Sapporo

This area is famous for its onsen (due perhaps to proximity to Sapporo), and for the very beautiful autumn colours (especially around the Hōheikyō Dam). Accessible by public bus from the JR Sapporo station with multiple departures daily for ¥830 one-way.

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!

A modern museum filled with collections of contemporary works and especially glass objects, Pascin of École de Paris, as well as temporary exhibits. The main hall is the center of exhibits of works owned by the museum and the special facility is reserved for "expo" of foreign and Japanese arts. Each summer the museum holds a special course for children.

Large museum on the premises of Snow Brand Milk Products factory, where the company first produced butter in 1925. After learning about dairy farming and milk products, visitors can sample ice cream and milk made at the factory.

Containing over 74 modern and contemporary sculptures, this art park makes for a great day trip.

A popular excursion for Japanese families, this park offers several acres of carefully manicured grass and monumental landscape installations. Highlights include a 5-story glass pyramid and a man-made mountain, from which one can see all of Sapporo. Rental of bicycles is available, from 07:00-19:00.

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.

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.

The Hokkaido Museum traces the natural and human history of Hokkaido, from its prehistoric environment and indigenous Ainu culture to the island's development and colonisation by Japan from the 19th century. Exhibits cover wildlife, archaeology, Ainu life, the Matsumae period and the rapid settlement and industrialisation of Hokkaido. Located beside the Historical Village of Hokkaido, it makes an excellent companion to the open-air museum.

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.

The Hōheikan is a distinctive Western-style building constructed in 1878 as Sapporo's first hotel and guesthouse for government officials. Its blue-and-white exterior reflects the American influence on early Sapporo, while the interior contains period furnishings and exhibits on the building's history. It now stands in Nakajima Park.

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.

Sapporo Fushimi Inari Shrine is a hillside Shinto shrine known for its long row of red torii gates climbing through the forest on the slopes of Mt Moiwa. Founded in 1907, it is a pleasant combination of shrine, woodland walk and mountain scenery, and is quieter than Kyoto's famous Fushimi Inari.

Nakajima Park is a large, attractive park south of central Sapporo, centred on a pond and surrounded by mature trees. It contains the historic Hōheikan, the Hassō-an tea house and the Sapporo Concert Hall, with pleasant walking paths and seasonal autumn colours.

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.

Sapporo Pirka Kotan is an open-air museum and cultural centre introducing the traditional life, culture and history of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido. Traditional buildings, tools, clothing and other exhibits illustrate everyday life and crafts, with demonstrations and cultural activities sometimes held on site.

This is Sapporo's largest event. The festival is best known for the ice sculpture competition attracting artists from around the world, competing to create the largest and most elaborate artworks from ice and snow. The festival is focused on Odori Koen, in the centre of Sapporo. It consists of a combination of large-scale replicas and artistic sculptures; children-aimed attractions; and a separate section for world-wide competitors (where you can see a wide range of smaller artistic sculptures). The festival should be enjoyed both in the day -- but particularly at night when the sculptures (especially the larger ones) are lit up. When the weather is warmer and there's a bit of melting, the smaller sculptures are literally remade every night to ensure that they are in perfect condition the next day. Book accommodation early, because Sapporo gets booked out during the festival.

A ski mountain within easy drive from most of Sapporo. This ski mountain featured in the 1972 Winter Olympics. Offers a good mix of beginner and experienced slopes (in two distinct parks; Highlands and Olympia which are connected). You can purchase a Skip (スキップ sukippu, ski + trip) ticket at any JR ticket office for roughly ¥4500 (depending on which station you start from) that includes roundtrip train tickets to JR Teine station, roundtrip bus tickets from Teine station to the ski area, and a four-hour lift ticket. At Teine Station, make sure to exit at South gate #3 to find the correct bus.

As befits a former Winter Olympics site, Sapporo is famous for its ski resorts, which are easily accessible by bus. Niseko, one of Japan's top destinations for powder, is two hours away by bus.

Probably the most beautiful outdoor hotspring that is easily accessible from Sapporo. Separate areas for male and female guests offer an indoor bathing area and a large outdoor pool with mountain view. Massage, a beer bar and a restaurant (Indian curry or Japanese soba) are available on site. A free shuttle bus departs daily from Makomanai subway station (in front of the middle school) at 10:00 and returns from Hoheikyo to Makomanai at 15:00 (Service stopped since Oct 22, 2022 according to their website). Public buses (Rapid 7, Rapid 8 and Kappa Liner) also run regularly from Sapporo JR Station for ¥840.