Story Hokkaido: Sapporo by JNTO on 04 January 2018
Sapporo is the gateway to Hokkaido, known for its food (specifically ramen and seafood), nightlife, and the annual snow festival held in February. The city was developed on a large scale during the Meiji era (1868-1912) when it was laid out based on a North American rectangular street system, making it very easy to navigate and giving it a different atmosphere from other cities in Japan.
Sights in the city
The city centre’s American architectural influence can be seen through its landmarks like the ‘red brick office’, the Former Hokkaido Government office constructed in 1888 in American neo-baroque style, as well as the Clock Tower, a small wooden museum built in 1878 with its classic clapboard exterior. Sapporo is divided into two segments by the broad, leafy Odori Park which offers a pleasant green space in warmer months and is site of the famous Sapporo Snow Festival. Within the park is the 150m-tall Sapporo TV Tower that has an observation deck.
Popular foodie places
The Nijo Market is popular with locals and visitors who come for fresh local seafood such as crabs, sea urchin, and salmon roe. The market is generally open from 7am to 6pm, and there are several restaurants as well as a collection of drinking places along the Noren Yokocho alley. The best way to sample delicacies from Nijo is to have a fresh seafood breakfast – the most popular item is the uni ikura donburi (sea urchin and salmon roe rice bowl).
Packed with bars, restaurants karaoke shops and other entertainment establishments, Susukino is the nightlife hub of Sapporo. Popular with foodies here is the Ramen Yokocho, a narrow alley lined with small restaurants serving Sapporo’s famous ramen.
Sapporo Beer
Hokkaido is famous for its beer, which was first brewed in Sapporo in 1877. Today the Sapporo Beer Museum, located in the former 19th century brewery, is where tours and tastings are available in its iconic red brick building. The adjacent Beer Garden contains several beer halls where you can have free-flow beer with all-you-can-eat Genghis Khan, a mutton barbecue specialty cooked tableside. For a unique souvenir, the popular “Sapporo Classic” is a canned beer only available in Hokkaido.
Outside Sapporo City Center
Mt Moiwa is a small, forested mountain near central Sapporo, popular for its views over the city from the summit. It’s accessible via the Mt. Moiwa Ropeway which takes you to the summit where there is an observation deck and restaurant.
Not far from Sapporo’s city center are two renowned ski resorts: Mt. Moiwa Ski Resort (for skiers only) and Sapporo Teine which was used as one of the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics sites.
A great way to explore Hokkaido’s history is at the Kaitaku no Mura (Historic Village of Hokkaido), an open-air museum exhibiting 60 typical buildings from all over the island, dating from the Meiji and Taisho eras (1860s to 1920s). It’s divided into four sections: a town, fishing village, farm village, and mountain village.
