Sapporo Travel Guide

Ōdōri Bisse beside Ōdōri Park in Chūō, Sapporo, is a commercial venue gathering restaurants and shops of Hokkaidō ingredients. Themed on 'gourmet Sapporo', it offers soup curry, seafood and local sweets — a food hub in the city centre.

Odori Park is a green belt running east-west through central Sapporo, splitting the city north and south across about 1.5 km from Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 12-chome. Flower beds, fountains and sculptures change with the seasons, lilacs in summer, red leaves in autumn, and in winter it becomes the main stage of the Snow Festival, where giant snow sculptures and lights fill the night. The Sapporo TV Tower rises within the park; from its deck you overlook the whole green axis and city. It is where citizens relax and where the seasons' festivals converge.

Shiroi Koibito Park is a fairy-tale factory park in Sapporo, Hokkaido, themed on the famous 'Shiroi Koibito' cookie and run by Ishiya. Its centrepiece is a dreamy English-style castle opening its chocolate production line, cocoa exhibits and hands-on dessert workshops; outside are a clock tower, rose garden and seasonal light shows like a storybook town. A top Hokkaido spot for families and couples, it lets you learn the story behind the snack and take home limited souvenirs with sweet memories.

Hokkaido Jingu stands in the primeval forest of Maruyama in Sapporo, founded in 1869 to enshrine the deities of the island's pioneering and regarded as Hokkaido's chief shrine. Ancient trees shade solemn, quiet grounds with distinct seasons, cherry blossoms, summer green, autumn maple and winter snow. At the approach's end the main shrine honours four deities including Emperor Meiji, and New Year visits draw throngs. Beside Maruyama Park, it is where citizens pray, walk and feel nature's spirit, Sapporo's most tranquil power spot.

The Sapporo Beer Museum is Japan's only beer-themed museum, set in the red-brick former Sapporo brewery in Higashi-ku, Sapporo. It tells the story of Sapporo Beer since 1876 — brewing equipment and the evolution of its advertising; at the end you can pay to taste fresh draught Sapporo, a stop that explains Hokkaido's food culture.

Maeda Forest Park in Teine, Sapporo, is a large park with paid and free zones, sports grounds, a hot spring and camping facilities. Rich in forest and wetlands, it shows off autumn colours and winter snow in turn — a weekend favourite for Sapporo residents.