Sapporo is the biggest city in the Northern Japan. Sapporo is famous for annual ice festival, beer, skiing and hot spring. During the winter season the temperature remains below freezing but winter is still considered as the best season to visit Sapporo. The ski destinations situated in Northern Japan are very popular among tourists and locals. Niseko is the most popular ski destination in Sapporo and it is famous for its smooth powder snow.
After spending amazing 3 days in Tokyo i took an early morning flight from Tokyo to Sapporo. The total duration of the flight was around 1.5 hours. Just before the landing i looked outside and i saw everything was covered in snow except the runway. I had never seen such a landscape before and i was really scared to step out of the Plane. After getting out of the plane i checked outside temperature and it was -10 C. Sapporo airport is located about 50 km from Sapporo city. I took the JR airport express train from the airport and it took around 40 minutes to reach JR Sapporo station. The train passed through great landscapes on the way to Sapporo station. The view from the window seat was amazing and everything was covered in snow including the trees,houses and railway tracks.
Former Hokkaido Government office – Former Hokkaido Government office is situated around 10 mins walk from Sapporo station. The red brick design of the building is unique and there is also a small garden near the main entrance of the building. The garden was completely covered in snow during my visit to Sapporo. The Government office building consists of a conference room, a museum, a tourist information office and a library.
Odori Park & Sapporo TV Tower – Odori park is situated at the center of Sapporo. The total length of the park is about 1.5 km. Every year Sapporo snow festival is organized at the park. The snow festival is a week long event and it is mostly held in the month of February. I couldn’t see the snow festival because I visited Sapporo in the month of January. The entire park was covered with thick snow and there was hardly anyone inside the park.
Sapporo TV tower is located at the eastern side of Odori park. You get the best views of Sapporo city and Odori park from the observation deck located inside the Sapporo TV tower. There is a small entrance fee for the observation deck and the view from the deck is simply incredible. Sapporo city was completely covered in snow and the Odori park bisects the city into two halves. Sapporo TV tower is illuminated during night time and it looks very similar to Tokyo TV tower.
Sapporo Beer Museum – The beer museum is situated little far from Odori Park.I took Toho line from Odori station to Higashikuyakusho-Mae station and from there the beer museum was situated by just 10 minutes walk.Sapporo beer is the most famous beer of Japan. The closing time of the museum is around 8 pm and i reached the museum at 7 pm. I tried 5 varieties of Sapporo beer at the tasting arena inside the museum by paying a small fee. You can also attend a guided tour of the Sapporo museum but the tour is only available in Japanese language.
Sapporo Beer Garden is situated inside the Sapporo beer museum compound. The restaurant inside Sapporo Beer Garden is very famous among tourists and locals. Genghis Khan mutton barbecue is a famous cuisine in Sapporo. The buffet dinner at the restaurant usually costs about 40 USD and it includes unlimited supply of beer, mutton barbecue and some side dish. I didn’t get a seat at the restaurant because the restaurant was fully booked on that day. The restaurant is always in high demand that’s why i strongly recommend to book your seats in advance. I went to another restaurant situated near Odori park for the amazing lamb barbecue.
Snowmobile world Sapporo – Snowmobile world Sapporo is located at the outskirts of Sapporo city. I would strongly recommend to book a taxi to Sapporo Snowmobile world because it takes around 2 hours to reach the Snowmobile world via bus or train. Sapporo Snowmobile world is famous for snowmobile tours. The cost of the tour is around 100 USD. The tour includes a guide, Shoes rental, jacket rental and the tour lasts for about 1 hour. I did a small practice run around the beginner course after my guide explained to me the safety instructions and the controls of the snowmobile. The handle of the snowmobile was very stiff and it took lot of effort to turn the snowmobile. After some small adjustments we started moving along the trail. Initially the trail involved lot of uphill climb and we reached a small view point near the peak of the mountain. We took rest for around 5 minutes and took some nice photographs of the surroundings.
The view of the Sea of Japan and the snow capped mountain was amazing from the top. The tour operators provided special warm clothes and boots for the entire tour and it saved me from below freezing temperature. After the break we started our long downhill ride to the snowmobile world. I felt the downhill ride was little tough because the snowmobile was heavy and the brakes were not that sensitive. I was following the guide for the whole trail and my guide was constantly giving me information about the upcoming turn and braking points. My tour guide was extremely friendly There was hardly any traffic during the entire trail and i enjoyed the snowmobile ride to the fullest. I finished the tour at the base of the snowmobile world and collected my souvenir photograph. The Snowmobile tour was highlight of my trip to Sapporo and i strongly recommend everyone join the tour.
