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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Hokkaido University occupies a large, attractive campus in central Sapporo and grew from the Sapporo Agricultural College, founded in 1876 with strong American influence. It was one of Japan's first modern institutions of higher education and played an important role in the development of Hokkaido. The campus retains several historic buildings, including the Sapporo Agricultural College Farm, and has broad tree-lined grounds that make it pleasant to explore on foot. The Hokkaido University Museum provides more background on the university and its scientific collections.
Hokkaido University , or Hokudai (北大), is a public research university in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Founded in 1918, it is the fifth-oldest government-authorised university in Japan and one of the former Imperial Universities.
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JRタワー
The redeveloped building near JR Sapporo Station marks the center of the city. It is higher than the TV tower observatory is. Affording panoramic views. As a bonus for men, the observation level has a men's room with a view!
北海道大学植物園 Hokkaido Daigaku Shokubutsuen
A large botanical garden. There are two rock gardens, a rose garden, a lilac display, a greenhouse, and various other gardens. There's a small museum in the garden with artifacts from Hokkaido, some dating back to the Meiji period (no extra cost). In the winter, only the greenhouse and museum are of interest.
北海道府旧本府舎
This beautiful western-style red brick building is a famous site of Sapporo and worth taking a quick look, as it is in the center.
時計台 Tokeidai
This rather diminutive building has become a symbol of Sapporo, mostly by being the oldest building still standing. It was constructed in 1878 for the Sapporo Agricultural College (now the Hokkaido University) and would not look out of place in "Smalltown U.S.A." The inside has a small retrospective of its history. Visitor beware, as this is for some reason a mecca for Japanese tourists coming to Sapporo who feel that no trip to Sapporo would be complete without a photo in front of the Tokeidai, but has been rated as Japan's third "most disappointing" tourist attraction!
大通公園, ōdōri-kōen
Sapporo's most famous park, it is in the center of town and is considered to be a symbol of Sapporo. Although quite narrow (one might argue that it is a nice boulevard), the park is quite long, stretching over fifteen blocks across downtown Sapporo. Filled with (during the summer) numerous flowers, trees, and fountains, Ōdōri Park provides a welcome respite from the maddening crowds of the surrounding city. In winter, there's not much to see.
The Sapporo Shiryokan, built in 1926 as the Sapporo Court of Appeals, is a handsome Western-style brick building in Odori Park. It now houses exhibits on Sapporo's history and the judicial system, and is notable as one of the city's surviving Taishō-period buildings.