary, the following are 10 best spots that you should not miss:
1. Odori Park
Nestled in the heart of Sapporo, Odori Park is a wide and spacious park that extends about one kilometer from east to west, dividing the city into north and south.
Every Sapporo Snow Festival, it serves as the primary event site, where you can find some of the best ice statues and snow sculptures that come in all shapes and sizes. In the summer, it hosts the YOSAKOI, the Summer Festival, and the Beer Garden events. It also offers great viewing spots during the cherry blossoms and the autumn leaves seasons.
It is located right next to the Odori Subway Station, or a 10-minute walk away from JR Sapporo Station.
2. Sapporo TV Tower
Standing at the eastern end of Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower is a 147.2-metre high tower that houses an observatory (about 90 metres high up the ground) that provides a 360-degree view of the metropolis.
Built by Japanese architect Tachu Naito and inaugurated in 1957, the tower has a total of five storeys and features four large digital clocks on each of its four sides. The base is home to a number of shops and a tourist information center, the second floor to the administration office and a hall, and the third to a restaurant and a souvenir store. It also has a basement that links to an underground shopping arcade, called the Aurora Town, and is connected to a couple of other underground passages that lead to Susukino Station and Sapporo Station.
For information on ticket prices, opening hours, and more, visit Sapporo TV Tower’s official website.
3. Sapporo Clock Tower
A historic and cultural icon in central Sapporo, the Clock Tower is an old, wooden building constructed in 1878, with a large clock that was bought from Boston, Massachusetts and installed in 1881.
Declared a National Important Cultural Property in 1970, it is made up of multiple floors that houses a wide variety of exhibits that tell the story of the tower’s and Sapporo’s past, information on the origins of the clock, and a large ceremony hall.
It is only 10 minutes on foot from JR Sapporo Station.
Check out the Clock Tower’s official website for information on opening hours, tickets, and more.
4. Sapporo Beer Museum
Sapporo Beer is one of Japan’s first and most renowned beers, and what better way to enjoy it to the fullest than to visit the Sapporo Beer Museum?
Founded in 1987, the Sapporo Beer Museum stands on the site of an old brewery from the Meiji Era. It has a vast collection of exhibitions that offer an extensive look at the beginnings and development of beer and brewing in the region through the years, and offers beer tasting sessions to visitors for a small charge. After your visit, you can indulge yourself on some all-you-can-eat barbecue and all-you-can-drink beer at the Sapporo Beer Garden, which is situated right next to the museum.
From JR Sapporo Station, the museum is about 25 minutes on foot.
5. Mount Moiwa
Mount Moiwa is best known for its incredible views of Sapporo, most especially after the sun sets. Visitors may take the Mount Moiwa Ropeway starting from the lower station at the base of the mountain to the upper station, which houses an observation deck, a theatre, a planetarium, and a restaurant.
Every winter, the southeastern slope of Mount Moiwa becomes a ski resort that offers many runs and is easily accessible from central Sapporo.
The Mount Moiwa lower ropeway station is about a short walk or bus ride via the free shuttle bus from the Ropeway Iriguchi streetcar station.
Ropeway operating hours, admission fees, and other information are available on Mount Moiwa Ropeway’s official website.
6. Historical Village of Hokkaido
With a collection of 60 old buildings and houses from around the Hokkaido region, the Historical Village of Hokkaido, or Kaitaku no Mura, is an open air museum that features important aspects of the local lifestyle from the Meiji and Taisho Eras. It provides a peek on what it was like to live in farms, mountains, fishing villages, and small towns back in the day.
To get there, get on a local train at Sapporo Station going to Shinrin Koen Station or Shin-Sapporo Station, and then take a bus.
More information is available on the Historical Village of Hokkaido’s official website.
7. Susukino
With an abundance of restaurants, pachinko parlors, bars, karaoke houses, and shops, Susukino is Sapporo’s red light district and entertainment hub. It is where you can find the famous Ramen Yokocho, a narrow alley lined with small diners that offer Sapporo’s best ramen.
During the Sapporo Snow Festival, Susukino becomes covered with numerous amazing snow statues, and hosts an ice sculpture contest.
It is easily accessible via the Susukino Station, which is just two stops away from Sapporo Station.
8. Maruyama Park
Home to the Hokkaido Shrine, the Maruyama Baseball Stadium, the Maruyama Athletics Stadium, and the Maruyama Zoo, Maruyama Park is a 68.7-hectare park in the western outskirts of Sapporo. It offers many opportunities to enjoy nature, with its thriving virgin forest of maples, magnolia, oak, and various other trees. It is the most visited cherry blossom spot in the city, thanks to its more than 1,500 cherry trees that look gorgeous and magical usually around early May.
The park is a 3-minute walk away from Maruyama-Koen Station.
9. Sapporo Factory
For those who love to shop and dine, drop by Sapporo Factory and check out its more than 150 souvenir shops, boutiques, clothing stores, cafes, and restaurants. The five-storey entertainment complex offers a pleasant and vibrant atmosphere usually from 10 am up until 10 pm, and even has a small brewery where you can enjoy some fine quality beer.
For more information, visit Sapporo Factory’s official website.
10. Moerenuma Park
Moerenuma Park is a spacious green space located in the suburbs of Sapporo. It was designed by Japanese-American Isamu Noguchi, and boasts of a variety of unique and impressive structures, such as a glass pyramid building, a water fountain, playgrounds, and a man-made mountain and beach.
It is a 25-minute bus ride away from the Kanjodori-higashi Subway Station.
Opening hours and other information are found on Moerenuma Park’s official website.
