Seikatei

Introduction

Seikatei was built in 1880 as a guesthouse for the Hokkaido Development Commission inside Kairakuen, a park that once stretched over what is now the southern edge of Hokkaido University. It is a compact example of early-Meiji Japanese-Western fusion: a single-storey timber building with a Japanese roof, Western sash windows and a veranda. Emperor Meiji used it as a rest stop during his 1881 Hokkaido tour. Later it passed through private hands as a dining venue, a restaurant and a home before Sapporo City took it over, restored it to its original form and designated it a municipal tangible cultural property. The rooms are almost empty apart from a few historical photographs; the point is the building and the quiet garden. It sits only a few minutes from JR Sapporo Station, yet feels entirely removed from it.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info