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Photo: Daigaku2051, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sapporo Factory occupies the site of the Kaitakushi Brewery, established in 1876 as one of Japan's earliest modern breweries and the predecessor of Sapporo Beer. The original red-brick brewery buildings have been incorporated into a large shopping and entertainment complex, with some historical displays recalling the site's brewing history.
The Sapporo Factory is a complex that includes a shopping mall, office, multiplex movie theaters, and museum, located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The building was formerly a brewery that belonged to the Kaitakushi, the old government of Hokkaidō prefecture, and later owned by the Sapporo Beer Company, the predecessor of the Sapporo Brewery. Currently, the Sapporo Factory is run by the Yebisu Garden Place, a subsidiary of Sapporo Holdings Ltd., and a real estate company. The original brewery building was built in 1876, and after the brewery ceased to function in beer production, the operations were moved to a new location in Eniwa, in 1993.
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さっぽろテレビ塔
A tourist trap carbon copy of the Eiffel Tower with an observation deck 90 m high.
サッポロビール博物館 Sapporo Biru Hakubutsukan
Run by the Sapporo Brewing Company, offers free self-guided tours or "premium" guided tours (only in Japanese, ¥500) covering the history of beer in Japan and the process of brewing. The museum is not very big and while the printed descriptions on the displays are in Japanese, cards are provided offering English translations. Two short movies about the history of the brewery also have English subtitles. At the end of the tour you can taste all the different beers. Finish off the tour with more beers at the Beer Garden next door (see Eat).
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!
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.
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.