Sapporo Night tour to Mt Moiwa and Ski Jump stadium– I booked a night tour to Mt Moiwa and the Ski Jump stadium on the last day of my trip to Sapporo. The tour is offered by CHUO Bus and you can book the tour from teikan.chuo-bus.co.jp. The tour starts around 6 pm from the Sapporo Bus terminal and the total duration of the tour is around 4 hours. The first stop of the tour was Mt Moiwa observation deck. We took a cable car ride from the base of Mt Moiwa to an intermediate station. We had a brief stop at an intermediate station for sometime before taking the cable car to ride to the main observation deck. You can also buy souvenir items from the shops situated at the stations. The 360 degree panoramic night view of the Sapporo city was amazing from the observation deck. The outside temperature was around -15 C and it was an open air observation deck so i quickly took some photographs and came back to the main hall.
Our last stop of the tour was Okurayama Ski Jump stadium. The ski jump stadium was used during the 1976 Sapporo winter Olympics. The tour also includes buffet lamb barbecue at a restaurant situated near Ski Jump stadium. The view of the Ski Jump stadium was amazing from the restaurant. The Genghis khan lamb barbecue was delicious and we saw some of the great views of the ski jump stadium from the restaurant. Our tour ended at Sapporo Bus terminal around 10 pm. The total tour costs about 50 USD and i would strongly recommend everyone to join the tour during your visit to Sapporo.
Hokkaido Shrine– Hokkaido Shrine is located at a very convenient location from Odori park. I took Tozai line from Odori station and got down at Maruyama koen station. The shrine is situated by just 15 minutes walk from Maruyama koen station. The shrine is situated inside the Maruyama park and i loved walking along the snow filed park. The air was very refreshing and the park was perfect location to take some amazing photos. Hokkaido shrine is a Shinto shrine and it is one of the most important temples in Sapporo. The architecture of the shrine is similar to other Shinto shrines but the shrine was looking beautiful on the background of snow filled terrain.
Hot Spring – Some of the best hot springs in Japan are located in Sapporo. Hot spring resorts are popular tourist destinations during winter time. My hostel recommended me to visit Hoheikyo hot spring because of its convenient location. I took a bus from Sapporo station and it took around 1 hour to reach Hoheikyo Onsen. The bus journey was very nice and i met a guy from South Korea who was visiting Sapporo for 5 days. We talked about K-Pop, Korean food and Korean tourist destinations during our journey. The Onsen was situated just outside the main bathhouse and the outside temperature was well below freezing. The Onsen was surrounded by snow and the water temperature was perfect for a nice bath during the winter months. I was able to touch the snow while taking bath at the amazing warm water of the Onsen. You can also have dinner at the Indian restaurant situated inside the Onsen compound. The return bus to Sapporo station departs every 1 hour from the Onsen. I took the 8 pm bus from Onsen and reached Sapporo station by 9 pm. Evening time is probably the best time to visit the Onsen and the total trip takes about 5 hours. Unfortunately I was not able to take any photographs of
Bankei Ski Resort – Niseko is the best ski destination of Japan and it is famous all over the world for its powder snow. Niseko is more suited towards experienced skiers and you need more time in order to explore all the trails around the area. I am a beginner snowboarder and i had less time so i opted for Bankei ski resort which is situated by just 20 minutes bus ride from Sapporo station. You can take direct bus from Odori station to Bankei Ski area and it takes about 30 minutes. Snowboard and Ski rentals are available at reasonable price near the ski resort. There are only 3 trails around the ski resort and i opted for the beginner course. The snow quality was amazing and it took me around 10 minutes to do the first run. I took 2 hour lift pass and the total price was around 30 USD. I stopped snowboarding after my 4th Run because of heavy snowfall. The rental shop situated at the Ski area provides wide selection of equipment and private lessons are also available for beginners.
Otaru -Otaru is a a small port city located about 40 minutes train ride from Sapporo. Otaru can be visited as a day trip from Sapporo. People visiting Niseko from Sapporo can use Otaru as a stopover location. Otaru is a small port city and it can be easily explored on foot. Otaru Canal is the most famous tourist destination of Otaru. The Canal was built in the early 20th century and it was used to transport goods from the port to the warehouse.
At one stage the canal was supposed to be filled because it became obsolete after the opening of modern dock.
Eventually the canal was preserved partially and walking paths were built along the canal. The old stone building warehouses were beautifully restored by the Government and now it is used as shops, restaurants and museums. The canal is situated by just 10 minutes walk from Sapporo station. You can also purchase tickets at the canal for the boat trip around the canal.
The dockyard is situated just opposite to the canal and it was completely covered in snow during my visit to Otaru. The scenery around the dockyard was breathtaking and i will strongly recommend to visit the dockyard during your visit to Otaru.
Sakaimachi Street – Sakaimachi street is situated by a short walk from Otaru Canal. The street is famous for restaurants, shops and western style buildings. Sakaimachi street is a great location to try different types of Japanese cuisine. I wanted to stay back at Otaru till evening but it started raining so i decided to come back to Sapporo. The tickets to Sapporo can be purchased on the spot at Otaru station and you don’t need to pre-book the tickets. The train was running very close to the sea of Japan coastline. The landscape was very unique and the entire coastline was covered with thick layer of snow. I would strongly recommend to include Northern Japan in your itinerary if you are visiting Japan during winter months.
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