Walking Tour in the Heart of Sapporo

Botanic Garden of Hokkaido University, opened in 1886, occupies 13.3 hectares in the heart of Sapporo city and is a ten-minute walk from Sapporo station. The garden includes remnants of natural woodlands with old growth trees of Japanese elm, showing the original landscape of Sapporo before the urban development. It is home to a collection of around 4,000 plant taxa with a focus on alpine and cool-temperate plants in Hokkaido and neighboring areas. The garden offers beautiful botanical sights all year round and highlights include enchanting spring ephemeral wildflowers, Japanese cherry blossoms or sakura, and autumn leaves. Additionally, the museum built in 1882 exhibits old natural history specimens and items related to the colonization of Hokkaido, and Northern Peoples Museum displays artifacts describing the culture of people indigenous to Hokkaido. The botanic garden is a facility of Hokkaido University for botanical research and education, and also open to the public and contributes to public education and recreation.

The Former Hokkaido Government Office Building, also known as the Red Brick Government building, in Sapporo, is a charming place to visit to learn about the history of the city and to see the striking fall colors in Hokkaido. The Former Hokkaido Government Office Building is as its name indicates, where the seat of the government of Hokkaido prefecture was housed for over 80 years - until the new building that is currently in use was completed. Built in 1888, this building was designed and built using the American Neo-Baroque architectural style popular abroad during that time. The distorted glass made in the Meiji era, as well as the double-thickness doors and other measures were used in order to protect the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building against the cold. It is a building perfectly designed to survive the cold Hokkaido winters.

Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, which opened in July 1977 near downtown Sapporo, is one of Hokkaido’s most comprehensive facilities of its kind. Known locally as Kinbi (short for Kindai Bijutukan, meaning “modern art museum” in Japanese), it has extended its collection since its establishment and hosted a wide range of exhibitions with regional and international flavors. The museum also acts as a venue for a variety of presentations and workshops with emphasis on improving its educational activities and information provision services. The facility’s collection encompasses as many as 4,800 works. These are centered around the three themes of Jules Pascin and the École de Paris, art associated with Hokkaido, and glass art craft. And also these are included Japanese modern art, Ukiyoe prints and European prints.

Hokkaido University is situated right in the heart of cosmopolitan Sapporo, Japan`s 5th largest city of 1.9 million inhabitants. Established for over 135 years, Hokkaido University boasts cutting edge research facilities supporting the best and brightest scholars in the widest range of fields. Hokkaido University is one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious universities in Japan. Boasting the largest number of faculties of Japan’s national universities, it covers almost all areas of the humanities and social and natural sciences and is a leader in research activities in Japan and the world.

A stylish observation deck located 160 meters above ground and offering great views. The JR Tower Observation Deck T38 is located inside JR Tower, a multipurpose facility with a shopping mall, restaurant, and hotel, connected to Sapporo Station. The Observation Deck can be accessed by taking the dedicated elevator from the 6th to 38th floor. The panoramic view from 160 meters above ground is breathtaking and offers views of Ishikari Bay New Port to the North, Hokkaido University and Mt. Teine to the West, and the Sapporo Dome and central Sapporo, which is laid out as a grid, to the South. The illuminated skyline of central Sapporo is spectacular at night. To the East, one can see Ishikari River running all the way to the ocean, and when weather permits, the mountains Yubaridake and Ashibetsudake. The observation deck, which offers a 360-degrees view of Sapporo, is also adorned with artworks, which cerate a calm atmosphere.

Sapporo ("important river flowing through a plain" in Ainu language) is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan's fifth largest city. Sapporo is also one of the nation's youngest major cities. In 1857, the city's population stood at just seven people. In the beginning of the Meiji Period, when the development of Hokkaido was started on a large scale, Sapporo was chosen as the island's administrative center and enlarged according to the advice of foreign specialists. Consequently, Sapporo was built based on a North American style rectangular street system. Sapporo became world famous in 1972 when the Olympic Winter Games were held there. Today, the city is well known for its ramen, beer, and the annual snow festival held in February.

A historical structure that watches over the progress of Sapporo. The bell rings every hour to announce the time to the city. The clock tower was built in 1878 as a theatrical hall of the Sapporo Agricultural School, present day Hokkaido University. The idea behind the tower came from Dr. Clark who was the school’s first vice principal. It was used as a facility where Agricultural School students conducted their military training and physical education, and as the main hall where commencement and other ceremonies were held. Its main characteristic is the balloon-type wooden architecture, popular in the mid and western regions of America during the frontier era. It is well known for its red roof and white walls, but during the time that it was used as the public library the color of its walls is said to have been green.

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.

Completed in 1956, Sapporo TV Tower is located in Nishi 1-chome, or the eastern edge of Odori Park, which divides central Sapporo into northern and southern zones. It has been a Sapporo landmark and witnessed the development of the city for more than half a century. From the observation deck, which is approximately 90 meters above ground, visitors can enjoy beautiful seasonal views of Odori Park and various events carried out in the park. When the sky is clear, one can see as far as Ishikari Plain and the Sea of Japan. The observation deck is the best place to see the snow festival and park’s illuminated decorations in the winter.

Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery is a 500-meters-long art space that utilizes a train station concourse to show artworks. Since 2006, the “500-m Underground Walkway Gallery” had been setup inside the concourse that connects Odori and Bus Center subway stations in November as the art section of the “Sapporo Art Stage”. The gallery became permanent in 2012. The gallery, which begins with a rust-finished entrance, is the longest facility located inside a station passage in Japan. The exhibited works utilize the unique space. Galleries in public settings such as this one are interesting as they allow viewers to view works repeatedly and take note of new perspectives.